E Purposeful & pro-social regime provided 25 A programme of interventions & purposeful activity informed by offender pathways is available for AP

Transcription

1 E Purposeful & pro-social regime provided 25 A programme of interventions & purposeful activity informed by offender pathways is available for AP residents, either within the AP or in alternative suitable locations, as commissioned by the director of offender management (All residents) (see also I 41) Effective and enhanced regimes AP residents are required to engage in a minimum number of hours per week of purposeful activity, to be determined locally by Offender Managers and AP staff A Guide to Purposeful Activity was developed in 2008 with the aim of encouraging and assisting the development of constructive and enhanced AP regimes. The text of the Guide (without examples) is at annex 25 A The Guide encourages the adoption of a model of detailed individual timetables of enhanced offender supervision and supervised activities within a residential framework as part of the resident s management plan. It includes guidance on criteria and boundaries regarding which activities may be considered as enhanced regime activities, and those that might not The key aim is to appropriately engage high-risk offenders in constructive, purposeful and restrictive activity for defined periods of time in order to contribute to both protecting the public and the prevention of reoffending. Approved Premises Manual 120 Version Effective & Enhanced Regime Guide Introduction Defining purposeful activity Developing enhanced regime activities Developing enhanced supervision Building upon existing strengths Learning from experience Other key development issues Introduction 1. 25A-1. This guide has been developed by a working group of practitioners convened and led by the National Approved Premises Association (NAPA) at the request of NOMS A-2. The guide encourages the adoption of a model of detailed individual timetables of enhanced offender supervision and supervised activities within a residential framework and in line with the overall offender management plan. It also contains some guidance on criteria and boundaries as to which activities might legitimately count as purposeful enhanced regime activities, as part of a compulsory individual programme, and those that might not A-3. The aim is to encourage and assist further development of AP regimes and resident management to most appropriately engage high-risk offenders in constructive, purposeful and restrictive activity for clearly defined periods of time in a way that can contribute both to protecting the public and to the prevention of reoffending A-4. APs are able to provide a wide range of well-planned and imaginative interventions and activities. AP managers should use this guidance to develop and increase the range of innovative elements that can be introduced within any existing resource restraints, of staffing, training and buildings. Defining purposeful activity within an AP regime 5. 25A-5. Definition of purposeful activity: A time-bound, measurable and recordable activity, which is structured towards the delivery of the resident s sentence plan, or is otherwise approved as constructive in character and compatible with the sentence plan and other expectations to which the resident is subject A-6. Purposeful activities should be defined by their potential value, not the place where they are carried out. They can therefore take place within the AP or elsewhere A-7. The following activities are therefore drawn from the prison based definitions but have been adapted to reflect a community based setting. They do not represent an exhaustive list and do not of themselves imply relevance to each resident s

2 sentence plan. Relevance has to be judged on an individual basis. They are approved as having the capability to be used in a constructive way as part of any enhanced regime component of the offender management plan. Approved Premises Manual 121 Version Annex 25 A APPROVED AS PURPOSEFUL 8. 25A-8. Educational activities: Basic skills tuition; skills for life; academic study towards a nationally recognised qualification; vocational training towards a nationally accredited qualification; physical education and training under qualified coaching arrangements; educational and vocational courses under professional instruction; interview skills training; offender programme homework A-9. Work-related activities: Paid employment in the community; unpaid work in the community carried out as a community punishment; voluntary work carried out with an approved provider of such; paid or unpaid work experience with an approved provider; AP -based, approved, safety-cleared and supervised work in the following fields: catering, cleaning, gardening, maintenance A-10. Resettlement-related activities: AP induction meetings; sentence planning meetings; intervention planning meetings; accredited and non-accredited programme attendance; drug and alcohol testing; keywork/casework; reporting to outside OM/supervisor; meetings with public protection team police officers; meetings with housing workers A-11. Health-related activities: Visits to AP-approved GP; hospital appointments; dental appointments; meetings with psychiatrist/cpn; meetings with psychologist; attending to specific health-related needs; attending to specific directions on personal hygiene A-12. Other purposeful activities: Attending residents meetings; domestic activity as part of planned social skills development eg devising a menu, shopping and preparing food; completing residents surveys; attending places of worship and related activities; staff- organised and approved recreational activities; defensible activities associated with building social and family links; engaging in creative activities, such as art and craft work, photography where taught and supervised, computer work risk assessed and supervised, creative writing, musical instrument practice, gardening, active sport and exercise. NOT APPROVED AS PURPOSEFUL A-13. Association time with other residents unless involved in a staff-led activity; routine domestic activity; time spent asleep; time spent watching television, DVDs, listening to radio, music or casual reading (magazines, newspapers, books). Developing enhanced regime activities Some key principles and guidelines A-14. The following principles and standards that need to be considered when activities are being designed have been drawn up in light of the 2008 joint inspectorates report into APs, and the best practice guidance on interventions. Essentially, while innovation is very much being encouraged, new ideas ought to be validated before being put into practice A-15. Every planned activity must first be assessed for whether it will contribute directly to the reduction of reoffending. If it does, its design must follow the best practice guidance mentioned above. This analysis should not be a significant burden and will help to refine concepts for purposeful activity and fit them in with other offender management work A-16. For activities that are focused on the constructive use of leisure, it will be important to:! identify the purpose of the activity what is it intended to achieve, and how;! assess whether the activity will clash with, or support, other interventions, and agree it with OMs; Approved Premises Manual 122 Version ! assess whether the activity presents any risks (including health & safety) and balance them against the benefits, then ensure that the risks are managed;

3 ! evaluate the activity afterwards to check whether it achieved what was expected of it and is worth continuing with. Consider whether offenders attend the activity and if it holds their interest and/or is relevant to them;! consider diversity; and! consider value for money. Developing enhanced supervision A-17. The starting point for enhanced supervision for AP residents within an enhanced regime, is to devise and agree a detailed individual timetable of constructive engagement for an agreed number of hours per week for every resident based upon their level of risk, development needs, and personal circumstances and limitations. The number of hours is to be left to local determination but the expectation is that every offender must undertake some purposeful activity A-18. We would advocate a possible figure of 21 hours per week as being generally achievable, reduced proportionately if the person is in full- or part-time education or employment or on diversity grounds such as health difficulties or special circumstances. It may also be reduced during the latter part of a resident s stay or as the resident begins to take control of their own situation, showing that their risk of reoffending has reduced and that positive activities have become embedded in their ordinary routines and behaviours. It may also be appropriate for someone moving on from the AP to increase their purposeful activity around securing accommodation, obtaining grants, etc A-19. Each individual programme should detail what the specified activity is, and where, when and for how long it is to take place. It should clearly relate directly to the offender management plan and form a purposeful element of the individual diary details that all will be required to record as an outcome of the AP Service Review. This should be clearly agreed with the offender and the OM, thus providing a basis for enforcement through the AP Rules and licence conditions as appropriate A-20. The individual plan should aim to make best use of any activities and programmes provided both within the AP, by its own staff or by partner agencies, alongside agreed relevant and monitored outside activities. Building upon existing strengths within AP regimes A-21. The main focus of the work within an AP builds upon the ongoing daily contact to motivate, encourage, and, where needed, to enforce the engagement of each resident in meeting the expectation that they will comply with their agreed timetable of structured activity. Each individual programme needs to contain elements of confinement and public protection (curfews) allied to activities that are structured to address the key pathways for prevention of further offending alongside an element of appropriate, constructive and purposeful use of leisure A-22. Enhanced activities need to be not merely restrictive or public protection measures, eg curfews, but must target prevention of reoffending by being focused upon purposeful activities A-23. APs need to hold individual residents to account through the use of a consistent and regular keyworking system involving a minimum weekly session. This process should then be supported and reinforced by motivational interviewing and pro-social modelling techniques being employed by all supervisory staff. Approved Premises Manual 123 Version A-24. Regular house meetings to deal with the vagaries of group living are also essential to maintain a more relaxed and positive communal living atmosphere. We would, however, strongly caution against the development of such house meetings along any concept of a therapeutic community A-25. Other essential building blocks of delivery within APs might be summarised as: strong link to OMs; team work, understanding risk; using partnerships and community resources and local probation links; sentence plans, AP plans, adequate recording, and facilities (eg rooms to use for activities). Learning from experience A-26. The AP Pathfinder, alongside the experience over many years of APs outside that pilot, has shown that attempting to provide a one programme/timetable fits all regime of uniform compulsory activity for all residents is just not feasible within the resourcing available. Equally, it does not appropriately serve the social and

4 criminogenic needs of the wide and diverse range of residents that APs accommodate A-27. The provision of an in-house programme of group-based activity, where facilities and resources permit, can be valuable both in terms of providing on-site constructive use of time, and in being an effective and efficient method of delivery. This is particularly true where most or all residents are engaged in the same activity. However, it needs to be understood that an enhanced regime does not have to deliver a uniform timetable for all residents. Rather, each individual should have a detailed enhanced supervision timetable including the most appropriate activities and involvement depending on their level of risk, their skills and their intervention needs A-28. The Joint Inspection also issues a note of caution about the construction of new activities, saying: While we were convinced of the benefit of organised and mandatory activity, APs should be very careful not to try and replicate the type of learning that an accredited programme seeks to make; nor should they be taking the accredited programme material and dropping elements into a module and calling it offending behaviour work. A return to the piecemeal approach to group work with offenders that preceded the What Works movement should be avoided A-29. In developing regimes it needs to be acknowledged that, while many staff are often experienced in working within a residential setting, they will need to have the skills, knowledge, or training to deliver any form of treatment programme. We believe they can, given appropriate training, support and encouragement to deliver a wide a range of in- house programmes. Managers of APs will need to bear this in mind in recruiting staff. Other key issues in developing in-house activities Pre-arrival preparation and induction A-30. This is a very important, many would say essential, component of a successful residency, and staff time and resources need to be made available for pre-stay planning and contact whenever possible. Residents need to know, wherever possible, what will be expected of them before arrival. They need to understand that residence in an AP will require an enhanced level of demands made upon them and any notion that they can disappear at 6 each morning for the rest of the day until 11 each evening needs to be clarified both with the OM and the offender as inappropriate and unacceptable, at the referral stage A-31. The allocation of a keyworker (or Offender Supervisor) should take place at the time that an offender is accepted for a place at the AP. The keyworker has a vital role in conjunction with the OM in preparing the offender for their stay at the AP. Early contact Approved Premises Manual 124 Version by letter with the offender if they are in prison should be made and an information leaflet about the AP should be included. If it is a move from a community setting or as part of a community order or suspended sentence recommendation at PSR stage, an appointment at the AP should be arranged with the offender. The use of a 3-way meeting is recommended either before or at the very start of the residence period. Video conferencing or, at a minimum, telephone conferencing, should be used where resources do not allow for face-toface contact. This is the opportunity to agree or reinforce these expectations, and also to be clear about the triggers and processes for enforcement both by the AP with regard to breaches of the AP Rules and by the OM regarding breach of licence conditions A-32. One of the keyworker s tasks before the offender becomes a resident is to review relevant documentation and reports and assess with the line manager if there is any potential for self-harm or suicide. If there are concerns, the keyworker should prepare a self-harm risk management plan which is shared with all members of AP staff. The role of the OM A-33. Enhanced supervision of the individual resident through their engagement in agreed elements of the enhanced regime of the AP is the essence of the compulsory programme that is expected from AP residents. It is incumbent upon the OM to ensure that this component is clearly identified in the offender management plan, as well as having a close working arrangement and agreement with the AP for the

5 process of enforcement, through the AP Rules and the licence conditions, where residents fail to comply. Regular liaison with the keyworker or Offender Supervisor, and periodic reviews (at least quarterly, or more often if there is a significant change in risk factors) in 3-way meetings with the resident, are vital to reinforce the development of the sentence and AP plan objectives. As the Joint Inspection report points out: 1) The restrictive conditions are only one part of the picture; APs also have to provide a positive regime of constructive interventions for residents to address and reduce the factors linked to their offending. The planned outcome for a period of residence is positive change brought about by a programme of rehabilitation addressing whatever factors are linked to offending and the assessed level of Risk of Harm. This should be driven by the OM on the outside and the keyworker or Offender Supervisor in the AP. The period of residence is an opportunity to move an offender towards resettlement so that they can eventually take their place safely and independently in the community. The role of the keyworker A-34. The keyworker should provide regular updates to the OM about the offender s progress (or not) against the AP plan. Weekly keyworker sessions with the offender should be held for at least the first month of residence, reducing to every other week and then monthly if progress is being made and support, encouragement and assistance are not required at the same level. Key work sessions may need to be increased in frequency as the offender prepares to leave the AP, to ensure the transition period is properly managed A-35. One of the keyworker s main tasks is motivating the offender to take advantage of the regime offered at the AP and work with them to reduce their risks of reoffending and the potential risk of serious harm to others. Motivational interviewing training is an important element of training for keyworkers. Developing skills in the use of the OASys self- assessment questionnaire and using exercises from targets for change to enable offenders to address particular issues relating to their personal needs may also be useful for keyworkers to provide structure to regular key work sessions. Approved Premises Manual 125 Version Viability of numbers and sustainability A-36. This will be linked to the size of the AP, the AP turn-around figures, staffing levels and the development of individual work programmes. An alternative for a small AP might be to join forces with another nearby AP or conversely splitting a larger AP into smaller groups. Local variation A-37. It is acknowledged that there will always be local variations to any programme/activity delivery within each AP. Which activities are delivered and how they are delivered, will depend on the numbers and type of offenders accommodated within an AP. It will also depend on what local partnership resources an AP may have access to, what other resources are available within the community, and what skills the staff themselves maybe able to draw upon. Resources/rotas A-38. Although an enhanced programme will over time become a core part of the normal regime, developing an enhanced regime is likely to require more staff or greater efficiency in the way time and resources are used. This will necessitate giving consideration to how processes are managed, as well as looking for areas for improvement in order to make best use of staff time and skills. The core duties within the regimes still have to be managed but some staff time off-rota may be needed for planning, co-ordinating and facilitating elements of the programmes. Managing risk A-39. As with all aspects of our work in APs, good risk assessment and risk management are essential components of programme delivery. When using local community resources, thought must be given to what information can be shared about the potential risks that AP residents may pose and how this information is conveyed. Equally, there needs to be careful consideration of community-based providers with whom there are no service level agreements or protocols set up, and who may not necessarily be CRB-checked. Consideration must also be given to the

6 nature of the programme/activity being delivered and whether or not it is suitable for all residents, with particular reference to highest level MAPPA cases. All programmes should undergo a rigorous health & safety risk assessment prior to delivery. Accredited programmes A-40. Attendance at any accredited programme should always take precedence over any other AP activity. Key factors are space, resources and numbers eligible, and the possible mixing of residents and non-resident programme attendees. Regimes for women A-41. The duty to promote gender equality has brought about a shift in emphasis from ensuring equality of access to service provision for women to ensuring equity in outcomes A-42. While it can be shown through the use of OASys that women share many of the same criminogenic factors as men, it is essential to take into account issues or needs that relate to women specifically that can have a detrimental effect on their ability to achieve successful outcomes A-43. Women who come into the criminal justice system often have multiple issues or needs associated with pregnancy and childcare and their own experiences of sexual and Approved Premises Manual 126 Version physical abuse, and poor physical and mental well-being. OASys identifies as many as half of our women offender caseload as having been the victims of domestic abuse (taken from Delivering Effective Services for Women Offenders in the Community) A-44. As a result of being in the criminal justice system many women offenders also face multiple discrimination. They have already been disadvantaged as part of the general population of women in society through, for example race, disability, or a lack of equality of access to employment, career development, or appropriate healthcare. These needs have to be addressed if women offenders are to be given the opportunity to achieve successful outcomes from probation interventions A-45. Often the complex needs that women have will require us to develop an integrated approach with other agencies better placed to deal with some of their issues. When delivering AP activities for women it is important that we think carefully about sequencing and be mindful of what barriers might prohibit the woman from getting the most out of the activity. In conjunction with providing a safe and supportive environment within the premises, it is also important that we develop a range of good partnership links to support the women s needs if we are going to have an effect on their offending. It is vital that support, particularly through voluntary partnerships, is in place to facilitate a woman s move to independent living away from the AP. Diversity A-46. In planning for diversity there is a need to ensure that there is a range of activities and that all is done that is practically possible to ensure that those activities are accessible to all A-47. Learning styles: it is necessary to consider how learning styles impact upon what people learn when planning activities. This will need to take into consideration any literacy or learning difficulties experienced by offenders A-48. Language: further consideration will be needed in respect of how foreign nationals or offenders for whom English is a second language can engage with various activities A-49. Range: there is a need to ensure that the activities on offer cover a wide range of criminogenic needs as well as individual support needs and interest and aptitude. If current activities are not suitable then some thought will be needed as to alternatives. It is acknowledged that staff will bring a valuable and varied range of skills and knowledge that can enrich the range of activities on offer A-50. Involvement of offenders: discussion with offenders to find out what interventions they see as being useful is also important for ensuring that diverse needs are catered for. Research has found that involving offenders at every stage is very important, as they are more likely to participate if their views are taken into account A-51. Difficult-to-manage residents who may be disruptive to some activities to the detriment of others will need to be given particular consideration, including

7 assessment of the benefits against the potential impact of their involvement and the effect they may have on the rest of the group. Clear boundaries of expectation and acceptable behaviour need to be emphasised as must the consequences of disruptive behaviour A-52. Mental health problems should not in themselves lead to individuals being left out of particular activities, although their ability to be constructively engaged may need careful assessment with mental health professional input A-53. Cultural issues: APs should be culturally welcoming across a very broad spectrum. They need to demonstrate an active awareness of religious and cultural needs and differences. Approved Premises Manual 127 Version There is a need to ensure that diversity is observable and experienced within the fabric of the AP, such as notices in different languages, or diverse messages in pictures/paintings and other artefacts. Cultural awareness should be evidenced within assessments, the implementation of risk management plans and the range of activities available. 25A-54. Community engagement: each Area will be subject to local variations in what is being provided. It will be necessary to explore what community alternatives are already being provided. The use of community links will ensure that there is no duplication or unnecessary waste of resources. There are a number of organisations willing to work with APs at no cost, such as mentoring schemes like Supporting Others through Volunteer Action (SOVA) and National Association for the Care & Resettlement of Offenders (NACRO). Some local colleges/universities may also be able to provide community options. Quality assurance and evaluation A-55. An effective enhanced regime needs a quality assurance process to enable activities to be delivered to a good standard. Evaluation is also critical in helping to develop activities so that they meet the residents needs. Even some smaller-scale activities need some simple rudimentary evaluation, eg of take-up and participant feedback. Ideally, any programme evaluation should involve some element of residents feedback wherever possible. When working with partnership agencies and other community-based providers, it is important that expectations with regard to programme content and delivery are made clear from the outset. It is also important to remember not to assume that all other providers will have the same values or commitment to diversity. Staff engagement A-56. When implementing a new regime it is important to include staff in as much of the process as is possible, including the designing of programmes or activities. As with any change, implementing a new regime can create anxiety, especially if some staff do not feel they have the necessary skills to deliver programmes/activities. While it is important that staff recognise the benefits of engaging residents in activities, it is equally important that managers also ensure that staff receive the appropriate support and training in order to be able to deliver. Quality assurance and evaluation processes can also help to provide good feedback to staff on their performance and help to demonstrate effectiveness. Approved Premises Manual 128 Version