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The Basic Skills Agency's definition of basic skills is:
'The ability to read, write and speak in English and use mathematics at a level necessary to function and progress at work and in society in general.' |
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Research suggests that 40 per cent of offenders have Basic Skills levels equivalent to 11-year-olds or less. |
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It also suggests that this will seriously impair their ability to obtain and keep a job. |
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Research has shown that many offences are committed by people when they are unemployed. |
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Offenders are three times more likely to re-offend if unemployed. |
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Fifty per cent of offenders who come into contact with the Thames Valley Probation Area are unemployed, compared to less than five per cent in the general population. |
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Studies have shown that employment is one of the issues that offenders most want to address. |
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Employment is the single most important factor in reducing re-offending. |
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Of the offenders convicted of theft & handling who were under our supervision last year, 32.8% had housing problems and 32.6% had employment problems |
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This website makes community punishment issues easy to understand:
Rethinking Crime & Punishment
Rethinking is campaigning to raise the level of public debate about the use of prison and alternative forms of punishment in the United Kingdom.
www.rethinking.org.uk
- especially 'what are the facts' |
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Needs Providers
Thames Valley Probation Area has dedicated staff, with specific responsibility and skill sets, to help offenders with numeracy and literacy, employment, education, training, housing and substance misuse.
Basic Skills
Basic Skills is help with literacy and numeracy usually on a one-to-one basis with the offender.
Who gets Basic Skills support?
Any offender on:
- any kind of Community Order
- Licence from prison
- In fact, any offender who wants to improve their reading, writing or maths can get Basic Skills help, although we particularly target those assessed as being in greatest need.
How do offenders access Basic Skills?
An initial screening of an offender's literacy and numeracy levels is carried out at the Pre-Sentence Report stage. The report should comment on this.
If a community sentence is imposed, a further, full assessment follows for those whose initial screening suggests Basic Skills might be an issue.
This is undertaken by a Basic Skills specialist who also works on the offender's motivation and arranges for one-to-one support for those who are interested.
Appointments for Basic Skills assessment contribute to statutory contact under the Order.
Who delivers Basic Skills?
Thames Valley Probation Area has a specialist Employment, Training and Education team.
Thames Valley Probation Area also has excellent contacts with other skill providers in the community and refers offenders to other specialists, if necessary.
Employment, Training and Education
Who is offered ETE support?
All offenders in Thames Valley are offered impartial advice and guidance on learning and work.
Although most are unemployed, an increasing number of employed offenders are seeking advice on how to improve their skills and gain sustainable, long-term employment.
ETE support includes:
- ETE assessments and capability testing
- Action planning
- Coaching on disclosure of convictions
- CV writing
- Job search support
- Referrals to educational establishments, employers, training providers.
How do offenders access ETE?
Offenders are referred to an ETE Adviser by their Case Manager as soon as it is appropriate after the commencement of an order or licence.
For those who are unemployed, this is likely to be within the first 12 weeks.
Who delivers ETE?
Thames Valley Probation Area has experienced, specialist ETE staff. These specialists either hold, or are working towards, careers guidance qualifications and have been accredited for this work by the Guidance Accreditation Board.
Housing
Thames Valley Probation Area has a Housing Advice Advocacy and Placement service (HAAP). The HAAP service takes a preventative and rights-based approach to resolving housing issues.
Key areas of activity include:
- Referrals to hostels, emergency accommodation, accessing longer-term accommodation
- Accessing Housing Support, to enable tenancy maintenance and homelessness prevention
- Homelessness prevention - accessing private accommodation, tenancy rights and obligations
- Financial advice - including housing benefit, arrears management and community care grants
- Helping offenders with homelessness applications to local housing authorities
- Advocacy, where necessary.
Who delivers housing advice?
Thames Valley Probation Area has a Housing Advice Advocacy and Placement service (HAAP). Nine Housing Advisers are employed across the area. They work from local probation offices, taking referrals directly from Case Managers.
Who gets housing advice?
Any offenders under the statutory supervision of the Probation Service. A housing assessment will be offered. Some appointments relating to housing advice may be designated as statutory contact.
How do offenders access advice?
All offenders are screened for housing need at Pre-Sentence Report (PSR) or induction stage, using a checklist. Case managers can also refer later in the sentence if an offender's needs change or their housing situation deteriorates.
Substance Misuse
Thames Valley Probation Area has dedicated Substance Misuse Teams to work with offenders with drug or alcohol misuse.
The teams exists to help any offender whose drug misuse is not serious enough to warrant a Drug Rehabilitation Requirement or an Alcohol Treatment Requirement.
The Substance Misuse Team will also liaise with other drug and alcohol agencies to maximise the amount of help which can be given.
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next page: Victim Liaison
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