Professional Documents
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UK Home Office: Commissioning Guidance 6
UK Home Office: Commissioning Guidance 6
Contents
Page No.
Introduction
- Purpose of Guidance 6
- Organisation of Guidance 6
Section 1
Brief outline of ‘Supporting People’ for Prison & Probation
Staff
- What is ‘Supporting People’ 7
- How is ‘Supporting People’ organised 7
- What sorts of services are provided 8
- What is housing related support 8
- Do services have a cost 9
- What I really need is a bed 9
- How do I find out about local services 9
- How do I make a referral for ‘Supporting People’ services 10
- Does custody mean the loss of supported accommodation 10
- Is there any other Probation funded supported accommodation 10
Section 2
Messages to Regional Offender Managers, Chief Officers &
Prison Governors 11
- What is ‘Supporting People’ 11
- What is NOMS link to ‘Supporting People’ 11
- The consequences of not engaging with the ‘SP’ process 12
- What action needs taking…
~ Regional 12
~ Probation Area 13
~ Prison Service 14
Section 3
‘Supporting People’ Commissioning process 15
- Administering Authorities 15
- Commissioning Bodies 16
- Core Strategy Development Groups 17
- Excellent Authorities 18
- Cross Authority Access to Services 18
- Five Year Strategy 19
- Reviews 20
- Audit Commission Inspections 20
Section 4
Questions and Answers…
- Why bother investing time in ‘Supporting People’ 22
- Who do Probation represent on ‘Supporting People’ bodies 23
- Financial responsibilities 24
- Approved Premises 25
- Voting rights 25
- Conflicts of Interest 26
- Performance of programme 26
- Mapping and Reviews 29
- Role in other groups 29
- Black & Minority Ethnic communities 30
Section 5
Local Probation Service Housing Plans
- Purpose of Plan 31
- Local Regional Housing Plans 32
- Target Audience for Plan 32
- Appendix A (5i.) – Outline of Plan 33
‘Excellent Authorities’ 83
- Appendix A (5vi.) – ‘Excellent Authorities’ in England 84
Section 6
Directory of staff with ‘Supporting People’
responsibilities
• England 100
• Wales 111
• National Probation Directorate 112
Introduction
Purpose of Guidance
Organisation of Guidance
Section 1. A brief outline of ‘Supporting People’ for Prison & Probation staff.
Section 2. Messages for Regional Offender Managers, Chief Officers & Prison
Governors.
Section 6. A directory of –
Staff in the National Offender Management Service who hold
responsibilities for ‘Supporting People’
1
NOMS - National Offender Management Service. From 1st June 2004 the Probation and Prison
Services have combined to become the National Offender Management Service.
Section 1
Housing related support covers a wide range of activities such as assistance with
life skills, budgeting and helping people to understand the consequences of their
behaviour e.g. dealing with neighbours. It also covers the provision of emergency
accommodation for homeless people and those fleeing domestic violence.
Support is available to vulnerable people from all sectors of the community
including those who,
In England the lead central government department for ‘Supporting People’ is the
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. In Wales the programme is led by the Welsh
Assembly. However services are commissioned on a local authority basis. Each
authority has a Commissioning Body which directs the services. These bodies
are equal partnerships between the local authority, health and probation services.
This means that the interests of offenders and prisoners are kept on the agenda.
Services are provided by local authorities, Registered Social Landlords and the
private and voluntary sector through contracts with the ‘Supporting People’
Administering Authorities (County and Unitary authorities & London boroughs).
The Commissioning Bodies are expected to plan for services based on local
needs and priority as outlined in such plans as the Crime and Disorder
Partnership Plan or the Drug Action Team plan. Services are monitored regularly
and all services have to be formally reviewed at least every three years to ensure
that they provide value for money & quality and are strategically relevant.
‘Supporting People’ also recognises that there are people who either do not have
a home area e.g. transient drug users or are not able to return to that area due to
such things as victim issues or exclusion by court or licence conditions. To
accommodate these people authorities in a region are expected to plan to meet
the needs of these ‘Cross Authority Service Recipients’.
Each authority will have its own range of services, based on local need. These
will include such things as,
One area which is not covered by ‘Supporting People’ are the Home Office
Approved hostels (“bail hostels”). These remain funded by the Probation Service.
‘Supporting People’ funding pays for services which provide low / medium level
and intense housing related support for the purpose of developing the person’s
capacity to live independently or remain living independently. It also pays for
specialist supported housing for homeless people, women fleeing violence and
high risk offenders.
These may be included in a package of support and care but should be paid for
from the appropriate budget. For example, whilst an offender subject to a DTTO2
may be placed in supported accommodation and provided with a programme of
developing ‘good tenant’ skills – these cannot be counted as part of the DTTO
hours.
2
Drug Testing and Treatment Order. This order requires an offender to take part in a specific
number of hours of structured activity each week.
Virtually all offender services are considered to be short term i.e. the work is
planned to be achieved in two years. ‘Supporting People’ pays for short term
services and there is no cost to the individual or referring agency.
Longer term services may have a cost but anyone receiving Housing Benefit is
exempt from paying for long term services. As such most offenders are likely to
be free from paying for their housing support services.
This sounds very helpful but what I really need is an actual bed!
Secondly, many of the other services for offenders are based in either hostel type
accommodation or in dispersed properties with staff support.
Thirdly, many housing associations and local authorities are likely to look more
positively on an application from an offender who has a history of housing
management difficulties - if there is a package of housing support arranged.
The overall aim of ‘Supporting People’ is to offer support to help people keep
their homes so support will both help an offender to settle more effectively into a
home or in some cases can help them overcome existing problems which might
have led to the loss of accommodation. If an offender does not need housing
related support then ‘Supporting People’ is not the appropriate route to follow.
Contact either,
• The local ‘Supporting People’ team who will generally be based in the Social
Services or Social Care directorate of the local authority. In some unitary
authorities they may be based in the Housing function. Again should you be
looking to find accommodation away from the home area the appropriate local
authority should be contacted.
Many probation areas will have specific application forms to make referrals to
offender focussed ‘Supporting People’ services. These will be able to be obtained
from the person referred to above.
It is important that any referrals are made in the appropriate format as most
offender accommodation is dedicated to probation referrals within their contracts.
Also, it is necessary, for any referrals to other probation areas to be cleared with
the team manager for that area as supervision of orders or licences would have
to be accepted.
People who are in receipt of Housing Benefit and receiving ‘Supporting People’
services are able to continue to receive housing support (and rent payments)
whilst they are in prison (or hospital) if they are still in receipt of Housing Benefit.
Before the end of March 2003, the Probation Service paid for supported housing
through the Probation Accommodation Grants Scheme. This money became part
of the ‘Supporting People’ funding ‘pot’. As such there are no resources in the
service to pay for supported housing other than through ‘Supporting People’.
3
Whilst there are local interpretations by Housing Benefit Offices this should include prisoners
who are serving sentences of six months, or more with Home Detention Curfew.
SECTION 2
Offenders and those at risk of offending are identified as important groups within
the ‘Supporting People’ programme, recognising that stable housing with
appropriate support is likely to reduce reoffending and promote community
safety.
‘Supporting People’ brought together a number of funding streams which paid for
supported accommodation and housing support. These formed the basis of the
‘SP’ budget. One of these sources of funding was the ‘Probation Accommodation
Grant Scheme’ (PAGS). This had previously paid for service contracts with
housing providers for housing support for offenders.
Almost all of the PAGS funding has been transferred to local authority ‘SP’
Administering Authorities who now manage the contracts with housing support
providers.
ii. “We are a partner in the ‘SP’ planning and commissioning process!”
This provides probation with the opportunity to, not only, influence the overall
direction of ‘Supporting People’ but to maintain an oversight over the review and
future of existing offender linked services and the development of new provision.
4
‘SP’ - ‘Supporting People’
5
The Commissioning Body directs the ‘SP’ programme and is an equal partnership between the
Local Authority, Health and Probation.
What are the consequences of not engaging with the ‘SP’ process?
Firstly, any decision to move in this direction would run counter to NOMS
commitment to reducing offending through the “Reducing Reoffending National
Action Plan”.
Secondly, the Audit Commission, which inspects all ‘SP’ authorities, has made it
extremely clear that there is an expectation of an active and committed
partnership between the local authority, Health and Probation in the planning and
management of the programme. Any failure to undertake this seriously is
criticised.
Regional
Probation Area
1. Each Probation area should ensure that it engages with the ‘Supporting
People’ process through – at a minimum,
3. The lead manager should ensure that board members, managers and staff
have regular briefings on the nature of ‘Supporting People’ and how it can be
accessed to help offenders gain and sustain accommodation.
4. Each area should produce an annual Probation housing strategy / action plan.
6. The ‘SP’ lead officer should seek to ensure that staff do not compromise the
funding of ‘SP’ funded services through expecting them to provide services
which are a statutory duty of Probation or a requirement of a court order.
6
This would comprise each Unitary Authority, London Borough or County Council in the area.
Prison Service
Locally
1. Each prison should nominate a member of staff as the link for ‘Supporting
People’ matters.
2. The ‘Supporting People’ link should ensure that they understand the
benefits of ‘SP’ and how to access services in their area. This information
should be shared appropriately with other staff within the establishment.
Nationally
SECTION 3
Funding for ‘Supporting People’ is paid by central government and the Welsh
Assembly. Services, however, are administered by local authority ‘Supporting
People’ teams who are directed by local Commissioning Bodies and assisted in
the development and monitoring of the programme by Core Strategy
Development groups7. Whilst the form of these groups may differ, it is expected
that both groups contain a representative of the Probation service.
In County Councils the County holds the function of the Administering Authority.
In London each borough is a separate Administering Authority.
Administering Authorities
Administering Authorities are the only legal bodies within the ‘Supporting People’
framework to whom the ‘SP’ grant can be paid. As such they hold ultimate
financial responsibility. Administering Authorities play a key role in:
7
These groups may be called different names in some authorities.
Commissioning Bodies
Whilst there may be additional members who are part of the Commissioning body
each of the above groups will exercise only one vote each when making
decisions. As such the Probation service holds the same voting powers as the
local authority or any of the other partners.
Level of Representation
Frequency of Meetings
Whilst CSDG’s are not contained within the ‘Supporting People’ Directions in the
same way as the Administering Authority and Commissioning Bodies8, they are
seen as extremely important to the ‘Supporting People’ process. The group is
responsible for the main planning activities of the Supporting People Programme
and oversees the work of the Supporting People Team. It is responsible for the
preparation of the local strategy and annual statement which it will then propose
to the Commissioning Body.
Members of the Group are expected to inform and consult other stakeholders on
the work of the Group and to represent their views at these meetings. In this way
the Group can expect to take account of the broadest range of interests in the
course of its oversight of the programme. Membership may include:
8
The nature and role of the group is outlined in Guidance – ‘Policy into Practice’
9
The National Housing Federation is the representative body for England’s independent, not for
profit, housing providers. With 1400 members it tends to represent large and middle sized
organisations. SITRA also provides training, consultancy and information and includes in its
membership of over 850 organisations, organisations which provide housing related support as
well as housing providers. Whilst not a wholly representative body, SITRA is seen as a valid
organisation to reflect the interests of small housing providers and housing support agencies.
As with the Commissioning Bodies these groups may take different forms in each
Authority but there should be representatives from Probation and Health as well
as the Administering Authority.
Essentially the group exists to advise and support the Supporting Team.
Level of Representation
The level of representation is usually at Middle Manager level, often with Housing
and Partnership Managers taking on the role. Ideally the responsibility should be
one where both knowledge of the area and the subject are present together with
the time and management commitment to playing a full part in the development
of strategy. This is particularly important as the representative is probably the
person who will enable access to information for needs mapping and reviewing
purposes.
Frequency of Meetings
Meetings are held either every one or two months with some authorities choosing
to meet quarterly.
Excellent Authorities
‘Supporting People’ recognises that for some people there is the necessity to
seek accommodation and housing support in another authority other than their
home area. This may be due to such factors as:
The group is charged with planning strategically for people who need access to
these services.
This is an area where it is strategically vital for Probation staff to be involved. The
group may well be both the springboard for commissioning new services and a
support for local services which could be under threat because of low take-up but
are used by other authorities for cross authority ‘recipients’. This, for example, is
sometimes the case for ‘detox’ services for drug users where the ‘home’ authority
may not feel it appropriate to refer locally.
If quality services are to be developed to meet the needs of local people, there is
a need to understand both the strategic demand for services and a clear picture
of what provision exists both within the authority and on a cross authority basis.
Outcomes of reviews
Consultation exercises with service users and providers
Needs mapping research
Links with existing cross cutting strategies e.g. DAT, Crime & Disorder,
YOT, Homelessness strategies
Probation staff have access to most information regarding offenders and this
provides a strong position for the service to influence priorities – if it can be
demonstrated that there is a, strategically relevant, need then priorities can be
justifiably negotiated. Many authorities are employing consultants to collect and
interpret information but the source of data will be NOMS e.g.
OASys data
Prison discharge data
YOT statistics
Practitioner and Manager feedback / surveys
Collated Housing statistics for those with central referral points.
10
See Section 5v. “Cross Authority Arrangements”
Reviews
Every ‘Supporting People’ service has to be reviewed by the end of March 2006.
ODPM have suggested that authorities may wish to focus on reviewing contracts
which are either high cost or high risk first11. Whilst many of these, particularly
high cost services are not focused on offender type services, Probation staff will
need to be aware of the impact of reviews on services for offenders.
The clear implication from ODPM is that authorities are expected to find services
which:
Should be paid for from a more appropriate source other than ‘Supporting
People’
Do not represent value for money or
Are not strategic priorities
This seeks to release funding which can either meet savings imposed by ODPM
or be used to commission higher priority services.
Probation staff should be involved in the reviewing process as they hold both the
knowledge of the strategic importance and effective outcomes for offenders. This
may not be always appreciated in ‘Supporting People’ teams and will therefore
need to be emphasised when discussing the review process...
The outcomes of reviews are normally shared with CSDG’s and agreed by
Commissioning Bodies. Probation representatives on the CSDG should ensure
that any disagreements raised within the group about proposed review
recommendations are reported to the Commissioning Body. The probation
commissioner should also be briefed on the issue.
11
The ‘risk’ relates to the risk of an organisation not providing the service to the expected level. It
does not mean provision for ‘high risk’ client groups e.g. Offenders subject to MAPPA
12
See Section 5vii. “Preparation for Audit Commission Inspections”
programme of planned visits and 19 authorities who were targeted for early
inspection because of identified high cost services in their area.
The inspection team seeks to make a judgment as to both the current level of
service provided and the prospects for improvement. As part of the process the
Probation Inspector, sometimes with colleagues from other inspectorates, will
interview such people as:
The inspector will also seek information about probation’s engagement in the
‘Supporting People’ process prior to the inspection.
SECTION 4
Since April 2003 ‘Supporting People’ has been the government’s long term
programme to enable local authorities to plan, commission and provide housing
related support services which aid vulnerable people to either maintain or help
live independently within the community.
‘Supporting People’ seeks to support local services which have been identified as
meeting priority local needs. These may include provision such as -
All these services, and others offered within the ‘Supporting People’ programme
are highly relevant to the needs of offenders, without which they are more likely
to fail to benefit from interventions and supervision and significantly more prone
to offend.
The ‘Supporting People’ (England) Directions 2003 require that, at least, one
representative of all the local probation boards in whose area the local authority
is situated sit on that authority’ Commissioning Body.
In summary,
“Probation staff sit on the various ‘Supporting People’ bodies, who do they
represent…?”
Be older people
Have mental health needs
Have substance misuse difficulties
Have disabilities
Secondly, there has been debate about whether Probation staff should only be
representing those offenders for whom they hold responsibility. It has been
agreed that Probation representatives should be holding a specific role in relation
to all people within the National Offender Management Service remit. This would
include:
There have been a number of authorities who have viewed probation as sharing
financial risk with the Administering Authority and Health. Other than in specific
cases where there may be jointly financed services where funding includes
probation, the probation service should not be expected to shoulder any financial
or other risk. ‘Supporting People’ has incorporated virtually all the service’s
funding for housing services. So, for instance, if services are being closed after a
review, probation Areas should not be asked to contribute to the costs of keeping
the services running i.e. The National Offender Management Service should no
longer be paying for any supported housing.
The arrangements between the Administering Authority and the partners on the
Commissioning Body are spelt out in a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’. All
probation members of Commissioning Bodies should ensure that:
All authorities are expected to have created a risk register as part of their
strategies and action plans. Again it is important that probation staff ensure these
are in place and that there are no risks which are not acceptable to the service.
It is worth noting that the Guidance to the ‘Supporting People’ Directions states,
…that the Administering Authority is the only body with legal status to whom
Grant can be paid, and has ultimate financial responsibility.”13
13
Supporting People (England) Directions 2003, Guidance on the Directions para 10
No, Approved premises are part of the Probation service’s statutory function and
as such are not viewed as providing housing support. This applies to both those
hostels provided directly by the service and those of partner agencies.
The ‘Supporting People’ Directions are very clear about the decision making
process in Commissioning Bodies.
The membership of the body should comprise one representative from each of
the bodies below,
Additional representatives are able to attend the meeting by agreement and there
are likely to be a number of people attending the meeting in an advisory capacity
e.g. the ‘Supporting People’ lead officer, secretarial staff.
However, the Schedule and Guidance to the Directions make it clear that,
Each partner body has only one vote on the Commissioning Body14
The vote of each representative carries equal weight15
Decisions of the Commissioning Body shall be made by unanimous vote
Decisions relating to financial or compliance matters cannot be made
which are incompatible with the advice of the Administering Authority
If decisions cannot be reached the matter may be submitted to the
Secretary of State for determination.
Whilst this process is clear there is the need for Commissioning Bodies to
consider how best to manage disagreements between partners. Good practice
would suggest that the Commissioning Body should develop a procedure for
managing such disputes.
14
Supporting People (England) Directions 2003, Guidance on the Directions para 7
15
All other bullet points - Supporting People (England) Directions 2003, Schedule 1
Whilst there is no formal requirement for this process to apply in the Core
Strategy Group, the decision making process should be outlined in Terms of
Reference and should seek to reflect the spirit of the decision making process for
the Commissioning Body e.g.
Seek consensus
Enabling all sectors to have a fair vote
Have a process for resolving difficulties
Openly reflect the strength of vote in any recommendation to
Commissioning Bodies
“There are some members of groups who appear to both plan for
services and provide them – are there not conflicts of interest…?”
Strategy
Business Planning
Engagement
Delivery
The most effective way of assessing the quality of the above is probably to go
through the areas asking–
For example –
Strategy
Do objectives exist
Are they clear, SMART and challenging
Have they been prioritised or have they been left in a long list ‘to keep
things flexible’
How do these objectives link to local plans – particularly plans which affect
services for offenders. Do you know what is contained in other strategic
plans regarding offender accommodation and housing related support e.g.
Business Planning
Is there a current business plan – the ODPM may not require a formal plan
to be submitted but all authorities should have some form of plan to guide
their work
How is information collected and shared – are you seeing it e.g.
a Service User,
a Provider,
a Partner Agency.
These are all areas where you, as a representative of the Probation Service,
should feel confident in challenging within the group. The ‘Supporting People’
16
See Section 5ii. “Probation involvement in Service Reviews”
team should be able to either provide you with the information or agree to
develop a way of providing it.
Engagement
Is there a chief officer chairing the Commissioning Body and are there
representatives from other agencies at a similar level. Are decisions made or
frequently deferred.
When you hear from members of the ‘Supporting People’ team do they seem
motivated, are they managing the process effectively. There is no doubt that
‘Supporting People’ is a demanding task but all the more reason for good project
planning and organisation.
What is fed back regarding the views of providers and users on how they
experience the service. What are the ‘ex PAGS’ providers saying when you meet
them.
Delivery
At the end of the day, the planning and systems are there to deliver good quality
services.
What feedback are you getting from Probation, Prison and YOT staff about the
services which they are referring offenders to. If you are involved in collecting
information for reviews, share this with the Commissioning Body representative.
What do probation and prison staff think about the service(s) and do they have
any feedback from the users who they supervise.
‘Supporting People’ aims to link closely with other local strategies to ensure that
local priorities are met and that services are delivered in a ‘joined up’ fashion.
There is also a need for Probation staff involved in the ‘Supporting People’
process to keep colleagues, Area Management Groups, Chief Officers and
Boards aware of developments and difficulties.
‘Supporting People’ is clear in its aim to meet the needs of minority ethnic groups
and individuals. This aspiration has been reinforced by the Audit Commission
Inspection process which places high priority on meeting the diverse needs of
minority groups.
People from ethnic minorities are likely to be represented in all of the groups
identified by both ‘Supporting People’ and the National Offender Management
Service. The needs of these groups and individuals will differ from one group to
another and from those of the white British population.
There is an over representation of all black and minority ethnic groups in the
criminal justice system, with Afro Caribbean people the most over-represented.
Evidence exists of discrimination at all stages of the system.
17
BME – Black and Minority Ethnic Groups
SECTION 5
Purpose of Plan
Housing and housing related support is now an integral part of every Probation
and Prison Area. Each Probation Area, at a minimum, is expected to be engaged
with the local ‘Supporting People’ Commissioning Body and Prisons now have an
Accommodation KPI. Many Probation Areas and Prisons are involved in
considerably more activity, often providing direct services or housing advice and
support in conjunction with partner agencies.
These are expected to link with other cross cutting plans and strategies ensuring
that the identified needs of vulnerable people are met in a coordinated fashion.
DAT plans
Crime and Disorder strategies
YOT plans
However the quality and depth of planning around housing issues is often
covered at quite a superficial level.
At a national level the “Reducing Reoffending” National Action Plan18 has been
developed. The Accommodation Key Action Area provides strategic direction for
such areas as,
The plan links national, regional and local action for NOMS.
18
The complete “Reducing Reoffending” National Action Plan can be found at
www.homeoffice.gov.uk
How many offenders are there in our borough and what are their housing
support needs?
How many prisoners are likely to be returning to the authority over the
coming year?
What services are there to meet the needs of these offenders?
Are there going to be any significant changes to the picture over the
coming year(s)?
How does housing support link to NOMS / Home Office objectives?
What are your priorities for work / new services in this borough?
What issues need to be considered from a Cross Authority perspective?
What are the service’s plans for the next year?
With the creation of NOMS and the organisation of the service on a regional
basis there is the need to create a Regional Housing plan which fits within the
National and Regional Resettlement Strategies. Whilst taking a regional / national
overview the plan will need to address the needs of offenders for each
Administering Authority.
Appendix A (5i.)
Outline of Plan
1. Executive Summary
The part most people will read so the basic messages need to be contained
here,
Why housing is important in reducing reoffending
Difficulties in finding suitable accommodation
Changes over the past year e.g.
9 Homelessness Act
9 ‘Supporting People’
9 NOMS
9 Criminal Justice Act
Contents of the Housing Support Plan
Highlighting the main objectives of the service
2. Introduction
Context – outline the impact of housing and criminal justice issues over
the past and coming year. These could include,
• The implementation of the Homelessness Act
• Reducing housing stock availability
• ‘Supporting People’
3. Strategic Linkages
How does the plan link into local and national business targets and priorities.
If there has been a previous Housing plan of some form the objectives should
be reviewed drawing out successes, difficulties and any lessons to be
learned. This is a document which is used to best effect if shared broadly with
partners, so the review should not necessarily include internal issues which
are not likely to be understood or relevant to the outside world. Also political
sensitivities will need to be considered.
If there has not been a previous plan outline the work the Area has been
involved in over the year together with achievements or reasons why things
have not gone as well as hoped for.
It may be helpful to list the units of supported housing and housing support
places which passed over to ‘Supporting People’ to which Probation
maintains referral rights.
For example, in the Northumbria Plan a Joint Protocol being developed with
the Probation & Prison services, Housing Authorities and the Voluntary sector
was emphasised.
This section can outline the features of the local authorities / Administering
Authorities in the Probation Area / Region. Areas for inclusion could be,
Separate sections would be provided for each authority together with some brief
analysis of how that authority / London borough compares to others in the Area.
9 Homelessness
9 Permanence of accommodation
9 Suitability of Housing
9 Risk of Harm linked to accommodation
All this information, and more, can be gained through the use of OASys. Further
information about this area is contained in the Advice regarding “Gathering
Housing Support data from OASys” – Section 5 iii. Appendix A (5iii.)
8. Communication
How are staff, managers and board members going to be kept in touch with
what is going on and what approval does the Area give for housing related
work.
List the objectives for the coming year with the owner of the objective and
time scale included.
Service Reviews
The ODPM19 has issued guidance as to how these reviews will take place which
is available on the ‘spkweb’20.
Important Note!
In addition the organisation providing the service will need to be accredited by the
Administering Authority. This is a process which satisfies the authority that the
company has a sound business base and operating in an acceptable fashion.
19
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
20
www.spkweb.org.uk
1. Review Programme
The review should involve service users, providers and stakeholders in the
process and be undertaken in accordance with a common set of criteria and
processes set by the ODPM.
21
Guidance is clear that the risk relates to the organisation not providing the service to the
required level and not to the provision of services for ‘high risk’ client groups.
3. Service Review
This is the point at which all the evidence from the ongoing service monitoring is
brought together with the provider’s self assessment, any input from stakeholders
and local and national guidance on the costs of similar services.
The review takes place in four stages, although not all services will have to go
through each stage. The evidence at each stage must be evidence based.
Strategic Relevance
Eligibility
Part of the need for rigorous reviewing and cost saving is a concern by the
ODPM that some authorities may have ‘shunted’ costs from statutory
responsibilities into the housing support budget. ODPM is clear that costs which
should more properly be met by Social Services and Health Departments must
not be met from ‘Supporting People’. This area is explored further in Section 5iv.
– advice on “Eligibility for ‘Supporting People’ Funding”.
This would include services for offenders meeting the priorities expressed in such
National Offender Management Service plans as:
The more effectively the needs of offenders are integrated into a broad range of
local plans, the more effective services are likely to be. The closer the link to local
and national strategies services have, the stronger their position will be in relation
to Strategic Relevance.
22
See Section 5i. Advice on “Probation / NOMS Housing Plans”
Demand
Much of this information will be forthcoming from providers and held by the
‘Supporting People’ teams themselves e.g. numbers of referrals, numbers of
acceptances, waiting lists.
Where the service is felt not to be strategically relevant or where there is lack of
demand the process will move to Stage Four where the future of the service will
be considered.
The next stage is a desktop review of the service based on information which is
held in relation to,
This stage is carried out by the Reviewing Officers in the local team. The
guidance recommends that Stakeholder information, collected from organisations
such as Probation could also inform this stage. Probation staff may be asked to
clarify or add to information, particularly if there are concerns about the service
under review.
Cost Effectiveness
The ODPM has published Value for Money tables showing the weekly unit cost
for different types of services in different regions. Comparisons can be made
against these tables using the unit cost of each service. Caution is raised by
ODPM to ensure ‘like for like’ comparisons are made.
Staff responsible for SP would find it helpful to compare the costs of local
services with the national data. Certainly any services which are in the upper
quartile (the most expensive 25%) are likely to attract the attention of
Administering Authority reviewing officers.
Copies of these figures have been circulated to all Areas and responsible staff
would find it useful to identify any high cost services which may be vulnerable at
review.
This stage involves a more detailed assessment of the quality, performance and
cost effectiveness of a service where the Stage Two information has not been
sufficient to inform whether the service should be re-commissioned.
This may be due to minor or more significant issues. The action taken to resolve
the issue should be appropriate for the particular situation and may include,
Having gathered the additional evidence, Stage Three of the process will be
completed with a recommendation being made for Stage Four. This may be:
Decommissioning a service
Re-providing of services i.e. essentially commissioning a new service
using the resources released form a decommissioned service.
Obviously each of these actions has consequences for providers, service users
and stakeholders and the processes should be handled appropriately.
‘Supporting People’ teams are often given the delegated responsibilities to make
decisions regarding re-contracting or remodelling services in line with the
‘Supporting People’ strategy. However, when the recommendation results in
decommissioning or a change of provider, it is recommended that the
Commissioning Body be notified of the proposal and given an opportunity to
advise on it. In reality most Commissioning Bodies make the final decision
regarding significant commissioning decisions.
The Administering Authority has failed to consider all the relevant facts at
a service review
The Administering Authority has failed to adhere to their published service
review procedures or
The Administering Authority has not taken account of wider strategic
considerations for the service.
23
This would seem to relate to the ‘Supporting People’ team
Where the provider is not satisfied with the outcome of the first stage review of
the decision or the way it was carried out, the provider can ask the
Commissioning Body to review the decision based on the same principles as
above. The Guidance states that the Commissioning Body can only ask the
Administering Authority to look again at its decision and has no authority to
overturn the Authorities decision. There are authorities where this is not the case
and the Commissioning Body has the final say in such matters.
The guidance does make it clear that the process for reviewing decisions is for
local determination.
The Probation and Prison services can and should be involved in the ‘Supporting
People’ review process. However, realistically the involvement is likely to be fairly
modest.
‘Supporting People’ guidance has encouraged the notion of shared expertise and
secondment. At the highest level ‘Supporting People’ teams may wish to buy in
probation expertise or seek direct involvement in the review of offender linked
accommodation support. Whilst this may be the ideal, in the current financial
climate it is unlikely to be an option for many Probation Areas or authorities.
At a second level, probation staff may be able to offer training around offender
accommodation issues. If there are staff who have the blend of knowledge about
offender housing needs and inspection this may be a possibility.
The most likely approach is to gather information from referring staff in a survey
form when asked for it by the Administering Authority. An approach to this is
suggested in Appendix B (5ii).
‘PAGS Legacy’ Services – these services were the PAGS contracts administered
by the probation service until April 2003. The services are largely if not
exclusively still composed of probation referrals and there is still considerable
knowledge about the schemes as well as continued good relationships. There
may also be monitoring information still received from the services on a voluntary
basis. In short there is still considerable knowledge about current and past
performance.
Offender Related Schemes – there will be a number of services that, whilst not
designated as offender provision may still be accommodating a large number of
offenders. These would cover such schemes as those providing support for
substance misusers, people with mental health difficulties, foyers etc. There will
be considerable local knowledge amongst probation staff about how they have
found working with these units. Some areas have lists of these schemes in
Accommodation Directories.
Other Schemes – one of the main opportunities presented by ‘SP’ was to widen
access for offenders to a whole range of schemes. The review process offers an
opportunity to challenge the operation of ‘blanket bans’ by some supported
housing providers. Probation needs to convince ‘SP’ teams to use the review
process to promote decision making based on risk assessment rather than
general barring. To seek the views of probation staff about exclusions they have
experienced can be helpful in demonstrating the issue.
The local ‘Supporting People’ teams should be approached and informed that
this is the standard approach of the Probation service to providing review
feedback.
Appendix A (5ii.)
The ODPM sees quartile values as useful for interpreting data as, by definition,
25% of services lie above the upper quartile and 25% lie below the lower quartile.
“The quartile values are therefore helpful because any service receiving SP
funding below the lower quartile value can be said to be apparently particularly
low cost. Conversely, services above the upper quartile are apparently
particularly high cost.
Instead, AA’s are encouraged to focus their attention on those services well
above the upper quartiles or well below the lower quartiles as these may be
either:
providing poor value for money or
vulnerable through under resourcing”
(“Assessing Value for Money in Supporting People Services – Technical Appendix No.1, National
Data, Platinum Cut Data – November 2003)
Appendix B (5ii.)
“As part of the local ‘Supporting People’ review programme, the Probation
Service has been asked to provide feedback on a number of services which
may provide housing support for offenders.
It is important that we are able to offer our views on these services as they
potentially provide much needed supported housing and advice for offenders.
If you have had contact with any of the service listed below in the last twelve
months could you please either complete the attached questionnaire or email
me your telephone number by return. I can then ring you and fill in the
questionnaire over the phone.
a. ………
b. ………
Thank you”
24
This should include Probation and Resettlement staff in Prisons
Provider Name:
Service Name(s):
√
Type of Stakeholder: a. ‘PAGS legacy service to which probation
has priority referral access.
b. General referral agency
c. Other (please detail)
√
Frequency of Contact a. At least weekly
with service: b. 1-3 times a month
c. monthly
d. less frequently than monthly
(please detail)
Does the service contribute to the Probation service’s strategic agenda. YES
NO
In your view is the demand for the service rising, falling or remaining stable.
(Please provide reasons for your response.)
√
How easy do you find it to refer to this service – Easy
(Please provide details)
Difficult
Does this service meet its stated objectives in relation to the housing support
needs of offenders referred to the service. (Please provide details) ii.
How would you describe your experience of working with staff in this service.
Are you aware of any areas of unmet support need for offenders receiving this
service. (Please relate to both services provided by the project and in general
terms) iii.
√
How would you rate the service provided overall. (Please Excellent
provide reasons for your comments) Good
Satisfactory
Poor
Awful
Can you suggest any changes which could improve this service.
Completed by:
Name:
Address:
Tel. No:
Email:
Date:
i.
See Stage One – “Strategic Relevance”, remembering that if a service does not
pass this threshold it will go no further. The type of information you may find
helpful to include would be:
The strategic priorities for the year …. As contained the Probation areas ‘Housing
Support’ plan / Regional Resettlement Strategy are …. (relate issues to what is
provided by this service)
ii.
Essentially is this service providing what you expected it to in relation to
offenders’ housing and housing support needs. Whilst it would be helpful to
mention how this work complements the supervision / change programmes of the
offender, remember that to say this is part of a programme of supervision i.e. a
statutory function of the Probation Service would probably be extremely
unhelpful. This could result in the service being seen as a statutory function and
become either ineligible for funding or have it reduced.
iii.
Include anything which you feel in not being met at the project e.g.
a. There does not seem to be very effective work undertaken on
budgeting skills.
b. It was agreed that applications to Housing Associations would be made
for residents at six months, this is not being done.
These strategies will update the Shadow Strategy prepared in 2002 for the
implementation of ‘Supporting People’.
National Offender Management Service staff will play a key role in the
development of these schemes in a number of ways,
Guidance
Responsibilities
Commissioning Body
25
See Section 5 vi “Cross Authority Working Arrangements”
The Administering Authority has to ensure that the strategy represents ‘Best
Value’ in the use of the ‘Supporting People’ funding and that the grant conditions
are being met.
Timescale
26
See www.spstrategytoolkit.org.uk
Strategy Content
The ‘Supporting People’ Five Year strategies will contain information about,
Supply
Usage
Strategic Relevance and
Need
Much of the first two areas will be gained from existing ‘Supporting People’
databases and the providers of services.
Strategic Linkages
Strategic Relevance
Needs Analysis
For each Administering Authority the figures should be collected in relation to:
i. Overall Numbers
27
A suggested approach to collecting this information is contained in Appendix A (5iii.)
28
The Local Authority where the offender lived prior to being sentenced to custody, excluding any
very temporary accommodation e.g. Approved Premises
ii. Gender
1. Accommodation status
Prison - on reception
- on discharge
Community - at time of data collection
By categories:
- NFA (how many times) - Permanent
- Hostel - Temporary
- Supported Housing - Not known
2. Living with…
- Parent / Relative - Partner
- Friend - Lives Alone
4. Suitability of Accommodation
7. Learning Difficulties
8. Physically Disabled
9. Victim of Violence
General
Domestic Violence
29
Care will need to be taken not to double count prisoners returning to the community under
Probation supervision.
All of this information can be derived from OASys30 other than that regarding
Prison Discharge. Some Probation Areas also have access to information from:
This information will provide a further level of detail for ‘Supporting People teams,
particularly in relation to the demand for services and the level of unmet need.
This should eventually be met from ‘Supporting People’ returns but at present in
‘mixed client’ projects there is no way to distinguish between offenders and
others in terms of returns.
Following collection and analysis of the data this should be shared with local
Team Managers to determine,
How does the picture created relate to their practice and experience
What are the areas of unmet need
What are the priorities for developing existing or new services
Prison Service
There are local initiatives which have been able to provide information and a
certain amount of information is able to be gained at a County / Regional level.
Whilst, in the long term, OASys will be implemented in the Prison service there is
a need to ensure that information is accurately inputted by Prison staff and staff
from Court Escort Services.
30
See Appendix A (5iii)
The Prison Service should develop and implement systems for collecting
data on the housing and housing support needs of prisoners at a local
authority level. A suggested template is attached as Appendix B (5iii)
Appendix A (5iii.)
Summary
The data outlined in Section 5iii. can largely be gathered and analysed from
OASys data exported into Excel.
Gaining Information
The Area ICT section should be approached and asked to provide the OASys
data fields as outlined below to be provided as an excel spreadsheet. If there is
any confusion regarding this, the task is achieved by,
This approach should work for either a local OASys system or e-OASys.
The information can then be sorted in Excel by using the Filter function of the
spreadsheet. If this is unfamiliar territory, it is probably best to see if there is
someone who can do the work for you or to seek training in this aspect of Excel.
OASys Fields
Read through the definitions of each field to ensure that you understand what the
information you are collecting means e.g. In ‘Alcohol misuse a problem’ you may
wish to include those who score both 1 & 2. However in relation to ‘Social
Isolation’ you may feel that you should only be counting those who score 2.
23. 13.1 General Health including Yes / No – note this is a very broad field and
disability information should be used with caution.
At the present time OASys information may not be complete, particularly in relation
to accommodation issues. It is advisable to either put a ‘health warning’ on the
information that the data represents the minimum numbers or adjust the figures to
represent the whole picture e.g.
These figures need to be judged as to their accuracy i.e. does this system
produce consistent looking numbers.
This information is useful in its own right but when collected across a number of
authorities can compare the situation across a county / region. The material needs to
be analysed and written in context.
“Not surprisingly, as a regional centre, Newcastle is a magnet for many individuals providing
a far higher number of offenders living alone (555 - 28%), compared to neighbouring
authorities (Gateshead: 17% - 204 or North Tyneside: 23% -230). The city also sees the
highest proportion and actual number of offenders being roofless or living in temporary
accommodation: 22% - 443.
Suitability of Housing:
365 offenders (27%) live in housing which is not considered to be suitable either in relation to
the condition of the property, overcrowding or the proximity to the victim. This is the second
highest level in the region……
Support Issues:
When exploring the financial position of offenders, Newcastle has the highest proportion of
offenders who are facing financial difficulties 49% - 980. The city also has one of the highest
figures for offenders who face severe impediments to their ability to budget: 44% - 880…”
Appendix B (5iii.)
Collection of Data
Local Authorities are required to plan for the Housing31 and Housing Support32
needs of vulnerable people living in or returning to their authority areas. This
includes the needs of offenders and in particular vulnerable returning prisoners.
Whilst a number of prisons have collected local information and some regions
have undertaken initiatives such as ‘snapshot’ surveys or data on sentencing
courts, there is no systematic collection of data for prisoners which can inform
planning at a local level.
In addition some of the information, which is available, is limited in its value due
to the lack of rigour in the collection e.g. if a prisoner claims to be NFA this is
often taken at face value.
Ideally prisons should collect the same information as suggested for the
probation service [see Appendix A (5iii.)]. This is unlikely to be achieved until
OASys is fully implemented, so it is recommended that a minimum data set is
collected until such time.
i. Discharging Prison
iii. Gender
31
Homelessness Act 2002
32
‘Supporting People’ Directions and Guidance -ODPM
vi. Area of Origin on reception – this would not be the court which had
sentenced rather the local authority where the prisoner had resided at the
time of being sentenced or with which they had a significant local
connection.
Area of origin could be expressed as the first part of the postcode e.g.
SR1.
ix. Housing Support Needs – Number of offenders who have need for support
in areas such as-
Managing finance
Interpersonal skills
Neighbour relations
Recommendation
33
Definitions should be as defined in the OASys Handbook
From the beginning of the development of ‘Supporting People’, there has been
ongoing debate about what types of service should be funded by the ‘Supporting
People’ ‘pot’. This debate continues, fuelled by a concern from central
government that some local authorities have funded services which should have
more properly been paid for from social care or health budgets.
It is acknowledged from the outset that, often, housing related services are
composed of a number of elements e.g.
Rent
Housing Management costs
Personal Care
Statutory supervision
Housing support
The ODPM is clear in its resolve to ensure that each element is paid for from the
most appropriate source.
Most authorities are working on the issue of what should or should not be paid for
from ‘Supporting People’ funding. Two approaches seem to be developing –
ii. Those who are developing commissioning models which would look at a
service and come to an agreement with other commissioning partners the
proportion of eligible housing support in a service. For example it may be
seen that a service is roughly composed of 50% Rent, 5% Housing
Management tasks, 35% Personal Care and 10% Housing Support i.e.
‘Supporting People’ funding. The funding would be built up on this basis.
34
This will found on the spkweb – www.spkweb.org.uk or ask your local SP team to keep you
updated.
Focus on offenders
This guidance largely explores eligibility with particular focus on the needs of
offenders. However as all offenders have other facets to their lives e.g. being an
older person, part of a family, a substance misuser etc. the broader issues will
need to be born in mind.
The type of service and the amount paid to each authority is outlined in the
‘Supporting People Grant Directions and Conditions’.
The conditions expect that the ‘Supporting People’ grant should provide
low / medium level housing related services for vulnerable people - for the
purpose of developing that person’s capacity to live independently or
sustaining their capacity to do so.
The schedule to the conditions makes it clear that certain services are not eligible
for ‘Supporting People’ funding. These include –
Care services which require registration under the Care Standards Act
2000
Nursing or personal care services
Services which fulfil a statutory duty by the Administering Authority
Psychological therapy or programmes of therapeutic counselling
General housing Management services and
Services to enforce specific requirements imposed by a Court of Law
The conditions also expect that the service is provided as part of a package of
support services agreed between the Administering Authority35 and the service
provider, and that there is a contract in place between the authority and the
provider.
Designated Services (See Section 5vi. “Cross Authority Arrangements”)
There are services which are seen as being of regional or national importance by the
Secretary of State. These services cannot have their funding terminated without the
written consent of the Secretary of State.
Interpretation
On the face of it, these definitions may seem relatively straightforward but when
they are applied, in practice, matters can become less clear. Taking an example
of ‘doing the washing’
Inevitably ‘grey areas’ appear. Bearing in mind that ‘Supporting People’ exists to
help develop or maintain independence skills, the level of input at the beginning
of a process may be fairly intense but at the end far lighter. This is acceptable.
There are definitions of Care and Social Care laid down in statute under the
National Care Standards but there is no similar definition of Housing Related
Support.
The ‘Supporting People’ grant conditions refer to eligible services in the way
outlined below –
Whilst a very rough and ready approach, it has been suggested that if the service provider
touches a person or an object then it is unlikely to be Housing Support e.g.
Helping a person to wash is personal care – suggesting that they may make friends more
easily if they washed more often is Housing support.
Taking the rent to be paid is social care – encouraging and reminding someone to pay
their rent regularly is Housing support
Asking Questions
The service must help people to live in a more independent environment than
they would without the support.
Housing support services are not available to the public in general, there is a
need to be assessed as being vulnerable in some way e.g. at risk of violence or
homelessness. A list of vulnerable groups identified by the ODPM as eligible for
‘Supporting People’ funding is attached as Appendix B (5iv).
If the service is one which the local authority must provide by law e.g. community
care, services for care leavers, section 117 aftercare for people with mental
health difficulties – these are not eligible for ‘Supporting People’ funding.
Whilst having to always bear in mind the general context of ‘Supporting People’
eligibility, it is largely the last three questions which are likely to affect or be
affected by the National Offender Management Service.
Legacy Funding
The ‘Supporting People’ grant conditions acknowledges that there are other services that are
eligible for funding from 1st April 2003 due to their being in receipt of one of the legacy funding
streams. These may not be providing housing related support alone or at all.
The Probation Accommodation Grant Scheme (PAGS) was one of the ‘legacy funding’
streams. However, it is unlikely that this will apply to many, if any, services as the eligibility of
PAGS services was assessed prior to them being passed to Administering Authorities.
If there are any discrepancies, these are only able to last until the end of the interim contract
and the award of a ‘Supporting People’ Five Year contract. Most authorities with concerns
about the eligibility of a service would regularise this at the first review and prior to awarding a
Five Year contract
2. Ensure that orders made by the court do not name supported housing
services in any programmes, directions or requirements e.g. Orders should
not be made directing an offender to live at “Any street Supported Housing
Project”, rather they should be “Reside at premises as directed by the
Probation Service”.
Offenders are often placed in supported housing projects as part of their bail
conditions. Again by naming the actual project, this may compromise its
funding. This may be queried by courts; an explanation is attached as
Appendix C (5iv) which can be provided to Magistrates or Judges, either
verbally or in writing.
There certainly is no difficulty in paying for this type of service from another
funding stream e.g. Drug Action Teams or ICCP funding to run alongside
housing support services and provided by the same organisation.
4. National Offender Management Service staff should not expect that housing
support services should provide formal counselling or therapeutic input to
offenders placed in ‘Supporting People’ funded services unless the financial
support for these more intensive services is provided from elsewhere. This is
of particular note in projects for people with substance misuse or mental
health difficulties.
Appendix A (5iv.)
Support Planning
1. Providing advice and support to residents on how to prevent and deal with
difficulties with neighbours.
2. Providing information and assistance to residents in contacting and dealing
with agencies concerned with housing relate matters e.g. Housing
Department, CAB, Advocacy Services.
3. Providing advice and assistance to help residents manage their health and
well being e.g. how to access information and services.
4. Providing information and support in accessing local cultural, leisure and
social facilities with a view to aid social integration.
5. Providing information and advice about local services which support the
emotional well being of residents.
1. Assisting residents to move on from short term housing into suitable long term
accommodation.
2. Provision of community or social alarms.
3. Advice and support regarding repair work / home improvement work.
4. Providing immediate refuge to homeless people or those at risk of violence.
Appendix B (5iv.)
Services are provided for vulnerable people who would otherwise be at risk of
losing their home due to an inability to cope with the demands and requirements
of living independently.
Learning difficulties
Teenage Pregnancy
Vulnerability due to age, including both older people having difficulty coping
and young people at risk.
Being a Refugee
Travellers
Appendix C (5iv.)
The Probation Service would ask that the defendant be ordered to reside / bailed
to an address ‘as directed by the Probation Service’. That address will be
………..
The reason for not including the name and address of the property in the order is
that it is a supported housing service funded under the ‘Supporting People’ grant
Conditions.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister which issues the grant conditions has
determined that ‘Supporting People’ funding is not an eligible service if it is the
provision of –
The defendant will reside at the property and receive housing related support
under the ‘Supporting People’ regime. Any supervision or monitoring by the
Probation Service will take place in accordance with National Standards.
37
“Supporting People Programme Grant Conditions, Schedule para. 6.(e), ODPM, 2003
This is a field of real interest for the National Offender Management Service as
movement across authorities is a significant feature for many offenders’.
Monitoring and research to date has shown the groups most likely to use cross
authority access are,
• Offenders
• Women fleeing violence
• Homeless people
Designated Services
The funding for Designated services cannot be terminated without the written
consent of the Secretary of State.
The ODPM emphasises the importance of the informal support of family, friends
and community groups. As such moves for these reasons are recommended to
be facilitated not discouraged.
The needs of refugees and asylum seekers with appropriate status will also need
to be considered in relation to movement across authorities.
Enabling offenders to gain access to these support services, when and where
they need them, is the key task. There are five types of access / referral
arrangements,
38
This number does not include accommodation based provision for women fleeing domestic
violence for reasons of safety. The list is available on www.spkweb.org.uk
However, offenders will also have cross authority access using other types of
referrals and through self referral.
It would be of value for prisons and probation areas to make themselves aware of
both ‘PAGS legacy’ and other cross authority provisions which may be subject to
local multilateral agreements.
This is where cross authority arrangements will come into effect. Each
Administering Authority will be in a Cross Authority Group (CAG). These groups
are responsible for ensuring that arrangements are in place to enable movement
between local authority boundaries and ensure cross authority access to support
services.
The ODPM has divided the country into Cross Authority Groups (CAG’s). This
may be a number of unitary authorities or counties or a mixture of both e.g. Tyne
& Wear and Northumberland.
The group is responsible for producing a detailed cross authority statement for
inclusion in local ‘Supporting People’ strategies and which will set the priorities
for cross authority working. The statement must demonstrate a commitment to
monitoring the pattern of cross authority movement and developing and
maintaining access to services for Cross Authority Service Recipients. The CAG
should operate in conjunction with member Commissioning Bodies and Core
Strategy Development Groups, acting in an advisory role on all issues relating to
cross authority access and designated services.
London
39
PAGS legacy schemes are housing support partnerships which were previously funded under
the Probation Accommodation Grants Scheme prior to this funding passing to LA’s.
Membership
All CAG’s need to have written terms of reference, an elected chair and secretary
and a regular programme of meetings.
Monitoring
This can be used for local, cross authority and national planning and
commissioning.
“…rigorous and disciplined, and take into account the nature, level, quality and
cost of services.”
As with most aspects of ‘excellent authorities’ practice – how the reviews are
carried out is a matter for local arrangements.
• That without some form of Core Strategy Group which included partners
and the non statutory sector, the ‘Supporting People’ agenda will run a
significant risk of failing to adequately represent the collective view of all
partners.
• There should be a Commissioning Group which consistently captures the
views of Probation and Health.
It is clear that the Audit Commission sees the value of the formal partnerships in
the planning and commissioning of ‘Supporting People’ services.
40
These are listed in Appendix A(5iv)
41
The Supporting People Programme Grant for Excellent Authorities (England) Grant Conditions.
These are available on www.spkweb.org.uk
Appendix A (5vi.)
The Audit Commission has been required to inspect every ‘Supporting People’
Administering Authority in the first five years of the ‘SP’42 programme. Authorities
were asked where in this programme they wished to be inspected and a
programme for each year drawn up. Recently, the inspection of 19 authorities
whose costs were judged to be higher than expected was brought forward and
have been visited during 2004.43
The inspections are carried out by a joint inspection team led by a Housing
Inspector. The other inspectorates in the team are,
This guidance briefly outlines the purpose of the inspections but does not seek to
detail the work which is undertaken by the local authority in preparation for the
visit. The guidance aims to make probation staff aware of the role they are likely
to play in the inspection process.
Purpose of Inspection
42
‘Supporting People’
43
The timetable for inspections is able to be found on –
www.audit-commission.gov.uk/reports/guidance “Supporting People” click on link “2004/05
Supporting People Inspection Programme”
44
Previously known as the Social Services Inspectorate
2. What are the prospects for the service improving (Excellent / Promising /
Uncertain / Poor)
It would probably be fair to say that earlier inspections did not place as great an
emphasis on the final two points which are seen as major elements of future
inspections.
The inspection is of the administering authority – not just the ‘Supporting People’
team. This will include staff from other linked departments, elected members,
providers, partners, nearby authorities’ lead officers in relation to cross authority
arrangements, users and other stakeholders. This is an inspection of the
operation and impact of the programme, as a whole, in the particular authority.
Inspection Process
Prior to the inspection, ideally twelve weeks before, both the local authority and
the Probation Service will be asked to provide information to the inspectors. This
information is appraised and inspectors will,
These impressions will be presented and checked out in a meeting with the
administering authority and stakeholders.
Probation Involvement
The vast majority of the inspection falls on the shoulders of the administering
authority, although there will be demands placed on probation staff and offender
focused providers to contribute to the inspection.
At the highest level probation staff with ‘SP’ responsibilities may be involved in
such events as,
It is recommended that probation staff both make themselves available for the
broader range of meetings and promote this within the authority. This fuller
involvement not only ensures that information regarding the probation service is
accurate but also demonstrates the strength of partnership in an authority.
45
www.audit-commission.gov.uk
the middle manager to offer themselves for interview together as the broad
ranging questions from the inspector may be more fully answered.
1. A copy of the Area’s ‘Supporting People’ audit. These documents were written
in early 2003 and are likely to be well out of date. At a minimum, the audit
should include comments made on any changes. At best, if there is good
notice of an inspection, the audit should be completely revised. An outline of
the audit is attached as Appendix A(5vii)
3. An analysis of need for housing support services for offenders in the authority.
This should include areas such as,
These would include partnerships and joint working outside the ‘Supporting
People’ fields e.g. DAT’s, Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnerships.
This information will help the inspector decide who they will interview, to both
gain information and ‘reality check’ the information i.e. does the provider have the
same opinion of particular aspects of the ‘SP’ administration as the probation
commissioner.
The probation inspection officer is likely to spend a single day on site so will be
hoping to fit as much as is helpful into this day. As such it would be useful to
provide a bit of information about the people and services above, including what
sort of particular input they may be able to offer.
The probation inspection officer is likely to make telephone contact with the
probation staff member identified as the lead to,
The interview is likely to last between one and two hours and will cover a broad
range of topics including,
• Attendance at meetings
• Commitment of management / Board to ‘SP’
• Involvement in decision making in the Commissioning Body
3. Offender Accommodation
4. Managing Risk
MAPPA procedures
Local risk management agreements
Information sharing
How is area involved in both, contributing to, and receiving feedback about
offender linked services.
7. Needs Mapping
How does the service map and prioritise need for offender support.
There is a need to be clear about what opinion is and what can be evidenced as
fact. Probation staff may be asked to evidence statements or claims.
Draft Report
Also it can be important that the words and concepts used by the inspectors are
not likely to be misread by others in a different light e.g. seen by elected
members as overly critical when this was not the intention.
Probation Commissioning Body members should ensure that probation has the
opportunity to comment on this draft report and submit their comments.
The most surprising thing to many probation staff is how little probation is
mentioned in the final Audit Commission report. Four or five specific mentions
would be the norm. Additional comments would normally be due to particularly
good practice or something of real concern.
The report should not only be read looking for probation and offenders but also
considering the probation performance as part of such areas as,
Following the publication of the final report the Probation Commissioning Body
representative should draw up an action plan for improving any areas of concern
or potential development for probation or other National Offender Management
Service staff.
This action plan should be agreed by the area’s senior management and shared
with appropriate staff and the Commissioning Body.
Appendix A (5vii.)
1. CONTACT DETAILS
Probation Area
Address
Tel. No.
iii. What is the estimated staff time spent on ‘SP’ each month?
Include attendance at Commissioning Bodies and other groups.
iii. How satisfied are you with Probation’s position within the ‘SP’
groups (please complete table below)
4. STAFF TRAINING
ii. Have there been any actual benefits for the National Offender
Management Service? Offenders directly from the ‘SP’
programme.
Within Probation
ii. How satisfied are you that the ‘SP’ Five year strategy recognises
the needs of offenders?
(please complete table below)
7. NEEDS ASSESSMENT
ii. What methods are you using to gather needs information for the
‘SP’ strategies?
iii. Have you developed links with the Prison service and YOT’s to
help determine offender need locally?
iv. What are the major areas of unmet need in your Probation area?
ii. Have you an agreed protocol for working with former PAGS
providers.
(if yes append)
SECTION 5
Funding
Supporting People Revenue Grant (SPRG): which funds all other types of
housing support as described throughout this guidance. This funding will
be administered by the Welsh Assembly initially and transferred to local
authorities by April 2006.
The Welsh model has a single planning group unlike the two tier English
approach. The Supporting People Planning Group (SPPG), is responsible for,
Core membership of the group includes local authority, Health and Probation
although other members may be co-opted for specific purposes.
The Welsh Assembly guidance allows for local authorities to work together to
plan for services across a number of authorities, as long as each authority
develops its own plan.
Also an All Wales Planning group is held under the auspices of the Assembly.
The need for services to meet the needs of people who cannot be supported in
their home authority are recognised – Cross Boundary issues- and reflect the
same approach as Cross Authority Arrangements in England.
Specialist Advice
E-mail: earl.smith@wales.gsi.gov.uk
England
Wales
Plymouth: Plymouth:
Jon Nason, ACO Lucy van-Waterschoot, PDO,
St Catherine’s House, 5 Notte Street St Catherine’s House, 5 Notte Street
Plymouth, PL1 2TS Plymouth, PL1 2TS
Tel: 01752 827500 Tel: 01752 827500
Kent: Rob Verity, ACO, Robert Clark, Partnership & Mentor Unit Manager
Chaucer House, 25 Knightrider Street 56 College Road, Maidstone, Kent. ME15 8SJ
Maidstone, ME15 6ND Tel: 01622 687521
Tel: 01622 350828
London: Ilid Davies, ACO Housing Development Managers – whilst there are ACO’s
Mitre House, 223-237 Borough High Street who sit on Commissioning Bodies the first point of contact
London SE1 1JD for the boroughs should be with the appropriate manager
Tel: 020 7740 8530 below.
Bexley / Bromley
Croydon
Greenwich / Lewisham
Lambeth
Southwark
Martin Tully – Tel: 020 7740 8528
- Mob: 077177 66314
Ealing / Hounslow
Hammersmith & Fulham / Wandsworth
Kensington & Chelsea / Westminster
Kingston / Richmond
Merton / Sutton
Paul Mellish – Tel: 020 7740 8560
- Mob: 077177 66315
Barnet / Enfield
Brent
Camden / Islington
Haringey
Harrow / Hillingdon
Lourdes Keever – Mob: 079565 08758
Gt. Manchester: Sally Drake, Offender Employability Development Manager Karen Hurley
6th Floor, Oakland House, Talbot Road, 6th Floor, Oakland House, Talbot Road,
Manchester, M16 0PQ Manchester, M16 0PQ
Tel: 0161 872 4802 Tel: 0161 872 4802
North Tyneside:
Jeff McCartney, Divisional Director,
South View, Ashington, Northumberland, NE63 9AH
Tel: 01670 520121
Wearside
Hana Knotek, Divisional Director
45, John Street, Sunderland, SR1 1QU
Tel: 0191 510 1859
Surrey: Liz Ball, Director of Operations, Jenny Guven, Manager Court & Comm. Supervision Team
Bridge House, Flambard Way, Woking Centre, White Road Court
Godalming, Surrey. GU7 1JB Woking. GU22 7PJ
Tel: 01483 860191 Tel: 01483 776262
Thames Valley: Brenda Ball, ACO, Paul Wiiliams, Housing Development Manager,
2a Wynne-Jones Centre, Walton Road, Magistrates’ Court, 301 Silbury Boulevard,
Aylesbury, Bucks, HP21 7RL Witan Gate East, Central Milton Keynes, MK9 2YH
Tel: 01296 483174 Tel: 01908 679734
Solihull:
Sarah Chand, District Manager,
826 Bristol Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham B29 6NA
Tel: 0121 248 6680
Birmingham:
Mike Tennant, ACO,
1 Victoria Square, Birmingham, B1 1BD
Tel: 0121 248-6666
Wales