Item 8 - Community Justice Partnership Update April 25
West Dunbartonshire Council · 22 May 2025
Back to Community Planning West Dunbartonshire Management Board — 22 May 2025 and its agenda
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Management Board Meeting Community Planning Partnership Highlights and Issues Report FOR INFORMATION ONLY X FOR DECISION Name of Partnership Community Justice Partnership Date of report 28/04/2025 Name and email of lead contact Lesley.James@west-dunbarton.gov.uk 1 Highlights of activity and progress since last meeting Working/Steering Group Updates: Arrest Referral Scheme Input for the ‘Navigators Model’ heard at the CJP 30th April. CJP to consider this along with funding considerations. A research analyst from the Police Scotland Violence Reduction Unit has been carrying out an evaluation of the Custody Navigators Service in Fife over the past 2-3 months. The report is expected to be available in April – this will be shared with the group once received. National ARS activity is ongoing. ARS ‘Local – Lens’ sessions attended to contribute to national discussion and shaping of the National approach to ARS. Discussion around Penumbra mental health resource for justice service users and embedding across and between service areas. Stats – low: number of those in police custody currently being referred to specialist services. Custody to Community Group ToR has been developed and signed off. CJ Co-ordinator to meet with respective areas to consider data collection and data sharing. The group has naturally evolved into 2 areas: Strategic Planning and Risk Management/Safety Planning. Risk management group has me twice as part of preparations and planning for legislative changes to sentencing and subsequent releases from custody. SOP remains underway in terms of a robust partnership approach to managing risk and safety. ITEM 8
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Voluntary Through Care National Model: Preferred contractor has been confirmed as SACRO dovetailed by a partnership approach with other providers: Action to Industry; Action for Children; Apex; Barnardo’s; Circle; Families Outside; and Turning Point Scotland. Pod lead for WD is Action for Children & Upside – they are joining the C-C group going forward. Paperwork, protocol and referral pathways are currently being developed with WD to ensure referrals can commence ASAP. Early Release (ER) of Prisoners Scheme/ Legislative Changes to Planned Releases (PR) Since autumn 2024 SPS have engaged with the emergency release of prisoners to ease pressures on SPS. Recently new legislation has been ratified to change sentencing guidelines and prisoners will now serve up to 40% of their sentences as oppose to 50% - with the rest of their sentences supervised in the community. WD Custody to Community working group has responded to and supported these changes by taking a co-ordinated agency/services approach to risk and risk management – ensuring robust communication and process pathways across and between stakeholder partners. Prevention and Early and Effective Intervention Group ToR is under development. Partners have agreed to focus outcome improvement planning on: Diversion in both adult and youth justice context Understanding VAWG in young people’s intimate relationships (a partnership approach with the VAWGP) PS Youth Liaison Officers – Programme of rolling work in schools and stats Violence and gang culture in WD Links with the ARS working group The group agreed that a development day with all partners would be helpful to contribute to SNSAs in these areas. Proposal for development day to be held in August/September 2025. CARM activity needs to be included and joined up with the wider activity of the P&EEI working group. Electronic Monitoring is a lesser-known arena in WD. WD locality link worker from G4S is providing 2 information and awareness raising sessions to help support implementation, embedding and outcome improvement planning in this area: April 24th/25th 2025. CJ Co-ordinator is liaising with Working4U to establish robust referral and communication pathways for adult learning focusing on literacy/numeracy and digital learning for justice populations. CJ Co-ordinator liaising with Working4U to consider justice service users involvement with family hubs with consideration to risk management and safety planning.
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CARM SNSA has been completed to consider the undertakings for the implementation and embedding of CARM – SNSA with team managers and CSWO for consideration. CARM training: CYCJ have offered to support CARM training by offering a co- trainer for September 1-3rd 2025, training logistics require to be finalised along with delegate list. Managers require to consider Start –AV/Aim-3 risk assessment training for staff who undertake CARM training as this is the risk assessment that couples with the framework. CYCJ will offer a key-note speaker and spotlight event host for the Justice Conference: “Child Protection in Justice Services” CARM short life working group aims and objectives complete. Strategic and operational oversight aligns with Children & Families Social Work and associated governance structures. Women in Justice Group ToR is under development data collection and analysis require to be confirmed. WSSS and SafeLives field work and literature review is now completed. Draft report has been provided and returned after consideration and comment from CJ Co-ordinator and WSS Service Co-ordinator. WSSS continues to offer support to women and child victims as part of the Caledonian System. WSS Service co-ordinator is part of the audit and performance team attached to Caledonian systems and is part of the Caledonian steering group. WiJ group is considering women’s health as part of the responses to women involved with justice systems. Authentic Voices WSSS/SafeLives “Women’s Experience of Justice Systems”. Discovery report ‘final draft’ has been sent by SafeLives, final draft to be agreed and signed off by CSWO and senior managers. Proposal for discovery report to be presented at the justice conference. AV research to be conducted in collaboration with ‘Next Chapter Scotland’. They are undertaking National research and can offer us a local perspective as part of the wider research as such it was agreed to replicate the collaborative approach that we took with SafeLives to support this discovery activity. Minimum Consent standards On Hold: – partnership approach with Strategy and Transformation to standardise and uniform all AV/lived experience activity, partnership approach to be further considered due to maternity leave.
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Caledonian Systems Steering Group Group ToR is under development and requires signed off by the group due to an updated group membership Caledonian ‘Sampling Tool’ created and under development. This will be used for audit and assessment improvement activity as well as analysis of sentencing decisions in regard to court reports. The audit group has met and reviewed cases using the tool. The tool is currently being updated and will be confirmed when the audit group next meet. Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) is under development. This document will support the fidelity of the multi-partnership working arrangements set out in the ToR. The SOP will also seek to reduce risk (including service generated risk), and support risk management/safety planning. Breeches to orders and protocol around this have been discussed with Police Scotland and this area of work requires to be progressed further. Employability The Lennox Partnership (TLP) are the contracted employability specialist assigned to justice services in WD. The Lennox Partnership (TLP) – Part of Custody-Community, Integrated Case Management pre-release planning. TLP have been successful at partnership working with Greenock and Low Moss Prison and are now integrating the employability service as part of pre-release planning. Training, Learning & Development Trauma Informed Practice /Understanding the Dynamics of Domestic Abuse – bespoke training developed and delivered in partnership with business support manager. All staff are now trained to Trauma Skilled level. Dash-Ric Training – Delivered to The Lennox Partnership and wider partners as a response to organisational and service generated risk. EM Info & Awareness Sessions – G4S provided input to justice, national voluntary throughcare providers and homelessness staff, to enhance partnership working and understanding around protocol. Penumbra Mental Health Training – under discussion. Mental health training for justice service users and wider professionals who work with justice populations. Justice Conference 2025 Conference planning is well underway with keynote speakers and spotlight events confirmed. The conference will take place in the Civic space in Church Street on the 6th June 2025. The spotlight events will take place in Church street ground and 1st floor meeting rooms. Hospitality will be provided by WD recovery communities. D-Unit Community Hub
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Gym memberships are now available for justice service users – evaluation measures are being collated to better under impact – this will be reported on in the following year April 2026. 2 Outline of any issues/risks and how these are being managed Budgets and capacity are an ongoing issue for community justice – this is a national issue and hopefully we will see a bigger investment in community justice with the presumption towards liberty and away from custodial sentences. Issues or risk will be identified and assessed in the Strategic Needs and Strengths Assessments and identified at working/steering groups. These will be reported to the CJP for escalation where necessary. 3 Outline of the main outputs expected before next meeting Progress reporting update from all working groups and wider activity. 4 What are your requirements of partners in the Community Planning Management Board to achieve the outcomes of the DIG? To support the CJP to deliver locally on the ‘National Strategy for Community Justice’ at a local level. To support the CJP with the uncertainty (nationally) regarding funding and budgets to support the local delivery of the strategy. The CJP will be required to identify funding to deliver the local CJOIP and associated activities. 5 Please outline any good news story you wish to share Evaluations of Training & Development Activity: Electronic Monitoring Information & Awareness Raising Sessions: https://forms.office.com/Pages/AnalysisPage.aspx?AnalyzerToken=biAOmXnmORs YLp6yxP4IJD6uwaz3YPwa&id=iQL2878eYkezdQNdHqtRQ9G4mEfumgpCmA_52T eLxZNUMjVYVzdGQkhaQ1cyNUlMNUpKRktON0w1Ry4u Understanding the Dynamics of Domestic Abuse: bespoke training for business support staff: https://forms.office.com/Pages/AnalysisPage.aspx?AnalyzerToken=OuznGkBIIKQX Srk8tGB5KOi9vhZeUuBT&id=iQL2878eYkezdQNdHqtRQ9G4mEfumgpCmA_52Te LxZNUM042NlMwM0FaVUcxWVZaR0xKWk4ySzRKUi4u
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