4B: What is ‘success’ in guidance and support?

The Skills for Life Strategy Unit has commissioned the Front Line Workers project. This aims to enable frontline staff from a range of organisations to support more effectively clients with literacy, numeracy and ESOL needs. The project is testing out approaches for identifying, referring, supporting and following up clients with literacy, numeracy and ESOL needs. Approaches piloted should increase coherence across organisations and foster cross-agency working. Pilot organisations include the National Probation Service (NPS), prisons and services associated with young people who offend. One output of the project will be a training package for frontline staff.

The Assistant Chief Officer for West Yorkshire highlighted the following as essential in effective information, advice and guidance for offenders on community supervision, ‘We need to evidence the links between basic skills provision, IAG, employment and reducing re-offending. Learning doesn’t automatically stop when an offender gets a job – they are not mutually exclusive activities. Enabling an offender to continue to progress in learning and acquire additional skills (maybe in a work setting) is a big challenge for us. employment means not only finding a job, but sustaining it and progressing, if we are to reduce re-offending.’

Beth Fox, Education, Training and Employment Manager at Dorset Probation Area, also commented on guidance and support for offenders on community supervision. ‘Before, people were shoved all around the place. Now we have a one-door approach with Jobcentre Plus, the local LSCs, colleges, accommodation, drugs agencies, alcohol support, prisons and young offender institutions. [Offenders] will not learn if they are on the streets, so we need to be working with housing. They will not learn pushed straight into a college – they failed there. They need a differentiated environment and they need peer group support. We provide all of these.

‘We were reviewed by the ALI. They said we showed excellent examples of motivating and engaging adult learners in Skills for Life. They complimented our approach, which was not saying, “We are going to teach you to learn to read,” but we said, “You are going to learn Skills for Life…”’

Cumbria has secured European Social Funds for link workers to support offenders’ attendance at IAG sessions and at college-based provision. Essex Probation Area and its providers have a service level IAG agreement which encompasses an exit interview and action plan for offenders.

In an initiative called ‘Back on Track’, Lincolnshire Action Trust is working with HMP North Sea Camp, Morton Hall and Lincoln, to integrate effective guidance with sentence planning. Eight weeks before the estimated release date, offenders have guidance interviews and links are established with relevant external agencies, to ensure the individual accesses support after release from prison.

In Merseyside, IAG is available in all probation offices and hostels. There is a mentoring service for black and minority ethnic offenders to try to encourage take-up. Disabled offenders are picked up from home and taken to provision.

Merseyside has developed a video aimed at offenders on community supervision, to motivate them to address their literacy, numeracy and ESOL needs and to raise awareness of the range of provision available. This video is played in probation office waiting rooms.

Volunteers in the Nottinghamshire Probation Area are from diverse backgrounds. They include university teachers, probation staff working on offenders’ literacy, numeracy and ESOL needs in their spare time, and retired individuals with a range of professional experience spanning, for instance, teaching and business.

Seeing improvements

One retired senior manager from the brewing industry commented, ‘When I answered an advert looking for people willing to share on a voluntary basis some of the knowledge they had picked up in industry, I had no idea I would end up with PALS [the probation-based provider]. That happened almost a year ago. I had no experience of working in public services, nor with the Probation Service, nor in supporting literacy and numeracy. How have I found my first year? Interesting – enlightening – encouraging – and sometimes, a little frustrating. The real kick is when you see a measurable improvement in clients. That’s what will keep me coming back for more.’

Volunteer training

Paul Robinson, another volunteer in Nottinghamshire Probation Area, commented: ‘I get no pay so I’m truly a volunteer. I saw this notice advertising work at PALS. I had done some voluntary work in secondary schools with people with needs, but not with adults. I phoned the number and was greeted with enthusiasm. I haven’t got any qualifications in literacy and numeracy, except maths and English GCSE, but I’m going to Broxtowe College in September to do my Level 2. I might do Level 3 to become a learning support assistant. I do other voluntary work. I’m training as a ward visitor at Queen’s Medical Centre, but I find this work most difficult.’

Nottinghamshire Probation Area has a leaflet on IAG for offenders. It is written in clear, accessible English and is in an appropriate font style and size.