Recommendation 19

HM Government Acknowledged

Agreed The resettlement approach in the unified model is based upon the principle of the Community probation practitioner responsible for managing people post release from prison, becoming responsible for pre-release activities. They will hold the single sentence plan including all resettlement planning, ensuring risk planning and victim issues are addressed within preparation for release. This will include the following: • An enhanced Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) model for determinate sentence prisoners, bringing more people in scope of allocation to a Prison Offender Manager and moving the current handover to a consistent 7½ months pre- release, along with introducing 2 further pre-release meetings. • Community probation practitioners responsible for referrals to the Commissioned Rehabilitation Services (CRS) providers and maintaining contact as the service is delivered to ensure co-ordination and sequencing with sentence management activities. • CRS providers based in the communities where prisoners are released to, with the majority of services delivered post release. This supports CRS providers building relationships with local services supporting transition into the community. • Accommodation services would start pre-release to sustain existing tenancies and support obtaining accommodation for release. This includes continuing support post-release to sustain accommodation. • A mentoring service starting pre-release to support people in prison with little or no community-based support to build social networks post release. • Short Sentence function will be established in all Probation Service Regions to provide a responsive, multi-agency approach for all people in prison serving short prison sentences. These provide the opportunity to sustain existing community services and refer promptly into new services where not already in place. • A Resettlement pack with local information provided to all who leave prison, including from Court and those unconvicted. Details of local information, including out of hours contact numbers, supports people released from prison access local services to receive the support they require. In order to ensure pre-release contacts with community probation practitioners are taking place, performance measures are being developed to provide assurance. Action plans can be put in place. Work is progressing to address the challenges posed by an in-reach service where people in prison are held considerable distance from home areas. This includes working with Regional Probation Directors to build on work to identify options to ensure contact takes place at a frequency conducive to building positive relationships pre-release. The increased use of virtual contact during Covid restrictions enables lessons learnt during restricted contact to be incorporated into guidance for the Probation Service. As part of the evaluation strategy, we will be evaluating resettlement interventions pre- and post- release and, in fact, an evaluation of the Enhanced Through the Gate Specification was published in October 2020, the findings from which have already helped to shape the resettlement model. Due to the requirement for additional probation staff to complete all pre-release activities and the levelled up OMiC model, the Resettlement approach will be implemented over a period of time. From 26 June: • Community Rehabilitation Service (CRS) providers will start delivery including accommodation and mentoring services. • A Resettlement pack will be available for all people in prison due for release with localised information provided by Probation Service Regions. The remaining elements of the Resettlement approach will be implemented after unification. • The Short sentence Function was implemented in Wales in August 2020 as an early adopter region. The remaining Probation Regions have started the planning process to introduce within all Probation Service Regions over the course of 9 to 12 months post- unification. • When sufficient probation resources are in place, the levelled up OmiC service, including increased pre-release contacts by Community probation practitioners (COMS), will start.