Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 20
20
We note that the new resettlement model is being developed alongside the Offender Management in...
Recommendation
We note that the new resettlement model is being developed alongside the Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) Model. While we welcome both models, our inquiry has highlighted some concern that the OMiC model has not yet been fully rolled out across the prison estate, which could affect implementation and success of the resettlement model. We recommend that the Ministry of Justice set out the status of roll-out of the OMiC model, including how many prisons are implementing the model fully, partially and not at all. Should the model not yet be fully implemented, we invite the Ministry to provide a timetable for its full roll-out. (Paragraph 103) Workforce
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
Agreed The roll out of OmiC began in 2018 and has been delivered across the prison estate through an incremental, implementation approach: • Phase 1—Key Work implemented in the closed male estate at the beginning of 2018. • Phase 2—Case Management implemented in the closed male estate in October 2019. Due to COVID–19 pandemic, implementation of OmiC in the women’s estate and male open prisons was paused in March 2020. • Phase 3—Changes to Case Management introduced in all open male prisons at the end of March 2021. • Phase 4—A bespoke Offender Management model introduced in the women’s estate at the end of April 2021. It recognises the different challenges and opportunities in the women’s estate, where self-harm and the complex needs of some women are of significant concern. The OmiC model has been designed with two distinct but interconnected elements: Key Work and Case Management: • Key Work—The aim of Key Work is to develop constructive staff-prisoner relationships, foster positive behaviours, build prisoner trust and confidence, hope and commitment to change. Key Workers provide one-to- one sessions with prisoners, supporting them to make appropriate choices and giving them hope and responsibility for their own development. • Case Management—Relates to offender management activities undertaken in both custody and the community for people who are serving a custodial sentence. The offender management provision an individual will receive will be dependent on a number of factors which include risk, need, time left to serve and sentence type. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reduced Key Work and Case Management delivery within the prison estate and the disruption to normal operating caused by restricted regimes will inevitably impact upon the realisation of OmiC benefits in the short-term. However, there are recovery plans in place for OmiC delivery, with a commitment to ensure that prisons are appropriately resourced to deliver offender management tasks and that it is aligned with the changes to be introduced by the Unification of probation services in 2022. Assurance of OmiC delivery will continue to be provided via independent scrutiny bodies, the Operational and System Assurance Group (OSAG) in HMPPS alongside the development of performance and quality measures and operationally by regional HMPPS Senior Leadership Forums.