This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Inspection of Northern Partnership
15/09/2006
A Social Work Inspection Agency (SWIA) report into criminal justice social work in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Highland and Moray, has found examples of excellent practice in each authority but also areas of work where standards need to be raised.
The report on the Northern Partnership follows fieldwork in May and early June 2006.
Inspectors found that most cases had a written supervision plan that addressed offending behaviour and related needs, and found examples of sound supervision practice.
They also found that community service schemes generally supervised offenders well and carried out work of value to the community.
However, the inspection highlighted the challenges faced by the partnership in sustaining effective joint working across such a large geographical area.
Inspectors also found that overall Aberdeen City performed less well than its partners in most aspects of practice.
At the time of the inspection the council had put measures in place to address these failings, including substantial changes to corporate structure, but inspectors were not convinced these were sustainable.
Other findings from the report include:
- More than half the court reports sampled were 'adequate'; a third were 'good' or 'very good' and the rest 'poor'
- Supervision focused consistently on addressing offending behaviour in slightly less than four in 10 cases
- In most sex offender cases supervision focused consistently on offending. The partnership's Joint Sex Offender Project (JSOP) provides programmes for sex offenders although inspectors were concerned about a lack of effective joint working between the project and case managers in the four authorities
- The practice in relation to serious violent offenders was less satisfactory than with sex offenders, with only one third of cases achieving a consistent focus on offending behaviour
- There is a lack of effective joint working between the partnership's criminal justice addictions team and case managers in some of the authorities
- There was a high level of satisfaction among beneficiaries of the partnership's community service schemes
- For a period of more than two years some probation cases in Aberdeen City received only a minimal service, culminating in more than 270 such cases. The City put measures in place in late 2005 to reduce the number of these cases
Areas for improvements highlighted by inspectors for the partnership, and specifically for Aberdeen City, include:
The partnership should:
- Ensure staff writing social enquiry reports use the results of risk assessments in their analysis of offending and risk of re-offending, and do more to probe the offender's account of his or her offending
- Do more to address the offending behaviour of serious violent offenders
- Review specialist services to ensure co-ordination, programme integrity, effective integration with case management and value for money
Aberdeen City Council should:
- Establish and maintain proper oversight of the performance of their criminal justice social work service and should develop a recovery plan that ensures the future stability and viability of the service
SWIA examined the quality of assessments prepared for the courts and the Parole Board and assessed the standard of supervision of offenders on probation and community service orders and parole and non-parole licences.
They evaluated 135 court reports, 24 home background reports and 117 case files. They observed practice and interviewed managers, practitioners and offenders from across the different services.
They also contacted sheriffs and the beneficiaries of community service schemes to gather views about the quality of the service.
Inspectors judged the quality of reports and the quality of information in the case files on a four point scale:
- very good
- good
- adequate
- poor