Report on HM Prison Noranside

HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland 1998

11. ADMINISTRATION AND OTHER SERVICES

General Administration

(i) General Office

11.1 The layout of the main administration area had been changed since our last inspection and now comprised four offices which reflected functional responsibilities. In order to restrict access to essential users and to maximise confidentiality, the main door had a pass number entry system.

11.2 The HR Manager had overall accountability for the administration function with first line management responsibilities being carried out by a Finance/Administration Manager who presently reported directly to the Deputy Governor on financial matters. That situation was, however, due shortly to be rationalised by the transfer of the establishment’s financial accountability to the HR Manager after the retirement of the current Deputy Governor.

11.3 The Finance/Administration Manager had line management responsibilities for three Administration Officers who had specific accountability for criminal work, procurement and stores/canteen respectively. He was also line manager for the Governor’s personal secretary who was located in a separate office adjacent to the main administration area and who, in turn, had line management responsibility for the typist/administration assistant. Work sharing and the covering of posts during absences by designated deputies ensured a self-sufficient and well motivated team.

11.4 The arrangements for the distribution and recording of mail, including the storage and recording of warrants, prisoners’ files and personal property were all satisfactory. Additionally, structures and procedures for the management of budgets and cash accounts were fully in accordance with SPS Financial Management Procedures, as were the audit trails for the security, lodging and checking of cash.

(ii) Stores/Procurement

11.5 The main stores area was administered by the Procurement Officer, supported by a Stores Administration assistant.

11.6 Since our last inspection, the stores had been moved to a facility within the Estates complex and presently contained items of prisoner clothing, bedding and footwear in addition to cleaning materials and staff uniforms. The building had been modified to allow for the distribution of goods via a wall hatch and to provide a small office and changing area for uniform issue and fitting.

11.7 The establishment had issued its own procurement policy and delegation of purchasing authority, which were fully in line with SPS procurement procedures. The batching of invoices was being carried out by the Procurement Officer and the National KPI regarding the payment of invoices within 30 days of receipt was being met. A good relationship existed with SPS Central Stores regarding deliveries, which arrived timeously on the first Thursday of each month.

11.8 Both the Procurement Officer and the Stores Assistant had received the appropriate training in stock registration/control and in purchasing procedures and the Procurement Officer dealt with the trading accounts generated by the concrete, farms and gardens and forestry work parties which were targeted to generate £136,000 over the current financial year. The Clerk of Works had responsibility for conducting Condemn Boards, which were held on an as required basis.

Comment

11.9 The administration function had undergone a significant period of upheaval, particularly in the past 16 months during which time the former Finance/Administration Manager and the Stores Administration Officer had been transferred. This had led to a temporary hiatus when the function had been undermanned for a period of four months resulting in skills gaps in key areas, particularly financial accounting and control procedures. That situation had, in fact, been confirmed by an SPS Internal Audit Team report in the early part of 1998.

11.10 The present Finance/Administration Manager had, therefore, worked extremely effectively to bring structures and procedures fully into accordance with SPS financial management requirements. However, two of the three Administration Officers had been in post for a relatively short period (one year) and the Criminal Desk Officer, who had been in post for three years, was shortly moving on promotion to HMP Castle Huntly. We hope, therefore, that this important area will then be able to enjoy a period of relative stability in order to consolidate expertise and best practice.

SPIN

11.11 The local SPIN Co-ordinator was an Operations Officer who had held that responsibility for three years. This task was reflected in his job description and he used his two hours staff facility time each week to carry out these particular duties. His Deputy was a nominated Residential Officer.

11.12 The establishment had a total of 20 terminals which were appropriately located in the various functional areas. There was also a comprehensive quality assurance manual which clearly outlined management procedures and responsibilities to ensure the integrity of the system. We were pleased to note that this document was updated on a regular basis.

11.13 Training was incorporated into the local staff training programme and was delivered by the SPIN Co-ordinator or his Deputy. Additionally, five members of staff had been fully trained in QUEST procedures and two SPS College trainers were delivering Excel and Word courses to selected staff, again within the local training programme. They were also working with the SPIN Co-ordinator so that in future, he could facilitate the delivery of these elements.

Comment

11.14 We were pleased to note the commitment and professionalism of the key staff in this area, the comprehensive nature of the quality assurance systems and the proactive nature of the staff training involved.

Race Relations

11.15 The Ethnic Minorities Liaison Officer (EMLO) was a Residential Officer who had been appointed to the post at the beginning of 1998, having previously been the Deputy EMLO for two years. He had received a one day race relations training course at the SPS College.

11.16 A local policy statement, based on the SPS Race Relations Policy and signed by the Governor, was prominently displayed on all prisoner notice boards in the residential areas and the EMLO was notified immediately through Reception procedures of the arrival of any prison from an ethnic minority background. Such prisoners would then normally be allocated to the EMLO in his primary role as a Personal Officer in order to ensure that their specific needs were fully met. Over the past two years, there had been a total of ten such prisoners and at the time of our inspection, the establishment was holding one Muslim prisoner. Appropriate arrangements were in place for religious diets, the celebration of particular festivals and attendance at places of worship. All the main religious faiths had centres in Dundee and transport was provided in order that prisoners who so wished could attend. Copies of relevant religious books, including the Koran, were available and the current Shap calendar was on order. A list of interpreters was available should one be required.

11.17 The EMLO had established positive relationships with relevant community organisations and in particular Tayside Commission for Racial Equality and the West of Scotland Community Relations Council where a member of the SPS was on secondment. He had also enlisted the help of a police race relations trainer based at Forfar for the delivery of local staff training.

11.18 The EMLO maintained regular contact with his counterparts in the sending establishments and his records showed that there had been no formal or informal complaints or incidents which were racially motivated.

11.19 In overall terms, we were pleased to note the comprehensive arrangements in place for ethnic minority prisoners, though we have written to the Governor suggesting that the role should again be supported by the appointment of a designated deputy to ensure continuity of service.

Community Liaison

11.20 Two members of staff in the establishment had responsibility for promoting links with the local community and in addition to the formal outplacements scheme, some community-based projects were being undertaken. These included the general cleaning and maintenance of a children’s play area in a nearby village and work to re-instate an overgrown garden area at a local Church. In addition to projects of this type, assistance was provided to a group of people with special needs by giving them access to the establishment’s PE facilities to enable them to train for weight-lifting competitions at events such as the Special Olympics. There was also an annual Christmas Party for people with special needs. It was recognised that the Farm Shop within the grounds of the establishment was an excellent way of maintaining contact with the local community and donations of farms or garden produce were frequently made to local fund raising activities. Similarly, good relations with local farmers were promoted by sharing items of equipment and machinery.

11.21 For the future, it was hoped to develop such links further by having groups of senior school pupils or College students visit the farms and gardens areas and there were proposals to try and develop a waste management project in conjunction with the local authority.