Community Justice Outcome Activity Across Scotland

Local Area Annual Return Template 2022-23

April 2023

Community Justice Scotland

Ceartas Coimhearsnachd Alba

Community Justice Outcome Activity Across Scotland

Local Area Annual Return Template 2022-23

1. Background

This reporting template has been developed in discussion with community justice representatives from local areas, and is designed to support local areas in reporting to CJS on the achievement of outcomes in order that CJS is able to write its annual report to satisfy s27 of the Community Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 (‘the Act’). The process of requesting information from local areas through the completion of this reporting template fulfils the requirement for CJS to consult with community justice partners and stakeholders when preparing the annual report, as set out under section 27(3). Completing the template can also support local areas to make an assessment of progress towards national outcomes and prepare their own local-facing annual report, which is a statutory obligation under section 23.

Significant strategic developments took place in and around the reporting year 2022-23, namely:

1. Publication of the Scottish Government’s Vision for Justice in February 2022.
2. The publication of a revised National Strategy in June 2022.
3. The review of the OPIF culminating in the publication in April 2023 of the Community Justice Performance Framework and the accompanying Community Justice Improvement Tool.

These significant strategic developments had substantial implications for local areas in their delivery of their statutory obligations within community justice. Further, they had the effect of creating a de-facto transition year, where the National Strategy for Community Justice and reporting framework were not aligned. In recognition of this, we have reconsidered the scope of this template and the report it informs for the reporting period 2022-23.

CJS approached community justice coordinators and managers in March 2023 seeking volunteers to participate in the creation of the 2022-23 annual report template. CJS would like to extend thanks to those community justice partners that took the time to participate in the development group and others that provided sense-checking comments on the draft.

2. Statement of Assurance and Data Usage

The information submitted to CJS using this template will be specifically used for the purpose of fulfilling the requirement under s27 of the Act for CJS to produce a report on performance in relation to community justice outcomes across Scotland. It will also be used by CJS in its role to monitor, promote and support improvement in, and keep the Scottish Ministers informed about, performance in the provision of community justice.

In line with provisions in the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), CJS will use appropriate data to ensure that there is continuous reporting, development and progress towards the national outcomes. By providing data to CJS you are consenting to its use by CJS as indicated. Community Justice Partnerships should be aware that any information held by CJS is subject to statutory Freedom of Information obligations.

The template can be used by local partnerships to fulfil their requirements under s23 (1b) of the Act, when published as an appendix to a publicly facing summary statement of annual progress.

3. General principles of the template

The template and guidance have been developed using the following principles:

• Retention of the outcomes and indicators from the 2016 OPIF and previous templates, supplemented with additional guidance and direction around answering the questions.
• The template should enable a shorter return.
• Better support local partners to comply with their local reporting requirements set out in section 23 of the Act. E.g. the inclusion of local outcomes, which also support CJS to understand local issues.
• Continue to seek evidence about new collaborative activities.
• Support CJS to comply with their requirements in section 27 of the Act.

4. How to fill in the template

The return should be completed and consulted on with partners involved in community justice in your local area. In line with the Act this includes statutory partners, third sector bodies involved in community justice in relation to the area, such community bodies in relation to the area as partners consider appropriate, and such other persons as partners consider appropriate. CJS expects that completion of this template will be a collaborative effort.

This template incorporates guidance support completion, with the text (in blue) providing reflective prompts to consider to develop your answer, which can be deleted and replaced with your response. These should be considered together through the development of your answer, rather than addressed individually.

In response to feedback on accessibility and in order to support our analysis, we have removed the text boxes around questions and answers.

There is no expectation that areas will return substantial numerical data. We would encourage partners to develop the response to this template in conversation with each other, and view it as an opportunity to reflect on your strengths and needs in partnership.

Where the template asks for evidence, a written response will suffice and there is no expectation that you send additional supporting documentation – if there are any aspects CJS is unclear on it will be our responsibility to request clarification where necessary.

If any response or evidence requires details about people with lived experience (e.g. evidence in respect of someone’s life story) please DO NOT include any identifiable personal or sensitive information (as outlined in Schedules 2 & 3 of the Data Protection Act 1998) as CJS does not require such information. If this is unavoidable then please ensure that the data is fully anonymised.

This is the sixth iteration of the template and guidance. If you have any queries about completing the template then please email CJSImprovement@communityjustice.scot.

1) Community Justice Partnership / Group Details

2) Template Sign-off from Community Justice Partnership / Group Chair

In terms of the Section 27, Community Justice (Scotland) Act 2016, (hereafter referred to as The Act) duty to submit an annual return to Community Justice Scotland, I can confirm that this submission has been agreed by members of the Orkney Community Justice Partnership (OCJP) as an accurate record. We also confirm that as part of the Section 23 duty to publish a public-facing annual report on progress towards national and local outcomes, this report, along with a local summary report will be made available on the Community Justice web page, which is hosted on the Orkney Islands Council website.

The report will also be laid before the Integrated Joint Board for noting.

Date:…29 September 2023

Name:…Stephen Brown, Chief Officer, OHAC – Chair OCJP

3) Governance Arrangements

Last year, we asked partnerships to describe their governance structure for community justice arrangements and include links to wider community planning. Please describe any substantive changes since your previous answer.

There has been no material change to the Governance structure during the relevant reporting year, however a review was undertaken of the Terms of Reference for the group, which has seen a refreshed list of stakeholders to the partnership. This reflects the creation of new organisations, the removal of entities which no longer exist or contribute and developing network links to enhance partnership contribution.

OCJP primarily reports to The Integrated Joint Board (IJB) and ultimately the Chief Officers Group (COG), through both verbal and written reports. The Chair of OCJP remains a member of the Orkney Partnership Board (OPB) and any relevant reports can be shared through this link.

National accountability remains with the submission of an annual report to Community Justice Scotland (CJS), which details progress and intended activity against the CJOIP, taking account of any national recommendations and discharges Section 23 and 27 requirements as laid out in The Act.

4) The year overall

2022-23 saw substantial developments and change within the service delivery and strategic policy landscape. This section should be used to reflect some of the a) challenges/negative implications and b) opportunities/positive implications from the reporting year on the community justice partnership. This can include impact on the improvement activity, partner collaboration, and delivery of services.

Challenges / Negatives

During this reporting year there were still some aftereffects of the restrictions around the Covid 19 Pandemic, most notable of which was the partnership’s continued reliance upon virtual meetings. Whilst this allowed for partners to still come together it did impact upon relationship building, particularly for new members to the partnership. Work was commenced by the coordinator to look at development of hybrid meeting opportunities, which were restricted by available hardware. This has now to come to fruition, however, will be the subject of more detailed reporting in the annual report of 2023/24 due to timings.

Some partners reported challenges persisting in service delivery due to Covid restrictions, certainly in the early part of the reporting period.

As alluded to above, this reporting year has been one of transition with the publication of the new Strategy for Community Justice, along with the associated Performance Framework and Delivery Plan. Locally the transition has been managed with work on the Strategic Needs and Strength Assessment (SNSA), which is complete. This involved a series of collaborative workshops to help the partnership discuss, understand and prioritise need. However, with delays in the publication of National guidance documents this presented challenges to complete and refresh the local Community Justice Outcome Improvement Plans (CJOIP). Consequently, this meant operating with an outdated CJOIP, however suitable policy statements were made to discharge this duty locally. From peer discussions this challenge was Scotland wide and helpful support and guidance was received from Community Justice Scotland to overcome this.

A turnover in membership attending the Partnership also presented challenges, due to the need to regularly brief new members on roles and responsibilities. With change being the only constant support was forthcoming with the use of CJS Guide – Partners responsibilities along with the development of a briefing guidance for new members.

There were also some challenges with national partners attendance at the OCJP, however this is again a Scotland wide issue.

Locally there were challenges around the absence of a fully staffed ADP, however this has been addressed. Consequently, a delay of the review to the commissioning work plan was experienced however commissioning partners worked well with local authority officials to achieve an interim workaround to offer continuity. Small and remote communities also struggled with access to support services, which were more readily available in larger, centrally located local authority areas, so geography remained a challenge, however the local response to this can be considered a positive and is reflected in comment below. Consequently, there was no collation of non-statutory police referrals to the Alcohol Brief Intervention (ABI) process and therefore the numbers dropped significantly. However, statutory referrals, predominantly health driven, continued to be collected and reported.

Potential changes with the introduction of the National Care Service created uncertainty amongst some members of the OCJP, due to potential structural alterations, however, briefings and consultation took place in an effort to assuage concerns.

Some partners continued to see heightened demand for their services, most acutely felt amongst some third sector representatives. Partners reported seeing clients presenting with more complex needs. This extended the length of time required for the counselling journey and saw an increase to waiting list times in third sector organisations consequently. This compounded the ongoing challenges around access to some services in Orkney, in particular mental health, drug and alcohol support services, which are less readily available in rural and remote communities compared to mainland local authorities. In addition, the lack of access to a perpetrator programme for instances of domestic abuse, which is a place based issue for all remote and rural communities. Waiting times for supported accommodation also increased. An added challenge for young people navigating the criminal justice system. This was also experienced in the wider housing stock.

Smaller communities made it difficult to report on lived experiences due to concerns of compromise of persons identities, which contributed to difficulties in encouraging persons to speak up about their experiences, positive or otherwise, in relation to community justice.

Some partners reported challenges around not having full staffing in post, which impacted on their ability to contribute to Community Justice during this time. The challenge across statutory and third sector services around recruitment in Orkney continued, and during the reporting period most Partners reported carrying vacancies. Whilst Orkney was a destination of choice due to quality-of-life opportunities, there remained an ongoing difficulty around availability of suitable housing. Because of staffing challenges across the partnership this added further pressure to service provision in an area where access to support services was already stretched due to limited availability. This is not limited to service users with experience of the justice system, however it reduced their opportunity for access to support, which presented a challenge in supporting their desistence.

There was also a further challenge around short term funding streams, which many across the partnership found difficulty with as it was not conducive to establishing longer term sustainable support for those in need of it. That uncertainty made it difficult to upskill and train staff who could only be employed on a short-term basis, particularly where the support role required the service provider to be highly skilled.

Positives / Opportunities

Despite the foregoing challenges there have also been some positives opportunities in Orkney.

The return of the court user group facilitated consideration about processes experienced by those navigating the justice system and allowed for wider discussion to take place including promotion of Community Justice first hand. This forum brought together, prosecutors, sentencers, defenders and justice services to hear justice experiences from support services working with those individuals.

Due to smaller numbers going through the justice system in Orkney, the impacts of Covid upon the court process and subsequent community-based sentencing had minimal impact for Orkney and any backlog has now been eliminated.

Partners continued to remain engaged with Community Justice in Orkney with strong attendance at partnership meetings that took place virtually. The frequency of meetings to monitor progress and support the partnership also met national expectations, which is an improvement on previous COVID reporting years. This helped raise the profile of CJ in Orkney.

Partners engaged virtually on discussions around the new Strategy and supporting products as well as coming together in multiple online workshops to understand changes and contribute collaboratively, particularly around the SNSA development. In addition to online virtual support within the local authority area, valuable contributions were also made by Public Health Scotland to help develop the SNSA and reflect on some national trends. This offered a worthwhile sense check around the data and recommendations. Critical Friend support was also sought and received from CJS to assist in the development.

Due to the small geographical size of the local authority area this engendered a close working relationship amongst the partners, which helped with network building and negotiating access to limited resources, which included analytical support. Options were developed around use of online support to residents navigating the justice system, with support from initiatives such as Creative Change Collective (formerly Street Cones), Grace Chocolates and RCA Trust inputs on Gambling. Gambling addiction being less obvious to identify, however created equally as much harm as the other more visible dependencies and led to re-offending and debt.

Partners welcomed the ongoing access to and use of virtual technology, particularly for meetings and training. Whilst everyone shared the desire for a return to normality, hybrid working offered the best of both worlds for remote and rural communities. Partners reported continuing access to such inputs, particularly with the majority being held in the Central Belt of Scotland. This allowed more frequent engagement and offered significant costs savings in travel and accommodation as well as time. This was a particular benefit which Partners in Orkney were keen was recognised nationally with a view to it being adopted as continuing good practice. This was to encourage that meaningful hybrid meetings were an option rather than returning solely to face-to-face meetings. Again, this reflected in other rural and remote communities as identified in peer discussions.

By extension some partners, in particular Families Outside (FO), who offered support to the relatives of those serving a custodial sentence, identified the positives for remote and rural communities of progress with virtual prison connectivity. This was a mitigating factor to remote and rural communities in relation to the Report on the Financial Cost of Imprisonment. Orkney continued to have a strong working relationship with FO as a key partner and support their initiatives to reduce any burden, financial or otherwise, on families of those in prison.

Victim Support Scotland (Orkney) reported benefits in supporting clients virtually who were living in separate remote communities. Technology allowed for virtual meeting to be held allowing multiple linked witnesses to be supported and advised about a forthcoming trial which they were required to give evidence in. Previously this would have been done on an individual basis. Furthermore, courts appeared more amenable for some witnesses to give their evidence remotely. Whilst recognising this is not in every instance, it did make the process of giving evidence significantly easier and less time consuming and financially burdensome, particularly for those in remote communities such as Orkney.

Police in Orkney echoed the benefit to allowing witnesses, including police officers, to give their evidence remotely, which expedited the justice process causing fewer delays and delivering justice quicker with less financial impact.

During this period there was restructuring by the Service Manager (Justice Services) of the Community Payback Supervisors, creating one full time member of staff (temporary post) and one part time member of staff. In addition, for the first time, one of the Supervisors was female. Given the increase in the number of females, almost double, who are touching the justice system, Orkney was better equipped to manage the supervision of female offenders, whilst offering a more diverse workforce to respond to client needs.

The Orkney Drugs Dog (ODD) charity continued to operate during this time and indeed grew with the acquisition of a second detection dog. ODD and was heavily supported in the Partnership by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, with accommodation. The ODD also worked closely with another Statutory Partners, Police Scotland and delivered a deterrent to counter the movement of drugs into Orkney. This limiting activity contributed to reducing the availability of drugs to reduce offending and reoffending in Orkney and minimised the risk of harm to communities.

Right There reported an enhanced level of partnership working between them and criminal justice social workers with greater collaboration, cooperation and communication experienced as both partners worked together to support young people who were engaged with the justice system. This ensured clients were supported to make all their meetings and with a more robust support network around them it offered structure to what had been a chaotic lifestyle. Post Covid recovery and developing relationships contributed to this. In addition, other opportunities were explored around diversion, particularly where the young people who they were supporting were identified as being more vulnerable during the day when service provision was not readily available. A review of the service delivery model has taking cognisance of this.

Community Learning and Development (CLD) undertook a structured programme with young people who were coming to the attention of local police and had entered the justice system. This provided inputs on gang violence, knife crime, drug and alcohol misuse and the impacts on individuals and communities in order to encourage those young people to consider the consequences of their actions with the aim of reducing their reoffending.

Relationship Scotland Orkney reported an increase in referrals from Criminal Justice Social Work, in particular for support and counselling around alcohol and drug use.

This section is designed to capture the evidence and data that has been used by your partnership over the reporting period to assess progress against the national outcomes.

NATIONAL OUTCOME ONE

Communities improve their understanding and participation in community justice*

Where applicable have regard to the following indicators:

• Activities carried out to engage with ‘communities’ as well as other relevant constituencies
• Consultation with communities as part of community justice planning and service provision
• Participation in community justice, such as co-production and joint delivery
• Level of community awareness of / satisfaction with work undertaken as part of a CPO
• Evidence from questions to be used in local surveys / citizens’ panels and so on
• Perceptions of the local crime data

*Community Justice comprises the activities, services and partners that work with and around people from the point of arrest, through the justice system and supporting their exit from justice contact and integration into their community

5) How have you engaged with partners, communities, and individuals to improve their understanding and participation in relation to community justice?

To avoid duplication there will be some comments already provided in section 4, The Year Overall, which are equally relevant in the subsequent sections on the National Outcomes. Consequently, a passing reference will be made rather than replicating the entire comment above or below, where appropriate.

Reflection from the Partnership felt that there was still some way to go to ensure wider understanding of Community Justice across the community in Orkney. There remained a perception that community sentences were a soft option. In addition to comments on-line and in the media, this was evidenced through survivor support groups engagement and explanation to persons who they were supporting during this time. These interactions allowed partners to advocate for community justice and community sentences and explain the benefits, which weren’t often fully understood. In some instances, those with lived experiences received this favourably and mindsets were changed, however others continued with their perceptions.

In September 2022, engagement took place at the Orkney Careers Fair hosted at the Pickaquoy Centre, Kirkwall and ran in conjunction with Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) and statutory partner Skills Development Scotland (SDS). With over 60 exhibitors taking part it allowed for face-to-face interaction with local employers and prospective employees in Orkney to promote community justice and the contribution which they could make to it. Discussion between employers and the community justice coordinator focused around second and subsequent chances to those who had experience of the criminal justice system. It also identified two employers who had actively recruited individuals with experience of the justice system and were signposted to additional available support to these individuals through the Local Employability Partnership (LEP). This will be explored in future reports in an effort to look at advocacy options on the values and benefits they experienced. It also afforded the opportunity to encourage other local employers to consider this and continue advocating on the benefits of community justice. Furthermore, it provided an occasion to discuss Employment Recruitment Incentives (ERIs) as part of the Orkney Employability Provision Pipeline, developed by the LEP to encourage those furthest from the labour market back into employment, many of whom were justice experienced.

This was developed still further at the opening event of Skills Development Scotland’s Hub in Kirkwall in February 2022 and the subsequent Employer Engagement Event. This allowed for further dialogue with employers on the support they could provide to those furthest away from the labour market. In addition, the support, in some instances financial (ERI’s), which could be provided to the employer to actively recruit someone with convictions. Discussions were had with employers on the contribution they could make to their communities in supporting justice experienced individuals and presented another opportunity to advocate for community justice. As with any small community barriers needed to be overcome due to local knowledge and occasional conscious bias around employing someone, or in some instances a family member of someone, whose reputation proceeded them on account of their justice experience.

The Local Employability Partnership (LEP) were strong supporters and contributors to these events also and worked in Partnership with SDS, the local coordinator for CJ and other partners to promote, develop and attend this event. In addition, the coordinator for community justice joined the LEP as a full member and there was also representation from the Chair of the LEP on the OCJP, which continues. This strengthened links and awareness of mutually beneficial activities and actions and helped develop leveraging opportunities, particularly the employer engagement events.

In close knit communities it is harder to retain anonymity, which has been a barrier to encouraging engagement from lived experienced individuals, however efforts continue.

Engagement also took place with Business in The Community with a view to exploring Ban the Box (BtB) in Orkney. BtB campaign called on UK employers to give ex-offenders a fair chance to compete for jobs by removing tick boxes from applications forms that asked about criminal convictions. Evidence supported that where ex-offenders secured employment (29%) they were statistically less likely to re-offend compared to those who were unemployed (59%). The campaign was not about ignoring someone’s previous convictions it was more aimed at only asking about convictions where relevant and at the appropriate stage in any recruitment process. Again, research identified that ex-offenders were reluctant to apply for a role where at the first hurdle they had to self-disclose a conviction which may have been entirely unnecessary. BtB offered guidance to recruiting managers to help them understand and respond appropriately to disclosures of convictions, which did not necessarily preclude the individual from being employed in the role. 11.7 million people in the UK have a criminal conviction and two thirds of employers that employed ex-offenders recommended others do the same. Approaches were made to two larger employers in Orkney. They are reviewing HR processes that will facilitate the implementation of BtB and a paper will be presented through relevant governance routes to make this happen. It is recognised that whilst some small employers already have this in place, adoption of BtB by larger employers in Orkney will encourage others to follow suit. Further reporting anticipated on this in the coming reporting year (2023/24).

Visibility of community justice in action has also taken place. With Community Payback Order (CPO) & Unpaid Work (U/W) activity in the community, which provided the opportunity to demonstrate the value that such court disposals offer. Firstly, in the tangible benefits such as repairs and creation of furniture for public use, along with painting, grass cutting and other community projects that enhanced the area. This was supported with plaques highlighting the activity was because of CPO/UW and was recorded in publicly available booklets to showcase and celebrate contributions in the local area. Exploration around using social media also took place, which will reach a wider audience and offer better value. In addition to the tangible benefits the value of a community sentence versus a custodial sentence, where appropriate were immeasurable. The ability to maintain a support network and be ‘supervised’ to not re-offend including access to addiction and other assistance in the community cannot be overstated. Evaluation from some CPO/UP work exit questionnaires during the reporting year identified the following experiences.

Due to the small number of those undertaking CPO’s in Orkney the gender and specific age brackets have been removed to avoid identification of anyone inadvertently, however collectively they are from males and females who were given a community sentence in Orkney.

Attendee on an18-month order, with dependency issues. As a consequence of support from a CPO they “learned about issues I might not realise” and following assistance around Employment, Finance, Health & Addictions they reported a change in thinking and were “able to leave all that stuff in the past and get on with life”.

Attendee on an Unpaid Work order – “There has been appreciation from the public when we have been doing worthwhile work” This opportunity engendered a feeling of self-worth and confidence to this individual.

Attendee on CPO/Supervision/Unpaid Work – “Just being able to talk to people…just listening to my problems and flipping the coin to maybe see other persons point of view”. Acknowledged support received improved their mental health and helped them reintegrate back into the community.

Attendee on CPO with support for their addictions. “This experience has shown me a new side to life and inspired me to work harder and be a productive member of the community”.

Attendee on CPO/Supervision/Unpaid Work – Diagnosis of mental health challenges and supported with correct medication along with support helped them understand their actions – “Made me really think about the victims in the case. And after some soul searching, I’m really remorseful for all my past offending and I’m looking forward to the future”.

Above are examples of persons supported by Criminal Justice Social Workers and Community Payback Supervisors during the reporting year who articulated the benefits they received from a community sentence. There was also strong support and favourable comment for the direct support provided by their criminal justice social workers and CPO supervisors.

In furtherance of the support to improve understanding in community justice amongst the Scottish public there was local engagement in Orkney in February 2023, with participation in Life Changing Sentences CJS media campaign. This saw the public displays of posters promoting the campaign, which has continued in an effort to keep the public informed and updated on community justice.

As part of developing the new Strategy and related practices local workshops were held to ensure an inclusive and wide-reaching consultation process was available to actively encourage partner input. This coproduction and joint working ensured wider partner buy-in to community justice in Orkney. Due to the absence of a coordinator in post in previous years this had not always been possible previously. This remains ongoing, however partners opportunities to contribute have been enhanced and considered offering a more inclusive outcome.

In an effort to engage further with partners, communities and individuals in relation to community justice, the coordinator has sought out additional opportunities for engagement by joining other local partnership groups. These included:

• Orkney Partnership for Action Against Gender Based Violence and Abuse (OPAAGBVA)
• Smoking Cessation Programme, driven by NHS Orkney.
• Local Employability Partnership

Whilst the links to community justice were not immediately obvious OPAAGBVA provided an opportunity for the CJ coordinator to initiate work, requested by a number of stakeholders of the OCJP, particularly in relation to perpetrators of domestic abuse programmes, which is in train. In the absence of the availability of the Caledonian Programme this was undertaken with the aim of reducing reoffending. Furthermore, work with the smoking cessation forum provided the opportunity of support to those engaged on CPO/Unpaid Work programmes with addiction issues. A further example in small communities where closed knit partnerships assist each other with support on joint working for the benefit of the wider community, which is sometimes necessary due to the limited number of persons available to contribute.

In addition, encouraging other new partners who bring value to the OCJP has also taken place with dialogue and discussion with Social Security Scotland who are now a full contributing partner in Orkney. Their input and contribution of support to ensure those who have experience of the justice system were fully aware of what they were entitled to claim in financial support made a positive contribution. They are also now linked to other supporting partners including those who interfaced with justice experienced individuals, specifically criminal justice social workers and CPO supervisors. Developing this network opportunity allowed existing partners direct access to Social Security Scotland assistance for clients to whom they offered support, which included those released from prison, their families as well as those serving community sentences.

In addition, more information and guidance has been made publicly available in an effort to make community justice more accessible and understood. Use of the local authority webpage for community justice and related material, enhanced accessibility and promoted transparency.

Court User Group, which a number of OCJP members attended, identified challenges around local media reporting, which created heightened anxiety amongst perpetrators, survivors, victims and witnesses, along with family members for the aforementioned. They were more concerned with what would appear in newspapers in a small community rather than navigating the criminal justice process itself. This had an impact on persons willingness to report crimes and for those who found them subject of criminal proceedings the longer-term impact of increased barriers to allow them to reconnect and contribute to their communities. Smaller communities offer less anonymity and conversely greater challenges for those looking to rebuild a positive relationship with their community. Experience has shown that conscious bias can be experienced in the labour market, which on occasion can extend to family members of those subject of reporting in the local newspaper. This however is a challenge that has featured across the Community Planning Network in Orkney and is subject of wider consideration and ongoing engagement with local media outlets to work together and reach a better outcome.

IJB and other partnerships are engaged with to discuss annual reports.

NATIONAL OUTCOME TWO

Partners plan and deliver services in a more strategic and collaborative way

Where applicable have regard to the following indicators:

• Services are planned for and delivered in a strategic and collaborative way
• Partners have leveraged resources for community justice
• Development of community justice workforce to work effectively across organisational/professional /geographical boundaries
• Partners illustrate effective engagement and collaborative partnership working with the authorities responsible for the delivery of MAPPA

6) How has your partnership worked to enable strategic and collaborative service planning and delivery?

Orkney is included in the Highland and Islands oversight group for Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), where good practice initiatives are shared, and scrutiny undertaken along with a shared access to training. This advantage allowed Orkney to call upon the wider support of this valuable network and ensure effective and meaningful engagement.

During this year there has been appointments of a lead officer and a training officer for public protection, which has been beneficial to the partnership. Furthermore, joint work has been undertaken to look at training opportunities around trauma informed practice with peer support utilised to access their experiences and help develop future opportunities locally.

Collaborative workshops have also been held across the Partnership during the collection of data for the Strategic Needs and Strength Assessment (SNSA). This ensured collective representation with resources from elsewhere in the partnership utilised to assist in the analysis and meaningful reproduction of data in the report. This assisted with priority setting and needs identification. Leveraging of analytical support assisted greatly with the production of the SNSA and was utilized to get the most of out any workshop activities. Sessions also took place to ‘socialise’ the new Strategy (CJ) and associated supporting documents and Frameworks across the Partnership.

Orkney benefited from a close working relationship within this Partnership, and others, due to the demographic of the local authority area. Many of the representatives on this forum (OCJP) knew each other through other groups in which they operated and, in some instances, socially, so networks were easily established and strongly bonded, which assisted in reaching agreement on actions required.

Whilst the numbers were small, there has been an increase in referrals from Criminal Justice Social Work to third sector partners for addiction support to assist clients who were unable to obtain assistance anywhere else. This support aimed to assist clients from re engaging with the justice system and reduce reoffending. This followed on from a networking opportunity where the community justice coordinator brought together representatives from addiction support services and criminal justice social workers to enhance referral links and smooth the contact process. Consequently, some knowledge gaps were ‘plugged’ and stronger links established with representatives from Right There, Relationship Scotland Orkney, NHS Orkney Mental Health Team - Addiction Services and Apex Scotland and Justice Services staff.

Another partner, ORSAS reported close working relationships with Police Scotland to facilitate interviewing of survivors in suitable premises, which ensured they were in comfortable surroundings. This has spread across the Partnership, which is again built on strong working relationships with a sharing of workspaces to facilitate activity across the community justice network. A further example of this is the Hub space developed by Skills Development Scotland, which has been opened to Local Employability Partners, which includes many of those who ‘sit’ at the community justice table. This collaborative approach is embedded as day-to-day activity across the Partnership.

As part of the local response to the new strategy a collaborative approach was undertaken with local workshops involving partners to ensure the development of the SNSA and subsequent CJOIP adopted a strategic approach. Whilst it was not possible, disappointingly, to include those with lived experience directly in discussions, there was representation and contribution from those who supported those with lived experience to influence planning and delivery discussions. Apart from a small number all partners were represented including external support from Public Health Scotland, which helped triangulate some activities.

Survivor support groups across Orkney remained key contributors to strategic planning and despite their experience of increased demand on their services, sometimes accessed by those with more complex needs, they were still able to offer that valuable support and contribution to community justice. All reported an increase in referrals and whilst some had already experienced waiting lists, others saw them introduced for the first time due to the demands placed upon them for support.

NATIONAL OUTCOME THREE

People have better access to the services that they require, including welfare, health and wellbeing, housing and employability

Where applicable have regard to the following indicators:

• Partners have identified and are overcoming structural barriers for people accessing services
• Existence of joint-working arrangements such as processes / protocols to ensure access to services to address underlying needs
• Initiatives to facilitate access to services
• Speed of access to mental health services
• % of people released from a custodial sentence:
  • a) registered with a GP
  • b) have suitable accommodation
  • c) have had a benefits eligibility check
• Targeted interventions have been tailored for and with an individual and had a successful impact on their risk of further offending

7) What steps have you taken to improve access to services, and what impact has there been as a result?

In remote communities like Orkney, there are still challenges to engage with support services due to geographical barriers, which can impact on accessibility and present a placed-based challenge. Furthermore, due to smaller population sizes services reflect this in the numbers of trained staff available to assist, which sees some of those seeking support placed on a waiting list. This is not ideal when the need for support exists in the here and now, yet the service user is being asked to wait weeks, months or even a year or more to gain access to the support which they need. Any delay to an intervention will only lessen the likelihood of success. Service providers continued to report an increased demand for services or more complex needs manifesting themselves post Covid, with no increase in funding to allow appropriate and timely support to be available, not to mention growing waiting lists.

During this reporting cycle recognition of the structural barriers for persons accessing services has been partially overcome by taking advantage of more online support. Initiatives such as the Creative Change Collective, Grace Chocolates, and gambling support workshops in conjunction with the RCA Trust have assisted with this offering support, which was previously not available in Orkney. Fuller details are provided under National Outcome Four, however referenced in this section for acknowledgment. The result is the availability of additional support and evidence of the assistance provided has helped some of those involved to gain employment. With employment comes the development of confidence and self-worth and consequently a reduced chance of reoffending.

Right There (RT) reported that because of training undertaken as a response to Covid, staff were equipped to deliver online Counselling. This option still existed and was beneficial in providing support to young people many of whom were navigating the justice system. This afforded easier access, particularly those living in more rural locations where travel was previously a barrier to them accessing support. A blended approach was still favoured and saw success for RT in Orkney from service user feedback.

It is however acknowledged that those navigating the justice system, will have greater access to support in Orkney compared to a member of the public who has not been engaged with the justice system due to court mandated support. Support from Criminal Justice Social Workers provided access to and offered signposting to additional support services. There were however still limited services available with competing demands for them.

Furthermore, RT identified that staffing in support accommodation only commenced 17.00 each day and overnight until 07.30, however many of the clients who they were supported needed structure and support during the day to prevent them from engaging in harmful and potentially criminal activity.

Right There Orkney sought alternative grant funding (mainly Corra) to restructure. This delivery allowed RT to offer more support during daytime hours, including diversion to other activities such as attending the gym, outings in the community, cooking activities to develop independent living skills and to discourage those being supported from engaging in such harmful activity and the downward spiral of reoffending. With the alternative funding they are also able to offer ongoing support for people who were transitioning from supported accommodation to permanent accommodation, many of whom were engaged with the justice system.

Families Outside, an external agency, provided valuable support to the Partnership and have now become firmly embedded in the OCJP. Families Outside was the only national charity in Scotland working exclusively on behalf of families affected by imprisonment. They spoke to thousands of families each year, providing information and support on issues such as housing, finance, and emotional support.

Families of people in prison are innocent victims of crime. Children who suffer a member of their family being imprisoned are now recognised by the Scottish Government as experiencing an adverse childhood experience. This can have later life implications on their physical and mental health unless they are provided with the appropriate support and protective factors. People in prison who maintain positive relationships with families are 6 times less likely to reoffend.

During the reporting period Families Outside supported the OCJP as follows.

Total 2 cases were supported by Families Outside consisting of:

• 1 family (2 female adults) – Partner on Bail awaiting court proceedings
• 1 Professional – regarding a cross-border transfer for a person in prison

This should be considered through the lens that number of persons imprisoned in any area will fluctuate throughout the year. In Orkney this figure is normally mid-single digits.

Main issues for which cases above were requiring support were around:

• Transfer protocols
• Own emotional / mental wellbeing
• Income / Finances
• Information about Prison/court proceedings
• Housing

The above issues are reflected in the national research “Paying the Price” (https://bit.ly/459dY84) conducted in 2022 (which included families living in rural and island communities). This has highlighted the disproportionate impact the cost of imprisonment had on those living in Island communities. It led to steering groups with the Scottish Government, which it is hoped going forward a precedent can be set to offer more financial assistance for island families visiting prisons on the mainland with an appeal from FO to hear from other families experiencing such difficulties.

The FO Regional family Support Coordinator attended the OCJP during this period ensuring that the voices and needs of families were considered in local plans and initiatives. This led to discussions for focussed training looking at the impact of imprisonment on children and young people and the Child Impact Assessment Toolkit. This will be developed further in the next financial year.

Attending the partnerships has also enabled close working relationships between Families Outside and the other members which goes to ensure that potential gaps in support could be identified. An example being linking in ORSAS who had been in touch with the following query ‘….regarding the partners/ex-partners of people currently awaiting court or sentencing for online crimes against children. It seems that the partners and families are slipping through the net in terms of support as they are not witnesses, nor direct victims of crime while the accused is receiving emotional support’.

Again, addressing and developing these stronger partnership links is something FO plan to continue further in the next financial year.

Developments for 2022/23

Group Participation and Peer Support Work

This past year Families Outside has developed a new Support and Participation model to enable more variety for families looking to access, feed into and become more involved within FO services. These are in the form of:

Participation; creating opportunities for families to:

• Influence Policy & Practice
• Shape Services
• Provide Expertise (through lived experience)
• Call for Change & Make a Difference

The Participation Group (known as Outside Voices) is now active and meet online once a month enabling families from across the whole of Scotland to take part, again inclusive for island communities like Orkney.

Peer Support:

• Various Groups being established locally for adults, young people and children.

Befriending:

• Supporting volunteers (including those with lived experience) to deliver befriending services for those requiring ‘light touch’ or ongoing support.

Training

Families Outside offers accredited training to those individuals and groups across the statutory and voluntary sectors who come into contact with families affected by imprisonment. Attendance at this training will count towards continuous professional development. Online and in-person engagement for Orkney were progressed during this time with further consideration to maximise the input.

The Families Outside: Families Affected by Imprisonment Training is designed to raise awareness of the impact imprisonment has on families, improve practice, and develop the knowledge and skills of participants required when supporting families affected by imprisonment.

The training consists of three modules:

• Understanding the issues for families affected by imprisonment
• Supporting children and young people who have a family member in prison
• Prison and prison visiting

We also have a series of Family Induction Modules available to members of the public, which can be accessed via our Website. Topics for these are:

• Prison & Prison Visiting
• Coming Home
• Supporting Children & Young People
• Keeping Connected

For more information on FO training, and details of how to sign up, please visit www.familiesoutside.org.uk/professionals/training/

Relationships Scotland – Orkney (RSO) continued to offer a contact centre where a parent can see a child/children they no longer live with. This can include post arrest where bail or other restrictions prevent a parent from seeing a child; or where restrictions are placed on contact between parents (e.g. NHO). Maintaining a relationship with children can be important to sustaining links with family and in the wider community. During this year RSO opened 14 additional child contact cases with 104 sessions attended. Whilst not all of these involved an individual facing or convicted on criminal charges, many have had contact with the justice system (e.g. Police Scotland). This offered the opportunity to assist those with justice system experience help to rebuild relationships in a supportive environment. Some challenges were experienced with media reporting which saw examples of children no longer attending the contact centre to meet their parent on account of what they have read in the local paper. RSO continued to offer this service locally, which helped provide a vital support to many with justice system experience, who would otherwise have no means of maintaining contact with their children.

RS Orkney also reported that counsellors, mediators, and support workers were trained to work online with adults and young people. This has opened up access, especially for those living in remote areas and ferry-linked islands. Post-COVID clients gradually returned to more face-to-face working (currently 64% of sessions are attend face-to-face) but online remains an attractive option for some and helps to reduce the barriers in terms of time and cost, particularly for those living on ferry-linked islands.

IMAGE:

The page contains a screenshot of the Families Outside participation, peer support, befriending and training content. It includes the headings “Peer Support”, “Befriending” and “Training”; lists the establishment of local groups for adults, young people and children, befriending services delivered by volunteers, the three Families Outside training modules, the four Family Induction Module topics, and the Families Outside training website address. It also includes text about Relationships Scotland – Orkney’s contact centre, 14 additional child contact cases and 104 sessions attended, and online counselling and support for people in remote and ferry-linked communities.

Gambling – For this first time, this reporting year saw access gained to support for what was sometimes described as the hidden addiction. Gambling was less obvious to identify, compared to other more apparent dependencies, which offer physical manifestations, however from research gambling presented as much harm. Particularly in regard to addictive behaviours, stress and pressure on individuals around mounting debts and associated criminality, sometimes to pay off monies owed.

Evidence of custodial and community sentences for people as a consequence of gambling addiction is becoming more and more apparent.

The RCA (Renfrewshire Council on Alcohol) Trust provided free and confidential specialist support to anyone at risk of or experiencing gambling related harms across Scotland. RCA Trust operated as part of the National Gambling Treatment Service in partnership with GamCare. The ‘Bet You Can Help Now’ training programme, was an educational first aid approach to tackling gambling related harms. This programme looked to engage with all aspects of the criminal justice system and aimed to equip learners with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to tackle gambling related harm at a variety of touch points.

This FREE support to those working in the CJ system under the auspices of ‘Bet You Can Help Now!’ introductory session, delivered online, equipped learners to:

• develop their knowledge and understanding of gambling related harms
• have increased confidence in implementing effective screening and interventions with those at risk of gambling related harms
• be aware of and understand the appropriate levels of support available to help and support those affected by gambling related

In conjunction with the Renfrew Council on Alcohol (RCA) Trust, OCJP was able to secure free online training to equip practitioners across the health and social care partnership (OHAC), support workers and mentors with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to tackle gambling and related harm. As part of the Bet You Can Help Now Programme, which offered practical first aid for gambling related harm engagement was had over three sessions and reached 53 participants to equip them with practical advise and signposting information on what do when supporting someone with a gambling addiction.

The resources provided were also shared across the OCJP and wider network.

As a consequence of the availability of more online training this was shared beyond Orkney across the North community justice peer support network, to ensure maximum benefit was derived by as many people as possible from any available training. This contributed to developing a quid pro quo agreement to leverage opportunities, which is starting to pay dividends with shared access to more information and training across the North. It was also a further opportunity to promote community justice across as wide a network as possible.

Due to the low numbers of persons from Orkney in custody, their release management is easier with 100% compliance experienced around housing support/GP registration/Benefits eligibility checks. During the relevant reporting period only one person presented to Orkney Housing Services looking for housing support as a direct consequence of being discharged from prison. Of note this individual had no connection to Orkney prior to their release from prison. A total of 142 cases were managed in relation to homeless accommodation support.

Distress Brief Intervention (DBI) activity was reported in last year’s annual return and this has continued to develop in Orkney. DBI is a two-tiered service which offers a ‘connected and compassionate’ response to people experiencing distress.

Level 1 is provided in Orkney by Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service who can refer anyone who is in distress and does not need (further) emergency service response. Referrals are made to DBI Orkney and are initially answered by Penumbra in Aberdeen.

Level 2 is provided by Orkney Blide Trust in collaboration with Penumbra. On receiving a referral Penumbra attempts to contact the referred person within 24 hours by their preferred method. After contact has been made, they offer support to begin immediately and then pass the referral on to Orkney Blide Trust who will support the person for 14 days, focussing on self-managing distress, developing distress management tools and supported handover to other agencies where appropriate.

In Orkney anyone aged 16 and over can be referred to DBI and we recognise that anyone can experience distress at any point in their lives. While DBI can support people who are experiencing mental ill health and this may be contributing to their distress, the service also reaches out to people who are experiencing distress for various reasons. These could include relationship problems, anxiety, low mood, thoughts of self-harm, thoughts of suicide, housing worries, money worries, employment issues to name a few.

DBI continued to develop during this time with an increase in the number of staff (Police/Ambulance) trained to make referrals, which has seen a corresponding increase in referrals reaching an average of 1-2 referrals per week towards the end of this reporting period. A high proportion of those referred are justice experienced. The opportunity exists to continue this support through the Blide Trust for longer term mental health support.

Employability - Closer cooperation between the Local Employability Partnership (LEP) and Community Justice was developed during this time. The Chair of the LEP is now part of the OCJP and the coordinator for CJ is now part of the LEP, which allows for a cross-fertilisation of ideas. This has led to improved coordination particularly around employer engagement and encouraging support for those with convictions back into employment. Those with convictions are perceived to be furthest from the labour market.

During the relevant reporting year LEP services supported ten individuals who disclosed they had criminal convictions out of 91 people who they assisted. Disclosure is entirely voluntary, so this figure is felt to be underrepresented. Four of the ten progressed on from the service with three going onto employment and one returned to education. In addition, a further three of the ten individuals gained qualifications whilst being supported by the Employability Team. The remaining six continued to be supported. Furthermore, this structure has seen a more efficient approach in Orkney to avoid duplication and streamline support to all who needed assistance to find a job, a proportion of which were justice experienced. The LEP offered assistance to individuals with justice experience (and others) to progress through the employability pipeline. This assistance included CV writing, interview preparation, and research around opportunities for employment. There was also support for employers to encourage taking on longer term unemployed individuals, including financial incentives such as ERI’s. A sanitised case study has been included in section 10.

NATIONAL OUTCOME FOUR

Effective interventions are delivered to prevent and reduce the risk of further offending

Where applicable have regard to the following indicators:

• Use of ‘other activities requirements’ in CPOs
• Effective risk management for public protection
• Quality of CPOs and DTTOs
• Reduced use of custodial sentences and remand:
  • a) Balance between community sentences relative to short custodial sentences under one year
  • b) Proportion of people appearing from custody who are remanded
• The delivery of interventions targeted at problem drug and alcohol use [NHS Local Delivery Plan (LDP) Standard]
• Number of Police Recorded Warnings, police diversion, fiscal measures, fiscal diversion, supervised bail, community sentences (including CPOs, DTTOs and RLOs)
• Number of short-term sentences under one year

8) What changes have been made to community justice arrangements to enable desistence, reduce reoffending, and promote integration, and what impact has there been as a result?

Support to individuals navigating the justice system continued in an effort to reduce their reoffending and assist those convicted to reintegrate back into the community in Orkney. Consideration was given to making use of the time those undertaking community sentences were interacting with statutory support in the form of CPO/ Unpaid Work. As alluded to above, in addition to face-to-face support greater use was made of online opportunities, in particular where there was a chance to offer an alternative or Other Activity, which they could benefit from. Below are some of the initiatives during that time.

Creative Change Collective (CCC), formerly Street Cones is a Glasgow based charity that provided online group support activities in a non-judgemental and supportive virtual environment. The delivery model, developed during lockdown, offered the chance to those undertaking Unpaid Work to engage in drama-therapy designed to support them towards more positive outcomes. Any time spent was credited as part of Other Activity and counted towards their CPO hours. The activities were designed to improve mental health, self-esteem and confidence in a virtual environment which offered anonymity. Participants were encouraged to work with facilitators to create characters, stories and spoken word content, which was eventually created into a virtual play that was broadcast online (link). The deliver model was ideal for remote communities like Orkney and offered those with a lived experience of the justice system the chance to contribute and an opportunity to engage in self-awareness and discovery. Six nominations were made from Orkney to take part in the ongoing national programme with some participants engaging more readily than others.

Positive feedback was received during the programme in particular from one ‘attendee’ from Orkney who complemented the initiative in particular the virtual nature of the presentation removed barriers of an in-person input. It allowed the participant to get to know other people and build confidence and use their imagination. During some of the sessions if the participant was ‘triggered’ by any of the discussions they were able to withdraw for a few moments before rejoining the group, which they did not feel confident to do should they have been taking part in an in-person session. They reported a feeling of improved self-worth, which helped return structure to their life and assisted in getting “life back on track”. The participant has now taken up employed full time and credits CCC with contributing to this. In addition to participants there was also favourable recognition from Partners and other organisations on the value that this opportunity provided.

Grace Chocolates (GC) was another external agency which the OCJP engaged with during this reporting period following some research into support for the increasing number of females who entered the justice system locally. The organisation supported any women who had touched the criminal justice system whether they were working towards parole at the end of their sentence, had been in prison and were back living in the community or those who received non-custodial sentences. It didn’t matter if it was their first offence, or they had a history of offending. What mattered was they wanted to make a positive change in their lives. Offering four separate programmes two of which, Health and Wellbeing Workshops and Rise Mentoring, were available for free online and were ideally suited for remote and rural communities like Orkney.

Following engagement with GC a referral was made for an individual who took advantage of this free support, which complimented her statutory ongoing support. Firstly, on the Wellbeing workshops and then the Mentoring programme. These offered support without the need to travel out with Orkney and additionally provided her with wellbeing assistance from a Grace Chocolates support worker. This allowed her to retain her anonymity. Whilst she was not able to attend every session, she was able to gain the benefits of the interaction and acknowledged the support and enjoyment that she received from the programmes. Additionally, this counted towards her hours in relation to the CPO which she was being supported through. Access to GC services was advertised across the network in Orkney and it is hoped to continue to make use of their services locally due to the valuable additional assistance with they provided. Particularly in communities where access to support can be a challenge due to geography. The OCJP also advocated for GC not only within Orkney but across the North of Scotland to encourage others, including CJP’s to take advantage of this free remote and rural support, which resulted in others taking advantage of the service.

Community Payback Orders – Following the relocation of the management and supervisor of community sentences into a more centrally located and fit for purpose building, there have been opportunities to develop the Other Activity aspect of sentences. During this reporting period those undertaking their community sentence were involved in structured programmes overseen by supervisors in relation to bench repairs and construction, bird box building, material upcycling and general community repairs along with gardening activities. However, whilst this equipped them with some practical experiences and hands on activities there were also opportunities to develop their emotional intelligence and offer more holistic support. This included visits to the CPO premises where a local addiction counsellor facilitated discussions around drug taking and the associated harms in an effort to equip them with information. This allowed them to develop their self and social awareness and help them manage themselves and relationships whilst understanding the impacts which addictions had on them and the community.

In addition to addiction inputs, there were also interactions with staff from the Learning Hub in Orkney with a view to offering practical information and taster sessions to improve adult literacy. This support provided those serving community sentences with direct access to help to improve their chances around access to work and helped enhance their abilities to read and write. Specific experience of one individual with limited literacy skills. Following this support, they were successful in their application for a role with a local organisation, which developed into paid employment. The low population size limits any further details being provided for this.

There was also joint working with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), Community Safety Advocate (CSA). A Fire Safety programme was commenced with an individual as part of a diversionary option in an effort to educate on the dangers associated with such behaviour. More detailed reporting will be provided in next year’s return due to activity timings. In addition, work continued with SFRS to develop a local multi-partner community safety initiative which involved the Road Safety Forum, SFRS, Police Scotland, University of Highlands & Islands and Justice Services in Orkney. Following the procurement of thirty virtual reality headsets work continued to secure access to addition safety videos to compliment the road safety feature which SFRS was able to access at the time of the initial purchase. During this time a further 17 safety videos were secured for road safety educational inputs by the SFRS CSA and a programme drawn up to offer inputs to relevant groups of individuals undertaking CPOs. This provided the opportunity for targeted interventions for those undertaking a CPO due to a related road traffic conviction or for those who it was felt would benefit from the inputs. These will count as hours toward Other Activity, however a full evaluation will be reported on in next year’s annual outcome report.

Reported criminality in Orkney remained one of the lowest in the country, where residents reported feeling safe. This translated to very low figures in regard to those convicted and sentenced to a term of imprisonment. Whilst figures fluctuated during the year this number did not rise above single digits. An assessment of this demonstrated a mix of short and long term prison sentences, with a few people subject to remand during this time. In addition, there was also options for community sentences and diversion considerations.

With the caveat that statistics have become somewhat skewed following Covid there is a recognition that Orkney is now returning to pre-pandemic levels. A comparison of the tables below demonstrates a doubling of Community Payback Orders issued last year compared to the previous reporting cycle, with the corresponding increase in hours issued as part of a sentence. There was however only a slight rise in the number of exit questionnaires conducted, but this is not entirely unexpected given there was reduced staffing within the CPO Supervisory team for a period of this reporting year. Managing an increase in numbers with less staff did not always make it possible to conduct exit surveys.

IMAGE:

The page contains a table comparing Community Payback Order activity in 2021-22 and 2022-23. For 2021-22, the table records 29 CPOs, 3170 hours given and 17 exit questionnaires conducted. For 2022-23, it records 60 CPOs, 5003 hours given and 21 exit questionnaires conducted.

In discussions with COPFS there was no backlog for summary cases locally in Orkney, so assessment is greater use of community sentences took place during this reporting cycle. In addition, an open, positive communication medium facilitates early targeted discussion between the COPFS and the Service Manager for Justice Services and Public Protection. This allows for early consideration around diversion from prosecution opportunities and very much applies thinking in line with United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The local Procurator Fiscal has always been progressive in her approach around this, seeking opportunities, where appropriate, not to criminalise young people where alterative options should be considered first. Consequently, application of case marking instructions may not demonstrate as dramatic a change since their introduction. Nonetheless, this open dialogue between COPFS and Justice Services, allows for healthy consideration of ‘Identifiable Needs’ for all ages in order to promote Diversion and/or Effective and Early Intervention as a first consideration. There was an increase from five to eight during this reporting period for diversionary opportunities. As alluded to earlier there was also an increase in females engaged with the justice system, rising from 10 to 19 (compared to 51 males). Nine of the females were 25 years of age or under. The previous year saw only a single female in this bracket so a noticeable increase.

Police also reported a rise of six Recorded Police Warnings, taking the total number to 50, compared with 44 the previous year.

During this reporting period the tariff point to engage services in early intervention has continued to increase due to available resources being overstretched. This had an impact on intervention work not engaging with individuals until they were much further involved in criminality, which prompted a key partner to observe:

“Intervention is not happening as early as it should or could happen. It is easier, cheaper and quicker if we can catch them by the coattails before it is too late. The further down the road they are, the longer and harder it is to support them”.

It was perceived to be detrimental to the support network for housing, health, welfare, mental health, employability as we continued to push this threshold up. With experience that short term funding impacted on sustainability where funding was not received until mid-year and had to be spent by the following March.

IMAGE:

The page contains a screenshot of the Community Payback Order statistics table and surrounding text. The table shows 29 CPOs, 3170 hours and 17 exit questionnaires for 2021-22, and 60 CPOs, 5003 hours and 21 exit questionnaires for 2022-23. The surrounding text discusses the increase in community sentences and diversionary opportunities, the rise in females engaged with the justice system from 10 to 19, and the increase in Recorded Police Warnings from 44 to 50.

NATIONAL OUTCOME FIVE

Life chances are improved through needs, including health, financial inclusion, housing and safety, being addressed.

NATIONAL OUTCOME SIX

People develop positive relationships and more opportunities to participate and contribute through education, employment and leisure activities.

NATIONAL OUTCOME SEVEN

Individuals’ resilience and capacity for change and self-management are enhanced.

Have regard to the following indicator:

• Individuals have made progress against the outcome

9) What mechanisms and arrangements enable your area to understand progress for people against these outcomes?

These three outcomes have traditionally been challenging to measure and report against. However, during this reporting year there have been exit questionnaires and comments from those accessing support in Orkney where they have identified self-progress against some of the outcomes. In addition, some partners who support individuals have reported on observations from those with living experience of the justice system and how they feel they have developed.

There are also examples where Other Activity has supported people to reintegrate back into the community following a conviction. In some instances, this support has been online and external (Grace Chocolates/Creative Change Collective) where those taking part have been able to benefit from speaking with someone out with Orkney, which has offered a different perspective. Again, self-reporting however they have benefited by securing employment and developed not only themselves but positive relationships with others.

10) If available, provide one or more supporting case studies, lived experience narrative or other information to demonstrate activity and impact relating to the objectives reflected by person-centred outcomes 5, 6 and 7.

As with most small communities there is a real challenge when it comes to detailing lived experiences, due to concerns that it may lead to the identification of someone in that community. There is an acceptance that many of the third sector organisations, Relationship Scotland - Orkney, Right There, Women’s Aid, ORSAS, Blide Trust & the CLD Employability Team specifically, work very closely with people with lived experience. Consequently, services are very much tailored to their needs and developed in response to those emerging needs.

There are examples of this in Orkney from those who have touched the justice system, and diluted comments have been included a few times above with examples around support to individuals being helped into employment, however the challenge being ensuring it is suitably anonymised, so limited information is provided for the following example.

Case Study

Individual was referred to Community Learning Development (CLD) Employability Team through a local third sector organisation. They attended the support sessions regularly and initially began looking at potential volunteering opportunities to help them to gain confidence and move towards gaining employment. In addition to criminal convictions, they also had a learning disability, which had been barriers in the past to them securing employment. Whilst being supported by a CLD Employability Keyworker over an extended period of time they attended the met regularly to explore more about what they would like to achieve. Together they development an Individual Development Plan which detailed their personal goals and aspirations. Importantly, they wanted to gain some qualifications and develop customer service skills, which had been recognised as being already present in the individual.

Working together with the Employability Keyworker they signed up for and completed an online Introduction to Care course, which engendered enormous self-pride when they qualified and received their certificate. Consequently, they started to volunteer two days per week doing undertaking administrative duties at a local charity, which has further developed their confidence and skill set.

When asked how they felt they had developed they offered the following quote.

“When I started this, I was all over the place, now I feel like I am doing good. People keep saying I am doing a good job which feels good.”

11) Look ahead with the new National Strategy, Community Justice Performance Framework and Community Justice Improvement Tool. Please tell us what the next steps are for your partnership in light of these significant developments.

Priorities for the Partnership going forward are:

• The development and publication of a new Outcome Improvement Plan for the area, reflecting the new strategy for Community Justice (2022) and associated framework measurement tools, taking account of gaps and needs identified during the SNSA process. This will see a shift in focus where partners will be encouraged to report on progress against SMART actions to ensure meaningful progress and continuous improvement is demonstrated.
• Engagement with and adoption of self-evaluation following the release of guidance from the Care Inspectorate.
• Consider opportunities for commissioning of services under the banner of community justice in an effort to address identified gaps and needs.
• Following on from the publication of the Diversion from Prosecution Review to consider the 34 recommendations and explore additional prospects which can be exploited to avoid criminalising individuals where it is felt detrimental to do so.

All of which is to be achieved through a Trauma Informed lens.