Structure & Function of The

STRUCTURE & FUNCTION OF THE

STAFFORSHIRE &WEST MIDLANDS PROBATION TRUST

FUNCTION

Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trustemploys over 1500 staff in varying roles throughout the West Midlands Area. It is part of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) which is a department of the Home Office. The main aims of the Service are;

• Protecting the public
• Reducing re-offending
• The proper punishment of offenders in the Community
• Ensuring offenders’ are aware of the effects of crime on victims and communities
• The rehabilitation of offenders

STRUCTURE

The Operational side of the West Midlands probation area is divided into geographical districts each headed by a Head of a Local Delivery Unit;

• Birmingham (4 Districts)
• Coventry
• SolihullEast Birmingham
• Dudley
• Sandwell
• Walsall
• Wolverhampton

A typical District structure will have several offices at various locations staffed by a team of Senior Probation Officers (SPOs), Probation Officers (POs), Probation Service Officers (PSOs) and Admin Support Staff working in Offender Management Units (OMUs). These teams will be responsible for;

• Representing the Service in Court
• Processing Referrals
• Dealing with Pre-Sentence Reports (PSRs)
• Enforcing Court Orders and Licences
• Supervising offenders
• Community safety work
• Crime and Disorder
• Supporting operational staff

In addition to the geographical Districts there are other Divisions with responsibility for specialist work in support of the whole Service, which are;

• Human Resources – incorporating HR, Health & Safety and Training
• Approved Premises – The 7 Probation and Bail Hostels are for offenders who are either awaiting trial or sentence, subject to a condition of a Court Order, or on licence following a prison sentence.
• Finance – incorporating Treasurers
• Business Support
• Information Technology
• Equality & Diversity Unit

AREA EXECUTIVE AND STRATEGIC TEAM

The West Midlands Probation Area is headed by a Chief Officer (CO) supported by 3 Directors, who are responsible for;

• Finance – incorporating Treasurers
• Operations
• People and Performance

They form the Area Executive Team and are all based at Head Office in Birmingham.

They are supported by Heads of LDU’s based at different locations who assist the Area Executive Team in dealing with strategic issues related to the effective functioning of Districts and other specialist programmes, such as IT, Facilities Management, Information, Equality and Diversity, Human Resources and Performance.

The Chief Officer, three Districts and Secretary/Legal Solicitor meet on a regular basis with all the Assistant Chief Officers in what is called AST (Area Strategy Team). The purpose of this meeting is to discuss strategic management issues and make decisions to plan the best way forward for the operation of the Service.

The whole Service is governed by a Probation Board with assistance from legal Services. The Probation Board consists of;

• Chief Officer – appointed by the Home Secretary
• Chair – public appointment
• Lord chancellor’s appointee
• 12 public community appointments

WHAT STAFFORDSHIRE AND WEST MIDLANDS TRUST DOES

In addition to fulfilling the aims as outlines above at any one time SWMPT is supervising over 10,000 adult offenders in the community.

The Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Board operates policy of equal opportunities and promotes equality and diversity throughout every aspect of activity for which it is responsible for or engaged with, and is committed to eradicating all forms of discrimination at every level.

PARTNERS

Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust works closely with other criminal justice agencies including the Police and Prisons. For the most dangerous offenders including sexual and violent offenders these agencies are required by law to work together to manage their supervision in the community. It also works with voluntary and private sector partners.

WORKING FOR STAFFORDSHIRE AND WEST MIDLANDS PROBATION TRUST

Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust offers a wide range of career opportunities that involve working specifically with offenders, such as Probation Officer jobs, Probation Service Officers, Psychologists and Community Payback Supervisors. It also employs hundreds of administrative, clerical, professional and technical staff who do not supervise offendersbut play a vital supportive role in the work that it does.

Operational Structure

EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITIES POLICY

Adopted by Probation Committee – 29.10.86 and as amended by Probation Committee – 05.03.87

(West Midlands Probation Committee becameNational Probation Service – West Midlands Board on 01 April 2002)

1. The Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Board is an Equality of Opportunity Employer and positively promotes equality or opportunities within the provisions and the spirit of relevant current legislation, including the Race Relations Act 1976, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, and the Disabled Persons Employment Act 1994 and 1958 (and the Codes of Practice made hereunder). The Probation Board is also bound by its Equality of Opportunities Code of Practice.

1. The aim of our policy is to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of sex, marital status, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origins or disablement or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justified. Also the Board will ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, religion, trade union or political beliefs or activity, dependants or sexual orientation where this cannot be shown to be justified.

1. The Board is equally committed to equality of opportunity in the delivery of services to the public.

1. As a result of the above, applications are welcome from all persons who have the necessary attributes for the post. The Board equally affirms that no person with health problems or persons with disabilities who apply for employment training, education or promotion will be disadvantaged by conditions or requirements or receive less favourable treatment which cannot be shown to be justified.

1. Selection criteria and procedures will be regularly reviewed to ensure that all individuals are selected, promoted and treated on the basis of merit and ability.

1. All employees will be accorded equality of opportunity and appropriate training to progress within the organisation.

1. The Board is determined to ensure that this policy is effectively implemented and monitored as defined in the Probation Board Code of Practice.

1. The Sub-Board will make available to all members of staff this Policy and Code of Practice.

‘UNSPENT’ CONVICTIONS

When completing your Criminal History Self-Declaration Form, the following guidance given from Criminal Record Bureau may help you when declaring convictions.

• Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974

The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974 sets out to help people who have been convicted of a criminal offence and who have since lived on the right side of the law. In general a person convicted of a criminal offence and who received a sentence of no more than 2 and a half years in prison, benefits from the Act if they are not convicted again during a specified period. This period is called the rehabilitation period.

In general terms, the more severe a penalty is the longer the rehabilitation period. Once a rehabilitation period has expired and no further offending has taken place, a conviction is considered ‘spent’. Once a conviction has been ‘spent’ the convicted person does not have to reveal or admit its existence in most circumstances including, for example, when applying for a job. In most circumstances an employer cannot refuse to employ someone or dismiss them on the basis of a ‘spent’ conviction.

• What is an ‘unspent’ conviction?

If you have ever been convicted of an offence for which a sentence of more than 2 and a half years was imposed (regardless of the amount of time you actually spent in prison) this conviction can never become ‘spent’ - it’s an ‘unspent’ conviction which you must disclose when asked about your criminal convictions (such as when applying for a job).

• Is this the only time a conviction is ‘unspent’?

No. If you were given a sentence of 2 and a half years or less, your convictions may still be unspent. Whether or not depends on the length of time that’s elapsed since the date of conviction. This time is called ‘rehabilitation period’ – and it differs according to the type of sentence passed.

• What’s the rehabilitation period for my sentence?

The following tables show the range of rehabilitation periods for different sentences imposed. Until such time has passed from the date of your conviction, your conviction will remain ‘unspent’ and you will have to declare it to potential employers.

Except an absolute discharge, all of the periods above are halved if the person convicted was under 18 at the time. If you were under 18 and received a probation order on or after 3rd February 1995, the rehabilitation period is 2 and a half years or until the order expires – whichever is longer.

In the past there were sentences that could be imposed only on young people. The rehabilitation periods for the sentences like this are as follows;

Some sentences like this carry variable rehabilitation periods.

In Scotland supervision requirements made by Children’s Hearings have the same rehabilitation periods as care or supervision orders.

• What about people in the Armed Services?

Rehabilitation periods for imprisonment in the Services are the same as in civilian life. For specific Service offences the periods are as follows;

These periods are halved if the offender was under 18 at the time.

• What if I’ve been convicted again after the original offence?

It depends. Later convictions only affect the rehabilitation periods of earlier convictions if they are imposed before the first convictions is completely ‘spent’.

If it is one of the less serious offences which can be tried only in a Magistrates’ Court (some more serious offences can be tried by both a Crown Court and by Magistrates) the first conviction becomes spent at the time originally fixed. The rehabilitation period for the second offence will then run for its normal length.

But if the later conviction is for an offence which could be tried in a Crown Court (for example, theft) then neither conviction will become spent until the rehabilitation periods for both offences are over.

If, however the second conviction is so serious that it incurs a prison sentence of more than 2 and a half years, then neither the second nor the first conviction will ever become spent.

OUR VISION – OUR LONG TERM GOAL

The vision of the SWM Probation Trust is:

To change and control the behaviour of offenders in order to make local communities safer.

OUR MISSION – OUR MIDDLE TERM GOALS

• We see the mission of the SWM Probation Trust as the middle term goals that we have set ourselves. These are:

• To have a measurable effect on the re-offending rate of those under our supervision.
  
• To measurably reduce the risk to the public that offenders present.
  
• To challenge and change offenders behaviour to enable them to make a positive contribution to communities.
  
• To work in partnership with others to create clear pathways for offenders to access the resources they need to rehabilitate into the community.
  
• To seek external validation of the quality of our work to ensure that the best quality is achieved.
  
• To challenge our own provision of services to test whether what we do might be better provided in partnership or through contract with others.
  
• Through the above to maintain our position as the provider of choice for probation services in our area.
  

OUR VALUES – WHAT INSPIRES US TO WORK

• Making the best use of public money through operating the most cost effective processes and benchmarking what we do against the best providers.
  
• Being public servants motivated by the desire to increase social capital rather than produce financial profit and working with the public and their representatives to ensure that our services meet local need.
  
• Professionalism in our behaviour and in our service delivery, committing ourselves to the achievement of excellent standards in our work.
  
• Empowering and motivating staff to contribute to the achievements of the organisation.
  
• Being responsive to the beliefs and opinions of others both inside and outside of the organisation. Seeking to understand the needs and expectations of our stakeholders, including victims and offenders, to offer the best possible opportunity for those we deal with to thrive and develop positively and recognising their right to speak about what we do.
  
• Believing in the capacity of people to change when they fail to meet required standards be they offenders who contravene the law or staff who fail to meet organisational expectations.
  

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