National strategy for community justice: delivery plan update 5 – December 2025

Table of deliverables

Aim 1: Optimise the use of diversion and intervention at the earliest opportunity

Priority Action 1: Enhance intervention at the earliest opportunity by ensuring greater consistency, confidence in and awareness of services which support the use of direct measures and diversion from prosecution

No 1

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 2

Deliverable: Launch and support the embedding of updated Diversion from Prosecution Guidelines. This will take into account the Drugs Death Taskforce Report and the ‘Joint review of diversion from prosecution’ report.

Timescale: October 2023

Responsibility: Lead partner - Community Justice Scotland

In collaboration with - members of the Diversion from Prosecution Review Group, including the Scottish Government, third sector, COPFS, Centre for Youth and Children and Young People's Centre for Justice (CYCJ), Local Authorities, Social Work Scotland and Police Scotland

Further detail: To ensure awareness of the roles of each partner involved, and to embed more consistent processes to diversion from prosecution, the Review Group will consider reflecting the following in the updated Guidelines:

• articulating the responsibilities of each partner agency in relation to diversion
• opportunities for joint training and awareness raising
• revising the documentation involved in diversion from prosecution and providing templates where appropriate.

Update: The updated guidelines are complete and remain with partner agencies for final sign-off. Justice social work practice guidance is complete and will be published alongside the guidelines.

Training and awareness sessions for partners are planned following sign-off of the updated guidelines.

Status: Outstanding

No 3

Deliverable: Improve the sharing of information and communication between relevant justice organisations at key points of the diversion from prosecution process. This will take account of the ‘Joint review of diversion from prosecution’ report.

Timescale: April 2024

Responsibility: Lead partner - COPFS

In collaboration with - Police Scotland, Community Justice Scotland, Scottish Government and Local Authorities

Further detail: To enhance information sharing and communication, partners will consider:

• the provision of information on the factors which are driving offending behaviours, or health related matters, between Police Scotland and COPFS during initial decision making
• the flow of information at point of referral between COPFS and justice social work, in order to inform assessments
• communication between COPFS and justice social work in complex cases
• the flow of communication from COPFS to justice social work and the person on diversion at decision-making points
• appropriate participation within community justice partnerships.

Update: We have now rolled out a new section in the police report asking for further details about the accused, in order to assist prosecutors making decisions on the appropriateness of diversion.

The work to implement the recommendations from the ‘Joint review of diversion from prosecution’ report, is ongoing.

Template documents have been agreed and are available to use. They will become mandatory when the revised guidelines are launched in early 2026.

Status: Outstanding

Priority Action 2: Improve the identification of underlying needs and the delivery of support following arrest by ensuring the provision of person-centred care within police custody and building upon referral opportunities to services including substance use and mental health services.

No 4

Deliverable: Establish a Working Group that promotes best practice and works to drive an increase in referrals from police custody into support for mental health and wellbeing, addiction and other relevant services. This is with a view to longer term reduction in repeat offending and improved outcomes for individuals.

Timescale: January 2024

Responsibility: Lead partner - Police Scotland

In collaboration with - Scottish Government, Community Justice Scotland, Local Authorities, third sector, National Police Care Network, and other relevant community partners

Further detail: The group will seek to ensure that a whole person/no wrong door approach is adopted and that it is understood at a national level what services are available for those in police custody, how referrals can be effective and how provision can best be delivered to address individual needs.

The working group will be cognisant of and will respond to potential changes to arrest referral due to changing information sharing requirements.

Update: The first Arrest referral strategic development meeting is set for 29th January 2026. Membership includes representatives from the CJ Voluntary Sector Forum, CJS, COPFS, COSLA, Independent Custody Visiting Association Scotland, the National CJ network, Police Care Network, Police Scotland and the Scottish Government. Membership is to be considered and adapted as discussions progress. The group will provide a strategic, tactical forum for proactive discussion regarding arrest referrals.

We are looking to provide guidance on National minimum core standards and principles, focusing on having a consistency in service quality and accessibility across Scotland, especially in the harder to reach, more rural areas.

Discussions will consider how arrest referrals can align with, and better support wider community justice processes and systems. Linking in with diversions from prosecution, proactively supporting court attendance, and re-engagement with prison throughcare. The strategic input will also assist in making decisions regarding available resources to ensure arrest referral pathways are efficient, cost effective with the key focus being on providing trauma informed person-centred support to those passing through custody.

Status: Outstanding

No 5

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 6

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 7

Deliverable: Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards 1-10, will be implemented in all local areas, including in justice settings.

Timescale:

Revised in update 3 to April 2026

Responsibility: Lead partner - Public Health Scotland

In collaboration with - Scottish Government, NHS Boards, Police Scotland, SPS, Community Justice Scotland, Local Authorities and Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships, third sector and individuals with lived and living experience

Further detail: The MAT Standards are evidence based standards to enable the consistent delivery of safe, accessible, high-quality drug treatment across Scotland. These are relevant to people and families accessing or in need of services, and health and social care staff responsible for delivery of recovery oriented systems of care.

The MAT Standards are in the process of being implemented and sustained in both community and justice settings.

The published commitment is for full and sustained implementation of MAT Standards 1-10 in community and justice settings by April 2026.

In June 2022 Ministers issued a letter of direction to delivery partners to sign and publish a public delivery plan for implementing the standards, and there is a requirement for quarterly update reports to be returned to Scottish Government from local areas against MAT implementation plans, so that progress can be monitored.

Update: The 2025/26 Benchmarking Report for MAT implementation will be published in July 2026.

PHS will also publish a Supplementary Report on the implementation of MAT Standards in justice settings, which will serve to document the work which has been put into MAT implementation during 2025/26.

The Supplementary Report will provide a baseline and set out the anticipated trajectory with regards to MAT implementation in justice settings, with a focus on prison establishments. Work is ongoing to ascertain how experiential evidence will be collected going forward.

The Supplementary Report will be published in Autumn 2026.

Status: In progress (with revised timescale)

No 42

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

Aim 2: Ensure that robust and high-quality community interventions and public protection arrangements are consistently available across Scotland

Priority Action 3: Support the use of robust alternatives to remand by ensuring high quality bail services are consistently available and delivered effectively

No 8

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 9

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 10

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 43

Deliverable: Progress identified actions to strengthen the consistency, availability and effectiveness of bail services across Scotland.

Timescale: April 2026

Responsibility: Lead partner - Scottish Government

Further detail: This deliverable builds on work undertaken as part of deliverable 10 and is being progressed by the Strengthening Alternatives to Remand project group.

As well as continuing to identify areas for further improvement, the project group will progress the following identified actions:

• Develop and deliver practice training on bail services for Justice Social Work, and design informational materials to build awareness of services among key partners;
• Review the bail assessment process to identify areas for improvement, and publish updated guidance if required;
• Explore the feasibility of providing more focused support for people on bail, through collaboration with third sector partners.

Update:

• Awareness-raising focussed training for practitioners launched in July 2025 (Complete).
• Pilot of triage approach for JSW cases to be assessed underway (to be completed by January 2026).
• The updating of the bail suitability assessment template underway. Guidance to be updated following testing of new triage approach and assessment template (to be completed by March 2026).
• Community Justice Scotland are finalising options appraisal for further support for people on bail (to be completed by January 2026).
• Work is ongoing on further focus areas, including addressing local variation, improving breach processes and cross-authority cooperation, in collaboration with project group stakeholders.

Status: In progress

Priority Action 4: Strengthen options for safe and supported management in the community by increasing the use of electronic monitoring technologies

No 11

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 12

Deliverable: Work with key stakeholders to explore options to optimise the operating model for Home Detention Curfew (HDC) for short-term prisoners. We will seek to achieve this by examining and reviewing current practice, the risk assessment process, the application process, as well as key decision points and the statutory operating protocol.

Timescale:

Revised in Update 3 to October 2025

Responsibility: Lead partner - Scottish Government

In collaboration with - SPS, RMA and relevant justice partners

Further detail: The Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023 removes long-term prisoners from the HDC process and introduces a new temporary release licence for that cohort which focuses both on providing more opportunities for structured testing and the provision of further evidence to the Parole Board to inform their decision on whether to recommend release on parole. Release on this licence will be underpinned by risk assessment and consultation with the Parole Board and is intended to support successful reintegration.

HDC remains an important and recognised part of the re-integration process, allowing eligible individuals a supported return to the community in the lead up to their release. Ensuring it operates optimally and functions as intended is critical to its use.

Therefore, short-term prisoners will continue to access HDC and the planned review will explore if any changes to the existing HDC process could better support the re-integration opportunities for this cohort.

Update: As noted in previous update, the SSI to expand HDC eligibility (to be available after 15% of sentence rather than 25%, and expand potential maximum period to 210 days where conditions permit) came into force on 20 October.

SPS had completed recruitment of an expanded central HDC team, to enhance casework and help optimise the use of HDC.

However, it has been necessary to operate an emergency early release of prisoners (EER) (starting in Oct 2025 and continuing until end of April), and this will have a substantial impact on HDC operations.

EER significantly reduces the use of HDC, as they engage largely the same cohort (i.e. short-term prisoners, approaching release) and interest in HDC drops off when an early release is being granted. (Also, individuals who are ineligible for EER are often ineligible for HDC (e.g. subject to an extended sentence or SRO), or may have a history of domestic abuse or harassment that can make securing HDC less likely).

With the volume of HDC casework reducing, SPS have reallocated some HDC staff to EER work but will return them to HDC work when EER concludes.

Status: Outstanding

No 44

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

Priority Action 5: Ensure that those given community sentences are supervised and supported appropriately to protect the public, promote desistence from offending and enable rehabilitation by delivering high quality, consistently available, trauma-informed services and programmes

No 13

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 14

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 15

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 16

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 17

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 18

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 19

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

Priority Action 6: Ensure restorative justice is available across Scotland to all those who wish to access it by promoting and supporting the appropriate and safe provision of available services

No 20

Deliverable: Increase knowledge and awareness of restorative justice and ability to direct people to appropriate restorative justice services as and when these become available.

Timescale: April 2025

Responsibility: Lead partner - Community Justice Scotland

In collaboration with - Children's and Young People's Centre for Justice (CYCJ), Scottish Government and community justice statutory partners including Local Authorities and Police Scotland

Further detail: The model for delivery of restorative justice in Scotland requires an effective link with community justice partners, facilitated by local partnerships and local communities to support implementation.

This deliverable aims to support the implementation of the wider commitment to have restorative justice services available across Scotland to all those who wish to access it, at a time that is appropriate to the people and case involved.

Update: The policy and practice framework is awaiting publication by Scottish Government.

The evaluation report from the restorative justice (RJ) test case project was completed and publication of the summary report is expected in the new year. This work identifies what needs to be in place, and barriers to be overcome, for RJ to work well across Scotland.

CYCJ hosted an event in November for a range of stakeholders to reflect on achievements in RJ, with a focus on children and young people, and discussed the necessary next steps to develop RJ.

The working group exploring the creation of an RJ directory consulted with potential users to understand their needs. This will culminate in a report to Scottish Government on the next steps for developing a directory of RJ services including the information to be included, where it could be hosted and the assurance process for services to be included in the directory.

Practitioner training and awareness raising continued through training RJ facilitators, a RJ and Hate crime training course in September and RJ practitioner training in November/December.

Awareness raising activities continued with inputs at numerous groups and events. CJS and CYCJ continued to chair the RJ development forum and RJ Practitioner’s network and participate in the national RJ stakeholders group chaired by Scottish Government.

RJ week in November, included a range of social media promotion of RJ.

Further information on RJ development is available on the CJS website.

Status: Outstanding

Aim 3: Ensure that services are accessible and available to address the needs of individuals accused or convicted of an offence

Priority Action 7: Enhance individuals’ access to health and social care and continuity of care following release from prison by improving the sharing of information and partnership-working between relevant partners

No 21

Deliverable: Identify opportunities for supporting continuity of care through the development of suitable Clinical IT solutions, facilitated via the Prisons Digital Health & Care Systems Provisioning Programme.

Timescale: Main changes to be delivered by 2025 with full implementation by 2028

Responsibility: Lead partner - Prisons Digital Health & Care Systems Provisioning Programme Board

In collaboration with - its key stakeholders including Scottish Government, NHS Boards and SPS

Further detail: Having considered the recommendations of an Outline Business Case, the Scottish Government will invest in the development of a suite of Clinical IT solutions for prisons that can be used interactively to support improvements to:

• patient management;
• prescribing and medicines administration;
• access to patient history at point of need; and
• provision of digital continuity of care for external contractors.

This work will commence in June 2023.

Update: The Programme Board continues to meet monthly to ensure progress. A new prison systems provider is in place with appropriate planning being embedded to ensure a smooth transition and the continued implementation of this work.

Status: In progress

No 22

Deliverable: Develop and implement a revised Information Sharing Agreement between SPS and NHS Boards.

Timescale: April 2024

Responsibility: Lead partner - SPS

In collaboration with - NHS Boards and Local Authorities

Further detail: Where data on admissions and scheduled liberations is shared, this should enable community health and social care services to liaise with prison health care on admission and to prepare for and meet individual’s needs on release.

Scottish Government is also working with SPS and other stakeholders to identify improvements in processes related to social care in preparation for the National Care Service. This may include data sharing considerations.

Update: The current information sharing agreement remains extant while work is progressing to update what is currently in place.

Status: Outstanding

No 23

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 24

Deliverable: Implement the revised Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between SPS and the NHS.

Timescale:

Revised in update 1 to March 2024

Responsibility: Lead partners - NHS Boards via National Prison Care Network and SPS

Further detail: The MoU revision will provide improved clarity on the roles and responsibilities of each organisation and be the framework for partnership working and shared practices.

Update: The MoU was approved by the Scottish Health in Custody Oversight Board in December 2024. Since then more detailed work has been undertaken in relation to the roles and responsibilities of each organisation. The MoU and the detailed appendices have been agreed by NHS Board Chief Executives, IJB Chief Officers and SPS and are currently with senior leadership for sign off.

Status: Outstanding

Priority Action 8: Ensure that the housing needs of individuals in prison are addressed consistently and at an early stage by fully implementing and embedding the Sustainable Housing on Release for Everyone (SHORE) standards across all local authority areas

No 25

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 26

Deliverable: Continue to support the full implementation of SHORE standards across all prisons and LA areas – including the development of multi-agency arrangements amongst local housing providers (and other public services and third sector organisations).

Timescale:

Revised in update 2 to December 2024

Responsibility: Lead partner - Scottish Government

In collaboration with - SPS, Local Authorities, COSLA, ALACHO and other relevant justice partners

Further detail: These arrangements should aim to address the housing and support needs of relevant individuals prior to release and describe the local processes between community justice partners and prisons.

The development should involve the creation of a standardised template to deliver a more collaborative and consistent approach to housing options advice and support. Arrangements should also use the evidence gathered from Local Authority and SPS mapping exercises, as well as any learning from a potential pilot. This work will feed into future discussions with sector stakeholders.

Update: The Strategic Oversight Group (SOG) met in the summer of 2025 and will meet again in early 2026. This group will continue the work to further develop the SHORE standards and embed them across Scotland. The SOG includes representation from multiple agencies, including Local Authorities, COSLA, ALACHO, third sector organisations and justice partners.

Whilst the recent early release process has seen improved multi-agency arrangements and close working and communication, it is recognised that significant challenges still exist, including in improving outcomes for individuals leaving prison.

Status: Outstanding

No 27

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

Priority Action 9: Enhance individuals’ life skills and readiness for employment by ensuring increased access to employability support through effective education, learning, training, career services and relevant benefit services

No 28

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 29

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 30

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

Priority Action 10: Enhance community integration and support by increasing and promoting greater use of voluntary throughcare and third sector services

No 31

Deliverable: Publish and embed updated operational guidance to justice social work for the delivery of throughcare services.

Timescale:

Revised in update 2 to September 2024

Responsibility: Lead partner - Scottish Government

In collaboration with - relevant justice partners including Community Justice Scotland, RMA, third sector, Social Work Scotland and community justice statutory partners, including Local Authorities and SPS

Further detail: This guidance will promote a more consistent approach to pre-release planning and the subsequent support offered to all individuals on their release from prison, by Local Authorities and partner agencies. It will focus on public protection, positive community reintegration and a reduction in further offending.

Update: A final review of the content of the guidance has recently been conducted ahead of final formatting. Preparation is now underway for publishing the guidance in the coming months.

Status: Outstanding

No 32

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 33

Deliverable: Continue to promote and enhance multi-agency pre-release planning and co-ordination of activities in support of throughcare. This requires more consistent information sharing practices and consideration of the movement of people between Local Authority and health board areas.

Timescale:

Revised in Update 3 to June 2025

Responsibility: Lead partner - Scottish Government

In collaboration with - relevant justice partners including Community Justice Scotland, third sector, RMA, SPS, NHS Boards, Local Authorities and Social Work Scotland

Further detail: The review of guidance, as well as the commissioning project for third sector-delivered voluntary throughcare services, will highlight where any improvements are required.

Work within the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill, relating to pre-release planning, will also guide the development of practice and co-ordination during sentence and in the lead up to release from custody.

Update: From July 2025, the National Voluntary Throughcare Service, Upside, expanded their throughcare service to support men on remand. Upside have also been involved in providing voluntary throughcare for people released from custody under the Emergency Early Release process, from November 2025 onwards.

Planning for the implementation of the sections yet to be commenced from Part 2 of the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023 is continuing with key partners.

Status: Outstanding

No 51

Deliverable: Support release planning and community integration through the roll-out of Near Me across the prison estate, taking account of risks alongside criminogenic and social care needs

Timescale: March 2027

Responsibility: Lead partner - Social Work Scotland

In collaboration with - Scottish Prison Service, COSLA and Scottish Government

Further detail: Near Me is a video consulting service that uses a web-based system to enable public sector providers to offer video call access to their services. The service saw significant growth during the Covid-19 pandemic and is now regularly used in health services.

Using Near Me in prisons supports timely, meaningful contact between people in prison and their social workers, families, and community supports - helping to ease workforce pressures, improve pre-release planning, and reduce delayed assessments. By enhancing collaboration and continuity, it strengthens reintegration and reduces the risk of reoffending.

Update: The Near Me in Social Work in Prisons project continues to progress in response to sustained workforce pressures across justice social work, including high caseloads, staff shortages, and reduced capacity for direct engagement due to travel and administrative demands.

Following the pilot expansion to HMP Glenochil in May 2025, there has been significant growth during this reporting period. Near Me enables secure, flexible video contact between people in custody and social workers, alongside partners including third sector mentors, housing officers, advocates, and psychological services. This supports more timely pre-release planning, continuity of care, and reduced reliance on in-person visits.

By December 2025, the project has over 320 registered users and 38 active virtual waiting areas across social work, housing, psychological services, and third sector organisations, including teams in remote and rural areas. Usage has increased significantly over the past six months, with 95 successful calls delivered to date.

Feedback from professionals and people in custody remains overwhelmingly positive. At HMP Stirling alone, 12 calls saved over 500 miles of travel and more than eight hours of one-way journey time. Planning is in the final stages for rollout to HMP Polmont in early 2026, with wider rollout options under consideration.

Status: In progress

Aim 4: Strengthen the leadership, engagement, and partnership working of local and national community justice partners

Priority Action 11: Deliver improved community justice outcomes by ensuring that effective leadership and governance arrangements are in place and working well, collaborating with partners and planning strategically

No 34

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 35

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 36

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 37

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 45

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 46

Deliverable: Update the national outcomes and standards for Justice Social Work.

Timescale: October 2026

Responsibility: Lead partner - Scottish Government

In collaboration with – National Outcomes and Standards (NOS) Review Group

Further detail: The current National Outcomes and Standards (NOS) for justice social work are out of date and not reflective of current practice. This deliverable will update NOS to support consistency of service provision across Scotland, and provide increased support and clarity to practitioners.

Update: Engagement with all relevant stakeholder groups has taken place and a final draft is with the reference group for review early in the New Year.

Consideration of national training for JSW and implementation of the renewed Standards will be the next step prior to publication later in 2026

Status: In progress

No 47

Deliverable: Establish a framework for consistently updating Justice Social Work operational guidance.

Timescale: October 2026

Responsibility: Lead partner - Scottish Government

In collaboration with – Community Justice Scotland, Justice Analytical Services

Further detail: Various pieces of operational guidance, owned by a variety of partners, are currently out of date. To support the workforce to continue to deliver quality practice, we will set out a framework for when guidance documents should be updated.

Update: This has been paused owing to other pressures but will be reviewed on a regular basis.

Status: In progress

No 48

Deliverable: Undertake a collaborative review to streamline funding reporting and monitoring arrangements for Justice Social Work.

Timescale: November 2026

Responsibility: Lead partner - Scottish Government

In collaboration with – Funding Review Group

Further detail: A collaborative review is proposed to ensure there is no unnecessary duplication in national funding reporting and, where possible, to streamline reporting arrangements to support JSW managers and practitioners.

Update: This has been paused owing to other pressures but will be reviewed on a regular basis.

Status: In progress

No 49

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 50

Deliverable: Identify information required by Justice Social Work at both pre-conviction and pre-sentence stages in order to undertake court reports. Ensure any data sharing agreements required to allow for lawful sharing of this information are in place.

Timescale: March 2025

Responsibility: Lead partner - Scottish Government

In collaboration with – Social Work Scotland, Police Scotland, Community Justice Scotland, COPFS, SCTS, Risk Management Authority.

Further detail: This deliverable will bring together key stakeholders from across the justice system to consider practice improvements and/or any digital solutions to provide JSW with information that would improve the quality of risk assessments and case management plans. With information from a range of sources, set within the context of past and current behaviours, JSW will be in a stronger position to review suitability for community-based disposals and increase judicial confidence in use of community sentences.

Update: Work on workstream 1 and 2 has not progressed as quickly as anticipated due to data sharing concerns from COPFS and the need to establish the legal basis for sharing summaries of evidence with JSW.

This work is ongoing but the timescale for implementation will require to be extended to allow the necessary legal checks to be concluded.

Workstream 3 is nearing completion with a draft MOU completed and currently being reviewed by all relevant stakeholders.

Status: Outstanding

Priority Action 12: Enhance partnership planning and implementation by ensuring the voices of victims of crime, survivors, those with lived experience and their families are effectively incorporated and embedded

No 38

Deliverable: Implement the Trauma Informed Justice Knowledge and Skills framework.

Timescale:

Revised in update 1 to December 2027

Responsibility: Lead partner - Scottish Government

In collaboration with - justice partners, including Community Justice Scotland, third sector and statutory community justice partners

Further detail: The framework will help justice organisations identify what their staff need to know when responding to victims of crime and witnesses in a trauma-informed way and will inform the development of consistent training in trauma-informed practice. It outlines the knowledge and skills for trauma informed practice needed by all people who work in the justice system to respond to victims and witnesses (including children and young people). It is also designed to support those responsible for the delivery of training to identify key learning objectives for different workforce roles, and to develop and deliver training accordingly.

Those with lived experience have been key to the development of the framework, and this is seen throughout the document.

The Scottish Government is providing additional funding to NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to support organisations implementing the framework. The Victims Taskforce and the relevant workstream will consider how we keep the voice of lived experience throughout the implementation phase.

Update: The second reporting cycle of the monitoring and evaluation process has been completed, and a progress report has been collated to inform reporting to the Victims Taskforce.

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is working with justice partners to develop trauma-enhanced training pilots and deliver wider awareness-raising activity. Since its launch in November 2024, the trauma e-learning module has been completed by over 5,000 individuals, with feedback indicating it to be very useful.

Status: In progress (with revised timescale)

No 39

Deliverable: Raise awareness of the ‘People at Heart’ approach to communications and the key principles.

Timescale:

Revised in update 1 to December 2027

Responsibility: Lead partner - Scottish Government

In collaboration with - Community Justice Scotland, third sector and statutory community justice partners including, Police Scotland, SPS, SCTS

Further detail: A review of communications across the justice system was conducted, and a new approach was developed called ‘People at Heart’. The approach is focussed on improving communication between criminal justice agencies and victims and witnesses. It also focuses on ensuring that written communications are empathetic, easy to understand, and empowering, to better engage with victims and witnesses.

This is for anyone working across the justice system.

The Scottish Government will work with local partners and the Victims Taskforce to raise awareness of this work and share relevant materials.

Update: A set of strategic aims has been finalised to support the implementation of the People at Heart approach. A Progress Mapping Tool has been developed to support members to plan, monitor and report progress against the agreed themes which includes implementation of People at Heart Approach.

The scope of the workstream was expanded in June 2025 to include children and young people and a mapping exercise has been undertaken to identify existing activity across organisations, highlight gaps and determine where collective action could add value.

The First Word contract supporting improved communication with victims and witnesses concluded in November 2025. Progress under the contract has been reflected upon, and consideration is ongoing regarding what further support is required to embed the People at Heart approach.

A People at Heart style public facing guide has been finalised and will be published shortly. The guide provides practical guidance to support clear, compassionate and human communication with people affected by crime.

Status: In progress (with revised timescale)

Priority Action 13: Support integration and reduce stigma by ensuring the community and workforce have an improved understanding of and confidence in community justice

No 40

Deliverable completed – see section ‘Previously completed deliverables’

No 41

Deliverable: Ensure the continued awareness raising and promotion of the National Strategy for Community Justice.

Timescale: November 2026

Responsibility: Lead partner - Community Justice Scotland

In collaboration with - Scottish Government, statutory community justice partners and third sector

Further detail: Community Justice Scotland will continue to champion community justice by taking the lead in promoting the National Strategy for Community Justice. This will involve working collaboratively with national partners to drive change and support improvements in the community justice system, in line with the strategy and to increase public and community awareness and understanding of the benefits of community justice. This deliverable will be reviewed following the required review of the strategy in 2026.

Update:

• The Serving the Community digital campaign, launched in November and running until Spring 2026, promotes the benefits of unpaid work by showcasing local projects through geo-targeted posts. The campaign has been viewed more than 2 million times.
• The Second Chancers exhibition was installed in Shetland as part of the 2025 community justice conference.
• In October 2025, CJS hosted its eighth National Event in Glasgow, bringing together 170 delegates in person from across the justice sector. Experts from the AI field led discussions on the theme: “In the age of AI, can justice be smarter?
• During Restorative Justice Week in November 2025, we ran a joint digital media campaign with CYCJ and Sacro that reached over 59,000 people.
• More than 160 national and local media mentions to increase public and community awareness and understanding of the benefits of community justice.

Status: In progress

Deliverable:

Timescale:

Responsibility:

Further detail:

Update:

Status: