Justice Social Work Services: national throughcare guidance

6. Role of Community-based Social Work (CBSW)

6.1 Following receipt of the letter from the PBSW asking for confirmation of Designation of Supervising Officer/Authority, the CBSW has 10 working days respond and to appoint a supervising officer. CBSW should ensure that the LS/CMI, other risk assessments and relevant information are ready to be transferred to PBSW. The required information should be available without undue delay.

6.2 The allocated CBSW should make initial contact with the person in custody within 30 working days of being notified of sentence. Dependant on available resources this can be a virtual meeting by telephone or video link or in person. During this contact it is important to check details of family/key contact and seek permission to contact them.

6.3 Where appropriate, CBSW should ensure family members are aware of the throughcare processes that relate to the person in custody and the roles of professionals involved.

6.4 CBSW should assess the suitability of persons attending the ICM that have been requested to attend by the person in custody.

6.5 CBSW should attend initial and subsequent ICMCC (See section 3.1 – 3.7).

6.6 CBSW should engage with relevant professionals (for example Police Scotland, Children and Families social work, Adult social care etc) to gather information to support continuous assessment and share this with PBSW. This information also supports planning for reintegration into the community.

6.7 CBSW and PBSW must communicate effectively at as early a stage as possible and seek agreement around risk assessment and risk management. There should be a collaborative approach in the completion of reports for progression, community access or consideration of release. The social worker must refer to the relevant guidance and procedures for the completion of all reports. (See also section 5.7 to 5.9)

Progression, Community Access and Pre-release

6.8 Dependant on the type and length of sentence, progression can be transfer to less secure conditions (NTE or Open Estate), or preparation for release and will be informed by ongoing assessment of risk and completion of formal reports.

6.9 CBSW and PBSW must communicate effectively at an early a stage as possible and seek agreement around risk assessment and risk management, and work in collaboration in the completion of relevant reports.

6.10 CBSW to attend all ICMCC and, where they are required, RMT meetings and be an active participant in release planning.

6.11 Regular reviews of the person’s journey through custody take place within the RMT. If the person was previously subject to community supervision, CBSW should provide information about how the person has managed while they are in the community, highlighting any concerns that have arisen.

6.12 CBSW needs to consider if the person requires their support during periods of home leave or community access. If required, CBSW should ensure that the person has an appointment to meet with their CBSW and their contact details for each period of home leave. Attending the appointment or making contact will be an expectation during the period of community access.

6.13 CBSW should advise SPS of any breaches of temporary licence conditions during periods of community access without delay. SPS are responsible for determining what action to take in response.

6.14 CBSW should assess for post release programme participation to address any unmet risk and needs.

6.15 CBSW should consult and where applicable, work in collaboration with PBSW to complete formal reports and assessments. These reports will be requested for community access/home leave purposes. Please refer to relevant guidance for the specific report requested. Timescale of completion of the reports will be included within the request.

6.16 CBSW should attend oral hearings when cited to give evidence to the Parole Board.

6.17 CBSW should arrange to meet with the person, either via video link or in person, to discuss the licence conditions and ensure that they understand and are aware of the consequences of not complying with the conditions. This discussion should take into account any responsivity needs whether the conditions need amended into an easy read format. If this is not possible CBSW should confirm with PBSW that they are able to undertake this task.

6.18 CBSW should confirm reporting instructions, for the day of release, with the Parole Unit within SPS and these will be added to the licence conditions. If there are foreseen issues with the person being able to report during office hours, these should be considered and contingency plans put in place. CBSW should discuss this with their line manager to ensure that any foresee barriers can be addressed.

Post release

6.19 CBSW should meet with the person on the day of release to review their licence conditions and confirm their understanding of the expectations and consequences of not engaging or non-compliance. The focus of the initial appointment following release will be to address any practical issues that may impact on reintegration and rehabilitation.

6.20 CBSW should confirm that the LS/CMI has been transferred by PBSW. This should be transferred no later than the day the person is released from custody. If this has not been done, then the CBSW should follow up to request this.

6.21 CBSW should undertake a re-assessment of LS/CMI within 20 working days of receipt from PBSW and ensure that the management plan (either CMP or RMP) addresses the identified risk and needs to both support the person to successfully resettle and reintegrate in their community and mitigate or manage their risks.

6.22 The initial level of frequency and intensity of contact will be no less than once per week. After the first review the level and frequency of contact must be determined by an assessment of the likelihood for further offending along with a consideration of the pattern, nature and seriousness of the offending to date. The level of contact is to be made clear to the person on supervision. For further information, see appendix (quick guide).

6.23 Home visits are used to assess how the person is reintegrating into their community and to monitor any concerns that may not be obvious from office-based supervision appointments. People may not feel comfortable discussing difficult subjects in formal surroundings, such as council offices, and may feel more comfortable in their own homes. This needs to be closely monitored as persons who have disclosed traumatic experiences while in their own home may associate their home with this experience which can have a negative impact on their wellbeing in the future.

6.24 The frequency of home visits should be a minimum of once per month for the first three months and then at least one home visit during each review period. Home visits can be announced or unannounced and should be undertaken in accordance with your agency’s lone working policy. Any decision not to undertake home visits due to concerns for staff safety should be agreed by a manager and clearly recorded within case records.

6.25 CBSW should hold an initial review within 3 months of release. There should be a focus on the management plan, progress and assessed risk and needs. The review should determine and record the level of contact for the next review period and when the next review is to be held. All professionals involved should be invited to the review which should be chaired by the line manager.

6.26 Within the review there should be a focus on the strengths of the person, highlighting areas of supervision that have been positive since the person had been on licence and capturing the views of the person about their progress. There will also be an opportunity for any concerns to be raised that could be addressed within the management plans. Invites to the review should be sent to relevant agencies working with the person to address risk and needs.

6.27 CBSW should update the progress record within LS/CMI in advance of each review and this information will inform discussion on progress made and actions can be completed and updated accordingly.

6.28 During each review the licence conditions should be discussed to ensure that they remain necessary and proportionate and to identify changes that may require to be made. Where it is determined that an amendment to the licence is required, CBSW should contact the Community Licence Team within the Scottish Government at communitylicence@gov.scot. The correct template must be used and these can be requested from the Community Licence Team. The Community Licence Team will pass all relevant documents to the PBS to make a decision and, if applicable to issue an updated licence (for more information on SRO’s, see paragraph 2.32 onwards) .

6.29 Decisions on the need to amend a licence condition can be made out with a review but must be agreed by a JSW manager.

6.30 When the period of supervision on the order or licence is coming to an end a final review is important to support future planning for this ending and identify resources that will support the person to maintain desistance.