magazine of the northern ireland probation board · 11/1/2014 · probation is a key part of the...

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Magazine of the Northern Ireland Probation Board

Welcome to the first edition of the ProbationNews Magazine. We are proud to introduce the first external magazine of the Probation

Board for Northern Ireland. In the 2014-17 CorporatePlan one of the priorities we outlined was ‘engaging with communities’. This magazine will provide a biannualopportunity to engage through sharing of news, bestpractice and information to stakeholders, staff and thepublic. We hope you enjoy reading this edition.

‘Changing lives for safer communities’ Justice Minister David Ford picturedwith PBNI Chairman Vilma Patterson (LEFT) and (Acting) Director of ProbationCheryl Lamont at the launch of the 2014-17 Corporate plan earlier this year.

Public ProtectionArrangementsPage 3

Key FactsPage 8

Policing and CommunitySafety PartnershipsPage 5

IN THIS EDITION

Issue 1 November 2014Issue 1 November 2014

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Issue 1 November 2014

Introduction from the (Acting) Director

Welcome from the Chairman

Iam pleased to introduce this firstedition of the Probation News

Magazine. The critical role probationplays often runs under the radar orlittle is understood in comparison tolarger criminal justice organisations.In these pages you will find examplesof how probation works to preventoffending and change lives for safercommunities.

Probation is a key part of the criminaljustice system working with police,prisons, courts, communities and victimsof crime.

Our budget is £17.5 million and we have 358 full time equivalent staff. Currently we supervise 4,328 offenders and provide932 reports per month to the Courts and Parole Commissioners. We providebehavioural change programmes. We alsooffer a victim information scheme. Everyyear through Community Service, wedeliver around 175,000 hours of unpaidwork to communities enabling offendersto make some reparation for their crimes.

Our unique role within criminal justice is torisk assess and manage offenders andaddress their negative behaviours. Everyprobation officer is social work trainedwhich enables us to effectively tackle thecauses of crime and prevent othersbecoming victims.

We are a key partner in the ReducingOffending in Partnership project whichbrings together agencies to tackle prolificoffenders who cause the most harm incommunities.

We also play a leading role in the PublicProtection Arrangements in NorthernIreland which manages certain violent andsexual offenders in a multi- agency settingensuring information is shared toeffectively protect the public.

Our programmes within probation tackleviolent crime including domestic violence;sexual violence; and internet sexoffending. We also have an expertise inworking with female offenders through theInspire project.

Our skilled and experienced staff work inall communities throughout NorthernIreland. We are designated members ofthe Policing and Community SafetyPartnerships. Our expertise in working inlocal communities has been recognisedinternationally and you will see someexamples of that within this magazine.

I hope you find this magazine informative. I hope it helps explain some of what wedo. Please feel free to contact us orreceive further information through ourwebsite.

Cheryl Lamont(Acting) Director of Probation

The Probation Board for NorthernIreland has a key role in shaping

the justice system to ensure it isaccessible, effective and fair. As aBoard, our priority is to ensure thatthe organisation delivers a qualityservice to all citizens throughoutNorthern Ireland. Recent inspectionsby the Criminal Justice Inspectioncoupled with research onreconviction rates show that PBNI is an effective organisation thatsignificantly reduces reoffending. In other words – probation in Northern Ireland works.

The structure of the Board which iscomprised of community based publicrepresentatives, and which providesindependent leadership on strategicplanning and oversight, assists staff towork effectively and collaboratively in and with all communities.

Over the last two years the ProbationBoard has sought to engage and consultwith a range of stakeholders about howprobation’s priorities should be developed.It is very clear to me that communitiesappreciate and understand the importantrole and unique contribution played byprobation in the rehabilitation andresettlement of offenders. However theyalso want us to engage more and tell thepublic about the range and breadth ofwork carried out. This magazine will helpus do that.

Throughout these pages you will seeexamples of very successful collaborativeworking to make communities safer. We play an important role within prisonshelping prepare offenders for release intothe community. We also work closely with colleagues in the police service andyouth justice agency. The Criminal JusticeInspector has said the probation board is

an effective organisation with committedand hard-working staff who deliver to highstandards in all areas of their work.

Indeed staff throughout probation aresome of the most dedicated, professionaland innovative people I have ever met. I want to acknowledge their commitmentand, as Board Chairman, reiterate thatPBNI staff will continue to do their utmostto continue to change lives for safercommunities.

Vilma Patterson MBEChairman



Lord Mayor of Belfast, Nichola Mallon,took time out of her busy schedule to

drop in and visit the PBNI office on theAntrim Road. She met with probation staffand heard more about what PBNI does tochange lives for safer communities.

The focus of the work undertaken by theProbation Board is to reduce offending, and theLord Mayor paid tribute to the work carried outby PBNI staff: “I wanted to take the time to see the work North Belfast ProbationOffice carry out supervising court orders,facilitating rehabilitation programmes,supervising Community Service andworking towards a safer community. This is a vital service for the people of Belfast as Probation staff work to reduce offending whilst giving people anopportunity to turn their lives around.

“I was also very interested in hearingabout the work carried out through theINSPIRE women’s project as it recognisesthe circumstances of women’s offendingwhich often involves poverty,

homelessness, mental illness, abuse, domesticviolence and addictions. That Probation directly contributes to reducing women’soffending through its women-specificservices by supporting and challenging femaleoffenders shows how valuable this project is.”

Lord Mayor visits Probation to see how it changes lives for safer communities

Public Protection Arrangements

L-R Julie Erskine, PBNI BoardMember, Nichola Mallon, LordMayor of Belfast and PBNIAssistant Director Eithne McIlroy.

The Probation Board is part of the publicprotection arrangements in Northern

Ireland. Working alongside organisationslike police, prisons, social services and thehousing executive the arrangements focuson assessing and managing certain sexualand violent offenders.

The aim of all the organisations involved is toprotect the public and to minimise the risk ofreoffending.

The arrangements have been examined and apositive inspection by Criminal Justice InspectionNorthern Ireland in 2011 found that there wasexcellent partnership working in evidence.

Staff working in public protection are constantlyseeking to ensure they are up to date with bestpractice. In October a special interest seminarwas held in Crumlin Road Gaol to highlight goodpractice and share learning amongst thoseworking in the field with a particular focus on theimpact of domestic violence on children.

For more information visit the PPANI websitewww.publicprotectionni.com

Pictured L-R at the PPANI seminar held on 24 October in Crumlin Road Gaol: AnnieCampbell – Director of Women’s Aid Federation NI, Dr John Devaney - Senior Lecturerat QUB School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work, David Ford MLA – Ministerof Justice, Julie Smyth – PPANI Co-ordinator, Geraldine O’Hare – PBNI Head ofProgrammes and Interventions and Hugh Hamill – Chair of PPANI StrategicManagement Board and PBNI (Acting) Deputy Director.



It has been a productive year for PBNICommunity Service. Each year offenders

deliver an average of 175,000 hours ofunpaid work to the community in NorthernIreland through a community servicesentence. Community Service is one of the most successful court sentences interms of preventing reoffending.

Three out of four people who completecommunity service do not reoffend within oneyear. Some examples of community servicework are environmental and conservationprojects, painting and decorating, contributingto community clean-ups, working in animalshelters or assisting disabled people. Thecommunity service sentence enables offendersto pay back to the community for the harm they have caused. The work is either under the guidance of our supervisors or staff in thehost organisation.

On 12 August Cookstown District Councilinvited PBNI to a meeting in Gortalowry House,Cookstown about community service in thearea. Eddie Loughran and his squad hadrecently finished repainting SlatequarryCommunity Hall and the local group and theCouncil wanted to show their appreciation anddiscuss future opportunities to work together.

Séan McElhatton, Good Relations Officer,Cookstown District paying tribute to communityservice in the area, commented: “I am just back from Slatequarry Halllooking at the tremendous hard workEddie & his team dedicated to this project.The hall has been totally transformed as aresult of the teams efforts. This could nothave happened without your cooperation &efforts and the community group are reallyexcited about it too. Thanks again it was agreat project!”

Another example of an effective communityservice partnership project is the environmentalclean up on Stranmillis Embankment, Belfast. At the suggestion of Communityrepresentatives on the South Belfast DPCSPPBNI community service teamed up withBelfast City Council, the Department ofRegional Development and the University ofUlster to clean up an area between AgincourtAvenue and the Lagan in the New Year.

CommunityServiceSuccess

L-R Chairman of Mid Ulster Council, Councillor Cathal Mallaghan, Cookstown District Council, a representative of Slatequarry Community Group, Eddie Loughran,Community Service Supervisor, PBNI, Gillian Montgomery Area Manager, PBNI, Séan McElhatton, Good Relations Officer, Cookstown District Council, and ShaunaScroggie, Probation Services Officer, PBNI.

If you have an idea for a project that offenders could work on for the benefit of your community, you can nominate a project for offenders to undertake at www.pbni.org.uk or email us [email protected]

Members of the Assembly Justice Committee being briefed by PBNI staff on theeffectiveness of Community Service

Tom Cochrane (centre standing), PBNICommunity Service Supervisor withcommunity partners at the unveiling ofthe mural at Stranmillis Embankment.



Earlier this year Christine Hunter, PBNIArea Manager was successful in

securing a Winston Churchill MemorialTrust travelling Fellowship to researchRestorative practices for adults.

In September 2014 Christine travelled to theUSA to find out more about innovations inrelation to Restorative Practice. Christines’application was to research ‘RestorativeInterventions with adult offenders in a Probationsetting’. The award of a Fellowship is based on experience and knowledge of your chosenarea; benefit to the criminal justice system andto society, and a clearly defined and worthwhileproject.

Christine’s objectives in pursuing the Fellowshipwere clear: to inform PBNIs Restorative Practiceand Strategy and to bring practices back whichwould inform and influence work in NI.

Christine says: “I was keen to inform theimplementation of the Restorative PracticeStrategy developed by myself andProbation Assistant Director RoisinMuldoon which was approved in March2014. Since the setting up of PBNIs Victim

Restorative Practice and Victims

Information Scheme in 2005 we havefacilitated and supported staff to deliverrestorative practices. Victim/offendermeetings have been facilitated whereappropriate, particularly in serious crimeswhere only the offender is in a position toanswer questions that the victim has.”

PBNI’s Victim Information Scheme also workswith other Criminal Justice agencies and Victimorganisations to provide an integrated serviceto victims. In October 2012 the PrisonerRelease Victim Information Scheme, theProbation Board for Northern Ireland VictimInformation Scheme and the MentallyDisordered Victim Information Scheme(operated by the DOJ) became co-located.

Contact the Victim Information Scheme:Victim Information Unit Unit 4, Wallace Studios, 27 Wallace Avenue,Lisburn BT27 4AE T: 0300 123 [email protected]

This followed a recommendation by theCriminal Justice Inspectorate Northern Irelandin 2011. PBNI manages the unit whichcombines the skills and experience of staff from all three organisations. The Department of Justice intends to bring forward legislation in the future to facilitate closer working betweenthe schemes and the Victim and Witness Care Units.

Justice Minister David Ford has said that partnership working is the key

to building safer communities.

The Minister was speaking at a NetworkingEvent in Comber on 1 September hosted byArds PCSP and Comber Partners andCommunity Together (PACT). At the event heheard first-hand about local initiatives to reducecrime and addiction delivered by the ProbationBoard, Youth Justice Agency, Families AgainstSubstance Abuse and the PSNI.

Attending the event at Comber Leisure Centre,David Ford said: “Real credit is due to arange of local community, voluntary andjustice agencies for the way they haveworked together in Ards to identify anddeliver local solutions to local problems.Partnership working is the key to buildingsafer, shared and confident communities.”

“It is really important that all of us, asindividuals and together, recognise thatwe have a role to play in making ourcommunities better places to live, workand play.”

The advent of the new Policing and CommunitySafety Partnerships (PCSPs) in 2012 providedPBNI with the opportunity to work inpartnership with other key organisations acrossJustice and other government departments torespond to local community concerns, help

Working in local communities through thePolicing and Community Safety Partnerships

David Ford meets l-r; David McCreery,PBNI Probation Services Officer, JeanO’Neill PBNI Area Manager and‘Karen’ PBNI service user.

increase confidence in the criminal justicesystem and ultimately make Northern Irelandsafer. PBNI will continue to contribute fully tothe PCSPs under the direction of the newCouncils from May 2015.



Cooperation between both probationservices on the island of Ireland continuesto go from strength to strength.

Those who commit crimes may move betweenjurisdictions therefore it is essential that there iscooperation and safeguards in place to protectcommunities throughout the island.

PBNI works closely with its counterparts in theProbation Service in the Republic of Ireland.Information sharing and joint training are criticalelements of our work which has developedover the past number of years. Regular annualmeetings take place, chaired by both Directorsand attended by senior management in bothorganisations. These meetings discussoperational issues and provide an opportunityto update on changes to practice and newdevelopments which impact upon probation.

November saw the annual Public ProtectionAdvisory Group Seminar take place in Dublin.The event was attended by both Ministers forJustice and staff working in public protection inpolicing, probation and prisons. It highlightedsome of the good practice and new initiativestaking place including work on restorativejustice, and work with local communitiesthrough Policing and Community SafetyPartnerships. There were also presentations on ‘Community Return’ whereby prisoners can be selected for temporary release with a

North South Cooperation on Probation

Journal which provides a forum for sharingtheory and practice and increasing co-operation and learning between the twojurisdictions and developing debate about workwith offenders. The 11th edition of the Journalhas now been launched and is available online.Please see PBNI website to download a copy.

As always if anyone has an interest insubmitting an article for the journal they should contact Gail McGreevy in [email protected] or Gerry McNally at the Probation Service [email protected]

PBNI (Acting) Director Cheryl Lamont andVivian Geiran, Probation Service Directorsigning the Joint information sharingprotocol in respect of the management ofsex offenders and offenders assessed asRisk of Serious Harm.

PBNI work has been recognised througha number of awards recently, includingthe prestigious Butler Trust and Justicein the Community Awards.

Butler Trust Both Simone Simpson, Probation AreaManager and Michael Winnington, ProbationOfficer have been successful in the annualButler Trust awards.

The Butler Trust Awards recognise andcelebrate outstanding practice by peopleworking in prisons, youth justice andprobation settings – helping to give creditwhere it is due and spread good practicemore widely. Simone has been awarded aButler Trust certificate for her work in Prisonsand Michael has been shortlisted for anaward for his work in PBNIs Assessment Unitpreparing pre sentence reports for courts.

PROBATION WORKSJustice in theCommunity AwardsTwo of Coleraine’s Riding for the Disabledvolunteers, Albert Clydeand Michelle Scott, havebeen named JusticeChampions’ for servicesto their community at anawards ceremony in Parliament Buildings. The charity was nominated by Probation AreaManager Janet McClinton and they have beenrecognised for their significant role in workingwith offenders to inspire them to change.

Pearl Priddy, Shop Manager for CancerResearch in Enniskillen, was also nominated by local PBNI Manager Patricia McKeever andwill receive a certificate of commendation.

Justice Minister, David Ford, said:

“These awards are an opportunity toshowcase the exceptional work that is going on within the heart of ourcommunity, often by volunteers,working quietly and diligently in thebackground making Northern Irelanda safer place for everyone.”

requirement to do community service work for a set number of weeks, and ‘ReducingOffending in Partnership which helps deal with the most prolific offenders in NI’.

PBNI and the Probation Service also jointlyproduce and distribute the Irish Probation

Pictured at the annual PPAG seminarin Dublin recently l-r; Vivian Geiran,Probation Service Director, FrancesFitzgerald TD, Minister for Justice andEquality and Cheryl Lamont, (Acting)Director PBNI.

L-R PBNI Deputy Director, PaulDoran, Chairman Vilma Patterson,Simone Simpson, (Acting) DirectorCheryl Lamont and AssistantDirector Roisin Muldoon.



On average there are 74 domesticabuse incidents in Northern Ireland

every day. It affects people in allrelationships and both men and women.In 2012-2013 Northern Ireland Women’sAid helpline managed 47,597 calls, 674 of these calls were from male victims.

The Probation Board for Northern Irelandworks with a range of agencies to reducedomestic abuse and protect victims andchildren.

We deliver a number of domestic abuseinterventions both through group work and also on a one to one basis. Theseinterventions are delivered throughout theprovince and work closely in partnership with Women’s Aid, PSNI and Social Services.

In the last number of months there havebeen a number of training events deliveredby PBNI to develop better awareness ofdomestic abuse, and to develop a riskassessment framework for staff working inthe Public Protection Arrangements NorthernIreland (PPANI).

Through the Tackling Violence at HomeStrategy, PBNI are also playing a lead role inthe health trusts, in the development andimplementation of a group work programmeto address domestic abuse on behalf of thefive Trust areas in Northern Ireland. This is aunique opportunity for health and criminaljustice to work closely together in the area ofdomestic abuse and child protection, whichPBNI is very happy to be contributing to.

Traditionally there can be an increase inincidents of abuse during and after theChristmas break, and we would appeal toanyone who is suffering abuse to report it andseek help. The 24 hour domestic and sexualviolence helpline is 0808 802 1414. In anemergency always call the PSNI on 999.

Programmesto tackleDomesticAbuse

PBNI working in PrisonProbation staff work directly with

prisoners in custody as well as

supervising them in the community

following their release. PBNI staff work

in all prison establishments in Northern

Ireland; Maghaberry, Magilligan,

Hydebank Wood Prison & Young

Offenders Centre, and we also have a

presence in the Working Out Unit in

Belfast. The work in each establishment

is underpinned by a Service Level

Agreement which sets out the

expectations on PBNI staff and the

funding provided by NIPS.

In 2011 the Prison Review team lead by

Dame Anne Owers published a Review

of the NI Prison Service which made

40 recommendations on the conditions,

management and oversight of all prisons.

One recommendation 31 (PRT 31), stated:

The Northern Ireland Prison Service and the

Probation Board for Northern Ireland should

undertake joint work to plan and deliver

integrated services, explore staff exchange

and consider shared services.

Senior staff in both organisations began

working more closely to develop a better

shared understanding of the work of

respective organisations and a joint delivery

group was established to address the

significant change programme which arose

from implementation of PRT 31 and wider

reform work. This has involved widespread

engagement with staff in both organisations

and has led to the development of a tangible

model for future delivery of offender

management and other joint work.

PRT Recommendation 32 called for the

appointment of a Director of Rehabilitation

and this led to the secondment of PBNI

Director Brian McCaughey in September

2013 to NIPS.

In September 2014 the DOJ established the

Reducing Offending Directorate and in

October the Minister attended a seminar in

the Prison Service College where he heard

inputs from Parole Commissioners, DOJ

officials and PBNI Deputy Director Paul

Doran on the issue of recalls to prison in

Northern Ireland. The seminar brought

together the leading organisations to discuss

how recalls impact upon the criminal justice

system. The event was chaired by Sue

McAllister, Director of Reducing Offending

Directorate, and an action plan has been

developed to improve practice in this area.

At the Recall seminar l-r; Sue McAllister, Director of the Reducing OffendingDirectorate (ROD), Paul Doran, Deputy Director, PBNI, Christine Glenn, ParoleCommissioners NI and the Justice Minister David Ford MLA.



Key factsWhat the numbers say:

of all offenders startingprobation supervision in2013/14 who declaredthat they had a mentalhealth condition

total number ofvictims provideda service by thePBNI VictimInformationScheme sinceOctober 2005

of those supervised by theProbation Board for NorthernIreland in the community througha community order who did not goon to reoffend within one year

1237 70%

34%

reportsdelivered lastmonth to theCourts andParoleCommissioners

932

of thosecurrentlysupervisedby PBNIare male

90%

Probation Servicewhich covers all ofNorthern Ireland. 1

number of offenderscurrently undersupervision4,328

of Community Service deliveredacross Northern Ireland in 2013/14equating to a reparative value ofover £1 million to the community

175,000 hours

magazine of the northern ireland probation board · 11/1/2014 · probation is a key part of the...

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