Issue - meetings

To receive a presentation from Ms Kirsty Gibbons, Manager Service Delivery, Essex Community Rehabilitation Company.

The Committee received a presentation from Ms Kirsty Gibbons, Manager of Service Delivery for Essex Community Rehabilitation Company (ECRC), which informed the Committee of the work conducted on the rehabilitation of service users through community payback following Community Court Referrals.

As part of the presentation, and in response to questions from Members, the following information was provided:

·       The ECRC manage low to medium risk cases.  High risk cases were managed through the Probation Service;

·       At time of writing the report:

o   There were 47 service users in Maldon, 6 in Southminster, 3 in Heybridge and 6 in Burnham-on-Crouch;

o   13.04% female, 86.96% male;

o   The majority of service users were between 20-29 years of age;

·       A large proportion of service users undertake unpaid work, with the inclusion of a punitive element alongside rehabilitation;

·       As part of Rehabilitation Activities Requirements (RAR) probation officers work alongside other agencies to address other requirements service users may have as part of their rehabilitation, i.e. addressing drug use.  This would ensure that service users were getting full value from rehabilitation;

·       Unpaid work supports many areas of the community.  A large number of non-profit organisations have been supported, some local authority work undertaken including local churches and schools.  This unpaid work provided a visible demonstration of justice within the community.  Within Maldon, service users have undertaken unpaid work at the Museum of Power and Heybridge Cemetery;

·       A Community Court Referral can sentence Community Payback for up to 300 hours.  This was expected to be a minimum of seven hours per week, where the service user was employed, up to twenty-eight hours per week where the service user was unemployed;

·       Service user surveys show that 99.8% of offenders were less likely to re-offend having completed Community Payback;

·       As part of the service, Community Integration Officers work closely with the Jobcentre Plus (JCP), and refer and support the acquisition of various qualifications, such as the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), by service users;

·       Once employment is achieved a review gets carried out, however, following the end of the court order, no further information on service users was received.

Ms Gibbons advised the Committee that the team would welcome suggestions and projects as they are always looking for ways to best support communities through payback.  Members were also advised that, if they were inclined to do so, site visits would be welcome.

The Chairman, on behalf of the Committee, thanked Ms Gibbons for an interesting and informative presentation.