Basic Skills

 In the Government's national strategy to improve adult literacy and numeracy, offenders in prison and on community sentences were identified as a target group. Probation screens for basic skills at Pre-Sentence Report stage and then offers an assessment that identifies an offender's basic skills level. Our Service works in alliance with colleges/ learning providers and community venues to provide basic skills training courses that are matched to learners' need.

In Lancashire, we have developed and are building links with a range of colleges in order to provide access to basic skills courses and further training for offenders. For example one pilot scheme has enabled offenders to undertake a learning course 'one day a week' over a period of nine weeks. The programme includes basic skills, first aid and health & safety certificates and project management.

This kind of approach means that while offenders are undertaking their unpaid work on Community Service (Community Punishment) they are also a student taking a recognised course. It means that skills which offenders learn whilst serving their community sentence can lead to a recognised qualification - to help them gain a job and/or as a step to life long learning.

For example, In Leyland offenders serving Community Punishment have been referred, in accordance with their individual assessment of need, to attend a course providing 'job search' and basic skills. Another example is an afternoon weekly learning course open for any offender to attend on the referral of their probation case manager. Probation Staff have had training in basic skills awareness.