UNCLASSIFIED

National Probation Service

Bulletin
Issue 67 3 August 2007

The Bulletin has been improved for easier on-screen reading. It now summaries new content placed on Epic
(http://npsintranet.probation.gsi.gov.uk/index.htm) in the previous week and significant messages that have been
circulated on the Chief Officer gateway. Articles can now be read by either scrolling down the page or by clicking the
titles below:

170/07 New National Standards for Offender Management

171/07 Offender Management Phase 3 and transitional training arrangements
172/07 Appointments
173/07 Forthcoming Publications
174/07 Issued Recently

170/07 NEW NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR OFFENDER MANAGEMENT

New National Standards for Offender Management have been issued, integrating the 2005 NPS National Standards
with the NOMS offender management standards. These will come into effect from 30 September 2007.

The principal changes to the 2005 National Standards, are as follows:

• A formal review of each offender’s assessment and sentence plan will be required every 4 months,
regardless of the length of sentence, for all cases supervised in the community [Standard 2e.5].

• The minimum contact level for Tier 2 offenders is reduced from 16 contacts in the first 16 weeks to 10
contacts [Standard 2c.16].

• The regime for the enforcement of licences is amended so that recall proceedings are required to be
instigated when an offender has missed a third appointment without a reasonable explanation in any 12
month period [Standard 2f.4], as opposed to at any time during the licence.

• The Standards now include expectations placed upon the Prison Service in delivering offender management
for prisoners.

Electronic copies of the new Standards are on EPIC.

Back to the top

UNCLASSIFIED
 Issue 67 UNCLASSIFIED NPS Bulletin
August 2007

171/07 OFFENDER MANAGEMENT PHASE 3 AND TRANSITIONAL TRAINING

ARRANGEMENTS

Phase 3 of Offender Management implementation, which begins on 7 January 2008 for indeterminate sentence for
public protection (IPP) cases (lifers will come later, at a date yet to be decided), provides an opportunity to re-design
the sentence management model for all indeterminate sentence prisoners so that they are managed by identical
processes and systems. For example, lifer assessments, life sentence plans and lifer reports will transfer over time
to OASys assessments and sentence plans. Thus OASys and new sentence planning review reports, plus six new
information forms for lifers and IPPs, will replace the Life Sentence Plan for all indeterminate sentence prisoners.

Details of the implementation of Phase 3 and the process changes for lifers and IPPs will be contained in the Phase
3 Specification and the Implementation Manual which will accompany it. We expect these to be available in
September.

Contact: karen.macleod6@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Back to the top

172/07 APPOINTMENTS

As a consequence of the West Midlands Director of Operations and Performance post still being under recruitment
and the timescale envisaged, the Chief Officer and West Midlands Board have negotiated a short term secondment
arrangement whereby a similarly graded post holder, who is familiar with the region, will carry a portfolio of duties at
Director level in the Wes Midlands. This is a temporary assignment to the Board. This arrangement does not form
any part of NOMS Performance Unit activity.

Ged Bates (Regional Manager in Wales) will start on 1st August 2007.

Back to the top

173/07 FORTHCOMING PUBLICATIONS

• Probation Bench Handbook & Probation Bench Guide for sentencers – Due to be published August 2007

Back to the top

174/07 ISSUED RECENTLY

Probation Circulars 2007:

PC27 Victim Representation at Parole Board Hearings Issued 26 July

In July 2006 the Criminal Justice Review announced that victims should have the
opportunity to put forward their views to the Parole Board in cases when release or
transfer to open conditions of certain serious offenders is being considered. The new
arrangements will enable victims to make representations to the Board through an

Issue 67 UNCLASSIFIED NPS Bulletin

August 2007
 Issue 67 UNCLASSIFIED NPS Bulletin
August 2007

advocate at oral hearings or by way of a written statement in cases where a decision is

made on the basis of the papers. The statement will inform the Board about the impact
of the crime, of any lasting consequences on the victim or their family, or the impact that
the offender’s release might have on the victim or their family. The new arrangements
do not affect victims’ existing statutory right to make representations to the Parole Board
about the conditions to which the offender will be subject on release. VLOs should
continue to submit views on behalf of victims to the offender manager in the existing
way.

PC26 Disclosure and Information Sharing to Inform Parole Board Decisions on Release and Issued 18 July
Recall

OASys Messages to Areas – Via Epic

Message 054 07 Planned HMPS OASys Outage Issued 17 July

Message 053 07 End of Custody Licence Issued 13 July

Briefings

Issue 37 The Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR Issued 1 August

Back to the top

To submit items for the NPS Bulletin, or to be added to the distribution list contact:
npsbulletin@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Bulletins are posted on the Epic Intranet http://npsintranet.probation.gsi.gov.uk/index.htm (navigate from

Home>News & Comms>Newsletters>Bulletins) and the NPS Website www.probation.justice.gov.uk, (navigate
from Home>News & Updates>Bulletins)

Issued by the NOMS Communications Unit

Issue 67 UNCLASSIFIED NPS Bulletin

August 2007