Report of Symposium on Housing Advice for Prisoners
14 November 2005
Contents
Introduction
Recommendations
Background to event
Summary of business
Next steps
Acknowledgements
Links to further work/relevant documentation
Introduction
This report presents a summary of the symposium on housing advice for prisoners held on 14 November 2005 at the Inchyra Grange Hotel, Grangemouth. The symposium was held to discuss the future of housing advice services for prisoners, and in particular how these services could be put on a more strategic and permanent footing. Forty-five delegates attended the symposium, drawn from a range of sectors with experience and interest in the provision of housing advice for prisoners including local and central government, Scottish Prison Service, the voluntary sector and current advice service providers. A list of delegates is appended to this report. The symposium was chaired by Rev Maxwell Craig, Chair of Scottish Churches Housing Action and a member of the prison visiting committee at HM Polmont Young Offenders Institution.
Recommendations
The symposium made the following key recommendations on future provision of housing advice services for prisoners:
- A national model of service based on a national minimum service level, standard procedures and monitoring arrangements;
- A contract based service, exploring a regional approach with services contracted by Community Justice Authorities; and
- Services should conform to the Scottish National Standards and Good Practice for Housing Information and Advice Services.
Background to the event
Prisoners have been identified as a group at high risk of homelessness following periods of custody, with consequently increased rates of reoffending. In 2000 funding from the Scottish Executive's Rough Sleepers Initiative was agreed for 7 prison based projects to provide housing advice and support to prisoners and ex-prisoners. Reid Howie Associates was commissioned to evaluate these projects and make recommendations as to how the services could be improved. The Reid Howie research was published in 2004 and recommended that work with prisoners should continue but be placed on a more strategic basis.
In its final report, published in February 2002, The Homelessness Task Force recommended that on completion of the Reid Howie research, prison advice services should be put on a more permanent footing. It was also recommended that those responsible for prisoners and a range of other institution leavers should develop high quality housing and homelessness advice services with support from Communities Scotland; standards should be set and monitored within the appropriate regulatory regime; and local authorities should ensure that appropriate linkages are being made between services in institutions and services in the community.
Scottish Ministers agreed that a consultative event be held to bring together the current providers of these services, CoSLA, SACRO and other interested parties, including local authority criminal justice social workers, in order to discuss the future development of housing advice services for prisoners. In addition to taking forward action recommended by the Homelessness Task Force, the symposium forms part of the Scottish Executive's wider action plan of housing/accommodation issues for ex-offenders being taken forward by the Justice Department.
The symposium and the resulting recommendations also need to be seen in the context of the developing national strategy on housing and homelessness advice and information which will (when it is published later on in 2006) identify the strategic requirements which delivery of housing and homelessness advice and information will need to meet. The relevant aspect of the strategy, in regard to this work, is that the provision and delivery of housing and homelessness advice to ex-offenders must help prevent the possible subsequent homelessness that occurrs in this high-risk group.
The symposium was organised by a short-life steering group comprising representatives from the Scottish Executive Homelessness Team and Community Justice Services Division, CoSLA, Scottish Prison Service and Communities Scotland's Homepoint Team. The day's business mixed presentations, work in syndicate groups and plenary sessions and was facilitated by an independent team. The views expressed and recommendations made by the symposium are those of the delegates and are not endorsed by the steering group.
Summary of business
Reverend Craig opened the day's business and reiterated the aim of the event: how to put housing advice services on a more strategic and permanent footing. Rev Craig expressed his view that strategy, consistency and quality were key factors.
Laura Dolan, Head of the Homelessness Team at the Scottish Executive, helped set the scene for delegates with a brief overview of homelessness policy, including Ministers' commitment to abolishing priority need by 2012 and focus on prevention activity, particularly for high-risk groups such as prisoners. The importance of a strategic approach to provision of services was highlighted, along with the need for evaluation and clear outcomes and monitoring. Ms Dolan also spoke of the need to challenge existing myths surrounding homelessness and ex-offenders, particularly classifications of 'deserving' and 'undeserving'.
Tony McNulty, Social Care Adviser at the Scottish Prison Service, discussed SPS's Inclusion Policy and the 10 Offender Outcomes. An overview of the current arrangements for prison advice services was presented, including details of the Core Screen assessment and links centres. The importance of partnership working with other organisations was stressed. Powerpoint slides for this presentation are appended to this report.
Working in syndicate groups, delegates discussed the factors working for and against the current delivery and improvement of services and listed actions which could be taken to help deliver the aim of more strategic and permanent services. The outcomes of this discussion are presented below:
Factors working in favour of current delivery and improvement of services
- Existing partnership working
- National core screen assessment tool
- Political will and existing homelessness legislative framework, including local homelessness strategies
- Some examples of joined up working across local authority boundaries
- Existing infrastructure and services, including links centres
- Local authority goodwill and existing framework of service delivery
- Planned Community Justice Authorities
- Commitment of prison officers
- Funding from Scottish Executive, channeled via local authorities
- Inclusion of prisoners in 'vulnerable as a result of' priority need categories
- Befriending services
- Support from families and friends
- Greater exposure to prison service from other agencies
- Prisoners more connected to external services
- Availability of information
- Scottish Prison Service policy on identifying needs and training staff
- Pre-release homelessness assessments
- Homepoint: National Standards on Housing Advice Services
- Existence of service level agreements
- Shared objectives
- Planned tenancy termination
- Prisoners see benefits of service
Factors working against current delivery and improvement of services
- Tensions between service providers; services not joined up
- Storage of belongings
- Accommodation supply and lack of suitable options
- Lack of throughcare support
- Timescale of implementation of homelessness legislative framework
- Planned changes to local connection rules
- Stigma attached to ex-offenders and homeless people by communities and LA elected members
- Short-stay, temporary accommodation offered to non-priority prisoners
- Inconsistency in service provision - duplication and fragmentation
- Current monitoring arrangements
- Time and staff constraints within prisons, i.e. escorting prisoners
- Insufficient resources
- Some prisoners hard to reach and engage with, especially remand
- Poor management of expectations
- Housing Benefit rule that benefit ceases 13 weeks after tenant ceases to occupy property.
- Support packages required to sustain tenancies and reduce reoffending - a home is just the start
- Institutionalisation
- Sudden release of prisoners due to miscarriages of justice
- Perceptions of social housing, especially hostels
- Appropriate social networks may not be in place on release
- Negative attitude of some prison officers
- Too many agencies and types of forms
- No national network
- Poor timing of intervention
Suggested actions
- Single shared assessment of need across all prisons, local authorities and housing associations;
- Improve communication immediately after sentence regarding loss of tenancy;
- Early advice provided to prisoner (particularly short termers) and advance notice given to local authority of impending release;
- Formalise the advice provided to prisoners & make it uniformly available to all prisoners;
- Use local connection rules for housing of prisoners released from 'national' prisons;
- Establish one-to-one contact between each prison and each local authority and use it as a single route in each direction;
- Increase awareness of social networks and their value;
- Increase contact with remand prisoners;
- Pre-release homelessness assessments by local authority housing officers;
- Throughcare partnership;
- Training for local authority staff;
- Influence housing providers;
- Common base standards, guidance and forms;
- Links to, and between, local authority strategies;
- Follow JobCentrePlus model of advice services for prisoners;
- Co-ordination of local authority activity and practice;
- Implementation of homelessness legislation;
- Joint working between Westminster, Scottish Executive and local authorities;
- Joint training for staff: attitudes and procedures; and
- Clearer policies on: eviction; anti-social behaviour; 13 week Housing Benefit rule.
Mark Upward, Shelter Scotland, and Caroline Ferguson, Foursquare, gave presentations outlining the service provided by their respective organisations. Stephen Good, North Ayrshire Council, then discussed arrangements for joint working in Ayrshire, outlining features of the STAR project. Mr Good outlined his view of the way forward for improved services, including co-ordination of services; pre-liberation planning; safeguarding of accommodation; improved throughcare and aftercare; a national network to agree and promote best practice and advise on research; and linking of strategies. The importance of correct monitoring and evaluation was also stressed. Powerpoint slides for these presentations are appended to this report.
Working in syndicate groups, delegates discussed how housing advice services for prisoners links to wider policy on housing, homelessness and justice issues. A wide range of links were identified:
Justice System
- Timing of parole
- Management of Offenders (Scotland) Bill & Community Justice Authorities
- Alternatives to custodial sentences; home detention curfew
- Appeals and miscarriages
- Different needs of long and short term prisoners
- Monitoring of schedule 1 offenders
- Avoidance of reoffending
Strategies
- Local advice and information strategies
- Local housing and homelessness strategies
Support
- Management of expectations
- Social networks
- Benefits issues
Housing
- Demographic changes
- Abolition of priority need by 2012
- Housing Benefit
- National Standards and Guidance on Housing Information and Advice Services
- Supporting People funding
- Stock transfer
- Supply of affordable housing
- Links to anti-social behaviour
- Fragmentation of markets
Special needs
- Mental health
- Disabilities
Employability Framework
- Support
- Funding
Advisory Services
- JobCentrePlus
- Addictions
- Tenancy Advisory Service
Scottish Prison Service
- Geography & population
- New prisons & site moves
- Integrated case management
Core assessment: identification of needs
- Housing
- Health
- Finance/debt
- Spiritual
- Family
- Independent living
- Employability/education
- Addictions
Homelessness assessment
- Link to local authority housing department
- Contact with voluntary organisations
- Contact with social work
- Contact with specialists
- Contact with health services & addiction services
Working in syndicates delegates discussed two broad themes relating to the future of housing advice services for prisoners: specification and structure of services and best practice; and standards, outcomes and monitoring. The following points were made:
Specification
- Specialist, well trained staff based in prisons
- Trained Scottish Prison Service staff
- National framework and service level agreement
- Linked to IT networks to monitor outcomes (PR2,ICM)
- Common assessment framework; single assessment accepted by all local authorities
- Joined up with health and social work services
- Agreed protocols between service provider and local authorities, including named contacts
- Improved information sharing
- Consistency of accommodation offered
- Communications strategy
- Accessible to clients - admission, crisis and pre-release
- Contingency planning for early release
- Client focused
- Available to all prisoners
- Independent advocacy service
- Assessment carried out in prison
- Pre-release offer of appropriate accommodation made
- Integrated with Community Integration Plan
- Full support needs identified
- Follow-up action
Structure
- Delivery via links centres, with local arrangements
- Contract-based service has pros and cons. Pros: clarity of expectation; outcomes can be monitored; improvement/standardisation of service; funding certainty; move from 'bolt on' culture to norm. Cons: contract culture rather than partnership working; financial penalties; increased bureaucracy.
- Contract type/structure to be based on business needs; must be accountable
- Contracting options: local (LA), regional (Community Justice Authorities), national (Scottish Prison Service)
- Contracting via Community Justice Authorities helps provide consistency and maintains link to local authority as housing provider
- Contract details and length to take account of specific needs of all parties and of evolving environment
- Consider addictions model
- Funding streams to follow structure
Best practice
- Scottish National Standards and Good Practice Guidance for Housing Information and Advice Services
- Addictions model (contract and outcomes)
- Early engagement with client
- Written protocols between service provider and accommodation provider
- Links centres
- Close working between services in prison and those in the community
- Networking between projects to share best practice
Standards
- Minimum level 2 Housing Advice
- Fit with Scottish Prison Service's internal standards
- Common service level agreement
- Link to National Strategy for Advice and Information
Outcomes
- Measurable
- Tenancy sustained
- Possible to have national outcomes & targets?
- Largely dependent on resources identified
- Standard proforma to measure outcomes
Monitoring
- Roles of HMIP, Communities Scotland (Homepoint and Regulation and Inspection), Social Work Inspectorate and local authorities?
- Scottish Prison Service's 10 Prisoner Outcomes
- Accreditation of projects
- Built in to performance management system
- Process should not be laborious
- Role for a national network?
Delegates discussed the points raised in plenary session, focusing on issues surrounding structure and delivery of services. Broad agreement was reached that a national model was the preferred option, outlining a national minimum service level for all prisoners and standard procedures for conducting of homelessness assessments and monitoring of services. The pros and cons of a contract based service were debated and it was recommended that a regional approach be explored via services contracted by Community Justice Authorities. Broad agreement was reached that services should confirm to the Scottish National Standards and Guidance on Housing Information and Advice Services and that further work needs to be undertaken to agree outcomes and the role of organisations in monitoring the services provided.
Next steps
This report has been circulated to all delegates at the symposium and to other interested parties and will inform policy development on the future of prisons advice services. The report will be submitted to the Homelessness Monitoring Group for information and the recommendations considered by the Scottish Executive, SPS and CoSLA, taking account of wider policy developments on management of offenders. Recommendations on the proposed way forward for putting housing advice services for prisoners on a more permanent and strategic footing will then put to Scottish Ministers. Discussions on future funding of services will take place with CoSLA in tandem with this process.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the following individuals for their valued advice and assistance in organising the symposium: Rev Maxwell Craig; David Doxford; Lesley Shephard; and Penny France. Thanks are also expressed to speakers at the event: Laura Dolan; Tony McNulty; Mark Upward; Caroline Ferguson; and Steven Good; and to those who undertook scribing duties.
Links
Further information on wider policy and documentation mentioned in this report is available online. The following links may be of interest:
Homelessness Task Force, final report: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/housing/htff-00.asp
Ministerial Statement on Abolition of Priority Need: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/12/21133010/30107
The Provision of Housing Advice to Prisoners in Scotland: An Evaluation of the Projects Funded by the Rough Sleepers Initiative by Reid Howie Associates: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/development/phap-00.asp
National Standards and Guidance on Housing Information and Advice Services: http://www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk/stellent/groups/public/documents/webpages/cs_006198.pdf
Scottish Prison Service Inclusion Policy:
http://www.sps.gov.uk/multimediagallery/E51BD556-DB9A-49A1-8A08-D96E9EE9DCE2.pdf
Throughcare - Developing the Service: Report of the Tripartite Group: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/justice/tcds.pdf
Delegate List
James Anderson Inverclyde Council
Carole Barker-Munro Scottish Executive
Margaret Brown HMP Glenochil
Margaret Campbell Four Square
Helen Carlin Rowan Alba
Alastair Cattanach SACRO
Paul Connell Scottish Executive
John Cooney APEX Scotland
Rev Maxwell Craig Scottish Churches Housing Action
Andrew Crawford HMP Perth
Laura Dolan Scottish Executive
Penny France Scottish Executive
Caroline Ferguson Four Square
Rob Findlay-Dean Dumfries and Galloway Council
Stephen Good North Ayrshire Council
Alan Hamilton HMP & YOI Cornton Vale
Matt Howarth Communities Scotland
Jim Kelly Scottish Prison Service
William Kennedy HMP Low Moss
Bilijana Kerr Ark Trust
Connie Kraus-Cuthbert Four Square
Wilson Lees Clackmannanshire Council
John McCaig HMP Barlinnie
Anne-Marie McDonald HMP Barlinnie
Lorraine MacDonald Scottish Executive
Ian McLean West Lothian Council
John McManus Miscarriages of Justice Organisation
Tony McNulty Scottish Prison Service
Paolo Mazzoncini Scottish Executive
Lorraine Milton South Lanarkshire Council
Bernadette Monaghan APEX Scotland
Paul Morron Scottish Executive
Laurence O'Neill North Ayrshire Council
Ruth Parker Scottish Prison Service
Neil Paterson Victim Support Scotland
George Peden HMP Aberdeen
Steven Pike City of Edinburgh Council
Judi Reid Communities Scotland
Jim Roddie HMP Inverness
Lesley Stenhouse Scottish Social Networks Forum
Michael Stoney Scottish Prison Service
Rona Sweeney Scottish Prison Service
Mark Upward Shelter Scotland
Becky Wilson Shelter Scotland
Bobby Wilson HMYOI Polmont