Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his oral contribution of 11 June 2020 on Probation Services, Official Report, column 426, whether (a) accommodation, (b) employment, training, and education, (c) finance, benefits, and debt, (d) dependency and recovery, (e) family and significant others, (f) lifestyle and associates, (g) emotional wellbeing, (h) social inclusion, (i) cognitive and behavioural change, (j) women, (k) young adults, (l) black, asian, and minority ethnic, (m) restorative justice and (n) service user involvement services are included among the specialist resettlement and rehabilitative services that will be prioritised in order to build a solid foundation that can be delivered within the specified timeframe.
In his statement to the House on 11 June 2020, the Lord Chancellor confirmed plans for a Probation Services Dynamic Framework through which the National Probation Service and other public bodies can commission rehabilitative and resettlement services. It opened on 11th June for registration by prospective suppliers with an interest in provision of one or more of 14 service categories.
I want to be clear that registration for the Probation Services Dynamic Framework is open to all organisations that provide accommodation, employment, training, and education, finance, benefits, and debt, dependency and recovery, family and significant others, lifestyle and associates, emotional wellbeing, social inclusion, cognitive and behavioural change, women, young adults, black, Asian, and minority ethnic, restorative justice and service user involvement services.
Our plans for the first set of contracts to be commissioned through the Framework reflect our assessment of the relative distribution of offender needs, the availability of existing local provision, and the capacity of both the third sector and HMPPS (in light of the impact of COVID-19) to complete call-off competitions and mobilise services in time for the start of future arrangements in June 2021. We initially intend to run competitions for lots which cover the following Probation Services Dynamic Framework service categories:
We will expect Regional Probation Directors to use their established relationships with local commissioners to secure high quality interventions via other funding means in relation to dependency and recovery and finance, benefits and debt, and to assess the need for services in relation to the additional categories. The Probation Services Dynamic Framework will enable Regional Probation Directors, over a period of time, to secure a suite of services across the range of service categories above which matches their locally-identified needs.