The
Partnership

Glasgow Community
Justice and Employment
Project

Information for
Social Workers

The Glasgow Partnership is run by NCH Action for Children and Apex Scotland, in partnership with Glasgow City Council Social Work Department. The Project provides the Courts with a community based direct alternative to custody for persistent or serious offenders aged 16-21 years old. The project offers individuals the opportunity not only to address their offending behaviour within the community but also to consider issues around employability. Attendance at the Project will be as a condition of a Probation Order. Failure to attend and/or participate will result in Breach of Probation Proceedings being initiated.

The Project caters for young adults of either sex, aged 16-21 years, who live in Glasgow City. The project provides a service for young adults who are at risk of receiving a custodial sentence and/or for whom existing community based orders have been exhausted or are deemed inappropriate.

Referrals to the Project can be made in two ways:

	The Court may choose to request an Assessment Report at the same time as ordering an SER.
	Alternatively, an SER writer may decide that a referral to the Project is appropriate during the course of preparing the report. In these instances, the Project Social Work Referral Form should be used.

As attendance at the Project is only operational as a condition of a Probation Order, consultation between the author of the SER and Project staff is imperative. A completed Assessment Report will be sent to the Court and a copy will be forwarded to the Social Worker.

The Court has the discretion to determine whether a Project Programme is made as a special condition of Probation.

During the assessment interview, potential service users are informed of the obligations associated with attending the Project and the consequences of non-compliance

Individuals who are required to attend the Project will undergo a one-day core assessment. This will enable both Project staff and the service user to design a Groupwork Programme through selected modules, tailored to each individual's needs.

Examples of available modules are:

	General Offending
	Violence, Aggression and Anger Management
	Drugs and Offendin
	Assertiveness for Women
	Victim Awareness

There will also be a requirement to attend individual sessions. Those who are unemployed will be expected to attend during normal office hours, but alternative arrangements will be made for those in full-time work, education or training.

As an integral part of the project, young people will be expected to look at their individual employability needs. Many offenders have experienced unemployment and lack of opportunities. The Partnership Project aims to address these needs through a series of work related modules:

	Communication Skills
	I.T. Familiarity
	Value of a Job / Barriers to Employment
	Disclosure of Offences
	Employability Skills

These sessions will be offered on a group or one to one basis depending on individual need.

The Partnership Project