Justice Social Work

Information on the Criminal Justice service

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Welcome to the Inverclyde HSCP Criminal Justice Social Work Service section.

This page is designed to give you a brief overview of the work that Inverclyde HSCP Criminal Justice Social Work does locally with individuals convicted of offending behaviour in Inverclyde.

Legislation, principally the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 and the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, places a duty on Scottish local authorities to provide social work services in the criminal justice system. More recently, the law on community sentences was changed with the passing of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 which introduced the Community Payback Order for offences committed on or after 1st February 2011.

Inverclyde HSCP Criminal Justice Social Work Service works closely with a range of partners including:

  • Police
  • Scottish Courts Service
  • Crown Office
  • Procurator Fiscal Service
  • Scottish Prison Service
  • community health colleagues
  • Voluntary Organisations

We are also an active member of the North Strathclyde Community Justice Authority (NSCJA) which aims to improve offender management and promote best practice.

Our Objectives are:

  • to reduce re-offending behaviour
  • to contribute to public protection and community safety
  • to contribute to the rehabilitation of offenders

We provide the following services:

  • the provision of social work reports requested by Courts and Procurator Fiscal
  • the provision of a social work service to those individuals given an alternative to prosecution
  • the supervision of individuals who are given a community social work sentence by the courts
  • the provision of unpaid work placements for those ordered to make reparation by the Courts
  • the provision of Throughcare Services for those individuals sentenced to custody including
    • preparation of home background reports
    • home detention curfew assessments
    • pre-release work
    • supervision of individuals convicted of offending behaviour released on statutory orders or licences
    • voluntary after care assistance
  • the provision of a dedicated Social Work Unit based at H.M.P. Greenock
  • hosting the Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) Unit on behalf of NSCJA and participating in multi agency risk assessment, planning and management

The quality and content of services provided by Inverclyde HSCP Criminal Justice Social Work Service are determined by the National Outcomes and Standards for Social Work Services in the Criminal Justice System (Scottish Government 2010).