On 10th December we partnered with the Probation Institute to organise their Centre of Excellence workshop.

Throughout 2015 the Probation Institute will be developing as an independent, credible and recognised Centre of Excellence for probation and community justice. By disseminating research on the effectiveness of practice, and facilitating a continuous learning environment among practitioners, the Probation Institute aims to influence how evidence can better inform professional practice and policy.

Key themes explored at the event were:

• How to promote the use of evidence to shape professional practice and policy
• Encouraging the involvement of practitioners in evaluating their work
• Multi-disciplinary/cross-sectoral studies and research approaches into community justice and rehabilitation

Agenda

09.30 - 10.00:  Arrival and refreshments

10.00 – 11.00: How do we promote evidence and learning to shape professional practice?

• Professor Jonathan Shepherd, Cardiff University
• Alan MacDonald, the HM Assistant Chief Inspector of Probation
• Jonathan Breckon, Alliance for Useful Evidence, Nesta

11.00 – 11.30: Developing the Probation Institute as a Centre of Excellence plus launch of the Sir Graham Smith Award 2015

• Probation Institute Executive

11.30 – 12.00: Break and Networking

12.00 – 12.50: Practitioner led research sessions (Choice to attend one of three parallel sessions):

The Sustainability of Gender Specific Provision in the Youth Justice System

• Sue Matthews, Practice Manager, Nottingham City youth offending team (Griffins Fellowship Award Winner)
• Cath Smith, Senior Case Manager, Nottinghamshire Youth Offending Service (Griffins Fellowship Award Winner)

Breach of Community Orders and women on probation

• Sue Jordan, Senior Probation Officer, National Probation Service: Midlands, Griffins Fellowship Award Winner

How are Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) category 3 offenders managed within community sentences?

• Shelly-Ann McDermott, Probation Officer, London Community Rehabilitation Company (Sir Graham Smith Award Winner)

12.50 – 13.40: Lunch

13.40 – 14.30: Multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral approaches to evaluating community justice (Choice to attend one of three parallel sessions):

Plymouth Community Justice Court: A Case Study of Problem Solving Interventions, Reducing Re-offending and Building Public Confidence

• Plymouth University

Evaluating Integrated Offender Management

• Keele University
• Liverpool John Moore’s University

Analysing the Citizenship Programme in Durham Tees Valley

• Portsmouth University
• York University

14.40 – 15.30: Multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral approaches to evaluating community justice (Choice to attend one of three parallel sessions):

The re-unite programme: Housing and support services for women on release from custody

• University of Cambridge
• Re-Unite

Family Interventions, and practitioners working with families of those in the Criminal Justice System

• Rebecca Clarke, Manchester Metropolitan University
• Rachel Kensella, Sheffield Hallam University
• Craig Fletcher, UserVoice

The locality pilot: an evaluation into multi-agency parternship work and offender engagement at a local level to reduce reoffending

• Humberside, Lincolnshire, & North Yorkshire Community Rehabilitation Company

15.40 – 16.00: Closing remarks