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Offender Management Bill receives royal assent

27.7.07

The Offender Management Act received royal assent on Thursday July 26th. The aim of the Act is to improve the delivery of probation services so as to reduce re-offending and better protect the public. It will do so by allowing for the establishment of probation trusts; supporting the development of the commissioning of probation services; and enabling greater partnership working with providers in the voluntary, charitable and private sectors.

Under the Act, the commissioning of probation services will be an activity taking place at national, regional, and local levels. Instead of the current situation, where 42 probation boards are managed directly from the centre, local lead providers will work under contract to Regional Offender Managers (ROMs) for the delivery of services in a probation area. Provided their performance meets the requirements, the lead provider in a probation area will be the probation trust. The lead provider will concentrate on the delivery of offender management, while commissioning much of their interventions work from other providers based on what is most effective, and who is best placed to deliver, in their local community. Where interventions can be delivered more effectively across a region, ROMs will contract directly with providers, but this will be so as to complement, not replace, the local arrangements. 

Dates have not yet been set for when the various provisions will be brought into force, but we are planning to establish the first wave of probation trusts in April 2008.