NOMS regions

Working in partnership

We are working together with a wide range of regional, sub-regional and local stakeholders to reduce re-offending and protect the public in the North East.

The Alliances

We want to work with partners in the community in Alliances (new window), to ensure we obtain the best services for offender management. 

Within the North East we're currently developing the three Alliances as follows:

North East Civic Alliance

Two Local Authority Community Safety Representatives are part of the reducing Re-offending Area Forum.  

Links to embed the Reducing Re-offending strategy into Local Area Agreements are being developed through Government Office North East.  A member of the ROM team is on the Local Strategic Partnership/Government Office panel.  Responsibility for embedding the RRDP within Local Area Agreements and with Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships will be vested in a new post within the NE NOMS team expected to be filled before the end of the year.

Employer engagement sub-groups are in negotiation with two Local Authorities with a view to their becoming our first Local Authority Champions.

The Teesside Unpaid Work project is one example of the Civic Alliance within the region.  The project provides guaranteed job interviews for advertised vacancies for those who successfully complete unpaid work and attain the agreed necessary standards.

North East Corporate Alliance

A representative of the North East Employers’ Coalition chairs the Education, Training and Employment Sub-board, which takes the lead in employer engagement.  

The sub-board draws members from the Regional Development Agency, Jobcentre Plus, Learning and Skills Council, employer organisations (such as the Federation of Small Businesses), prison and probation services.  The sub-board is developing a delivery plan for inclusion in the Reducing Re-offending Delivery Plan.

Laing O’Rourke is a major employer in the North East.  As a result of our relationship with the NE Employer Coalition, Laing O’Rourke has pledged to reserve a small number of apprenticeship opportunities for offenders.  

The Sector Skills Council for electricity, gas, waste management and water is providing training opportunities for offenders in HMP Acklington.  Those who successfully complete the training are guaranteed a job interview for vacancies advertised by companies aligned to the sector Skills Council.  This has lead to offenders gaining skilled employment with major employers in the industry.

These are just two examples of what can be achieved on the strength of the Alliance agenda.  

We are working through the Employment sub-board to negotiate a protocol with all North East employers.  This work is in the early stages, but has the support of employer organisations and the Regional Development Agency.

North East Voluntary Community Sector (VCS)/Faith Alliance

The Faith Alliance is promoted through the Community Chaplaincy Project.  

The Project Leader is a member of the Reducing Re-offending Area Forum and takes an active part in its work.  The Faith Alliance has been discussed in the Reducing Re-offending structures in the North East – this involves a Board and a Forum.  The Prison Service Area Chaplain acts as a liaison with, for instance, the NE Council of Churches – he sits as a member of the Forum.  Through him and teams, many of whom are community-based, there is the beginning of a dialogue with faith communities.

The Open Gate project, launched recently at an event hosted by Durham County Council, is an example of what can be achieved by engagement with local communities and representatives from faith groups and organisations.  The Open Gate launch was attended representatives from across County Durham including the local MP Roberta Blackman-Woods, and two of the six Bishops.

A local event was hosted by the vicar of St Martin's Church in Byker on 16 October to promote and raise awareness of the need for the local community to take a proactive role to resettle offenders.  This event has been planned as a direct follow-up to the Alliances launch in November 2005 at the Safer North East Conference, arranged and hosted by the Regional Offender Manager.  The same planning team (VCS, faith, Regional Offender Manager office and Government Office representatives) are working with the host parish to organise it.  

The Northern Rock Foundation is examining their potential to fund Community Chaplaincy projects, building on the success of Open Gate.  The Open Gate project itself is funded by local churches.  

VONNE play a lead role in the Reducing Re-offending Area Forum, not only leading a pathway but also in encouraging VCS engagement with other pathways.  VCS involvement is inevitably strongest around the Children and Families/Finance, Benefit and Debt pathways, but each pathway group has or will have some engagement.

We are presently working with CLINKS  at events designed to promote applications from VCS/Faith groups for grant funding and to provide them with assistance in bidding for funds.

Local Partnerships: Local Area Agreements 
We are working with colleagues in the Government Office for the North East to embed reducing re-offending within Local Area Agreements.