NOMS regions
Joining Together in Wales: The Wales Reducing Re-offending Strategy
Detail of the development of 'Joining Together in Wales', the Wales Reducing Re-offending Strategy, including links to the consultation documents and information on how the strategy will be delivered.
Wales' unique context
Following the development of NOMS' National Reducing Re-Offending Action Plan (new window) in July 2004 it was agreed between the Home Office, where NOMS were based up until 9 May 2007 when it moved to the Ministry of Justice, and Welsh Assembly Government Ministers to undertake a Wales Pathfinder project to inform the development of a specific strategy and action plan for Wales, which would take account of the unique Welsh context and devolved responsibilities.
That project took place just prior to NOMS Wales being established in 2005, and enabled us to take forward the development of the joint NOMS and Welsh Assembly Government’s adult and young people's strategy to reduce re-offending, Joining Together in Wales (new window).
This involved taking a multi-agency partnership approach between the public, voluntary, community and private sectors and looking at joining together the range of services that the Home Office, at that time, and Welsh Assembly Government have responsibility for. The strategy is rooted in the findings of the Wales Pathfinder project, and sets out the aims to be achieved over the next three years to reduce re-offending.
The Strategy
Joining Together in Wales provides the Welsh context for the Reducing Re-Offending National Action Plan, and incorporates the Youth Justice Board’s Plan for Wales. It identifies what needs to be achieved in Wales along the recognised intervention pathways to reduce the causal risks of re-offending, help improve public protection and support victims of crime by managing offenders effectively.
The strategy was launched for consultation in February 2006 by the Rt Hon Baroness Scotland, Minister for Criminal Justice and Offender Management, Home Office, and Edwina Hart MBE AM, Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration, Welsh Assembly Government. The purpose of the consultation was to help develop partnership actions to successfully deliver the strategy.
A series of consultation workshops (new window) were also held across Wales to hear from people involved in working with offenders so that their views could be fully taken into account.
Reducing Re-offending Alliances
The national launch of the Reducing Re-offending Alliances (new window) programme by Baroness Scotland in November 2005 created a platform for NOMS Wales to develop our unique Alliance programme as part of the implementation of Joining Together in Wales. This involves engagement with and development of the following three alliances:
- Civic Society Alliance
- Corporate Alliance
- Faith, Voluntary and Community Alliance
Developing the actions
The outcome of the consultation, and the work around developing the Alliances programme, is helping to develop the governance arrangements for delivery of the all-Wales action plan for the strategy.
These arrangements have focused on establishing the NOMS Wales Reducing Re-offending Strategy Board and its working groups that are working on the action plans for each of the following seven pathways:
- Accommodation (new window)
- Education, Training and Employment (new window)
- Health and Social Care (new window)
- Substance Misuse (new window)
- Advice, Finance, Benefits and Debt (new window)
- Children and Families of Offenders (new window)
- Attitudes Thinking and Behaviour (new window)
The Prolific & other Priority Offenders Scheme, public protection, diversity and race will be cross-cutting issues for each working group.
The Action Plan
Work is now nearing completion to publish the joint NOMS Wales and Welsh Assembly Government Action Plan for Joining together in Wales, which will specify the actions that we will take, with our partners, over the next three years, to help reduce re-offending in Wales.
The plan will be launched early in the New Year 2007.
