§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the employment of social workers by Group 4 at HMP Altcourse indicating(a) the number to be employed and (b) the duties involved; [16556]
(2) what probation provision there will be at HMP Altcourse; what discussions have taken place with his Department concerning the level of that provision; and if he will make a statement. [16557]
§ Ms Quin[holding answers 20 November 1997]: The contract for Her Majesty's Prison Altcourse requires the contractor, Group 4, with the Chief Probation Officer for Merseyside, to carry out negotiations under the terms of the Framework Document published by the Prison Service under cover of Instruction to Governors 30/93 and entitled National Framework for the Throughcare of Offenders in Custody for the Completion of Supervision in the Community. In the light of these negotiations, the contractor may decide whether or not to employ seconded 593W probation officers in order to undertake his contractual obligations to provide welfare assistance, discharge reports and plans for individual prisoners that are fully compatible with the Prison Service's Sentence Planning Manual. Group 4 have decided not to do so. Instead, the contractor will employ its own staff.
As in many prisons, responsibility for this work will be shared. At Her Majesty's Prison Altcourse, it will be undertaken by staff, including prisoner custody officers, based on houseblocks, a specialist counselling team who will work closely with a clinical psychologist and a throughcare team. The latter will include four social workers required to hold one of the recognised qualifications for appointment as a probation officer, that is the Certificate of Qualification in Social Work or the Diploma in Social Work. Their duties include risk and needs assessments, plans for supporting individual prisoners, prisoner programmes, in-care and resettlement, reports for conditional release and external liaison with community supervision agencies.
Prison Service staff responsible for the administration of the contract have discussed these arrangements with Group 4 while reviewing preparations to open Her Majesty's Prison Altcourse on 1 December. Their effectiveness will be monitored as part of the general oversight of the contract undertaken by prison staff on site when the prison is operational. These arrangements do not reflect a change in Government attitude towards the issue of throughcare. Subsequent design, construct, manage and finance contracts reflect different principles which have been agreed in discussions between the Prison Service and the Association of Chief Probation Officers.