Joining up justice 'can prevent tragedies'

Ally Mogg from Skills for Justice writes for ePolitix.com on a training programme designed to improve partnership working amongst staff in the criminal justice system.

High profile cases of justice agencies not working together effectively have caused outrage, and it is clear a more joined-up approach is needed. Therefore, with support from our justice sector employers in south-east England, we developed the idea for a training programme to address the need for improved skills in multi-agency working. The idea won support from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), which funded a pilot project.

The 'Joining up justice' programme saw 30 employees participate. They came from a range of organisations such as Victim Support, HM Prison Service, Youth Justice Board, Probation Service, and Thames Valley Police, and many had little knowledge of the role other organisations play, even though they form an integral part of the criminal justice process.

The programme itself is an innovative and powerful new approach to learning, combining a traditional competency approach with 'action learning' - a new concept in justice to develop leadership skills. It's a comprehensive package of training where participants attend classroom sessions, produce evidence portfolios and undertake action learning. It aims to provide learners with a better understanding of the roles of the various agencies within the justice system, and is based on national occupational standards, developed by Skills for Justice and used by organisations to demonstrate role competency.

We are now working to put these standards into a structured qualification framework. Once this is done, the programme will be available to justice and community safety employers.

At a celebration event for the learners, held at the Marriott County Hall at Westminster last week, Alan Woods, chief executive of Skills for Justice said: "We know what happens when agencies don't work together effectively. When things go wrong, it can have a terrible impact.

"Multi-agency working is fundamental to the effective operation of the justice system. This project has brought together people from justice agencies to learn more about how to work together - from developing understanding of targets, priorities and culture, to a more formal approach, through building protocols for joint working."

Carol Rooke from Victim Support, which participated in the programme, said that voluntary and community sector organisations thrive on partnership working.

"Resources are stretched and we need to ensure we are all working together to deliver the best outcomes for our clients and communities," she added. "I will be using the principles of action learning for Victim Support. Benefits include staff skills development as well as the development of closer partnership working in the sector."

Hopefully the development of this innovative new training programme can contribute to avoiding any more tragic cases like the death of Baby P.