NATIONAL PROBATION SERVICE - CAMBRIDGESHIRE

Cambridgeshire Probation Area is responsible for supervising offenders over the age of 17 in the geographical area covered by both Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council: these offenders will include those on community orders and those released from prison on licence. The Probation Service is represented at a strategic level on the local Safeguarding Children Boards and also has representation on a number of sub-groups.

Two of the top priority areas for Cambridgeshire Probation Area are:

• Protecting the Public from Harm
• The Proper Punishment and Rehabilitation of Offenders

In terms of the risk posed by an individual offender, all probation areas use the Offender Assessment System (OASys). This system identifies factors that contribute to offending and assesses the level and type of risk posed by the offender. The system seeks to identify the level of risk of harm posed by the offender to members of the public and to their previous victim(s).

This helps probation staff formulate a supervision and risk management plan.

In managing high-risk offenders, the probation service works within the Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), and indeed the MAPPA manager is a seconded Probation Team Manager. Under MAPPA, the police, probation, social services, health and other relevant agencies work together to manage high-risk offenders, including those who are identified as posing a risk to children. It is vital that agencies cooperate in sharing information and agreeing the necessary action to reduce the level of risk.

For offenders who commit sexual offences, either against children or adults, Cambridgeshire Probation Area runs an accredited Sex Offender Treatment Programme: this can either be a community order requirement or a condition of a post-release licence. Similar programmes are also run inside prisons, with the identified work being continued after the offender has been released on licence.  Cambridgeshire Probation Area has played a significant part in developing a joint approach to domestic violence, including its impact on children: research indicates that large numbers of children have witnessed levels of violence in the home and have been 'caught in the crossfire''.  The Probation Service is involved in the Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC), which work in a similar way to MAPPA, but in relation to perpetrators of domestic violence.

The Service is committed to working with other agencies in order to ensure the protection and welfare of all children residing in the Cambridgeshire area.