Under our grant-giving powers, the Probation Service in the West Midlands allocates around £1 million a year to a wide range of local partnership schemes aimed at reducing crime.

Many of these schemes involve voluntary sector organisations whose skills play a key role in efforts to increase community safety. A dedicated partnerships division, headed by an Assistant Chief Officer, concentrates on developing the service’s link with the community and other agencies.

Initiatives funded in this way include, for example, drug and alcohol counselling services, practical assistance to offenders on how best to manage their own finances and avoid getting into debt, and accommodation advice. Other initiatives are specifically designed to provide services to Black and Minority Ethnic communities.

This work continues to grow in significance as the National Offender Management Service seeks to create greater involvement from the voluntary and community sector in work with offenders.

Other key partnerships exist with statutory bodies. The Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) is a major new initiative which brings together the Probation Service, the Prison Service, the Learning and Skills Council and other bodies to create an integrated approach to offender learning. Many major studies show offenders to be educationally disadvantaged. This in turn leads to poorer employment prospects which are strongly linked to a risk of offending.

OLASS is based on quality assessment of skills needs in terms of numeracy, literacy and language followed by access to quality education and skills provision at a range of levels. It also embraces engagement with employers to ensure both that the skills that are taught are relevant to the modern and local employment market and that suitable jobs are available.