Accreditation
Accreditation is an important tool in improving the quality of interventions with offenders, in the plans for reducing re-offending and will support mutual learning and integrated throughcare. Seamless design, delivery and evaluation across prison and community contexts are a very valuable prize. The accreditation of programmes designed to address offending behaviour is an integral aspect of ensuring that these interventions are based on the most up-to-date knowledge and can meet the test of independent expert scrutiny.
Scottish Accreditation Panel for Offender Programmes
The Panel (one authoritive voice) to cover community and custodial programmes point the way forward for forging the partnerships and more integrated ways of working laid out in the Criminal Justice Plan.
History
Accreditation is one of the key components of the 'Getting Best Results' (GBR) initiative. GBR was set up at the end of 1998 to provide leadership, direction and co-ordination in the development of effective practice in the community supervision of offenders in Scotland.
The original Community Justice Accreditation Panel (2003-2005) acted as an independent advisory group to Ministers on accreditation issues for programmes in the community for adult offenders. THE SPS Accreditation Panel has operated since 1997 and offered accreditation advice to the SPS Board on programme design as well as on-site and delivery. The then Deputy Minister for Justice signalled the intention for the work of the community panel to be combined, after 2 years, with that of the SPS Panel. After one year of a transitional Panel (made up of all members form both the existing SPS and Community Panels) appointments were made to establish a new single Panel which will cover both custody and community settings.
You can find out more about Accreditation of Programmes , Accreditation of Sites and about the new Accreditation Panel, in the rest of this section.