Community justice outcomes - improvement planning and reporting: statutory guidance

1. Preface

This statutory guidance has been issued by the Scottish Ministers under section 24 of the Community Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 ("the Act"). Community justice partners, listed in section 13 of the Act (“the partners”) must have regard to this guidance when exercising the functions conferred on them by sections 19-23 of the Act.

This guidance replaces the statutory guidance previously published in Chapter 6 of “Guidance for Local Partners in the New Model for Community Justice”. It is intended to assist the partners in each local authority area in their requirement to jointly prepare, publish, report against, and periodically review a Community Justice Outcomes Improvement Plan ("CJOIP"). It does not constitute legal advice and should always be read alongside the relevant sections of the Act to ensure compliance with all relevant statutory requirements.

The guidance should also be read in conjunction with the National Strategy for Community Justice (“the strategy”), the Community Justice Performance Framework (“the framework”), and its accompanying Guidance and Technical Notes document.

This guidance is kept under review and will be updated as necessary.