Housing and Reoffending: Supporting people who serve short-term sentences to secure and sustain stable accommodation on liberation

ANNEXE 3: THE PATTERN AND NATURE OF HOUSING-RELATED SERVICES

1. This Annexe presents the detailed findings relating to the pattern and nature of housing-related services for those who serve short sentences in Scotland. The findings in this Annexe supplement the material in Chapters 2, 3 and 4 of the main report.

2. The Annexe will cover the following areas:

• The allocation of individuals to prisons.
• Services in prison: the pattern of services; the identification of housing issues; and the nature of services delivered (i.e. the work they undertake).
• Services in the community: the pattern of services in the community; the identification of housing issues; and the nature of services delivered.

3. The findings in this Annexe are drawn from the following strands of the research:

• Self-completion surveys of: local authority housing and social work services; housing associations; prisons; third sector-led reintegration services or partnerships; and other specialist services.
• Discussions with staff from each of these types of organisation.
• Data prepared specifically for this research by the SPS.

4. The material describes the services, as reported in surveys which took place in March and April 2015, and discussions between February and June 2015. It is important to bear in mind that service provision in prison and in the community can change rapidly.

The allocation of individuals to prisons in Scotland

5. This section will provide a brief overview of the allocation of individuals to prisons in Scotland and the impact of this on the delivery of housing-related services.

6. There are 15 prisons in Scotland. All except HMP Shotts currently routinely hold individuals serving short sentences. In general terms, SPS practice is that each prison serves a group of Sheriff Courts (each of which serves specific local authorities), so individuals should generally be held in a prison close to their home.

7. In practice, the research found the distribution to be more complex. Table 2 (below) uses individuals’ home addresses to illustrate the total population of each prison serving short sentences and the number of local authorities whose residents were among these (on 3^rd April 2015).

Table 2. Number of local authorities with residents in each prison, and number of individuals serving short sentences (on 3^rd April 2015)

Prison	No. of LAs	No. held	Prison	No. of LAs	No. held
HMP Addiewell	19	365	HMPYOI Grampian	9	169
HMP Barlinnie	29	732	HMP Greenock	13	113
HMP Castle Huntly	10	15	HMP Inverness	9	64
HMPYOI Cornton Vale	22	105	HMP Kilmarnock	20	225
HMP Dumfries	8	49	HMP Low Moss	25	323
HMP Edinburgh	24	343	HMP Perth	20	343
HMP Glenochil	21	152	HMPYOI Polmont	29	234

8. Eight prisons held people from 20 or more local authority areas. Even the smallest prisons in the survey (HMPs Dumfries and Inverness) held people from eight and nine local authority areas respectively.

9. The situation is further complicated for two groups: adult women, and young men and women. Adult women are held at HMPYOIs Cornton Vale and Grampian and HMPs Edinburgh, Greenock and Inverness. Young women are generally held at HMPYOI Cornton Vale. Young men (under 21) are held only at HMYOI Polmont (although it is intended that HMPYOI Grampian will also hold young men from late 2015).

10. Table 3 (below) uses the same data as in Table 1 to illustrate the number of residents from each of Scotland’s local authorities serving short sentences, and the number of prisons in which these residents were held.

Table 3. Home locations of those in custody by local authority area (on 3^rd April 2015)

Home location (local authority)	Individuals in custody		Home location (local authority)	Individuals in custody
	No. Held	Prisons		No. Held	Prisons
Aberdeen City	173	9	Inverclyde	56	8
Aberdeenshire	67	7	Midlothian	29	5
Angus	44	7	Moray	25	8
Argyll & Bute	31	5	North Ayrshire	163	8
Clackmannanshire	32	8	North Lanarkshire	208	11
Dumfries & Galloway	43	8	Orkney Islands	4	2
Dundee City	178	11	Perth & Kinross	89	10
East Ayrshire	81	11	Renfrewshire	117	11
East Dunbartonshire	25	8	Scottish Borders	19	3
East Lothian	32	7	Shetland Islands	4	2
East Renfrewshire	21	6	South Ayrshire	75	12
Edinburgh City	194	9	South Lanarkshire	201	12
Eilean Siar	3	2	Stirling	36	10
Falkirk	60	10	West Dunbartonshire	72	8
Fife	203	9	West Lothian	74	10
Glasgow City	541	14	Outside Scotland	71	12
Highland	82	13	No Fixed Abode	196	12

11. These data have a number of implications for the provision of housing-related services to people who serve short sentences, including that:

• Each prison can hold individuals from a wide range of local authority areas, making the task of co-ordinating housing-related services complex. Some prisons may have to liaise with more than 20 local authorities, and a considerable array of third sector services (described later in this Annexe).
• Some prisons may be remote from a local authority, making the task of tracking and providing services to local residents very complex.
• Complexity is not necessarily linked to population size. Some small authorities were found to have local residents in seven or more prisons. For example, the 36 individuals from the Stirling Council area serving short sentences were held in 10 prisons.
• The issues for rural and island local authorities are further complicated by the finding that their local residents may be held in national or other prisons in the central belt, as well as in local prisons.
• Some local authorities had very small numbers of residents held in each prison. Both Stirling and Perth and Kinross, for example, had fewer than five residents in each of nine prisons. Given that each individual may be at a different point in their sentence (and hence may require input at a different time), this could increase the cost of providing a service to these residents.

Services in prison

12. This section will summarise the research findings in relation to services provided in prison^[16] and will provide data on: the pattern of services in prison; the identification of housing needs in prison; and the nature of services in prison.

The pattern of services in prison

13. The research found that there were four main types of services involved in addressing housing issues in prison:

• Housing services.
• Prison services (both SPS and private prison staff).
• Reintegration services.
• Other specialist services.

14. The data in this sub-section will describe the research findings relating to the pattern of support by each of type of service in turn.

Housing services

15. The surveys found a number of housing services providing support to address housing issues in prisons. The availability of these housing services varied widely across the 14 prisons in the research. Details are provided below.

16. Different means of providing housing services included:

• Housing service providers based in a prison, with the service provided by: a local authority directly; a third party contracted by one or more local authorities; or staff employed by a third sector organisation or partnership.
• Housing service providers visiting to a regular programme, provided by a local authority or third sector organisation.
• Housing service providers visiting by request.

5.14. These housing services could work with people on imprisonment, during a sentence and approaching release.

17. Table 4 below, drawn from the surveys of local authorities and prisons, provides a summary of the housing services available in each prison.

Table 4. Housing services by prison

Prison	Based in prison			Visiting prison
	LA	Contract	Third sector	LA	Third sector
HMP Addiewell		*
HMP Barlinnie	*
HMP Castle Huntly
HMPYOI Cornton Vale			*
HMP Dumfries			*
HMP Edinburgh		*		*
HMP Glenochil				*
HMPYOI Grampian				*	*
HMP Greenock				*
HMP Inverness			*
HMP Kilmarnock		*
HMP Low Moss				*
HMP Perth				*	*
HMYOI Polmont				*

18. Overall, seven prisons were found to have a housing service based in the prison. Of these:

• One was provided directly by a local authority (HMP Barlinnie).
• Three were provided by staff employed by a third party contracted by one or more local authorities, as follows:
  - In HMP Edinburgh, Edinburgh City Council had contracted with FourSquare Housing, which employed a worker based in the prison. Prior to 2015 (when funding was withdrawn for their part of the service), the agreement also included East Lothian and Midlothian Councils.
  - In HMP Kilmarnock, three councils (East, South and North Ayrshire) had contracted with Aspire2Gether to provide a worker based in the prison.
  - In HMP Addiewell, three councils (North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian) were represented by a jointly-funded worker line managed by West Lothian Council.

• Three were provided by staff employed by a third sector organisation or partnership, as follows:
  - Sacro, providing a service in HMPYOI Cornton Vale to all individuals, with funding from Fife and Forth Valley CJA, HMP Cornton Vale and Sacro.
  - Dumfries CAB, providing a service to all individuals in HMP Dumfries.
  - Sacro, Shelter and Inverness CAB under the banner of a project called “SPAN” (the Scottish Prisoners’ Advice Network) providing services to any individual, to supplement the services provided by local authorities in HMPs Perth, Grampian and Inverness.

19. Seven prisons were found to have housing services visiting to a regular programme (of varying frequency)^[17]. Of these:

• All had staff visiting from at least one local authority (HMPs Edinburgh; Glenochil; Greenock; Low Moss; Perth; HMPYOI Grampian; and HMYOI Polmont).
• Two had staff visiting from Shelter (HMP Perth and HMPYOI Grampian).

20. At the time of writing one prison (HMP Castle Huntly) did not have a housing service, except on request by an individual or staff member.

21. During the research, further discussions were underway between:

• The SPS, the Robertson Trust and Shelter to provide a worker to be based in HMYOI Polmont.
• The SPS and Shelter to provide support at HMP Castle Huntly by invitation from an individual or prison staff member; and to provide a worker on a regular basis at HMP Low Moss.

22. The data in Table 5 (below) combines findings from the two surveys to show the local authorities described as being based in, or regularly visiting each prison, or where they had contracted out their involvement to a third party. In a small number of cases, local authorities indicated that they had reached informal agreements to allow workers from a service based in a prison to carry out work with residents of their area. These arrangements are also included in the table below.

Table 5. Local authorities based in, visiting regularly, or otherwise represented by prison

	Addiewell	Barlinnie	Castle Huntly	Cornton Vale	Dumfries	Edinburgh	Glenochil	Grampian	Greenock	Inverness	Kilmarnock	Low Moss	Perth	Polmont
Ab (city)								*
Ab (shire)								*
Angus													*
Argyll & Bute									*			*
Eilean Siar
Clacks
D&G
Dundee
E. Ayrshire									*		*
E. Dunb												*
E. Lothian
E. Renfrew
Edinburgh						*
Falkirk												*		*
Fife				*		*	*						*
Glasgow		*		*					*			*
Highland										*
Inverclyde									*			*
Midlothian
Moray										*
N. Ayrshire		*							*		*
N. Lanark	*
Orkney
Perth and K													*
Renfrew		*							*			*
Sc Borders
Shetland
South Ayr	*	*							*		*
South Lan	*
Stirling
West Dunb		*							*			*
West Loth	*

23. More generally, local authority, housing association and third sector housing staff stated in the discussions that their service could visit local residents in any prison on the request of an individual or member of staff. Some noted that the decision to attend would depend on other factors (e.g. location of the prison, the extent of other priorities and the nature of the case). Information from the discussions suggested that, in practice, such visits were relatively rare and would not always be recorded on the PR2 system, making it impossible to identify their frequency. (These visits were not shown in Tables 4 and 5.)

24. Discussions with staff of all types suggested that there were differences in access to housing services. For example, it was found that most local authority staff would generally only carry out detailed work with individuals from their own area, with individuals from other areas being provided with basic information, and, where necessary, being referred on to their own local authority. Further, given the finding (pgh A3:7) that all of Scotland’s prisons hold people from wide areas and most young people and women are held in national prisons (pgh A3:9), it was noted that, in practice, not all local authorities could send housing staff to visit individuals in all prisons.

25. In some cases, a decision about whether or not to accept a specific referral which did not precisely meet a service’s criteria depended on the approach of the individual member of staff concerned. In discussions with housing staff, it was clear that there were no rigid “rules”, and that some used their discretion on a case by case basis. One housing staff member, who was nominally required to work with individuals from one local authority area, provided examples of providing support to individuals from other areas (where, for example, a crisis was evident, or urgent action was required).

26. At HMP Low Moss, a number of local authorities had reached a joint agreement to enable staff from any local authority to provide an initial service (and deal with any immediate issues on imprisonment) to individuals from any other local authority. They would then make an onward referral to the individual’s home local authority.

27. Overall, therefore, while all prisons were found to have some form of housing service available, the data indicated large variations in the number of individuals able to access this in each prison.

28. In principle (taking no account of capacity constraints) the proportion of individuals in each establishment found to be able to routinely access housing services ranged from close to 100% in establishments such as HMPs Addiewell, Cornton Vale, Dumfries and Inverness, to less than 2% at HMYOI Polmont, where, at the time of the survey, only one local authority carried out regular visits. In the two prisons where Shelter routinely supplemented local authority provision (HMP Perth and HMPYOI Grampian), the percentage who could, in principle, access regular housing services was also close to 100%.

29. It is worth bearing in mind that these percentages take no account of capacity constraints. One housing staff member noted that, if all of those eligible to receive the service were to ask for it, they would be unable to cope.

Prison services

30. The survey and discussions found that, in all establishments, prison staff had a role in identifying and / or helping to tackle housing issues, both on imprisonment, and during a sentence and approaching release. Prison staff who may be involved would be those working in^[18]:

• Reception, where individuals are processed on imprisonment.
• First night centres (e.g. HMP Barlinnie and HMYOI Polmont), where individuals are located for one or more days on imprisonment, to allow them to settle into prison, and where they are provided with basic information about the regime, visits etc.
• Link Centres, where staff provide: a Core Screen and induction on imprisonment; courses during sentence; and information and support approaching release.
• Family Centres, where staff work to address practical, emotional and other issues relating to the contact between an individual and his or her family: on imprisonment; during a sentence; and approaching release.
• Prison chaplaincy centres, where a team of chaplains can provide spiritual and pastoral support for individuals: on imprisonment; during a sentence; and approaching release.
• Residential areas, where staff have regular contact with individuals, and where most routine issues arising during a period in custody are dealt with: on imprisonment; during a sentence; and approaching release.
• Community Integration Units (CIUs) in HMPs Greenock and Inverness and HMPYOI Grampian (pghs A2:79-79) where staff could be involved with individuals approaching release.

31. It was clear from discussions with prison staff that, in principle, any member of prison staff could identify or support an individual to address basic housing issues. Additional staff mentioned who may, from time to time, identify housing issues were:

• Officers supervising visits.
• Officers working in prison industries, or supervising work parties.
• Operational officers (e.g. managing individuals’ movement within a prison).
• First line managers, unit managers and senior managers.

32. Overall, prison staff with these roles were found to exist in all prisons, although the actual nature of their contact with individuals serving short sentences may vary.

33. Throughcare Support Officers (pghs A2:79-82) were also found to be involved in addressing housing issues, particularly as people approach release, and on, and following their release. For the purposes of presenting the findings in this report, TSOs have been grouped with reintegration staff (below), to reflect their main role.

34. The survey and discussions also found that a range of civilian staff working inside prisons may also identify housing issues. These have also been included with reintegration or other specialist staff (depending on their role).

35. At a national level, the SPS appointed a housing specialist in 2014 (who started work in January 2015) with a remit to develop national policy and practice, and provide advice and assistance to staff in all prisons.

Reintegration services

36. The research also found a range of reintegration services involved in identifying housing issues, or helping tackle housing issues for people while in prison. These services, by their nature, were most likely to be involved with people approaching release, and on, and following release.

37. Overall, some form of reintegration service was found to be available to individuals serving short sentences in all establishments except HMP Castle Huntly (an open prison), although there was found to be variation in availability of third sector services. Details are provided below.

38. As noted earlier, TSOs deployed by the SPS provided reintegration services to people who served short sentences in all prisons in this study except HMP Castle Huntly.

39. Two national reintegration services provided mentoring support to some individuals in custody:

• New Routes PSP^[19] (for males under 25 from any area in 13 prisons).
• Shine PSP (for women from any area in any of the five prisons holding women).

40. Two further PSPs worked with individuals, each in one prison:

• The BAFC Moving On PSP (for males under 21 in HMYOI Polmont, returning to four of the 32 local authority areas).
• The Low Moss PSP (for anyone serving a short sentence in HMP Low Moss, regardless of their home location).

41. Although each Local Authority Criminal Justice Social Work service was found to provide voluntary throughcare to anyone who requested this, social work staff indicated that it would be unusual for them to work with an individual while still in custody.

42. The survey and discussions found a small number of other reintegration services which may be involved in identifying or helping people address housing issues. Those mentioned (in eight prisons), were:

• Adjust, working in HMPYOI Grampian with adult men returning to the City of Aberdeen (although this service ended during the fieldwork period).
• Barnardo’s Youth Work service, working under contract to the SPS in HMPYOI Cornton Vale and HMYOI Polmont.
• Catalyst, a project working in HMP Kilmarnock with adult males returning to East and North Ayrshire.
• Community Bridges, a project working with men in HMP Addiewell returning to North and South Lanarkshire.
• Passport, a project working in HMYOI Polmont with young men returning to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Forth Valley, and Lanarkshire; and working in HMP Edinburgh with adult men returning to Edinburgh.
• Positive Prisons, working with adult men in HMPs Edinburgh and Barlinnie returning to any local authority.
• Up-2-Us, a project working with women in HMPYOI Cornton Vale and HMPs Edinburgh and Greenock returning to a number of local authority areas in West and Central Scotland.

43. There was, however, found to be considerable variation in the availability of third sector reintegration services within different prisons. While Shine and New Routes are “national” in coverage, their eligibility criteria (women and “prolific male offenders under 25”) would restrict access to these services. The other PSPs, BAFC Moving On and Low Moss, in each case, work only with individuals from one establishment.

44. Overall, the survey and discussions found more third sector organisations working in HMPYOI Cornton Vale and HMYOI Polmont than other prisons. With the national PSP provision, all of those serving short sentences in these establishments would, in principle, have direct access to third sector reintegration services. Of the other prisons, this would only be the case in HMP Low Moss (with its own PSP).

Other specialist services

45. The survey and discussions found a number of other specialist services whose staff may meet with individuals while in custody, generally approaching release, to allow preparations to be made for further input following liberation. There was, however, found to be variation in their availability and eligibility. Details are provided below^[20].

46. Other specialist services were found covering a range of policy areas, with each having their own eligibility criteria. Those mentioned as sometimes meeting with individuals while in custody (in some cases in conjunction with a reintegration service) were:

• Aberdeen Women’s Community Justice Centre, working with women returning from custody to Aberdeen.
• Blue Triangle, working in conjunction with some local authorities to provide accommodation with support to vulnerable people leaving prison.
• Circle through its “Families Affected by Imprisonment” project, working with those in custody and their families across Scotland.
• Cornerstone, working with adults with learning difficulties across Scotland.
• Housing First, working with men and women with addictions issues returning from any prison to local authorities in the West of Scotland.
• Sacro Supported Accommodation service, working with adults returning from any prison to either Glasgow or Moray.
• The Highland Homeless Trust and Cale House, working with clients in HMP Inverness by invitation.
• The Rock Trust, working with young men returning to Edinburgh.
• Tomorrow’s Women Glasgow, a multi-agency project working with women returning from custody to Glasgow.
• The 218 project in Glasgow, working with pre-existing clients returning from custody to Glasgow.
• YPeople, working with Low Moss PSP clients.

47. There was no consistent pattern to the provision of support by other specialist services. As a result of the qualitative nature of much of the information about these services, it was not possible to quantify the extent of their input to people in custody. However, it was clear from the discussions that the numbers assisted in individual prisons were likely to be small. Many were found to work either in one prison, or one (or a small number) of local authority area(s). In some cases, eligibility was found to be restricted to specific groups.

48. Staff in all prisons mentioned that staff from other organisations (e.g. Jobcentre Plus; NHS) may support those approaching release with benefits or health issues, both of which may impact on housing-related outcomes following liberation.

The identification of housing issues in prison

49. The survey and discussions found processes in place in all prisons to identify housing issues, on imprisonment and during a sentence and approaching release.

The identification of housing issues on imprisonment

50. In all prisons, during the first 24 hours in custody:

• Reception staff would identify immediate needs (including housing issues), and either deal with these or make a referral.
• First night, or residential staff would identify immediate needs and either deal with these or make a referral.

51. In all prisons, staff (generally from the Link Centre) would administer a "Core Screen" within the first 72 hours. The Core Screen is a national tool, used in all establishments to identify immediate and longer term needs across a wide range of areas (including “accommodation”).

52. In all prisons, everyone admitted to custody would be invited (but not compelled) to attend an induction process. All individuals in the group discussions undertaken in prisons as part of this research reported that they had attended induction, and staff indicated that levels of attendance were generally high.

53. It was found that all induction processes involved some input on housing issues. This was generally delivered by prison staff, but two examples were identified of housing staff providing input: a number of local authority housing staff would take it in turns to do this at HMP Low Moss; and Glasgow City Council staff attended induction at HMP Barlinnie. Most people in custody would also be allocated a personal officer as a first contact for all issues.

54. Some prison and housing staff gave examples of using additional methods to identify housing needs on imprisonment, such as:

• The Improving Offenders Housing Outcomes Project gathering additional housing information at the Core Screen stage in HMP Perth.
• Other enhanced assessment arrangements in three prisons (the “Grampian Asset Profile” assessment at HMPYOI Grampian; Asset Inquiry Reports and the Low Moss PSP at HMP Low Moss; and reintegration projects at HMYOI Polmont).
• Multi-agency case conferencing (described in various ways) in five prisons (HMPYOI Grampian; HMPs Perth, Greenock, Inverness and Dumfries).
• A list of admissions being given to relevant local authorities to identify any tenants in custody in three prisons (HMPs Dumfries and Perth; and HMPYOI Grampian).

55. Additional, less formal means found to be used included that:

• Anyone in custody could request support at any time, using a standard referral procedure available in all residential areas in prisons.
• Any staff may identify issues as part of their day to day contact with individuals.
• Peer supporters in HMP Low Moss^[21] may identify issues.

56. Information may be provided by sources outside the prison (e.g. an individual’s family members or friends; landlords; solicitors; community-based housing officers; social workers; or other support workers).

57. Each of the formal processes (reception, first night, Core Screen, local initiatives, multi-agency joint working and induction) were found to require staff to log any issues identified using the PR2 system and, where possible, make an onward referral.

58. Some limitations to these processes were noted in the discussions. For example, many participants suggested that the Core Screen or induction processes did not always uncover housing issues on imprisonment. At the time of writing, the SPS was working to address this by revising the Core Screen form and guidance.

The identification of housing issues during a sentence and approaching release

59. During a sentence and approaching release, all prisons were found to have similar arrangements in place for identifying housing issues.

60. Although the detailed arrangements were found to vary slightly, individuals in all prisons would be called automatically to an appointment with a member of prison staff at the Link Centre around six weeks before release (although they were not compelled to attend). Staff would then carry out a basic assessment of their situation and support requirements for release, including in relation to housing.

61. The research found that housing issues could also be identified through:

• TSOs’ or other service providers’ wider work.
• Assessments carried out by reintegration projects.
• Direct contact between an individual and a housing staff member.
• Multi-agency case management meetings (with regular meetings of relevant services found in a few prisons, as detailed in Annexe 3).

62. It was noted, however, that, during a sentence, the identification of housing issues often relied on individuals themselves becoming aware of these issues, recognising the need for action, or asking for support from a service provider. For those approaching release, some housing staff said housing issues were often brought to their attention too late for them to take effective pre-release action.

The nature of services delivered in prison

63. The research found that the work by housing-related services in prison focused on tackling some key issues facing people who served short sentences, both immediately on imprisonment; and during a sentence and approaching release. This sub-section presents the research findings on the nature of in-prison work carried out at each stage.

64. It was found in the discussions that housing staff would not always work with people at an early stage in their sentence. It was suggested by prison and housing staff that most local authorities focused on working with people closer to release.

65. Some housing staff referred to their approach to work in prison as “homelessness prevention”, while some local authority staff mentioned using a Housing Options methodology (pghs A2:89-91). Third sector housing staff suggested that their approach was essentially similar to a Housing Options approach, focusing on the same issues and taking the same actions.

66. However, from discussions with housing staff, it was clear that there was no consistent pattern to the adoption of a Housing Options approach. It was found, for example, that housing staff from different local authorities working in the same prison may take different approaches, and that the practices of staff from individual local authorities may vary (e.g. taking a Housing Options approach with some clients, but not others).

The nature of services delivered on imprisonment

67. On imprisonment, service providers (particularly prison and housing staff) could assist with the following key issues:

• Keeping existing accommodation or giving it up by the appropriate legal process.
• Securing existing accommodation. Annexe 3
• Retrieving and storing personal possessions.
• Making appropriate arrangements for dependents.

Keeping existing accommodation or giving it up by the appropriate legal process

68. Overall, the research found that, while basic support relating to keeping existing accommodation or giving it up by the appropriate legal process was available in all prisons, the availability of more specialised support was variable. Details are provided below.

69. Support to inform landlords of a change of circumstances was found to be available in all prisons, generally through prison, but also housing staff. Two prisons reported using a “standard” form which individuals could use (although no specific difficulties were identified in doing this by telephone or letter).

70. Similarly, assistance with Housing Benefit or mortgage issues was found to be available in all prisons. Basic assistance (i.e. informing the relevant local authority or mortgage provider of a change of circumstances) was generally undertaken by prison staff. Some prison staff also indicated that they could assist individuals to make a fresh Housing Benefit claim where none was previously in place, and some had contacted local authority Housing Benefit teams or CABx for additional advice (but there was no consistent pattern to this).

71. Third sector housing staff (and some local authority housing staff) reported providing more complex Housing Benefit or mortgage-related support, including identifying previous eligibility for Housing Benefit and making backdated claims. This more detailed support was available as a matter of course in those prisons with housing staff based in the establishment, but less consistently elsewhere.

72. Similarly, the discussions highlighted variations in the availability of assistance with, for example, exploring alternative ways of paying rent (e.g. by a parent or relative paying this), or transferring a tenancy. Some housing staff stated that this only appeared to be explored routinely in a small number of cases, and that this constituted a gap in early provision, as it could potentially prevent the loss of existing accommodation.

73. Support to give up a tenancy was available in all prisons, at least at a basic level. Prison staff indicated that they would contact the landlord (or enable an individual to do so) to make necessary arrangements. No systematic difficulties were identified with this. Some prison and housing staff argued, however, that, in some cases, more specialised knowledge of landlords’ policies and practices was required to ensure appropriate processes were followed. As with transferring a tenancy, some argued that opportunities could be missed without input from specialist housing services.

74. Among local authorities in the survey, 14 indicated that they could provide support to surrender a tenancy. All of the third sector housing staff indicated that they would provide support with this. Positive examples were given of cases where, in return for surrendering a tenancy quickly, small amounts of arrears had been waived, or an individual was given a guarantee of similar accommodation on release.

Securing existing accommodation.

75. Overall, the research found that although some support would be available in all prisons to secure existing accommodation, there was no consistent pattern by prison, area or type of landlord. Details are provided below.

76. In principle, prison staff in all establishments indicated that they would provide support to secure existing accommodation, as did all local authority and other housing staff (through local housing officers). In practice, however, some prison staff reported a range of difficulties with this, particularly in identifying someone to carry out the practical tasks.

77. It was suggested that some landlords appeared more willing than others to do this, particularly where there was seen to be an urgent need for action (e.g. relating to the area in which the accommodation was situated, or when there was bad weather). It was also suggested that family members and friends, when approached, may be reluctant to become involved (sometimes because of a fear of being arrested). A number of legal issues were also reported by prison and housing staff, particularly relating to ensuring that anyone entering a property had a right to do so.

Retrieving and storing personal possessions

78. Overall, the research found that there appeared to be a difference between the availability of service provision to retrieve and store possessions in principle and in practice. Details are provided below.

79. All prisons suggested that, in principle, support could be provided to an individual to retrieve personal possessions, and a total of 11 local authorities in the survey, as well as all of the third sector housing services based in prisons and a small number of third sector community-based organisations indicated that they could assist with this. Many prison and housing staff, however, reported that it was often difficult to achieve this in practice.

80. The reasons noted for this were similar to those set out above in relation to securing existing accommodation, and, in addition, that:

• Some landlords would act very quickly to remove and dispose of possessions, with insufficient time for arrangements to be made.
• Some landlords, while willing to secure accommodation, would not retrieve possessions, and even where they would, they would not always store them.
• The storage options in some areas were limited or expensive.
• Some family members and friends were reluctant to remove property (for fear of being accused of theft, or, in some cases, due to a lack of storage space).

Making arrangements for dependents

81. Overall, the research found support available in all prisons to enable housing-related arrangements to be made for dependent family members, although making arrangements for pets was seen to be more difficult. Details are provided below.

82. Support to make arrangements for dependent family members was available in all prisons. It was noted that prison staff could pass information to family members directly, or enable contact between an individual and their family members for this purpose. They could also facilitate contact with social work services to make care arrangements, or could liaise on behalf of an individual with family members, local authority or other community-based services.

83. All prisons indicated that while, in principle, staff could help individuals make arrangements for the welfare of pets, it could be more difficult in practice to identify services to remove and re-home a pet, or to meet the costs of this. There could also be legal issues with gaining entry to property.

The nature of services delivered during a sentence and approaching release

84. During a sentence and approaching release, service providers (including prison, housing, reintegration and some other specialist services) could assist with the following key issues:

• Addressing changing housing circumstances.
• Developing independent living skills.
• Making financial arrangements for release.
• Identifying accommodation for release.

Addressing changing housing circumstances

85. Overall, there were basic processes in place in all prisons to address these issues, although the specific nature of actions taken varied. Details are provided below.

86. All prisons reported that they had basic processes in place to help deal with some debt, arrears or legal issues, where an individual identified these issues during their sentence. Where this was the case, this generally involved prison staff logging these on PR2 and making a referral to a housing service, or in the absence of this, another agency (e.g. the individual’s own solicitor or a CAB).

87. The only issue where prison staff consistently noted taking direct action was in relation to abandonment (pghs A2:99-100). A number of prison staff provided examples of cases where they had been able to halt abandonment proceedings by contacting the individual’s landlord and relaying information about his or her change of circumstances.

88. The availability of more specialist services to help address debt, arrears and legal issues varied across prisons. In the two prisons with CAB staff employed to provide the housing service (HMPs Dumfries and Inverness), it was found that much of the support was provided internally. In other prisons, staff generally provided support consistent with their own knowledge, before making an onward referral.

89. Housing staff provided a few examples of cases where they had been able to support individuals to address issues relating to arrears. Overall, eight local authorities in the survey (as well as three housing associations) indicated that they would provide support to manage rent or mortgage arrears, or to put in place repayment plans. At the time of the fieldwork, however, a number of prison and housing staff reported that they had faced practical difficulties with SPS systems in setting these up. The SPS indicated that these difficulties had been identified, and would be addressed in the second half of 2015.

Developing independent living skills

90. Overall, at the time of the research, the findings from the surveys and discussions indicated that prisons were at different stages in work to develop individuals’ independent living skills and prepare them for a tenancy. Details are provided below.

91. Some prisons were found to be providing tenancy preparation courses. Staff in HMP Dumfries developed an SQA award on “Tenancy and Citizenship” which was designed to develop knowledge and skills in relation to obtaining and sustaining a tenancy, as well as a variety of inter-personal, conflict resolution and employability skills. Following a successful trial, the importance of sustaining tenancies and the level of interest expressed by other establishments, the SPS intends to roll this out nationally, once approved by management.

92. A few other examples were provided of short courses on budgeting and various aspects of independent living skills (noted by staff in HMPs Barlinnie, Low Moss, Perth and Inverness; HMPYOIs Cornton Vale and Grampian; and HMYOI Polmont).

93. Prison and reintegration staff suggested a role for the Community Integration Units and HMPs Greenock and Inverness and HMPYOI Grampian in the development of independent living skills. The overall approach of the CIUs involves giving residents responsibility for all aspects of the management of their accommodation, including: cleaning and basic maintenance; planning meals; budgeting; purchasing ingredients; and cooking. As far as possible, the CIUs are designed to mirror a home environment. Residents work, or attend placements, outside the prison.

Making financial arrangements for release

94. Overall, the research found arrangements in place in all prisons to enable people to make those financial arrangements that were possible in advance of release. There were, at the time of the fieldwork, seen to be limited opportunities to obtain suitable forms of identification, which were being addressed by the SPS. Details are provided below.

95. All prisons reported that processes were in place to ensure that benefit claims could be started prior to liberation, with staff from Jobcentre Plus visiting on a regular basis. Referrals to them would be generated automatically, usually when an individual had around six weeks left to serve (although some individuals stated that it was sometimes later). They would then be invited, but not compelled to attend an appointment.

96. Staff in all prisons indicated that they could support individuals to make an application to the Scottish Welfare Fund (pghs A2:114-118). It was clear from discussions with staff that, at the time of the fieldwork, this was a relatively new initiative, and that processes were still evolving. However, in general terms, no issues were identified with this (although prison staff were, in some cases, not fully familiar with all aspects of making applications, leading to some areas of difficulty).

97. The research found examples of pilot work being carried out in HMPs Castle Huntly and Low Moss to enable individuals to access suitable forms of ID for return to the community. Work was also being done in HMPs Addiewell and Castle Huntly, and HMPYOI Grampian to enable access to bank or credit union accounts from prison. At the time of writing, the SPS was working with the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) to improve access to bank accounts for all of those leaving custody.

Identifying accommodation for release.

98. Overall, the survey and discussions found wide variation within and between prisons in the extent of work that would be done prior to release to identify accommodation. All prisons had a basic process in place to identify housing issues and provide individuals with the basic information to present as homeless, or take up another form of accommodation. Although some more intensive support to identify accommodation was available in most prisons, the availability and nature of this varied widely. Details are provided below.

99. In all prisons, Link Centre staff reported providing information to individuals about the correct procedures to present as homeless, and some of the issues involved. All Link Centres keep basic information about local authority housing services (including addresses, opening hours and out of hours arrangements).

100. In the absence of more intensive support (outlined below), as a basic minimum, it was found that prison Link Centre staff would contact an individual’s local authority to try to arrange an appointment for the day of liberation (although survey responses and the experiences of prison staff indicated that not all local authorities would permit this^[22]).

101. Discussions with staff also suggested that TSOs, and the Low Moss, Shine and New Routes PSPs would have a role in helping prepare their clients for the day of liberation.

102. In terms of housing services’ involvement, where an individual had access to such a service (pgh A3:15), many variations were identified in the service provided (often dependent on the policies of an individual’s home local authority).

103. Variations included that^[23]:

• Some local authorities would carry out a detailed assessment of housing needs, (which may follow the Housing Options methodology as described in pghs A2:89-92) while others would not. In the survey, 17 local authorities indicated that they would do this.
• Although staff from other organisations working in prisons (e.g. Shelter, Sacro) reported routinely carrying out assessments of housing needs prior to liberation, the extent to which these were accepted by local authorities was found to vary. It was noted that some local authorities would take note of these, while others appeared to require individuals to start from scratch on the day of liberation.
• Some local authorities allow individuals to make applications for housing from custody before liberation. In the survey, 17 indicated they would enable this.
• Virtually all housing associations (including those which responded to the survey and those taking part in discussions) indicated that they would accept an application for accommodation from custody. However, it was also noted by some in discussion that this would be likely to have little or no chance of success. Practical difficulties caused by different application processes for individual housing associations were also noted.
• Although an individual may make a homelessness application prior to liberation, in practice, it was found in the discussions that there was little consistency in this. Even within the same local authority area, examples were found of different approaches to an application (e.g. it may be completed and signed before release; completed but not signed before release; or completed on the day of liberation).
• Eight local authorities and two housing associations indicated in the survey that they would consider pre-allocating accommodation. A representative of another indicated in discussion that they were considering doing this in the future. Some local authority housing staff, however, described practical and operational difficulties in pre-allocating accommodation, relating to the management of housing stock and minimising rent loss from empty properties.

104. A small number of specialist organisations (pgh A3:46) were involved in providing accommodation with support for people on release (in some prisons, and with individuals returning to designated areas and / or in particular groups). Where this was the case, they would generally identify the accommodation before an individual was liberated.

105. One further issue (raised by a number of staff in discussions) was that, where a woman faced a risk of domestic abuse in the community, the local authority could, along with the SPS, Police Scotland and other services, make additional arrangements for her safety. These could include: improving the security of existing accommodation; finding accommodation in another area; and involving Women’s Aid in providing support. It was noted that this was dependent on these risks being identified and recognised.

Services in the community

106. This section will summarise the research findings in relation to services in the community (on, and following release). It will provide data on: the pattern of services in the community; the identification of housing needs in the community; and the nature of services in the community.

The pattern of services in the community

107. The research found that three main types of services were involved in providing housing-related support in the community. These were:

• Housing services.
• Reintegration services.
• Other specialist services.

Housing services

108. The survey and discussions found that the main housing services involved in providing services in the community (on, and following release) included local authorities, housing associations and third sector housing services, as follows:

• Homelessness teams, and staff working with individuals in hostels, B&Bs and other temporary accommodation.
• Staff working with tenants to address support needs while in a tenancy.
• Staff employed by third sector housing organisations such as Shelter.

109. These types of housing services were found to be available in all local authority areas.

Reintegration services

110. The survey and discussions found that all of the reintegration staff who worked with people in prison could also be involved on, and following release.

111. These included: the TSOs and the Low Moss, Shine, New Routes and BAFC Moving On PSPs (pghs A3:36 to 44) as well as criminal justice social work voluntary throughcare staff in all local authority areas.

Other specialist services

112. The survey also found that all of the other specialist services who worked with people in prison also did so on, and following release. These were described earlier (pgh A3:46) and will not be reiterated here.

113. The surveys and discussions found a considerable number of additional community-based services which may, as part of their general work, provide support to individuals leaving custody. Among the areas of work covered by these projects were:

• Befriending.
• Employability, education and training.
• Family support.
• Food banks.
• Furniture provision.
• Money advice and welfare rights.

114. The survey and discussions also found projects working with specific groups (particularly women, young people and people from ethnic minority communities) whose staff may work with those leaving custody.

115. While these services cannot all be listed, examples of their involvement are provided in the section on “the nature of services in the community”.

116. In general terms, the concentration of such services was found to be closely linked to the size of the population. Thus, more services were identified in the cities than in rural areas. In discussions, both third sector reintegration and social work staff noted that, on a case by case basis, it may be difficult to find specific specialist services to address particular individual needs in some areas.

The identification of housing issues in the community

117. The survey found that the main formal processes for identifying housing issues in the community, both on, and following release were through Housing Options assessments. These were carried out by all local authorities. Housing staff stated, in discussions, that these were broadly similar across local authority areas (although varying in detail).

118. In addition to these assessments, some reintegration and other specialist staff stated that their own review processes would examine housing issues, as part of an overall review of any issues requiring input. TSOs and others also noted that their day to day contact and on-going work with individuals may highlight housing issues. Individuals themselves could also raise housing issues with any of the services working with them.

119. Additionally, any other services working with an individual in the community could report housing issues not already raised. It was noted, for example, that there may be cases in which an individual did not recognise that they were homeless, but a member of staff working with them on another issue (e.g. addictions; health etc.) may pick this up and raise it with the individual and a housing service (e.g. where someone was sleeping on a sofa).

The nature of services delivered in the community

120. The research found that the work by housing-related services in the community focused on tackling some key issues facing people who served short sentences on, and following release. Services (particularly housing, reintegration and other specialist services) could assist with the following issues:

• Obtaining accommodation.
• Moving in to accommodation.
• Responding to changing housing circumstances in the community.
• Managing and sustaining accommodation.
• Accessing other services and support.

Obtaining accommodation

121. Overall, the research found that all social housing providers could provide accommodation, if available, to people released from short sentences. In the majority of cases, individuals leaving custody were able to find accommodation on the day of liberation, although there were wide variations in the processes involved and the accommodation provided. Details are provided below.

122. Most reintegration staff (including PSPs and individual reintegration services – see pghs A3:36 – 44) and some specialist services (pghs A3:45-48) noted that they would pick people up from prison on release, and accompany them to a housing appointment. There were some differences reported in aspects of practice (e.g. whether they would provide transportation, advocacy and / or other support). At the time of the research, TSOs were becoming more involved in providing this immediate support, and it was intended that their role would develop further in the future (including supporting people who were not eligible for other reintegration services).

123. The discussions found three main processes for addressing the immediate accommodation needs of people who did not have their own accommodation on release, or who had not been pre-allocated accommodation. In all cases, the local authority housing service was central to the process. These were that:

• An individual would have a pre-arranged appointment (in some cases with a named worker), to check and sign a homelessness application that had been started while in custody. The individual would be allocated accommodation at, or following this meeting.
• An individual would report to a housing office (with or without a pre-arranged appointment) to make a homelessness application. If successful, accommodation would generally be allocated at that point. If the application was not successful, or if further enquiries were required, the individual would generally be given emergency accommodation (for example in a hostel, B&B, or even a budget hotel).
• Infrequently, where an individual was unable to reach the housing office in time (for example, if they had travelled a considerable distance), they may be asked to report directly to emergency accommodation. If the emergency accommodation was full, the individual may be provided with the addresses of other emergency accommodation. Both individuals and reintegration staff provided examples of cases (in two local authority areas) where people liberated from custody had been unable to secure emergency accommodation and had had to sleep rough.

124. Reintegration staff noted that, in some cases where an individual had been pre-allocated accommodation through a third sector provider, they would still have to complete a homelessness application on the day of release (having been unable to do so in custody). It was noted that this was a source of uncertainty and frustration for individuals and staff involved, as there was no guarantee that an application would be accepted. One example was given of an individual who, despite having being pre-allocated accommodation, had initially had their application refused, on the basis of having no local connection (although this was changed after some hours).

125. The types of accommodation provided on liberation varied from area to area (depending on availability and individual authority policies), but included:

• Hostels, B&B accommodation and (in a small number of cases) budget hotels.
• Individual or shared accommodation with additional support.
• Individual or shared accommodation with no, or limited support (including private sector rented accommodation).
• A permanent tenancy in a public sector property (more usually following a period in temporary accommodation).

126. Participants of all types in the discussions stated that there was an overall shortage of accommodation in Scotland. There was seen to be a general shortage of social housing, and some variation by factors such as geographical area, demand, and type of tenure. There was seen to be a particular shortage of accommodation appropriate for those leaving custody. Types mentioned specifically included: one-bedroomed flats in central locations; supported accommodation; emergency accommodation; private lets; and housing association accommodation.

127. Other constraints to availability of accommodation were seen to relate to:

• Difficulties for people leaving prison in affording rents or deposits, and difficulties accessing rent deposit schemes.
• The application of the Local Housing Allowance rate and the under-occupancy penalty, which it was suggested could limit individuals’ options.
• Exclusion from some accommodation of people who had committed specific types of offences (e.g. drug-related offences, or arson).

128. Both staff and individuals reported difficulties which could arise as a result of the location of the temporary accommodation available. For example, in some areas, it was noted that this may be distant from other support services (particularly health services, but also Jobcentre Plus offices). Examples were given of individuals leaving HMP Dumfries who had been placed in temporary accommodation in Stranraer, while other forms of support had been arranged for them in Dumfries and individuals returning to Glasgow who had been placed in outlying areas, even though the designated health service for homeless people is in the city centre.

129. Although many staff acknowledged that local authorities faced an overall shortage of housing, some reintegration staff raised concerns about the insistence of some local authorities that individuals should be able to demonstrate a “local connection” (pghs A2:83:85) before being accepted as homeless in that area. It was suggested that this could undermine pre-release work carried out with the individual and militate against individuals seeking to make a “fresh start”, away from negative peer pressures. Several participants expressed the view that there were few alternatives available to people who refused offers of accommodation because they were concerned about these risks.

130. Three specific examples of given of work being carried out to increase the range of accommodation available. These were:

• A scheme run by Shelter in Dundee, where individuals leaving custody were placed in private lets with a guarantee to the landlord that the tenant would receive support for six months.
• A local authority (Argyll and Bute) where staff maintained a list of landlords willing to take people on Home Detention Curfew (HDC).
• A scheme in Fife where the local authority had secured a number of private sector flats for homeless people (including, but not exclusively people leaving prison) on the basis of a long term rental guarantee to the landlord.

Moving in to accommodation

131. Overall, discussions with staff suggested that, particularly since the deployment of the TSOs, support with moving into accommodation should be available to all individuals requiring this. There could, however, be some problems as a result of an apparent lack of co-ordination. Details are provided below.

132. Most reintegration staff, including PSP staff and TSOs reported that they would provide support to some individuals to move into accommodation, as could staff from local authorities, housing associations and some other specialist services.

133. Other services were also noted as having a role in enabling people to move in to accommodation. For example, participants of all types noted the role of food banks in helping individuals recently released from prison. A number of local authorities and reintegration services indicated that they maintained a stock of food bank vouchers for people in this position. Some projects (e.g. GRAFT in Ayrshire, and Hillhouse and Bethany in Edinburgh) reported providing basic essentials (such as furniture, pots, pans and duvets and, in some cases, clothing) and a few described the provision of hygiene starter packs.

134. Staff and individuals stated that, despite the services available to help with moving in, the range of actions required were not always carried out in a co-ordinated way. Examples were given where:

• Administrative processes were not completed in time to allow the individual to move in on the day of release.
• Keys were unavailable.
• Emergency shuttering was still in place at the accommodation.
• Utilities were not reconnected.
• Furniture or starter packs had not been delivered.
• Individuals had no money for power meters.

Responding to changing housing circumstances

135. Overall, the research found that, where individuals were receiving reintegration support, or were routinely in touch with local authority or housing association staff, any changes to their housing circumstances were likely to be identified and addressed. Where this was not the case, this was less likely. Details are provided below.

136. Staff of all types indicated that, where possible, they would deal with any housing issues as they arose, or make a referral to another specialist service (e.g. a housing service, solicitor, CAB or money advice project). Some housing staff indicated that they would, if necessary, refer the individual for a Housing Options review, and potentially a needs assessment (pghs A2:89-92).

137. Staff of all kinds, however, noted that pressures on services could make it difficult to sustain high levels of contact, except for the highest priority cases. As a result, for many of those who had served short sentences, the onus would be on them to first identify an issue, then seek assistance.

Managing and sustaining accommodation

138. Overall, it was clear from the survey and discussions that those liberated from prison could access the same forms of tenancy support as were available to others in social housing, although the level of this could vary. Details are provided below.

139. All of the local authorities responding to the survey (28), as well as all of the housing associations and third sector organisations offering accommodation with additional support, indicated that they could provide on-going tenancy sustainment support. This generally involved regular contact with the service user to identify any new issues arising, support to engage with any other relevant service, and on-going oversight of, and support with tenancy management. The level and type would vary by need, and could range from a concierge in a block of flats to intensive one to one work.

140. Reintegration staff could also have a role in providing support relating to maintaining and sustaining accommodation. This could involve enabling people to manage their housing (e.g. through one to one personal support, advocacy and advice; practical support; and referral on to any other service they may need).

141. The length of their input would vary, depending on the service. TSOs, for example, could work with individuals in the community for up to six weeks. The Shine and New Routes PSPs would nominally provide support for up to six months (although this could be extended if seen to be required). The Low Moss PSP (and other prison-based reintegration projects) effectively provided open-ended support, which was only terminated when the worker and individual agreed it was no longer required.

142. A small number of local authority and third sector staff noted that individuals may be able to access short courses in the community (e.g. on basic household skills) to help sustain a tenancy. One local authority (Falkirk Council) had made courses usually provided to those Community Payback Orders available to those recently liberated.

143. A small number of examples were given of services providing social and personal support to combat isolation, generally to specific groups. These included: 218 and Tomorrow’s Women (women); Sacro (veterans); BAFC Moving On (young men liberated from Polmont); and Catalyst (adult men liberated from Kilmarnock). This could involve, for example, drop-in provision, groupwork, and access to informal support from workers.

Accessing other services and support

144. Overall, the discussions with reintegration and housing staff suggested that services were available in most communities to provide other forms of support with a range of housing issues. There were some variations, however, by area in the availability of particular specialist services. Details are provided below.

145. Reintegration and housing staff noted that they could enable individuals to access other support with issues such as:

• Health.
• Addictions.
• Benefits and money advice.
• Employment.

146. Some services would be available to people in all local authority areas, such as:

• JobCentre Plus.
• Local authority services (in addition to housing and social work).
• Health services (e.g. GPs; mental health; drug and alcohol; learning disability).
• Learning or employment support.
• Citizens’ Advice Bureaux.

147. Some additional services would vary considerably by area, such as:

• Services offering volunteering opportunities.
• Befriending projects.
• Specialist services working with particular groups (e.g. women, veterans, disabled people, ethnic minority people etc.).
• Credit unions and money advice projects.
• Furniture and food projects.
• Projects providing family support.

148. Reintegration staff and individuals stated that, even where services may nominally be available, there were often eligibility criteria limiting their availability. As noted earlier (pghs A3:43-44), geographical factors could also constrain this.

Summary

149. Overall, the research found many services which may be involved in addressing housing issues in prison and in the community. There were housing-related services addressing all of the issues found to affect people who serve short sentences in Scotland (described in Chapter 2) and these services have been summarised in this Annexe.

150. The main services involved are: prison, housing, reintegration and other specialist services. The forms of support they provide can include: advice; information; practical and emotional support; accommodation; advocacy; and referral to others. A key finding, however, is that there is no consistent housing-related service provision across Scotland for those who serve short sentences. The findings described in this Annexe demonstrate variations in the pattern of housing-related services and in their practice.

151. There was a common view among research participants that this meant that many individuals who served short sentences in Scotland did not receive the services they needed to tackle the housing issues they faced.

152. This Annexe has focused on the data about the pattern and nature of housing-related services, and gaps or variations in availability. It should be noted that a cross-cutting issue, affecting the availability of public and third sector services working in prison and in the community, was resource limitations (accommodation, funding and staffing).

153. Additionally, the main report (Chapter 4) described a number of cross-cutting constraints to the delivery or receipt of housing-related services. These included: a lack of overall strategic approach; limited monitoring; a lack of an overall structure and joined-up approach; gaps in knowledge and awareness; a negative impact of attitudes and behaviour; and policy and practice in other relevant areas (e.g. welfare and sentencing).

154. Among many suggestions made to improve housing-related services (detailed in Annexe 6), was a common view that all of those serving short sentences should have access to the same level of support, at all stages, whatever their prison or home area.