Criminal Justice Social Work Services

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Scottish local authorities have a legal duty to provide criminal justice social work services. These services are provided within the framework of the Scottish Government's national objectives and standards.

The main aims are to:

• challenge and address offending behaviour
• contribute to community safety
• provide a range of community disposals to reduce the risk of re-offending

Our main services include:

• social enquiry reports for the courts
• court social work services
• bail information service
• diversion from prosecution scheme
• supervised attendance order scheme
• probation supervision
• community service
• throughcare services
• drug services, including arrest referral, drug treatment and testing order (DTTO) and drugs counselling
• groupwork services
• additional specialist services include the community forensic mental health team (who work with mentally disordered offenders) and Pathways Partnership project (who work with sexual offenders)
  

Most of these services are delivered on a local basis but others are provided by the teams which have been devised to work across the criminal justice grouping of East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and Renfrewshire. For more information, contact your local social work office.

You might also be interested in:

• Criminal Justice Strategic Plan 2008 - 2011
• Community alternatives unit
• Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) Annual Reports

The Victims of Crime in Scotland website offers support and help to victims of crime. Visitors can access national support agencies and other statutory bodies, including Scottish police forces.

The Scottish Government has developed a website, Witnesses in Scotland, which will be useful to anyone who has been asked to be a witness in criminal proceedings or children's hearing court proceedings. The site has separate areas specifically for children, young people and adults. Each area includes information on being a witness, going to court and giving evidence.

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