What unpaid work is
Unpaid work is a requirement that can be made as part of aa Community Payback Order or it can be imposed on its own.
This gives someone the opportunity to ‘pay back’ their local communities for the harm their offence has caused.
The court can impose between 20 to 300 hours of unpaid work, which the person will need to complete within a specified timeframe. Unpaid work does not replace paid employment.
Unpaid work should:
- help people to develop and improve their social skills
- be of benefit to the local community, by taking place through a community group or project, or not for profit organisation
- be in a safe environment.
Levels of unpaid work
The court can sentence 2 levels of unpaid work requirement:
- Level 1: 20 to 100 hours - this is normally completed within 3 months unless specified by the court. This is a punishment by the court and can be imposed without requesting a social work report
- Level 2: 101 to 300 hours - this is a direct alternative to custody and is normally completed within 6 months unless specified by the court. This order requires a justice social work report to inform sentencing.
Types of unpaid work
Our justice social work service ensures that unpaid work benefits Renfrewshire’s communities.
It also provides a learning experience for the offender to positively connect them to the community they may have harmed.
The types of work carried out includes:
- litter picking
- clearing and maintaining walkways, public routes, and cycle paths
- clearing snow
- painting and decorating community projects
- joinery activities
- environmental projects
- gardening
- placements in public, private and charitable organisations
- voluntary activities.
Other activity
‘Other activity’ can also be provided as part of an unpaid work requirement.
These activities are aimed to help the person to develop helpful skills for the future or support underlying issues that lead to their offending behaviour.
Other activities must be agreed with a supervising officer and can include personal and practical support, training, and interventions aimed to improve their personal circumstances.
The maximum time allowed is 30 hours or less if under 100 hours is imposed.
How unpaid work is assigned
The person is assessed by our justice social work service for their general suitability to carry out unpaid work prior to court sentencing.
Before starting a placement, a further suitability assessment is carried out and the person is matched to a suitable and available placement.
How to request unpaid work for your community
Unpaid work can be requested by anyone in the community.
It must directly benefit the wider community and not replace anything that is normally paid work.
To request unpaid work to help in your area, contact our justice social work service by:
How to provide unpaid work placements
We welcome any requests or offers for potential new placements for those subject to unpaid work.
If you're a not for profit, charity, community group or social enterprise and feel you provide unpaid work placements, contact our justice social work service by:
All new placements require certain checks which our team can discuss with you, including health and safety, and disclosure checks.
You can also tell us if you have any feedback on existing projects.
How to contact us
If you want to find out more, share your experiences, or discuss what services are available to you, contact our justice social work service by: