Community and neighbourhood issues

What our Whole System Approach is

Our Whole Systems Approach provides social work services and support for young people who may come into conflict with the law.

By using a Whole Systems Approach, we aim to:

• focus on the wider needs of children and young people and their families
• help reduce offending behaviours
• divert children from criminal involvement where possible and it is safe to do so.

The approach is based on research, which suggests that better long-term outcomes for young people in trouble can be achieved by safely diverting them away from legal requirements, prosecution, and custody where possible.

Find out more about the Whole System Approach (WSA) to young offending (Scottish Government website), which is supported by the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) framework (Scottish Government website).

What services we provide for young people

If you have been in conflict with the law persistently or significantly, our Whole Systems Approach can provide:

• interventions and intensive support
• court support
• support if you are leaving secure care or a young offenders’ institution
• support for your family.

Other services our Whole Systems Approach provides are:

• early identification through referrals made by police, schools or the public
• assessment reports to court and the children’s panel
• diversion and bail services
• risk assessment and case management services
• support for problematic drug or alcohol use
• supervision of court or children’s panel requirements
• public protection duties, including child protection, public protection and adult protection.

Who can get support

Our Whole System Approach (WSA) may support you if you are:

• under 18 years of age, or
• aged up to 20 years old, if you’re care experienced.

You may get support if you:

• are involved in offending behaviour
• are at risk of being, or are, subject to measures by the Children’s Hearing due to offending behaviour
• are at risk of being, or are, involved in the criminal justice system.

How to contact us

You or a family member can contact us for support by:

What our women’s justice team is 

Our women’s justice team provides social work services for women involved in the justice system.

The team is staffed by women only and work with women during all stages of the criminal justice process. 

It works within a trauma informed approach, recognising the different and often complex circumstances and experiences of women involved within the criminal justice system.

What services the team provide

Services include:

• justice social work reports 
• diversion from prosecution
• bail services
• Community Payback Orders
• Structured Deferred Sentences
• Statutory and voluntary throughcare services.

How to contact us

If you want to find out more or discuss what services could be available to you, contact our justice social work service by:

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:

• email unpaidworkjobreferrals@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

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:

• email unpaidworkjobreferrals@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

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:

Requirements of a Community Payback Order  

Courts can impose one or more of 10 requirements as part of a Community Payback Order.

These include:

• Offender Supervision - the offender must meet with a social worker for a specified period between 6 months and 3 years. A full assessment will be completed, and a management plan will be created to address the issues and the risk of reoffending
• Unpaid work or other activity - the offender must ‘pay back’ the communities they have harmed by completing unpaid work of between 20 to 300 hours. the other activity gives them the opportunity to develop skills through education or training, to support their reintegration into the community
• Compensation – the offender must pay a financial amount to the victim of their offence
• Residence – the offender must stay at a specific address
• Programme – the offender must take part in a planned set of activities to address their behaviour. This could be part of a group or individual basis
• Mental health treatment – is directed if the offender has been diagnosed with a mental health condition or learning disability that contributes to their behaviour
• Drug treatment – is directed when an offender’s behaviour is found to be connected to drug dependency, and where a Drug Testing and Treatment Order is not suitable
• Alcohol treatment - is directed when an offender’s behaviour is found to be connected to alcohol dependency
• Conduct - where the courts specify the offender to do or not do something to reduce their risk of offending
• Restricted movement – such as a home curfew or electronic tagging. 

If you fail to meet the requirements of a Community Payback Order

When a person starts a Community Payback Order, they will meet with a social worker who will fully explain its requirements. 

If you fail to meet the requirements, our justice social work staff must inform the court.

This could lead to the court imposing different actions on you, including a custodial sentence.

More information

If you want to find out more or discuss what services are available to you, contact our justice social work service by:
 

A Community Payback Order (CPO) is a community based sentence imposed by the court. It orders one or more requirements to a person convicted of an offence to both payback to the community and address their behaviour.

These are significant sentences and can be imposed for a maximum of 3 years.

This order contains a number of possible requirements, each offering the offender the opportunity to change their behaviour, protect the public and promote payback and rehabilitation.  

A Structured Deferred Sentence (SDS) is an intervention after a person has been found guilty of an offence, but before they are given final sentencing.

This is a sentencing option used by the courts for people assessed as low or medium risk of further offending and are not subject to another order.

Its focus is on providing structured support to address why the person’s needs may lead to offending behaviour.

A SDS involves delaying the final sentence to allow for a period of intervention and support with social work. 

This period is usually for between 3 to 6 months and aims to:

• address the causes of the person’s offending behaviour
• prevent further involvement in the justice system
• reduce reoffending
• provide more effective rehabilitation.

At the end of this period, our social work service provides the court with a report on the person’s progress.

If the person has shown positive engagement and progress during the intervention, the court may reduce the severity of the sentence or disposal.

If the person has not shown progress during this time, the court will consider this in its final sentence. This could include imprisonment.

More information

If you want to find out more or discuss what services are available to you, contact our justice social work service by:

What a Fiscal Work Order is   

A Fiscal Work Order (FWO) is an alternative to prosecution, where a person over 16 can agree to complete a period of unpaid work instead of facing court proceedings.

The Procurator Fiscal can offer the person an order to complete between 10 and 50 hours of unpaid work in the community within 6 months.

If the person successfully completes the FWO, they will not be prosecuted or get a criminal conviction for that offense.

The FWO aims to:

• extend the measures available to prosecutors when dealing with people who do not need a court hearing
• provide an opportunity for people accused of relatively minor offences to be dealt out with the court system
• enable those accused of offences to carry out community work to ‘pay back’ for their behaviour and avoid re-offending
• benefit victims and communities through faster and more appropriate resolution of cases
• reduce the demands on the court system and backlog of cases, by removing those that do not need to be taken to court from the process.  

Find out more about unpaid work.

More information

If you want to find out more or discuss what services are available to you, contact our justice social work service by:

What happens if diversion from prosecution is granted

If you’re considered suitable for diversion, our justice social work service can work with you for up to 3 months to focus on any personal circumstances or any other issues which may be leading you to offend.

During this time, the Procurator Fiscal will defer a decision on prosecution while they wait for the outcome of this intervention.

The service completes an assessment report if you have been referred for diversion.

Once complete, our service shares a report with the Procurator Fiscal commenting on the work you have done and the commitment you have showed.

If the actions you have taken are likely to prevent or reduce future offending, the Procurator Fiscal will usually divert you from prosecution for the alleged offence.

If the service report believes you have not made satisfactory progress, the Procurator Fiscal may decide to progress with prosecution.

More information

If you want to find out more or discuss what services are available to you, contact our justice social work service by:

In some cases, the Procurator Fiscal may decide to divert a case for social work intervention.

This is when a person is referred to our justice social work service to address the causes of their offending behaviour instead of a criminal prosecution being pursued.

Diversion may be considered in cases involving young people or first offenders for minor offences, or where it is decided by the Procurator Fiscal that it is not in the public interest for a prosecution.

Its aim is to prevent people entering the justice system unnecessarily and to prevent further offending.

What bail and bail supervision is

After an arrest and appearance at court, the court may decide that an accused person is suitable to be released on bail or bail supervision.

Bail and bail supervision serve different purposes in the legal process.

Bail is a legal condition that allows an accused person to remain in the community while awaiting trial, provided they comply with certain conditions.

Bail supervision is a social work or third sector service that supports individuals to comply with the conditions of their bail. This often involves regular meetings with a bail supervisor to monitor compliance and provide necessary support.

If bail is granted, the person is released on certain conditions until a further appearance at court.

Our justice social work service may be asked to provide an assessment for bail suitability and bail supervision. This would involve interviewing the accused person to discuss their current circumstances, including family, employment, and accommodation details.

The aim of the service is to reduce the number of accused people held in custody on remand, provided any potential risks can be managed safely outside of prison.

The service provides updates to the court on the person’s compliance with the conditions of their supervised bail.

What happens if bail supervision is granted

If you’re accused of a crime and given bail supervision, you must agree to follow support and monitoring, and any other conditions imposed by the court.

You will make a minimum of 3 contacts each week with your bail supervision officer – or another worker outlined in your conditions – for the first month. This will reduce to 1 contact per week as a minimum.
 

What happens if bail or bail supervision conditions are broken

If you do not follow the bail conditions set by the court, the court will be advised and you could be remanded to prison.

More information

If you want to find out more or discuss what services are available to you, contact our justice social work service by:

What it is

Justice social work provides a number of services to courts and people involved in the criminal justice system before they may be sentenced.

This includes assessments, support, and interventions from across our justice social work teams. 

We also have a team based in Paisley Sheriff Court, which can assist those attending court if they need support.