The purpose of providing Basic Work and Living Skills (BWLS) training is to help suitable offenders to develop skills that may help them to deal with issues that lead them to offend.
The first BWLS programmes will include:
It is planned that other programmes will be added later to address other basic work and living skills needs.
Offenders who are sentenced to community work for 80 hours or more and who have basic work and living skills needs may be eligible to convert up to 20 percent of their community work hours into training to address those needs. BWLS training can only be an option if the court has authorised the conversion.
Offenders who are assessed by CPPS as having basic work and living skills needs may be referred to a training provider to attend a fuller assessment. This assessment will help determine what their needs are and if there is a suitable programme available.
Converting community work hours for BWLS training is only available for offenders who:
BWLS training will only be provided if there is a suitable programme available. Offenders who are assessed as not having basic work and living skills needs won't be eligible and must serve their community work hours. BWLS training may also be available to suitable offenders sentenced to supervision or intensive supervision. These sentences are covered in other information sheets.
Offenders must complete all the agreed BWLS hours satisfactorily or none of the hours spent on training will be counted against their community work sentence and all of the sentenced community work hours will have to be worked.