Are your buildings or gardens in need of maintenance? Do you have clerical work that needs doing but never have any money to pay someone? Could you supervise an offender to do this for you?

The sentence of community work requires people to make reparation to the community for the offence they have committed by doing unpaid work. It also gives people an opportunity to take responsibility for their offending and learn new skills and work habits.

Community work can be work on an individual basis through placement at an agency or in a group supervised by community probation staff.

The law defines an agency for community work purposes. If you are a local council, government agency, voluntary organisation, school, marae organisation, sports group or other community group, you may wish to use the services available through the community work sentence.

A probation officer responsible for managing offenders on community work will assess a person to determine:

• the most appropriate work for the offence they have committed
• their personal circumstances
• their needs and skills.

Any type of work can be done as long as it is not work that would be done in paid employment, or work normally done by the offender as part of their membership of an organisation.

Agencies providing placements for individual offenders on community work will need to supervise the offender and report on the person's progress to the probation officer.

We are keen to increase the number of placements we provide. If you would like to know more about how to be an agency for community work please contact your nearest community probation office. You can find a contact details under Find a community probation site.

Community Work Agency Funding

Corrections has funding available to approved agencies supervising community work offenders.

This funding is to support agencies that sponsor community work offenders on agency placement projects, with the view to expanding placements and assisting with work projects that are undertaken by offenders.

Applications can be made for such items as overalls, cleaning supplies, tools, equipment and other items used by offenders working for the agency. An agency may also apply for funding toward a special project, or hire equipment that can be used by offenders during their work placement.

For agencies that provide transport for offenders, or that have staff who incur travel costs to supervise agency offenders, the agency can apply for petrol vouchers to help with this cost.

Agencies who want to apply for funding can obtain a Community Work Funding Application form from their nearest community probation service centre or download it here.

More information about community work agency funding can be found here.

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