CEP Probation Awards 2016: a celebration of outstanding contributions to probation

Objectives

The awards scheme reflects CEP’s vision: To contribute to safer communities by rehabilitating and reintegrating offenders and providing the best possible interventions to reduce re-offending and the impact of crime.

The Award Scheme aims to:

• Celebrate and recognise outstanding achievement in a range of probation settings
• Promote professionalism and excellence
• Foster good practice through dissemination of information about award winners
• Improve awareness of probation and stimulate publicity
• Encourage leadership and partnership
• Promote research and the sharing of professional knowledge
• Promote CEP values, and a commitment to diversity and human rights

Award winners will receive an engraved plaque and a framed photograph of them receiving their award at the General Assembly.  Opportunities would be found for their work to be showcased in the media, on the website – either at the conference or at future events.

CEP will cover the cost for one person to attend the conference for each of the 4 awards.

Process

The nomination process has now closed.

Recipients of the Award will be contacted and invited to attend and present the CEP Conference by Friday 2 September.

Any questions about the Awards Programme should be sent to the CEP office: secr@cep-probation.org

Awards

There are four categories of award. A winner and runner-up from each category will be selected.

1. Rehabilitation in the community – an award for work which is effective in rehabilitating probation clients and reducing reoffending.

2. Social inclusion – an award for work which has made a significant contribution to integrating probation clients into the community.

Examples could include work which enables clients to make amends to the community (restorative justice); or which tackles discrimination; or which involves volunteers in actively supporting ex-offenders (e.g. mentoring).

3. Public protection – an award for making a significant contribution to reducing risk of harm to potential victims.

Examples of this would include work which focuses in specific risks (e.g. violence, sex offending, domestic violence, radicalisation). It would also include an approach to managing individuals who pose a serious public protection risk.

4. Research – an award for research which has had a major impact on probation practice.

The research must have been published in the last 5 years (2011 or later).  Examples include the evaluation of a specific intervention; desistance research; research which improves the training or development of practitioners.

Eligibility

Rehabilitation, Social Inclusion and Public Protection awards

1. The competition is open to all organisations working to provide probation or community justice services in the community.
2. The work nominated must be based in the community (i.e. not in a prison or correctional institution).
3. It must have been operating for a minimum of 12 months at the point of nomination and be able to provide information about the type of services provided and number of people receiving these.
4. The work must be able to show that it has clear objectives and provide evidence about its success in meeting these.

In making their decisions the Awards Committee will take into account

• How long has the project/service has been operating successfully
• Innovation
• Level of impact

Research award

The research nominated must have been published in the last 5 years.  If the research has not been published in English, a summary in English must be provided.

The nomination must show how the research has been used to develop or support probation practice.

Supporting evidence

The nomination for the rehabilitation, social inclusion and public protection awards must be supported by

• a reference from a senior manager from the agency (normally the Director of Chief Executive) who can endorse the nomination and confirm that the information provided is accurate;

• a reference an individual who is not a member of the agency who can confirm the impact of the work.

The nomination for the research award must be supported by:

• a reference from an academic in relation to the quality of the research
• a senior member of a probation / community justice organisation who can confirm the impact of the research on probation practice.

Nominations must be submitted in English using the on-line proforma. Additional evidence may also be submitted electronically as an attachment.