Basic Skills

Basic Skills are:

·  reading

·  writing

·  speaking and listening

·  using numbers

Not possessing these skills can have a detrimental effect on individual’s life.  Adults with poor basic skills are:

·  less likely to own their own home

·  less likely to be in good health

·  less likely to be involved in public life, a community organisation or to vote

·  more likely to be homeless

·  more likely to have children at an earlier age and to have more children

·  over-represented in prisons and young offender institutions.

Offenders –both in prison and on community sentences- have been identified as a target group for basic skills as part of the Government’s continuing national strategy to improve adult literacy and numeracy. 

The National Probation Service identifies those individuals who may benefit from having access to a basic skills course upon completion of the Pre-Sentence Report.  The offender is offered the opportunity to sit an assessment to determine which level they are currently at.  Approximately 50% of the offenders screened have very poor basic skills.  This can lead to a lack of understanding of programme material with those offenders who are sentenced to participate on offending behaviour programmes as part of their supervision.

In Cumbria we work in partnership with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and Action for Employment (A4E) in order to bring these courses to offenders, helping them improve their basic skills and offering them the chance to receive formal qualifications which can increase their chances of employment and reduce re-offending.

The Probation Area also works with a range of voluntary sector organisations to support offender learning.

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