There is a lot going on at the moment in the delivery of learning and skills to offenders, but the LSC deadline is currently the biggest news in terms of the down-side of getting it wrong. The requirements for tendering for work with OLASS are announced in a letter from Jon Gamble, Director for Adults and Lifelong Learning LSC, dated 31st January 2008. Here is a significant extract:

“Contract Information

It is proposed that contracts [for OLASS phase 3] will commence on 1 August 2009 and will be awarded for 3 years extendable to 5 years, subject to performance. …

Two-Stage Tendering Process

We will be operating a two-stage process comprising a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) and an invitation to tender (ITT). Only those potential suppliers who are successful at the PQQ stage will be invited to submit an ITT.

Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ)

The PQQ was launched on 31 January 2008 and will close at 7:00 pm on 3 March 2008. An advertisement can be found in the Times Educational Supplement published on 1 February 2008. All applicants will be directed to the LSC e-tendering service at https://lsc.bravosolution.com

Any applicant questions relating to the procurement process will be managed through the Bravo messaging service.

Invitation to Tender (ITT)

It is planned that the OLASS ITT will be published in October 2008 and dates for regional clarification meetings scheduled for November 2008 will be confirmed, at a later date. It is envisaged that the invitation to tender will close in late December 2008. The new contracts will commence on 1 August 2009.

I should add that although the OLASS PQQ period ends on 3 March and ITTs are not planned to be issued until October, we do not intend to run a further PQQ opportunity between March and October. There will, therefore, be no further opportunities for organisations to qualify to be invited to tender for OLASS contracts commencing in August 2009 after 3 March deadline.”

More details are available on the LSC website at: http://www.lsc.gov.uk/providers/provider-procurement/

The LSC site offers a “Read Me First” file. This has more information and sets OLASS tendering in the context of the LSC’s overarching procurement process; a further instance of the main-steaming process.

It makes the potentially important statement in para 23 that those who qualified early in 2007, but who did not respond in September 2007 must re-qualify. You have till 7pm on Monday 3rd of March.

TRENDS IN OFFENDER LEARNING AND SKILLS PROVISION – CHOPPY WATERS AHEAD

The year 2007 drew to a close with sombre views being expressed by leading figures about the year ahead. The system faces mounting numbers of clients with reduced funding. There are big issues facing service providers in OLASS.

The Carter Report’s modernising agenda

In the “Practice into Policy” conference, reported in our last occasional paper, Helen Edwards, then chief executive of NOMS, recommended that we read the new Carter Report “Securing the Future: proposals for the efficient and sustainable use of custody in England and Wales”. This was duly published on Dec 5th 2007.

It focuses on balancing prison capacity and sentencing policy to cut out overcrowding. He recommends more prison places in bigger ("Titan") prisons and a Sentencing Commission to regulate sentencing according to prison capacity.

After 2013 this might give the government the capacity to consider “disposal of aging or inefficient estate” (p39). So watch out if you are working in an ancient monument.

The modernising manifesto is carried further with recommendations for market testing and contestability of contacts (p37) and workforce modernisation (p40). This involves cutting overheads by streamlining management and “a pay and grading system that rewards and develops employees fairly, mitigates future equal pay claims ... and reduces the ongoing unsustainable pay bill growth.” (p40)

The Carter Report Dec 2007 is available at:
http://www.thelearningjourney.co.uk/enterprise_centre/croom/library/carter-dec07.pdf

I can only hope that this does not lead to a dislocating slugging match between management and unions. Teachers like me want the right students in the right classes at the right time with the right resources. Not improvisation in a battleground.

The Carter Report was largely well received, especially by Jack Straw (Justice Secretary) who on 5 December 2007 introduced an enhanced £2.7bn prison building plan. But it has not been without its critics.

Anne Owers, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, used her annual report to criticise the report as too little, too late. Regarding the move to larger prisons, she holds that a smaller scale and local estate gives better focus on the individual, near their community, to reduce re-offending.

In her sixth report dated 29th January 2008, she concludes her introduction with the following words:

“Our prison system is at a crossroads. There are recent signs of a more effective and measured approach to policy and strategy, some new initiatives and plenty of good operational practice to build on. But, on the other hand, there is a real risk that we will move towards large-scale penal containment, spending more to accomplish less, losing hard-won gains and stifling innovation.”

Anne Owers’ incisive report is at: http://inspectorates.homeoffice.gov.uk/hmiprisons/docs/prisons_ann_rep_06-07.pdf?view=Binary

Reorganisation of NOMS with Phil Wheatly in charge

Jack Straw has also been busy. He has announced a reorganisation of NOMS to fulfil Carter’s ambition of streamlined management. The very impressive Phil Wheatly has been put in charge of NOMS, while Helen Edwards has been moved to a policy role.

At a regional level the roles of Area Managers in the prison service and Regional Offender Managers in NOMS will be combined in the new post of Director of Offender Management to oversee operations, resettlement and commissioning. See the details at:
http://www.noms.homeoffice.gov.uk/news-publications-events/news/MoJ_review_01-08/

Some commentators call this victory for the Prison Service. This along with the other major changes is reported by the Guardian on 30th January at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jan/30/prisonsandprobation

What about the LSC’s Prospectus?

The planned restructuring of OLASS by the LSC is equally, if not more, important to existing and future providers of offender learning and skills. The Prospectus project plans to specify delivery on an establishment-by-establishment basis. Len Cheston from the office of the Regional Offender Manager in London says:

“ we see 2008 as the key year to develop the tender specification for the re-tendering in early 2009.
… the Criminal Justice Area Reviews planned as part of the OLASS Prospectus will make a major contribution to the strategic longer-term planning of the service.”

[Len Cheston (17 December 2007), Regional Commissioning Plan 2008/2009,
OLASS e-Bulletin Issue 6]

The LSC Prospectus states that:
“Criminal justice area reviews (CJARs) will provide valuable information on current curriculum arrangements. This information will assist with the transition process to the new offender learning curriculum.
Each establishment will be allocated an establishment learning profile (ELP) that indicates the proportion of its provision in each Offender Learning Curriculum (OLC) area. Thus the process is individualised but is part of a complete national picture.”
[LSC September 2007 para. 79 & 80, p25]
This was reported in more detail in a previous TLJ paper at:
http://www.thelearningjourney.co.uk/news_item.2007-09-30.0226406370

The CJARs have been replaced by Offender Skills Curriculum Area Reviews (OSCARS). CJARS were originally planned for completion in 2007 for publication of the technical document to give the detail about now.

I am reliably informed that the OSCARS are being developed on a more measured timetable. They are being piloted in the two test-bed regions and extended nationally later in the year. The technical documentation should be available in time for the commissioning process in October 2008.

Since the consultation on the Prospectus, in the autumn of last year, the LSC has published an interesting response to that consultation process. You can find the sixty- three pages of details at:

http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/National/nat-olassquestionsanswers2008-jan08.pdf

The question/answer details are not always definitive. For example, here is the entry regarding my question:

“GL4 What priority is currently given to delivering Enterprise Skills to prepare ex-offenders for self-employment?
Enterprise Skills delivery is a legitimate part of the offer to offenders if
their individual learning plan identifies it as appropriate”

(Frequently Asked Questions p60)

Changes at The Learning Journey

There have also been significant developments at TLJ. We have established a Community Interest Company - The Learning Journey (Resettlement) CIC.

TLJ CIC is making our contribution to building a seamless process for ex-offenders to leave prison and restart their lives in the community. We are offering graphic and web design, and other goods and services produced in part or wholly by ex-offenders. Any surplus will be ploughed back to helping the resettlement effort.

We are at the beginning of this new journey. We will launch full operations in the spring. Keep abreast of developments on www.thelearningjourney.co.uk .

SHOULD YOU NOT WANT TO RECEIVE FURTHER EDITIONS OF TLJ OCCASIONAL PAPERS ON RESETTLEMENT ISSUES, PLEASE PASS IT TO SOMEONE WHO YOU THINK WILL BE INTERESTED AND THEN REPLY TO THIS EMAIL SAYING "NO MORE PLEASE".