Community Payback - Online Learning Courses
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My OH received 180 hours payback and was given pamphlets from probabtion right at the beginning, offering up to 30% of his hours could be done online, by completing various online courses.
Since November he has completed around 20 hours online courses, as well as attending community payback sessions twice a week.
Today he asked his probabtion officer (3rd different one in 5 sessions) to confirm exactly how many hours online learning he had accrued, only to be told that if you have committed an online offence you are NOT allowed to do online courses, and his 20 hours won't count.
Needless to say my OH is extremely hacked off. Nowhere in the information he received does it state that online offenders can't do this.
It doesn't help that (very) often the supervisor for payback has to take a half day for meetings and such like, so the chaps get sent home early and lose hours.
A couple of times it has been cancelled completely at short or no notice.
The entire system seems to be a complete shambles and it's so frustrating. My OH just wants to get his hours done. It's very disheartening, and the whole attitude of probation (who I thought were there to help our people and support them, as well as supervise their punishment) is very poor.
Has anyone else's person done online learning, only to be told it doesn't count?
Since November he has completed around 20 hours online courses, as well as attending community payback sessions twice a week.
Today he asked his probabtion officer (3rd different one in 5 sessions) to confirm exactly how many hours online learning he had accrued, only to be told that if you have committed an online offence you are NOT allowed to do online courses, and his 20 hours won't count.
Needless to say my OH is extremely hacked off. Nowhere in the information he received does it state that online offenders can't do this.
It doesn't help that (very) often the supervisor for payback has to take a half day for meetings and such like, so the chaps get sent home early and lose hours.
A couple of times it has been cancelled completely at short or no notice.
The entire system seems to be a complete shambles and it's so frustrating. My OH just wants to get his hours done. It's very disheartening, and the whole attitude of probation (who I thought were there to help our people and support them, as well as supervise their punishment) is very poor.
Has anyone else's person done online learning, only to be told it doesn't count?
Much to my surprise, it turns out that they can do online courses as part of their unpaid work. I had always thought it was actual work in the community, and I'm sure most the public think the same.
I bet this is just a way to reduce costs for probation, because they do not have to be supervised, but that is another matter.
The only eligibility criteria is that the person must be unemployed. However there is a grey area, where probation are allowed to use their discretion when deciding who is suitable, based on a persons "individual needs".
So it is possible that this particular probation trust has made up a rule, forbidding online offenders from doing these courses. It would have to be applied consistently though.
The way to find out, would be to contact the probation trust directly and ask them if there is a rule forbidding online offenders from doing online courses.
I bet this is just a way to reduce costs for probation, because they do not have to be supervised, but that is another matter.
The only eligibility criteria is that the person must be unemployed. However there is a grey area, where probation are allowed to use their discretion when deciding who is suitable, based on a persons "individual needs".
So it is possible that this particular probation trust has made up a rule, forbidding online offenders from doing these courses. It would have to be applied consistently though.
The way to find out, would be to contact the probation trust directly and ask them if there is a rule forbidding online offenders from doing online courses.
Thank you Edel - that's really helpful and I may well do that - will see what the probation officer comes back with first. X