Family and Friends Forum

Hi

I haven't posted before but like so many have lurked on the forum.
OH is now a few months post sentencing for charges that in hindsight should have been challenged due to lack of evidence, but we are where we are and nothing can change that now.

OH is doing his best to plough through his 180 community service hours but we are getting the run around from probation re the courses he can do as part of these hours, they claim to know nothing about them even the compulsory health and safety ones he should have done prior to starting community service. We know he is suppose to be able to do 30% of the hours as courses. One of the leaders there has given him copies of some of the sheets re courses available but the information is incomplete. He has managed to do the health and safety and get those credited but the others come from a different provider. He's contacted suretrust who now say he can only do 30% of the hours he has left rather than the original amount and it has to be done at their sites, which doesn't seem right and how is that fair when we have been fighting to find out this information from the start, not that any of this journey is fair. Without the information we find on here most of us would be totally lost.

So I'm wondering if any of you wonderful ladies would so kind as to let me know if you are aware of who the community service courses are run by or how you do them. I shouldn't be having to ask here but it's getting absolutely ridiculous, probation, supervisors everyone just ticking boxes and claiming complete ignorance on one of the things that could help and be offered to everyone.

Hope you can help.

Hi Anne



Thanks for the reply, he's been to visit Suretrust which seemed a good place but was nothing to do with the courses, so a waste of a day although you do seem to be able to get hours credited by going there. It's not that he minds doing the hours but it's difficult fitting them in around work and the placements he's been offered are more finding something to do for the sake of it rather than work that actually needs doing, so doesn't feel he's giving much back in that respect. We will keep trying to find out as the list of courses we've seen that are available look useful just have no idea how to officially access them. It shouldn't be such a battle.

x

Hi Majestictopaz

He is self employed and because of work commitments it's difficult to fit the community service in some weeks due to a lack of available projects, well that's what they are telling him is available. But when he has swapped days (authorised by them because of work), they have marked him as absent. The same as your partner he has a degree but the list of courses we have seen is extensive, various mental health ones and different business ones for example so he does feel some of them would be beneficial.

From what we have now found out it looks like it is down to the probation officer, probation have to give permission to unpaid work for the courses to be done so that the hours get credited.

It just seems that we are having to chase for everything to be done correctly and it is concerning because most people won't even be told that these options are out there.

x