Criminal justice

If you have any involvement with criminal justice services—such as the police, courts, probation, or prisons—we’re here to offer you the best possible support. We’ll help you understand what’s happening, guide you through the process, and make sure you know what support is available to you as a care leaver.

It’s important to let professionals you interact with know that you’re a care leaver. This can help ensure you receive the extra support and understanding you’re entitled to. Your LCSO is also there to help you communicate this and advocate on your behalf.

Your LCSO can support you in dealing with the Police and Criminal Justice system and practical help attending appointments or court.

If you are sadly the victim of a crime or a witness, your LCSO can support you with reporting a crime to the police and advise you on what support is available to you.

If you're working with probation, your LCSO can attend your first appointment with you. With your consent, will work alongside you and your probation officer to ensure you have the support you need to successfully complete your community order, licence, or unpaid work.

If you are in prison, our custody offer includes:

make contact with the prison to arrange a legal visit.
ensure that your landlord or housing provider are made aware that you have been detained in custody.
support you to notify your place of education, training or employer, with your consent, that you are detained in custody and your expected date of release. They will support you to see if you will have the option to return after you are released from custody.
will visit you whilst you are in custody and will continue to do so when you are living in the community. They visit you every 8 weeks as a minimum up until the age of 21 and in line with your pathway plan post 21.
have regular contact with staff in custody who can support you; This may include the prison's care leavers lead staff, your offender manager and your personal officer.
hold prompt pathway planning meetings and discuss prison plans – with your consent, prison staff and probation practitioners will be asked to contribute to your pathway plan.
arrange financial support of £10 per week for you, this is for you to be able to keep in touch with your family and significant people in your life and also for you to be able to purchase essential items
encourage you to take part in the education, training and employment activities offered in prison or specific programme in your prison plan, to support your life after custody and a successful resettlement back into the community after your release.
attend and contribute to any further planning meetings to prepare you for release and support your resettlement plans, this usually begins to happen 12 weeks before your expected date of release.
work with you to identify the most appropriate housing option for you after your release from custody. They will support you to understand your housing options housing and complete a duty to refer for a housing officer to be allocated and support you.
ensure that you have seasonally appropriate clothing upon your release.
support you with accessing photo ID whilst in custody.
if you need some extra support when you are in the community and have care and support needs, with your consent an Adult Social Care (ASC) referral will be made.
on your day of release, your LCSO will offer to collect you and support you to get to your housing and probation appointments.
following your release your LCSO will support you to make a benefit claim.