Thinking Skills

Thinking Skills has been designed to target adult and young adult (aged 18 and over), male and female, medium to high risk offenders assessed with the relevant need and ready, willing and able to take part in the programme.

The programme aims to reduce re-offending by teaching basic problem skills and develop the way people think and behave. It focuses on all aspects of an offender’s life which may contribute to law breaking. It also concentrates probation resources on offenders most at risk of re-offending.

This challenging programme sees offenders complete 3 modules each having 5 group sessions of roughly 2 hours, with a one to one session before each module. Sessions are led by trained probation staff. There are 4 conditions of success that have to be signed up to by an offender for them to participate on the programme these are Active, Open, Supportive and Respectful participation.

After the programme a progress report is written, offenders are given the opportunity to comment and a meeting is held to discuss the future linked in with the sentence plan/community order.