Beacon information hub

Background to Beacon

Local authorities are granted ‘Beacon status’ if it is considered that they have demonstrated “a clear vision, excellent services and a willingness to innovate” within a specific theme or service area.

We were able to demonstrate excellence and innovation in reducing re-offending through:

Establishing a successful re-offending strategy underpinned by a strong evidence-based approach, community involvement and well-founded multi-agency partnerships;
Delivering a truly holistic response for work with priority and prolific offenders (PPOs), with an increased number of PPOs benefiting from services;
Utilising accurate and effective data, with new software designed to effectively manage the vast amounts of information collated on PPOs;
Implementing offender management plans for PPOs in the community, which provide effective through-care to individuals who may previously not have accessed such support services following their release from custody;
Working with partners in, for example, housing and the voluntary and community sector to provide a wide range of services for vulnerable groups such as sex workers.

"Bolton was awarded Beacon status for Reducing Re-offending because of their well-developed and successful re-offending strategy underpinned by an evidence-based approach, community involvement and well-founded partnerships. The use of data and software is impressive, and supports the work of the co-located police and local authority Offender Management Unit. Housing partners and the voluntary sector provide a wide range of services for vulnerable groups such as sex workers, as well as impressive multi-agency partnership action with priority and prolific offenders" (IDeA 2008).

The Beacon Scheme provides national recognition for our excellent performance and allows us both to share good practice with other local authorities and learn from the other Beacon authorities which have been recognised within these themes focusing on innovation and improvement. The Beacon assessment process also highlights areas for development which form part of our work programme during the Beacon year. All this allows us to achieve our overarching goals of constantly developing and improving services and outcomes.

You can find more information on the Beacon Scheme here:

Beacon Website
Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA)

Beacon news

Be Safe selected to take part in a new pilot giving more say to communities on where 'community payback' is undertaken: Community Payback Citizen Panel

Bolton 's Beacon events

Up and coming Beacon events

Beacon 'Learning Days' 2009

Between April - June 2009, the Be Safe Partnership is offering the opportunity for limited numbers of delegates to attend half or full learning days with Bolton's reducing reoffending practitioners.

There will be opportunity to:

Experience Bolton’s award winning partnership arrangements and evidence led approach working in practice, by attending one of our monthly Partnership Business Group Meetings. Or come and see Bolton’s unique Fuse project in action, learning about how our virtual team come together to address the needs of those whose offending behaviour is becoming prolific and who are in danger of becoming classified as a PPO.
Meet with PPO practitioners working in Be Safe's Offender Management Unit, Bolton Probation’s Intensive Offender Management Unit, or Community Safety Services to learn more about Bolton’s joined up approach to offender management, through the partnerships virtual team, known locally as the Jigsaw project.
Visit our local prison, to explore the role of HMP Forest bank within the Jigsaw Project, and witness the strong working relationship between the Prison and community based services in providing end to end support for offenders.

More information | Book Now

Previous Beacon events

PPO Learning Exchange - Tuesday 27 January 2009 - HMP Forest Bank, Pendlebury

Conference and Venue Information
Conference Key Documents

Be Safe Bolton Strategic Partnership hosted their second mini conference on managing Prolific and Priority Offenders (PPOs) to reduce re-offending. The conference was a learning exchange opportunity for practitioners and managers from CDRPs, probation, prisons, police forces, local authorities, voluntary organisations, drugs services and housing organisations. The focus of the event was on: The Jigsaw Project ( Bolton 's PPO scheme), reducing re-offending and the role of the prison in this. Delegates had the opportunity to speak to reducing re-offending practitioners from Bolton ’s double Beacon Award winning partnership including probation, GMP, and prison officers.

Bolton PPO Conference, HMP Forest Bank, 15th May 2008
Event Programme

BoltonVision Social Responsibility Conference, 25th June 2008
Event Programme

Beacon Learning Event, 18th September 2008
Event Information - Bolton presented its evidenced based commissioning process and information on POMIES.

LGA Safer Communities Conference, 14-15th October 2008
Event Information - Ten years of crime and disorder partnerships - Bolton presented on relationships between local authority, prison and probation.

Learning exchange

Beacon Project Outlines

This link will allow you to access a series of short papers outlining the projects which contributed to our becoming a Beacon for reducing re-offending and some of the work we plan to develop in the coming year:

Document Store

The following links will allow you to access all key documents relating to our Beacon Status for Reducing Re-offending in 2008/09.

Beacon Application 2008/09
Beacon Presentation
Beacon Case Studies
Prolific Offender Management Information and Evaluation System (POMIES)

Contact us

Community Safety Services
1st Floor
Paderborn House
Bolton
BL1 1JW
Telephone: 01204 331067
Fax: 01204 338493
Email: beacon.besafe@bolton.gov.uk