Judicial Brochure: Accredited Programmes Overview
An overview of the accredited programme requirement for members of the judiciary
Applies to England and Wales
Overview
Accredited Offending Behaviour Programmes are psychological interventions that target the underlying factors that can lead to offending behaviour in order to reduce an individual’s risk of future offending. They aim to reduce participants’ risk of reoffending by teaching them skills and methods that can help improve decision-making, problem solving, and self-management and regulation of their emotions.
Accredited Programmes are designed around the same core factors evidenced to be most prevalent and predictive of reoffending: impulsive behaviour and lack of self-control, anti-social attitudes and thinking, and social networks engaged in crime and problematic relationships. The Correctional Services Advice & Accreditation Panel (CSAAP) helps HMPPS to accredit programmes by reviewing programme design, quality assurance procedures and findings, and programme evaluations. CSAAP members are independent, international ‘what works’ academics and practitioners who make recommendations about whether to accredit a programme to the HMPPS Rehabilitation Board. HMPPS is accountable for decisions to accredit programmes and remain compliant with legislation.
HMPPS offers a suite of Accredited Programmes which attend to a range of offending-related needs of participants. Each programme has suitability criteria that is used alongside the initial risk assessment to see if an individual is in scope for a programme. This will vary slightly between programmes but will consider aspects such as the individual’s need areas and responsiveness to intervention, as well as ensuring their consent and willingness / commitment to engage in an Accredited Programme.
Building Choices
This accredited programme will be delivered in the East of England, Kent Surrey Sussex, and London probation regions from 1st April 2025.
Building Choices is a cognitive-behavioural programme, consisting of group and one to one sessions for men and women age 18+, and is inclusive of people with Learning Disabilities & Challenges (LDC). It supports skill development in emotion management, healthy thinking, healthy relationships, sense of purpose, and healthy sex (where relevant).
Building Choices provides a structured opportunity to learn, strengthen, and practice skills and behaviour that targets areas of common criminogenic need without defining or limiting what participants can address by offence labels, enabling participants to develop skills for change and future focused goals that may support them in building a crime free life.
Eligibility is determined by an assessment of risk and need, with moderate and high intensity offers available. A person-centred, needs-led approach enables participants to personalise criminogenic needs by recognising and addressing the individual needs of participants rather than the offence in order to address both offence-specific and wider offending behaviour risks and needs to target the versatility of offending behaviour.
Individual Requirements
Building Choices has been designed to be accessible for all people aged 18+ convicted of offending behaviour with appropriate assessments for risk levels and criminogenic needs. There will be specific groups offered for women and for people with Learning Disabilities and Challenges (LDC).
Please note: People convicted of sexual offending will also be offered specific groups to enable physical and psychological safety for all participants.
Need Requirements:
- medium or above risk of re-offending within 2 years, according to relevant actuarial risk assessments
- criminogenic needs targeted by the programme, including: healthy thinking, emotional management, relationships and healthy sex
Delivery Method
Building Choices is comprised of between 26 (moderate intensity, 21 group and 5 individual) and 52 (high intensity, 46 group and 6 individual) sessions, with the ultimate volume and time needed to complete the programme based on the specific needs of the individual taking part.
Healthy Identity Intervention (HII)
The Healthy Identity Intervention (HII) is a one-to-one programme that targets the social and psychological drivers of extremist offending. HII is made up of a combination of discussion, reflection, written exercises and skills practices. The central aims of the HII are to:
- Prevent reoffending by reducing an individual’s willingness to offend on behalf of an extremist group, cause or ideology (i.e. desistance), and;
- Promote and facilitate disengagement from an extremist group, cause, or ideology
The number of modules and sessions an individual completes will depend on their particular level of risk and need. The more engaged and identified a participant is with an extremist group, cause or ideology, the more modules of the HII they are likely to complete.
It is important to note that while HII is available in all regions, it is only for TACT cases and can only be deemed suitable following completion of an Extremism Risk Guidance (ERG) report completed post-sentence on all TACT and TACT-related cases. In the extremely rare case that an individual convicted of TACT offences is under consideration for a community-based sentence, HII could not be recommended in the pre-sentence report as it is not possible to assess for eligibility / suitability until the ERG is completed post-sentence. Therefore, we would instead propose RAR days and either deliver HII if suitable, or an alternative intervention if not.
Individual Requirements
Gender: Male and Female
Age: 18+
Need Requirements:
Eligibility for HII requires evidence that the individual’s offence was motivated by engagement and / or identification with an extremist group, cause, and / or ideology. The individual should exhibit risks and / or needs identified in the ERG assessment that are designed to be targeted by the HII.
Individuals do not need to admit to their offence, but must to be willing to discuss their engagement in an extremist group, cause and / or ideology.
Delivery Method
HII is a one-to-one programme that is flexible to each individual’s risks and needs; it is made up of core module and a number of optional modules designed to support and facilitate participants in their desistance and disengagement. Each module contains numerous sessions that can be delivered over one or several meetings with the participant.
The HII is delivered over approximately 3-6 months, but the total length of delivery can vary greatly depending on the needs of participants and their level of engagement and identification with an extremist group, cause, or ideology.
From 1st April 2025 the accredited programmes below will no longer be delivered.
Building Better Relationships (BBR)
BBR is an accredited moderate-intensity cognitive-behavioural group work intervention designed to reduce the risk of medium to high-risk adult male offenders committing a subsequent offence involving intimate partner violence, and in turn promote the safety of current and future partners and children.
BBR’s theory base reflects the growing view that IPV is a complex problem that is likely to have multiple causes and is designed to be responsive to the needs of individual participants and provides opportunities to develop skills that are introduced during the programme that can help the participant live a pro-social and non-violent life.
Individual Requirements
Gender: Male only
Age: 18+
Need Requirements:
- Index or historical Intimate Partner Abuse (IPA) related offence
- Relationship problems
- Social skills deficits, including:
- Attitudes that support relationship violence
- Stereotyped gender roles and inequality beliefs
- Hostile masculinity
- Aggression and anger
- Emotional mismanagement / self-regulation
- Jealousy
- Coercive control
- Obsessive and/or controlling behaviour towards a current or former partner in context of an intimate relationship
- Separation / threat of separation
- Alcohol and drug misuse
Delivery Method
Building Better Relationships is comprised of 24 group and 5 or 6 individual sessions.
The Foundation Module is always delivered first and comprises of six 2.5-hour sessions which must always be completed prior to the other modules. The remaining modules can then be delivered as either a closed group or in a rolling format, with each module comprising of six 2.5-hour groupwork sessions.
After each module participants have a one-hour one-to-one session with their designated facilitator, the purpose of which is to provide a bridge between modules, review learning, and check progress against goals.
Thinking Skills Programme (TSP)
TSP is an accredited cognitive skills offending behaviour programme delivered across HMPPS. TSP aims to reduce recidivism by focusing on developing people’s ability to manage their emotions, make decisions, solve problems, achieve their goals, manage the influence of anti-social relationships, and use pro-social interpersonal skills in their interactions with others.
By the end of the programme, participants should be able to apply these skills and development to the way they live and manage their everyday lives. This reduces the chances of offending reoccurring and helps participants create and maintain a pro-social and constructive lifestyle. TSP actively encourages participants to apply these thinking skills to identify and effectively manage their risk factors. It coaches participants in how to apply their new and existing thinking and behavioural skills to develop personally relevant protective factors. It also coaches participants to apply the skills to setting and achieving approach focused, pro-social goals linked to relapse prevention.
TSP has seven Treatment Goals which target a range of Treatment Needs (dynamic risk factors), which are strongly evidenced in the literature to link to offending:
- Stop and Think
- Emotional Awareness
- Problem Solving
- Perspective Taking
- Offence-Free Relationships
- Goals and Values
- Seeing the Whole Picture
Individual Requirements
Gender: Male and Female
Age: 18+
Need Requirements:
Need is assessed using the TSP Needs Assessment Tool or an OASys assessment, where Need is evidenced by a total score of 5 or more in the appropriate Need areas.
Delivery Method
The Thinking Skills Programme (TSP) consists of 19 sessions (15 group and 4 individual sessions), plus the post-programme review, and can be delivered in either a Fixed Group or Rolling Group format.
New Me Strengths (NMS)
New Me Strengths (NMS) is an accredited cognitive-behavioural programme designed for adult men with learning disabilities and learning challenges (LDC) who have been convicted of any offence type.
It is the LDC equivalent of Horizon, Building Better Relationships (BBR), and the Thinking Skills Programme (TSP), and is designed to target the following criminogenic needs:
- Managing life’s problems
- Positive relationships
- Healthy thinking
- Sense of purpose
- Healthy sexual interest (those with sexual convictions only)
Individual Requirements
Gender: Male only
Age: 18+
Need Requirements:
Need is assessed using the TSP Needs Assessment Tool or an OASys assessment, where Need is evidenced by a total score of 5 or more in the appropriate Need areas.
Delivery Method
NMS in its primary delivery format can be delivered in either a group setting with eight participants and two facilitators or on a one-to-one basis with one facilitator. Usually, group-based programmes with people with learning disability and challenges is the preferred option due to the benefits they may gain from developing an understanding of positive peer influence, however it is also recognised that one to one working may be a better option for some participants.
When delivered as a group intervention with those who have sexual convictions, it is 38 sessions long (34 group and 4 individual). With all other groups, it is 36 sessions long (32 group and 4 individual sessions). All members of the group start and finish at the same time.
When delivered individually NMS runs for at least 15 sessions, dependent on the needs of the individual.
Living as New Me (LNM)
Living as New Me (LNM) is a skills maintenance programme for graduates of Becoming New Me Plus (BNM+) or New Me Strengths (NMS). It is available for individuals with a conviction for any offence type. LNM continues to strengthen and consolidate learning for participants across the following areas:
- Managing life’s problems
- Positive relationships
- Healthy thinking
- Sense of purpose
- Healthy sexual interest (those with sexual convictions only)
For participants with Learning Disability and Challenges, the ability to recall learning can be difficult due to memory or processing difficulties, therefore the Living as New Me Programme is a beneficial addition to the LDC suite to strengthen learning further for participants. This is an option to further strengthen a participants’ journey toward desistence and a fulfilling future.
Specifically, LNM aims to:
- To provide opportunities to refresh previous learning
- To provide opportunities to practice and rehearse being New Me
- To provide opportunities to strengthen New Me
- To provide support and access to other sources of help
- To motivate group members to maintain their New Me successes and skills
Individual Requirements
LNM is suitable for anyone who has successfully completed NMS or BNM+ and may require further additional support.
Delivery Method
LNM is usually delivered with a group of up to 8 people, although it can also be delivered one-to-one if necessary. LNM is at least 5 sessions long, with flexibility to be longer dependant on the size of the group and the needs of each individual.
Horizon
Horizon is an accredited group work programme for males aged 18 and over who have a conviction for a sexual or sexually motivated offence / offences.
Horizon applies a strengths-based approach that aims to increase psychological, social, and emotional strengths to assist participants to desist from crime. It is also future focused, in that participants are encouraged to set goals to enable them to engage in constructive, positive, offence free future lives, supported by the skills they learn in the programme.
Horizon is formed of 9 Blocks (Engagement, Getting Going, ‘New Me’ Goals, Supporting My Success, ‘New Me’ and Sex, Controlling My Feelings, Solving My Problems, Positive Relationships and Moving On), and by completing work within each block Horizon aims to help participants to:
- Stop and think to manage their life, particularly regarding impulsivity and low self-control
- Cope better with life’s problems
- Manage strong unhelpful feelings
- Have a long-term close relationship, encouraging pro-social support and relationships
- Have close family and friends who do not commit crime, contribute meaningfully to their family and community.
- Manage unhealthy sexual thoughts and behaviours whilst strengthening healthy thoughts and behaviours relating to sex
- Have a positive self-identity and hope for the future
Individual Requirements
Gender: Male only
Age: 18+
Need Requirements:
Horizon is designed to meet the needs of those who have committed sexual and / or sexually motivated offences against children and / or adults, as well as those who have committed non-contact sexual offences who are assessed as medium risk and above using OSP.
Horizon is suitable for men who maintain innocence of their offence, providing that they are able and willing to accept that they have problems in the areas that are addressed by Horizon and be motivated work on those problems.
Special consideration should be given to younger individuals to ensure their level of maturity is such that they can gain from the programme and will not be adversely affected by it.
Delivery Method
Horizon is run with a maximum of 10 participants per group and is 31 sessions (62 hours) in length. Each session is run for 2 hours with additional time to be added for a mid-session break. Additionally, there are 3 individual sessions (5-6 hours in total) which take place at the start, part way through and at the end of the programme.
iHorizon
iHorizon is not available in the North-East and Kent, Surrey, Sussex probation regions. It is available in London probation region and in some probation delivery units within the East of England probation region.
iHorizon applies a strengths-based approach that aims to increase psychological, social and emotional strengths to assist participants to desist from crime. It is also future focused, in that participants are encouraged to set goals to enable them to engage in constructive, positive, offence free future lives, supported by the skills they learn in the programme.
iHorizon is formed of 8 Blocks (Engagement, Getting Going, ‘New Me’ Goals, Supporting My Success, New Me Internet Use ‘New Me’ and Sex, Positive Relationships, and Moving On), and by completing work within each Block iHorizon aims to help participants:
- Manage their internet use
- Have a long-term close relationship, encouraging pro-social support and relationships
- Have close family and friends who do not commit crime, contribute meaningfully to their family and community.
- Manage unhealthy sexual thoughts and behaviours whilst strengthening healthy thoughts and behaviours relating to sex
- Have a positive self-identity and hope for the future
Individual Requirements
Gender: Male only
Age: 18+
Need Requirements:
iHorizon is designed to meet the needs of men who have convictions for internet only sexual offences only; that is, offences involving possessing, downloading, and / or distributing indecent images of children, where there is no direct or indirect contact with victims. iHorizon is not suitable for those whose internet offending is for financial gain. Men who also have either previous or current convictions for non-internet related sexual offending are not suitable and should be considered for an alternative programme (Kaizen or Horizon).
iHorizon is suitable for men who maintain innocence of their offence, providing that they are able and willing to accept that they have problems in the areas that are addressed by iHorizon and be motivated work on those problems.
Special consideration should be given to younger individuals to ensure their level of maturity is such that they can gain from the programme and will not be adversely affected by it.
Delivery Method
iHorizon is run with a maximum of 10 participants per group and is 23 sessions (46 hours) in length. Each session is run for 2 hours with additional time to be added for a mid-session break. Additionally, there are 3 individual sessions (5-6 hours) which take place at the start, part way through and at the end of the programme.