About this publication scheme
Under section 19(1) of the Freedom of Information Act the Probation Board for Northern Ireland is required to adopt and maintain a publication scheme setting out the classes of information it holds, the manner in which it intends to publish the information and whether or not a charge will be made for the information.
The Information Commissioner, who is responsible for monitoring and enforcing compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, has drawn up a Model Publication Scheme and a Definition Document for all public sector organisations.
Probation has formally adopted the Information Commissioner’s model publication scheme. The scheme is organised into seven classes of information which are set out below. This structure aims to save you time and effort when searching for information.
You can also use our Publications search which contains all the documents we have made available.
Who we are and what we do
Roles and responsibilities
What we spend and how we spend it
What are our priorities and how are we doing
- Community Safety
- Annual reports
- Business plans
- Corporate Plans
- Board minutes
- Statistics
- Communications & Engagement Strategy2
Inspection Reports
All relevant inspections of Probation services can be found on the Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJI) website. CJI is an independent statutory inspectorate with responsibility for inspecting all aspects of the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland apart from the judiciary. It also inspects a number of other agencies and organisations that link into the criminal justice system.
Performance Reviews
Following devolution of Justice and Policing on 12 April 2010 the Department of Justice (DOJ), which is a Northern Ireland Department, came into existence and was established by the Department of Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2010. It has a range of devolved policing and justice functions, set out in the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (Devolution of Policing and Justice Functions) Order 2010.
Through the DOJ, Probation is accountable to the Northern Ireland Executive and the Assembly. The role of the Department is to support the Minister for Justice to help keep the people of Northern Ireland safe. An Annual Report and Accounts is published and laid before Parliament. The Permanent Under Secretary of State, who is the Accounting Officer of the Northern Ireland Office, has designated the Chief Executive as NDPB Accounting Officer for the Probation Board for Northern Ireland. Probation's Chief Executive is a member of the Criminal Justice Board in Northern Ireland.
Probation is also committed to:
- Meeting the requirements of section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and the current legislation on human rights, disability discrimination, data protection, freedom of information and public records.
- Contributing to the achievement of government aims as expressed in the public service agreement targets published by the Northern Ireland Office.
Public Service Agreements
Probation is committed to contributing to the achievement of government aims as expressed in the public service agreement targets published by the Northern Ireland Office. The full details of the NIO Public Service Agreement can be found on the NIO website.
How we make decisions
Our policies and procedures
- Equality Scheme
- Complaints policy and procedures
- Information charter
- Data Protection
- Freedom of Information
- Retention and Disposal Schedule
- Records Management
Lists and registers
- Freedom of Information disclosure logs
- Board Register of Interests
- Senior Leadership Team Register of Interests
The services we offer
- In the Community
- In Courts
- In custody
- For Victims
- Probation News magazine
- Irish Probation Journal
- Connect Service User Magazine
If the information you want is not routinely published, you can make a request under the Freedom of Information Act.