Published date:
The Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI) has responsibility for securing placements to allow / facilitate individuals who are subject to Community Service/Supervised Activity Orders imposed by the Courts complete this unpaid work within their local communities with local organisations.
PBNI therefore invites applications from organisations across Northern Ireland in the Community and Voluntary Sector (CVS) to provide such placements.
Successful applicants will be required to:
- Provide meaningful work and effective supervision of people subject to any such Court Orders;
- Maintain records of work to provide evidence towards the achievement of completed hours for placements;
- Ensure that placements abide by PBNI trauma-informed principles;
- Attend a short online training session which will outline what is expected of you and will provide a forum to ask questions;
- Publicly acknowledge and refer to the funding throughout the lifetime of the grant award. The purpose of this is to raise awareness of the partnership between PBNI and the CVS in contributing to safer communities.
Successful applicants will be awarded a two-year contract operating from April 2026 to March 2028, with scope for extension of up to one-year. The number of placements awarded will be dictated by PBNI’s assessed needs and geographical location.
Funding of the programme has changed slightly. PBNI will now fund £250 for each placement that has completed up to 100 hours’ work, with £2.50 paid for every completed hour thereafter. In addition, successful applicants will also be paid a one-off £250 administration fee regardless of number of placements completed. This is a contribution towards ensuring that the appropriate systems are in place to provide support and ensure adherence to the terms of the grant.
Please note that PBNI does not expect placement providers to hire new staff specifically to supervise service users. The expectation is that service users will add value to your organisation, not create additional staffing costs.
An online training workshop will be held in April involving both PBNI and placement providers to establish what is required and to address any queries which may exist. Thereafter, review meetings will take place between PBNI Area Managers and the placement providers to review progress and offer support where necessary.
Further details including PBNI’s grant funding policy, procedures and application form are available via the PBNI website
Application forms must be completed in full and submitted in PDF format to:
PBNI Procurement and Grants Manager Graham Parkinson at Graham.Parkinson@probation-ni.gov.uk
CLOSING DATE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS IS MONDAY 30 MARCH 2026 (12noon)
Applications received after the closing date will NOT be accepted