NACRO BASS is a Ministry of Justice commissioned contract that provides support and accommodation to people who would normally be living in the community on bail or Home Detention Curfew (HDC) but do not otherwise have a suitable address - or they need some extra support during the period of their bail or HDC licence. A very small number are offenders on a community order.
Locations we operate in
Taunton - 0300 123 1889
First Floor, Taunton, TA26HB
Taunton - 0300 123 1889
First Floor, Taunton, TA26HB
Taunton - 0300 123 1889
First Floor, Taunton, TA26HB
Taunton - 0300 123 1889
First Floor, Taunton, TA26HB
Taunton - 01823 327388
Second Floor, High Point, Taunton, TA2 6HB
Services we Provide
Accommodation
Overview
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BASS is a Ministry of Justice commissioned contract that provides support and accommodation to people who would normally be living in the community on bail or Home Detention Curfew (HDC) but do not otherwise have a suitable address - or they need some extra support during the period of their bail or HDC licence.
The people eligible for this service are not those who should be in prison. They have been bailed by the courts or released from prison, initially on an electronic tag, having served a prison sentence. The overall aim of the service is to reduce unnecessary loss of liberty and its negative impacts on family life, employment and housing, to provide assurance to courts and prison governors, and to reduce the likelihood of offending.
What we do
Stonham provides good quality accommodation in the community for the period of a person’s bail or HDC licence. The number of properties is small with around 200 across England and Wales. The houses are furnished and typically are for two to three sharing. Each person has their own bedroom and shares the communal space, and has normal household responsibilities whilst residing there. Some properties are for single occupancy and others for a parent who can be united with dependent children. All occupants are liable for rent and charges under the terms of their Accommodation Licence Agreement with us.
Support Officers visit regularly to effectively manage each property, provide mandatory support to each individual and monitor adherence to their bail conditions or HDC licence. Failure to comply with these conditions is acted upon and can lead to breach or recall to prison. The support officer will also help each individual to find more stable accommodation to move on to.We liaise with the referrer to provide full information on how to get to an address by public transport. Support can be provided in a person’s own home as well as part of an accommodation package.
Where we do it
BASS is a Ministry of Justice contract in place throughout England and Wales.
In the South West we cover:
- Bristol,
- South Gloucestershire,
- North Somerset,
- Somerset and
- Bath.
How to access
Where Court based or peripatetic bail information officers are in post defendants can be referred on the day of their first Court appearance to BASS with obvious benefits to the defendant. Where this is not possible the defendant will be remanded in custody, perhaps with pre-release conditions set by the Court, and consideration and referral to BASS will be the responsibility of the prison Bail Information Officer.
For those seeking BASS referral for HDC release, the responsibility lies with the HDC clerk.
Each person successfully referred is assigned a support officer who will meet them on arrival at the property and remains their main point of contact.
Regional Referral Coordinators
Karen Thompson
James Lovell
Toni Brincat
Telephone: 0300 555 0264 option 5
Fax: 0845 155 0382
Email: SouthWest@stonham-bass.org.uk