Criminal Justice and Courts Services Act 2000

5 Functions of local probation boards

(1) It is a function of a local probation board—

(a) to make arrangements for ensuring that sufficient provision is made in respect of its area for the purposes mentioned in section 1 and for ensuring the performance of any other functions conferred by virtue of this Act or any other enactment on the board,

(b) to make arrangements for ensuring the performance of any functions conferred by virtue of this Act or any other enactment on officers of the board,

and to implement, or ensure the implementation of, any arrangements it makes under this section.

(2) In addition to making arrangements for provision to be made by its staff, a local probation board may (for example)—

(a) make arrangements with organisations for provision to be made on the board’s behalf by the organisations,

(b) make arrangements with individuals who are not members of the board’s staff under which they may perform functions of officers of the board,

and arrangements under paragraph (a) may provide for the organisations to designate individuals who may perform functions of officers of the board.

(3) The provision that may be made in pursuance of such arrangements includes providing services to any person and, in particular—

(a) giving assistance to persons remanded on bail or for whom officers of the board have responsibilities,

(b) providing accommodation in approved premises for persons who have at any time been charged with or convicted of an offence.

(4) A local probation board may provide for its staff to co-operate with persons in its area who are concerned with the prevention or reduction of crime or with giving assistance to the victims of crime.

(5) Regulations may confer further functions on local probation boards or officers of local probation boards.

(6) A local probation board may give grants or other financial assistance to any person only in pursuance of regulations.

(7) A local probation board—

(a) may make an arrangement with another local probation board under which it provides on behalf of the other board, in respect of the other board’s area, any services which it could provide under this section in respect of its own area, and

(b) may charge the other local probation board for any services it provides in pursuance of the arrangement.

(8) It is for the Secretary of State to determine whether or not any provision made by a local probation board under this section is sufficient.