Diversion from prosecution to social work and other service agencies: Evaluation of the 100 per cent funding pilot programmes.

Source: (1999) Edinburgh, Scotland: The Scottish Executive Central Research Unit.

This document consists of a report on findings from the monitoring and evaluation of the pilot 100 per cent funded diversion programmes (the government’s policy of dedicated funding of statutory social work services) in Scotland. The report covers the following topics: background information on the development and use of alternatives to prosecution in Scotland, in particular the introduction of pilot 100 per cent funding; an overview of the pilot diversion schemes and the research methods for the evaluation; the role of diversion in the prosecution process and some of the key issues concerning effectiveness and efficiency; referral and assessment of cases; the process of diversion; the outcomes of diversion; the costs of diversion, including comparison with the costs of prosecution; and key findings concerning these schemes and implications for policy and practice. A number of tables and other figures supplement the report. Additional materials at the end of the document include a description of the pilot schemes, the scheme monitoring data, and the interview schedules.