Service Users Action Plan 2025‐2027

The delivery of an effective and quality service is a priority for the Parole Board. The purpose of this Service Users Action Plan, and the Service Users Charter that accompanies it, is to set out in clear terms how we intend to ensure that we are providing our service users with the highest possible level of service during the period 2025‐2027. This Plan outlines our commitment to the provision and delivery of service and how our performance in this respect will be measured and evaluated.

In line with the provisions of the Parole Act 2019, the principal functions of the Parole Board are to:

• Decide on applications for parole from relevant persons and where appropriate to make parole orders, to vary parole orders or to revoke parole orders in respect of such applications;
• Provide information to the Minister for Justice on the Parole Board’s functions and make recommendations to the Minister, upon his or her request, to assist the Minister in coordinating and making policy in relation to the release of persons from prison on parole;
• Provide information to persons serving sentences of imprisonment, victims of crime, and members of the public, on the functions of the Parole Board;
• Publish information, including statistical information, concerning the Parole Board’s activities;
• Provide advice, or make proposals, to the Minister on matters relating to the functions of the Parole Board;
• Undertake, commission, or assist in research projects and other activities related to the release of persons from prison on parole which may assist the Board in exercising its functions and make recommendations to the Minister arising from those projects or activities.

The Parole Board is committed to providing a quality service to meet the needs of its service users. External service uses of the Parole applicant include:

Parole Applicants:

If you are a parole applicant the Parole Board will:

• give you notice of the date and time of your meeting with the Parole Board to discuss your parole application;
• try to meet any special needs you may have because of a medical condition or disability that you informed the Parole Board of prior to your meeting with them;
• provide the you with legal representation during the parole process, if requested;
• provide you with an interpreter, if required and you request one prior to your meeting with the Parole Board;
• assess your application fairly and independently;
• make a decision on your application or the revocation or variation of your Parole Order, as the case may be, as soon as possible after your meeting with the Parole Board
• write to you providing details of their decision on your application.

Further information on the parole process for parole applicants is available from the Parole Board, the Irish Prison Service and online at www.gov.ie/paroleboard

Victims

If you are a victim and you are making a submission on a parole application the Parole Board will;

• acknowledge receipt of your submission within 5 working days;
• give you notice of the date and time of your meeting if you are making a submission in person;
• try to meet any special needs you have because of a medical condition or disability that you have told us about prior to your meeting with the Parole Board;
• provide you with access to legal representation during the parole process, if requested;
• provide you with an interpreter for your meeting with the Parole Board, if requested prior to your meeting with the Parole Board;
• write to you and inform you of the Parole Board’s decision and the reasons for their decision.

General public

The Parole Board will ensure that its website:

• is kept updated;
• is accessible to people with disabilities;
• features relevant and up to date information for our service users.

Other Departments and Government Agencies

The Parole Board will work with other Departments and Government agencies to improve coordination on service provision and delivery.

The Secretariat to the Parole Board are also service users and it is important that the internal service user is acknowledged (See Principle 12 in the following section).

There are 12 Principles of Quality Service for service users of the Public Service. The Parole Board is wholly committed to providing the highest levels of service to all our service users in accordance with those principles.

The 12 Principles of Quality Service:

The Parole Board will:

1. Quality Service Standards: Publish a statement that outlines the nature and quality of service which the service user can expect, and publish it on our website.

2. Equality/Diversity: Ensure the rights to equal treatment as set out in equality legislation, and accommodate diversity, so as to contribute to equality for the groups covered by the equality legislation (under the grounds of gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religious belief, age, disability, race and membership of the Traveller Community).

Identify and work to eliminate barriers to access to services for people experiencing poverty and social exclusion, and for those facing geographic barriers to services.

3. Physical Access: Provide a clean and accessible public office that ensures privacy and complies with occupational and safety standards.

4. Information: Take a proactive approach in providing information that is clear, timely and accurate, is available at all points of contact, and meets the requirements of people with specific needs. Ensure that the potential offered by Information Technology is fully availed of and that the information available on public service websites follows the guidelines on web publication. Continue the drive for simplification of rules, regulations, forms, information leaflets and procedures.

5. Timeliness and Courtesy: Deliver quality services with courtesy, sensitivity and the minimum delay, fostering a climate of mutual respect between provider and service user.

6. Complaints: Maintain a well‐publicised, accessible and transparent system of dealing with complaints made about the quality of service provided.

7. Appeals: Similarly, maintain a formalised, well publicised, accessible, transparent and simple to use system of appeal/review for service users who are dissatisfied with decisions in relation to services.

8. Consultation and Evaluation: Provide a structured approach to meaningful consultation with, and participation by, the service user in relation to the development, delivery and review of services. Ensure meaningful evaluation of service delivery.

9. Choice: Provide choice, where feasible, in service delivery including location of contact points, opening hours and delivery times. Use available and emerging technologies to ensure maximum access and choice, and quality of delivery.

10. Official Languages Equality: Provide quality services through Irish and/or bilingually and inform service users of their right to choose to be dealt with through one or other of the official languages.

11. Better Co‐ordination: Foster a more co‐ordinated and integrated approach to delivery of public services.

12. Internal service user: Ensure staff are recognised as internal service users and that they are properly supported and consulted with regard to service delivery issues.

The Parole Board will endeavour to meet the quality service targets set in our Service Users Charter to ensure that we continue to deliver the highest levels of service to our service users.

In monitoring our performance, we will:

• Seek feedback and suggestions from our service users on ways in which we can enhance our service provision and delivery.
• Ensure full compliance with all applicable Health and Safety standards and regulations.

Our Service Users Charter outlines in broad terms the level of service all service users of the Parole Board are entitled to expect. To ensure that we can meet the commitments in our Charter, it is important that service users are made aware of the procedures and processes we use. These are defined as our Service Standards and are set out below. To further underpin our commitment to deliver the highest quality of service, the Parole Board will use these standards as performance indicators in measuring and evaluating our performance.

Quality Service

• Ensure that all service users are kept fully informed of the standards of service they can expect to receive from us, through the availability of our Customer Charter in our office and on the Parole Board website.
• Ensure that copies of the Service User Charter and Service User Action Plan are made available to service users who request a copy.

Equality / Diversity

• Ensure that a focus on equality/diversity issues is maintained throughout the Parole Board.
• Ensure that all service users are treated equally and in accordance with relevant legislation.
• Ensure that the needs of staff and visitors with disabilities are identified and fully catered for.

For queries in relation to disability issues, service users can e‐mail corporate@paroleboard.gov.ie or Tel: (01) 474 8767

Physical Access

• Ensure that our office is accessible to people with disabilities and any other service users with specific needs.
• Ensure that all areas of our office is clean, comfortable and comply with occupational and safety standards.
• To ensure that any issues or difficulties in relation to physical access can be addressed without delay, service users can telephone the Access Officer in the Secretariat, Email corporate@paroleboard.gov.ie or phone: (01) 474 8767.

Information

• Ensure that all information provided by the Parole Board is clear, timely, accurate and fully accessible for any service users with specific needs.
• Ensure that material on Parole Board’s website follows all web publication guidelines in terms of accessibility and official languages equality.
• Ensure that our information distribution channels are kept as up‐to‐date as possible and that these channels maintain pace with the most recent technological developments and innovations in media and communications.
• Make every effort to ensure that information is made available in as many different formats as practicable.

Timeliness and Courtesy

• Ensure that all service users are treated with courtesy and that all enquiries are dealt with promptly and efficiently.
• Ensure that all staff provide their names when answering telephone calls.
• Ensure that full contact details are provided on all written or email communication from the Parole Board.

Complaints

• Ensure that all complaints are treated promptly, fairly, impartially and in confidence.
• Ensure that all complaints are acknowledged within 5 working days of receipt.
• Ensure that all complaints are investigated fully and that a reply to a complaint is issued within 20 working days. Where this is not possible, an interim reply will be given, explaining the reason for the delay and advising when a substantive response will issue.
• Our Service Users Complaints Procedure is available on our website www.gov.ie/paroleboard

Please note that this complaints procedure does not apply to decisions about parole applications.

Appeals

• The Parole Board maintains a formalised system of appeal for service users who are dissatisfied. Service users who are not satisfied with the outcome of the investigation by the Service Users Liaison Officer have the option of appeal to a senior officer.
• Nothing in this appeals procedure affects statutory rights under Freedom of Information, Data Protection or any other relevant legislation.

Consultation

• Be proactive in consulting with its service users and will continue to build on this over the period of this Action Plan. Consultation provides an important mechanism through which we can monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of our service delivery and ensure that the service continues to meet the needs of our service users into the future.
• Develop and enhance existing structures for consultation and external evaluation during the life of the Plan.
• Liaise bilaterally or otherwise with particular interest groups on issues of mutual interest.

Choice

• Ensure the availability of multiple contact options for the Parole Board, including a range of telephone numbers, e‐mail and website.
• Ensure that the Parole Board makes full use of new and emerging technologies to broaden the choice of channels available to service users.

Official Languages Equality

• Ensure that every effort is made to cater for callers who may wish to be dealt with through Irish and/or bilingually and inform service users of their right to choose to be dealt with through one or other of the official languages.
• Ensure that the Strategy Statement and other information publications and key policy documents produced by or on behalf of the Parole Board continue to be made available in both Irish and English.
• Encourage a focus on Irish language training courses in staff development programmes.

Better Co‐ordination

• Work with other Departments and Government agencies to improve co‐ordination on service provision and delivery.
• Ensure broad dissemination of information regarding our policies and procedures to other relevant Government agencies.
• Liaise with other agencies as necessary, including the Irish Prison Service and the Probation Service, in order to address co‐ordination issues and to pool expertise as appropriate.
• Keep staff aware of significant developments in other agencies with possible implications for our work through our Internal Communications strategy.
• Publicise, within the Parole Board, developments in the broader public sector and aim to ensure that Civil Service wide schemes and initiatives are made available to staff in line with best practice, organisational needs permitting.

Internal service user

• Ensure that customer service is included as a key part of all training and induction courses.
• Ensure that the training and development needs of each staff member are provided for through the implementation of the Performance Management and Development System (PMDS).
• Ensure the development of more effective internal channels of communication to allow staff to gain a fuller understanding of all aspects of the role of the Parole Board.

All staff of the Secretariat to the Parole Board shall receive the necessary training required to provide a good quality service in line with our Service User Charter and Service User Action Plan.

In addition to undertakings given in our Service User Action Plan and Service User Charter, the Parole Board is fully committed to fulfilling all relevant statutory obligations in relation to Data Protection, Equality, Freedom of Information, Prompt Payment of Accounts and Safety, Health & Welfare at Work legislation.