We know that National Occupational Standards (NOS) are used extensively by organisations in the justice sector - such as probation services, prison services, courts, police forces and other law enforcement agencies - but do they actually work? Do they lead to better individual performance and organisational results? Do they represent a rewarding investment for the sector?

Skills for Justice is responsible for developing, maintaining and promoting the use of NOS in the justice sector and it has recently launched NOS Finder, a handy search engine for identifying and downloading the NOS you need.

Surprisingly, however, given the sector's many years' experience with NOS, there is very little evidence of their benefits on the Skills for Justice website, apart from some case studies from the piloting of the NOS for Legal Advice.

If you use NOS in the justice sector, please share your experience with us. What are the positives and what are the downsides? Have NOS been a good investment for you?

We are particularly interested in any research which has produced a systematic evaluation of the benefits versus the costs of using NOS.

Trevor Boutall
Do NOS Work? Moderator
trevor.boutall@...