Effective Practice

Image shows four cogs representing effective practice, the evidence base, standards and core and thematic inspections.
HM Inspectorate of Probation has a vision to support the delivery of high-quality probation and youth offending services that change people’s lives for the better.

This is embedded in legislation:

  • For adult services – Section 7 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act (2000), as amended by the Offender Management Act (2007), section 12(3)(a).
  • For youth services – inspection and reporting on youth justice teams is established under section 39 of the Crime and Disorder Act (1998).

We define effective practice as:

where we see our standards delivered well, in practice.

Our standards are based on a set of principles that effective probation and youth justice services should meet to deliver high-quality practice. They are based on established models and frameworks, and are grounded in evidence, learning and experience.

Find out more about our standards and ratings and research.

About our guides

Using examples of effective practice from within our core adult and youth inspections and the thematic programme, we have developed a range of effective practice guides and resources. These include reports, YouTube videos sharing key practice points and posters.

As we gather more examples of effective practice during our inspections, we will continually add to these practice guides and material to provide comprehensive guidance across all of the themes.

These materials are aimed at a range of audiences; they are intended to support practitioners, middle managers and strategic leaders to reflect on their own experiences and consider how they may apply the key learning points in their own contexts.

Find our latest effective practice guides and resources by clicking on the links below or using the navigation bar on the left-hand side. Topics include: case supervision, diversity, equality & inclusion, safety, services and pathways and interventions & requirements.

If you are a probation or youth justice practitioner, we would like to hear what you think of these materials, including any suggested improvements. Please send your ideas to Helen.Amor@hmiprobation.gov.uk (E-mail address).