HM Inspectorate of Probation’s final National Probation Service (NPS) inspection – which took place prior to the unification of the probation service in June 2021 – was an assessment of the South West division.

The service is now known as the Probation Service – South West region.

Inspectors gave the service an overall rating of ‘Good’ – the second-highest rating available – but pointed to some variations in quality across inspected areas. Whilst leadership was rated as ‘good’ and work to support victims was judged ‘outstanding’, staff workloads were high, and improvements are needed to court reports and initial assessments when people start probation supervision.

Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell said: “It’s been a turbulent two years for probation services in the south west as they have dealt with the twin challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and the transition to the new, unified Probation Service at the end of June.”

The inspection found that the region has a clear strategy to reduce reoffending and protect the public, and a good range of interventions and services to address offending and manage the risk of harm.

However, half of the probation officers interviewed during the inspection said they thought their workload was unmanageable and almost a third felt that insufficient attention was paid to their wellbeing.

Mr Russell added: “Probation staff work hard to engage with people on probation, and we were pleased to see tailored services in place for women and young people aged 18-25 years. Our inspectors were concerned however about the high caseloads that staff are currently responsible for.

“The increased recruitment of probation officers in the South West is therefore a positive step, with 32 staff undergoing training to become qualified probation officers. It will be critical to retain them if the current high workloads are to be managed down.”

While practitioners engage well with people on probation and, in most cases, deliver services to reduce reoffending, in too few cases appropriate attention is paid to keeping people safe.

Mr Russell continued: “Probation officers need to make better use of the information and expertise of other agencies like the police and local authorities in order to assess risk accurately, implement plans and coordinate suitable interventions. In too many cases domestic abuse checks are not being made when court reports are written, or people start their probation supervision. Improvements are required here.”

Although Victim Liaison Officers in the South West division had high caseloads they worked hard to provide good, personalised support to victims – making timely contact with them, explaining what they can expect throughout the offender’s sentence and referring victims to other agencies for support and sharing information where necessary.

Mr Russell concluded: “This ‘Good’ overall rating should be welcomed but with an enthusiasm to make improvements where needed to reduce caseloads and improve risk management. In turn, I hope the good practice shown during this inspection – particularly in their engagement with people on probation – is carried forward into the new regional service.”

HM Inspectorate of Probation has made 14 recommendations to support the new, unified service that now covers the south west of England.

The top priorities are to better monitor and manage staff workload, improve information sharing with other agencies such as the police, ensure the diverse backgrounds of people on probation are reflected in their engagement strategies.

ENDS

Notes to editor

1. The report is available at justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation on 06 July 2021 00.01.
2. HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of youth offending and probation services across England and Wales.
3. The Inspectorate uses a four-point scale: ‘Outstanding’, ‘Good’, ‘Requires improvement’ and ‘Inadequate’. The Inspectorate rates specific aspects of each service and also gives an overall rating.
4. Fieldwork for this inspection took place, remotely, in February and March 2021.
5. The recommendations can be found, in full, on page 13 of the inspection report.
6. For media enquiries, please contact Corporate Communications Manager Diane Bramall on 07929 790 564 or email media@hmiprobation.gov.uk (E-mail address)