The two organisations responsible for providing probation services in South Yorkshire were generally working well, though further improvements were necessary in places, said Dame Glenys Stacey, HM Chief Inspector of Probation. Today she published the report of a recent inspection of probation work in South Yorkshire.

The inspection looked at the quality of probation work carried out by the Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) and the National Probation Service (NPS) and assessed the effectiveness of work undertaken locally with people who have committed crimes. This was the third inspection of adult probation work undertaken by a CRC owned by Sodexo Justice Services, in partnership with Nacro, and the third of the NPS North East Division.

Overall, the work of the CRC in South Yorkshire was acceptable and of a much better quality than inspectors have seen in other CRCs so far. After a difficult start, and losing many experienced staff, the CRC was managing change competently. Most staff were fully engaged in what the organisation is trying to achieve, and were encouraged to work flexibly and make home visits. The CRC offered an impressive range of programmes to help change attitudes and behaviour, including high-quality services for women. Managers had put in place an interim operating model in South Yorkshire, which was working reasonably well, with contracted providers effectively integrated into the delivery of services. However, some individuals were allowed to drift and their non-attendance at appointments could go unchallenged.

The quality of work from the NPS with higher-risk offenders in South Yorkshire was generally good. The NPS had a solid grip on complex cases and undertook work to engage people who were resistant to change. Responsible officers could have made greater use of probation service officers and of the services available from the CRC to deliver structured work with offenders. They also needed to improve delivery of ‘on the day’ court reports for lower-risk cases. However, work to make sure individuals complied with their sentence was generally effective and appropriate enforcement action was taken where necessary.

Inspectors made recommendations which included:  the CRC and NPS consulting with partners to improve access to alcohol and drug services, and producing guidance for staff about access to mental health provision. The CRC should reduce the number of absences judged to be acceptable. The NPS should support staff through change more effectively and make sure court reports can be delivered on the same day, when appropriate.

Dame Glenys Stacey said:

“The work of the Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) in South Yorkshire was generally being delivered well by forward-looking staff who had bought in to what the organisation was trying to achieve. That said, there is more to do − particularly with bringing people who had not turned up to appointments or unpaid work back before the courts.

“The National Probation Service (NPS) in South Yorkshire was of a similar standard to the CRC and was working well with some complex and challenging people. There is more work for leaders to do to drive improvements, and they would do well to use some of the services on offer from the CRC. This would lighten the load on some of their hard-pressed staff – but overall, they were serving the community well with a relentless focus on public safety.

– ENDS –
Notes to editors:

1. The report is available at justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation from 29 June 2017.
2. Since the introduction of Transforming Rehabilitation (TR) in June 2014, HM Inspectorate of Probation has reported on its implementation and produced the last of five Transforming Rehabilitation reports in May 2016. In April 2016, a new programme of regular inspection of adult probation services, known as Quality & Impact inspection, began. South Yorkshire is the eleventh area to be inspected in that programme.
3. The former South Yorkshire Probation Trust was last inspected 2012. Since then, probation services had undergone significant changes as a result of the government’s Transforming Rehabilitation In June 2014, Probation Trusts were abolished and probation work was divided between two separate organisations. The NPS primarily took over the management of offenders posing a high risk of serious harm to others and those subject to Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). The NPS also had responsibility for staffing the courts, including writing pre-sentence reports, and for victim contact work. The rest of the probation work was allocated to 21 newly created CRCs. In February 2015, the CRCs were sold to private companies.
4. The report looks at probation services delivered in South Yorkshire by the NPS North East division and the South Yorkshire CRC. The CRC is owned by Sodexo Justice Services. In delivering probation services, it works in partnership with Nacro. Sodexo delivers probation services across six CRCs: South Yorkshire, Norfolk & Suffolk, BeNCH, Cumbria & Lancashire, Essex, and Northumbria.
5. For further information please contact Jane Parsons at HMI Probation press office on 020 3681 2775 or 07880 787452.