The South West South Central division of the National Probation Service, supervising nearly 13,000 offenders from Berkshire to Cornwall, was found by inspectors to be performing to a good standard overall.

In the first report in new programme of inspections of the NPS divisions, Dame Glenys Stacey, HM Chief Inspector of Probation, said the division was effectively led with robust systems to monitor performance.

However, publishing the first report in new programme of inspections of the National Probation Service (NPS) divisions, Dame Glenys said that a shortage of staff was having an impact on the division.

“The number of probation staff has fallen short of the target since 2015; at the same time the National Probation Service workload has increased. The division has a clear delivery plan to address staff shortfalls, but this had not yet had the necessary impact and, as a result, caseloads in some parts of the division remained high.” The report noted that the problems were most acute in the part of the division bordering London, where vacancies remained unfilled despite the offer of higher salaries.

Inspectors found the division has recently focused on the quality of its assessments of individuals, reflecting the principle that establishing and maintaining a professional relationship with those who are supervised is at the heart of all probation work.

Dame Glenys added: “We found outstanding results in this aspect of its work. The planning of supervision was good, and focused on reducing reoffending and keeping others safe.” Inspectors noted, though, that “contingency plans”, spelling out how to respond to any heightened risk of harm to others, should have been more robust.

The division provided sufficient information to courts to assist in sentencing and a good service to victims who had opted into the victim contact scheme.

There were, however, some shortcomings. The delivery of supervision did not focus enough on addressing factors related to offending, and not enough attention was paid to keeping individuals’ progress under review. Some interventions were working well but the division was not making full use of all services provided by the Community Rehabilitation Companies in its areas.

Overall, Dame Glenys said:

“This division is performing to a good standard overall. I hope that our findings and recommendations enable it to do better still, although we see that, in some matters, improvement is dependent on centrally driven policies and support.”

 –ENDS –

 Notes to editors:

1. The report is available at justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation at 00.01 on Thursday 01 November 2018.
2. HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of youth offending and probation services in England and Wales.
3. The NPS comprises seven divisions: six in England and one in Wales.
4. The South West South Central division covers a significant part of the country. The division is managed through ten local delivery units: Oxford and Buckinghamshire; Berkshire; Hampshire; Southampton; Portsmouth & Isle of Wight; Bristol & South Gloucestershire; Gloucestershire & Wiltshire; Somerset, Devon and Torbay; Plymouth, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly; and Dorset.
5. Fieldwork for this inspection took place in July 2018.
6. At the end of 2017, the South West South Central NPS division was responsible for supervising 12,877
7. For media enquiries please contact John Steele, Chief Communications Officer, on 020 3334 0357 or 07880 787452 or john.steele@justice.gov.uk (E-mail address)