The Humberside, Lincolnshire & North Yorkshire Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) was found by inspectors to have clear strengths. There was a capable leadership team, it performed well in some areas and the CRC had a good understanding of where improvements in service delivery were needed.

However, the CRC, one of five in the Purple Futures group, was assessed overall as ‘Requires improvement’. Inspectors’ concerns focused, in particular, on the impact of organisational changes.

Dame Glenys Stacey, HM Chief Inspector of Probation, said the fieldwork for the inspection in October 2018 took place a week after the CRC had announced a new change programme, ‘Enabling our Future’. This had caused some staff anxiety about their future roles.

“The CRC’s operating model is now in place and is understood by staff and others who work alongside the CRC. However, the morale of operational staff is low. They report a disconnect between themselves and the aspirations of their senior leaders.

“They continue to find the pace of change overwhelming and believe it is not communicated well. This has had a negative impact on service delivery and is contributing to staff feeling that their workloads are unmanageable.” Inspectors, though, did not believe workloads were excessive and concluded that “constant change is the main factor affecting staff motivation.”

Another concern for inspectors was a variation in the quality of services delivered by senior case managers (those qualified as probation officers) and case managers (probation services officers). Case managers were not well equipped to deliver high-quality, personalised services for those under supervision.

Dame Glenys added that this difference in quality was most marked in work to manage the risk of harm to others. “Here, the work of case managers is not effective and leaves actual and potential victims not fully protected.” Inspectors noted that the quality of some aspects of work was “erratic.”

On case supervision, inspectors noted:

• Assessments focused appropriately on factors related to offending but

analysis of these factors was often weak.

• Planning for work to reduce reoffending was generally done well but

inspectors found that planning did not fully address how to keep actual and potential victims safe.

• The engagement of individuals under supervision was prioritised well but not enough interventions were delivered to support desistance – the cessation of offending or other antisocial behaviour – and keep other people safe.
• Reviewing of work was erratic and “significantly let down by responsible officers failing to focus meaningfully on risk of harm issues.”

On a more positive note, the CRC – which supervises 5,347 people – was found to deliver impressive services for women. The delivery of unpaid work ordered by courts and Through the Gate services for those leaving prison were both rated as good.

Overall, Dame Glenys said:

“This CRC’s senior leaders are committed to promoting a culture of learning from mistakes, and they respond well to findings from audits and independent inspection. We expect that the findings in this report will help to tackle shortfalls in practice and develop the quality of service delivery.”

• End –

Notes to editors:

1. The report is available at justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation at 00.01 on Thursday 21 February 2019.
2. HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of youth offending and probation services in England and Wales.
3. There are 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies across England and Wales responsible for supervising low and medium-risk offenders.
4. Fieldwork for the Humberside, Lincolnshire & North Yorkshire CRC inspection started in October 2018.
5. Purple Futures took formal ownership of Humberside, Lincolnshire & North Yorkshire CRC on 1 February 2015. The five Purple Futures CRCs work collaboratively with one another, sharing learning and resources wherever practicable. Purple Futures is a consortium led by Interserve. It comprises Interserve Justice (a subdivision of Interserve, a global support service and construction company); 3SC (a company managing public service contracts on behalf of third-sector organisations); P3 (People Potential Possibilities, a charity and social enterprise organisation); and Shelter (a charity focusing on homelessness and accommodation issues).
6. For further information please contact John Steele, HMI Probation Chief Communications Officer, on 020 3334 0357 or 07880 787452, or at john.steele@justice.gov.uk (E-mail address)