Probation Services, also known as Probation Delivery Units (PDUs*), in three areas of London have each been rated ‘Inadequate’ following inspections by HM Inspectorate of Probation.

Hammersmith, Fulham, Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster PDU, Lambeth PDU and Ealing and Hillingdon PDU each received the lowest rating possible (‘Inadequate’) – an outcome which has led the Inspectorate to call on the Probation Service, at a national level, to take urgent action to support these services.

One of the services – Hammersmith, Fulham, Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster PDU received zero out of a total of 27 inspection points. Both Lambeth PDU and Ealing and Hillingdon PDU each scored just three points.

Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell said: “These are without doubt some of the poorest probation inspection outcomes we have seen. For a probation delivery unit not to score a single inspection point is something I did not expect, or ever want, to see. But many of the failings are beyond these individual services to fix – the Probation Service, at a national level, must provide urgent assistance.

“These three London probation services have chronic staff shortages, some with less than 50 per cent of the probation practitioners they need, often exacerbated by high rates of sickness too. In one area we found hundreds of cases without a named probation practitioner and therefore not being properly supervised – some of these cases involved individuals who had committed very serious offences.

“Furthermore, even where people on probation did have an allocated officer, we found poor management of cases, with a rating of ‘Inadequate’ for all five of our case quality standards in all three services, with particularly worrying weaknesses around the management of risks of harm to the public. This cannot be allowed to continue. Staff need the necessary resources and clear direction to allow them to supervise individuals safely. It is critical that appropriate services and interventions are delivered to address offending and manage harm.

“Sadly, this is not an issue isolated to London. Of the twelve probation services we have inspected from across England Wales, since reunification, nine have now been rated

‘Inadequate’, with the remaining three services rated as ‘Requires improvement’. This is a stark picture of the position probation services find themselves in. They need strong leadership, sustained resourcing and recruitment and a relentless focus on improving the quality of supervision and risk management if they are to recover.

“I acknowledge the commitment of staff and managers in London to turning things around, despite the challenges they face. We have seen this demonstrated through the urgent HMPPS response to our findings with a commitment to increase staffing levels and review their work in line with our recommendations. I look forward to seeing if this determination, along with regional and national assistance to these local services, can help them to overcome current failures.”

The Inspectorate will publish inspection reports from the remaining London PDUs later this year.

Read the reports here:

Hammersmith, Fulham, Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster PDU

Lambeth PDU

Ealing and Hillingdon PDU

 ENDS

 Notes to editor

1. *Probation Delivery Units (PDUs) replaced Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and the National Probation Service (NPS), which merged into a unified Probation Service in June 2021.
2. These probation services sit within the Probation Service – London region.
3. These reports are available at justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation on 18 October 2022 00.01.
4. HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of youth offending and probation services across England and Wales.
5. 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.
6. Fieldwork for these inspections took place in August 2022.
7. For media enquiries, please contact media@hmiprobation.gov.uk (E-mail address)