A new thematic inspection from HM Inspectorate of Probation has reported on how effective current recruitment, training, and retention arrangements are in supporting the Probation Service to build a stable, capable staff group.

Staffing challenges have been a consistent theme of the Inspectorate’s recent adult inspection reports, and the implementation of SDS40 in July 2024 and the Government’s ongoing sentencing review have highlighted the need for the Service to maintain a sufficient, well-trained staff base to meet increasing demand.

Martin Jones, Chief Inspector of Probation said: “Since the unification of the Probation Service in 2021, our inspection reports have routinely highlighted the significant shortfalls in staffing numbers in the Service which is having a detrimental impact on the work undertaken to protect the public and prevent reoffending.

“While recruitment to the service has been undertaken at pace, there remains a significant shortage on the front-line, which is exacerbated by the high numbers of experienced staff leaving the service.”

The annual year-to-date resignation rate of permanent probation staff has risen for probation officers (POs) and probation services officers (PSOs), and, despite the Probation Service reviewing and redesigning aspects of its training offer, the Inspectorate’s most recent reports have found little improvement in the quality of casework.

Martin Jones added: “While the level of recruitment into the service is commendable and necessary, recruitment at this scale has placed considerable demand on existing resources and has further depleted the pool of experienced practitioners, as staff have been moved into management positions to support and train new staff.

“Probation training is fast and intense, and it is crucial new recruits are firstly, aware of the demands of the job and are then given time to hone their skills before taking on full caseloads. The current pressures on new staff are overwhelming and counterproductive to building a fully staffed, experienced, probation service in the long-term.”

Recruitment:

• Fieldwork found new recruits were not always joining the service with realistic expectations about their roles and concerns were expressed by managers that a minority of new staff lacked resilience and had not fully anticipated the demand of the role.
• Inspectors heard of poor communication during the onboarding process for new recruits, particularly around the health needs of new starters, with information often missing when people started, or pre-employment reports not being detailed enough for managers to make appropriate provisions.

Training

• The delivery of PO training indicates a need for a more coordinated approach, as learners are receiving conflicting messages about whether they should prioritise the academic component or the practical training.
• The fast pace of the PO training programme means adequate support and development time are essential to ensuring newly qualified officers can transition into, and remain in, demanding PO roles.
• There is an overreliance on virtual training methods. While eLearning is suitable for many topics, the training to deliver the relational skills to equip them to work with challenging individuals, is not suited to be carried out online.
• Too often, the learner identity of PQiP staff is compromised by operational demands, with protected study/training days being interrupted by tasks.
• Probation service officers and trainee POs need to be given more opportunities to reflect on their development and learn how to apply their training in practice.

Retention

• The overall annual leaving rate for Probation Service staff, as of 30 September 2024, was 10.4 per cent; for POs this was 7.8 per cent, and for PSOs 12.1 per cent.
• Poor pay is frequently described as a frustration, but not often the sole reason staff leave. High workloads and stress were the strongest messages from frontline staff. Many commented that although they felt pride in their work, the current strains on the Service undermined the probation mission and values.
• Managers feel helpless and find it difficult to offer reduced workloads or better working conditions.

This report makes eight recommendations. Three of these are for the Ministry of Justice, including to ensure probation practitioner pay and benefits adequately reflect the responsibilities of the role and are competitive to attract and retain staff. Five recommendations are for HMPPS, including to following consultation, provide regions with user-friendly workforce planning tools, to strengthen mechanisms to ensure training and development is followed up and learning is translated into practice

ENDS

1. The report is available at gov.uk/hmiprobation on 16 January 2025
2. HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of youth justice and probation services across England and Wales.
3.  Six weeks of fieldwork was undertaken for this thematic inspection, between August and October 2024.

For media enquiries, please contact Louise Cordell, Head of Communications 07523 805224 / media@hmiprobation.gov.uk (E-mail address)