Guidance

Probation Changes Bulletin - Issue 4 - February 2020

Updated 15 December 2023

This is a monthly bulletin produced by the HMPPS probation programme to update on the reform of probation services. If you have any questions, please email strengthening.probation@justice.gov.uk

Visit Strengthening probation, building confidence to find out more about the reform programme.

1. Introduction – Probation Reform Programme Director, Jim Barton

Welcome to the first edition of our bulletin in 2020, keeping you up to date with the progress of the probation reform programme. Due to restrictions imposed during the general election campaign at the end of last year, we were unable to publish updates in November and December. Rest assured, work has been continuing at speed and the programme remains busy.

I look forward to providing further updates as we continue to make progress this year. If you have any questions or would like to contact the programme team please email: strengthening.probation@justice.gov.uk

2. Reflecting on 2019

2019 was a year of great progress for the probation reform programme. We started by listening to the outcome of the consultation (which received over 450 responses) on how we best strengthen probation before announcing the unified model in May. We then started to deliver on the model through the transfer of offender management staff from the Community Rehabilitation Company (‘CRC’) Wales to the National Probation Service (‘NPS’) Wales in December (see below).

The last three months of the year also marked some key milestones which I’d like to share with you. These included:

2.1 Launching Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (‘HMPPS’) Strategy

The strategy, launched in November 2019, outlines the outcomes that everyone within HMPPS is focused on achieving. HMPPS is central to achieving three of the Ministry of Justice’s overall objectives:

• Decent and safe prisons
• Public protection
• Reduced reoffending

Our probation reform programme is explicitly aligned to the overall objectives of protecting the public and reducing reoffending. Together with our workforce programme, it is intrinsically linked to the outcomes that the HMPPS Strategy is determined to achieve namely, building and maintaining a diverse, skilled and valued workforce and delivering high quality sentence management.

2.2 Launching the probation delivery partner competition

The first phase of expressing an interest in the delivery partner competitions and the launch of the competitions has started. Probation delivery partners are the organisations that will deliver Unpaid Work, Accredited Programmes and other Structured Interventions to the regions. There will be one probation delivery partner in each of the 12 new probation regions in England and Wales.

We very much hope that current organisations will express an interest in these competitions, but understand that sometimes this might not be the case. Regardless, there will be no impact on the quality of probation services that are provided to offenders, staff and stakeholders during the transition.

2.3 Appointing the regional probation directors

The programme continues to make great progress towards the launch of the unified model next Spring. that goal. I’m delighted that we have appointed the new team of 12 National Probation Service Regional Directors for England and Wales (11 for England and one for Wales). These new senior leaders are from a range of backgrounds and all have great experience of probation, both in the NPS and CRCs.

As they start to build their own regional teams, they will be working closely with the programme to implement change, develop best practice and lead probation services in their region. This is in line with our blueprint, published last June, with further details included in our draft Target Operating Model, which we plan to publish towards the end of February.

We were determined to appoint the right people to these important roles. The process was rigorous with a number of individuals involved, including Police and Crime Commissioners who sat on interview panels. The regional probation directors are:

• Ian Barrow, Wales
• Andrea Bennett, North West
• Chris Edwards , Greater Manchester
• Bronwen Elphick, North East
• Lynda Marginson, Yorkshire and Humberside
• Sarah Chand, West Midlands
• Martin Davies, East Midlands
• Steve Johnson-Proctor, East of England
• Kilvinder Vigurs, London
• Angela Cossins, South West
• Gabriel Amahwe, South Central
• Mary Pilgrim, Kent, Surrey and Sussex

2.4 Wales transition to the NPS unified model

The transition process in Wales has gone well and I’d like to express my thanks to everyone who has been involved. On 2nd December 2019, just over 300 staff in Wales moved over to the partially unified model for the probation service.

The transition has been a major achievement and a review of staff working needs, in terms of environment and IT resources, will ensure they are given the best support in their important and challenging roles. There are a number of lessons we can usefully learn, especially given that the scale and complexity for transition in England will be different.

2.5 Increased focus areas

Like any complex reform programme, there are inevitably a few areas that have taken longer to move forward with than we had hoped. One of these is the design of our Dynamic Framework. Our initial approach was to hold central competitions for each of the 12 regions. Following feedback from key stakeholders we have paused the launch and are adjusting our approach to ensure it’s more regionally tailored to what already exists.

NPS deputy directors are currently completing a gap analysis with their local partnerships to support this work. We have set up a new board to help our resettlement model align more closely with prisons, while the design work for a unified offender management system in the NPS is in its early stages and we’re keen to make quick progress on this soon.

3. Looking ahead to 2020

When we announced plans for the new probation model last May, we said that transition would occur in Spring 2021 and we have now settled on a specific date. Management of low- and medium-risk offenders will pass from CRCs to HM Prison and Probation Service in June 2021, allowing time to implement these complex changes safely. Therefore 2020 will be another busy year of engagement with staff and stakeholders and finalising the Target Operating Model.

Over the next few months, we will launch the first stage of the competition to appoint providers to the Dynamic Framework (smaller, more specialist local providers of pathway provision). From April we will begin the process of shifting the NPS from its current formation of seven divisions to 12 regions.

By the end of the year we will have completed that process and appointed all partner organisations that will support NPS regions in the future. Further details can be found in other areas of this bulletin. We will also commit to continuing to consult, engage and inform staff and stakeholders as well as with our trade unions on the progress in the programme.

3.1 The launch of the workforce programme

In January, HMPPS launched a five-year probation workforce programme. This is a parallel programme to the reform programme with a purpose to ensure the new unified service has the right staff in the right places at the right time, bringing together all the probation workforce areas currently sitting in different parts of HMPPS and the Ministry of Justice.

A key focus is to make sure all recruitment is diverse and inclusive, staffing level requirements are met, staff have the right qualifications, learning opportunities and professional career development plans and, overall, making sure our HR polices are fit for purpose. Ian Barrow, previously probation delivery director for the National Probation Service in Wales, has been appointed interim director for the probation workforce programme.

The programme, which sits alongside the probation reform programme, will be launching its workforce strategy towards the end of February. It will ensure that, as CRCs are integrated into the new unified model, there is a clear focus on supporting probation colleagues as they carry out new and challenging roles.

Amy Rees, Director General for Probation and Wales, said: “We made a commitment in the recent HMPPS Strategy and the People Plan that a strong workforce was an absolute priority for us to achieve our aims in the agency and in probation…I do not underestimate the scale of what lies ahead but we have a real opportunity here: to shape the direction for our probation workforce and create a lasting legacy for our valued staff.”

3.2 Publication of the draft Target Operating Model

Final work is being done on the interim Target Operating Model, which will be published in the next few weeks. This important document outlines how probation will be run from 2021, the structure of the future NPS and the processes that we are implementing. This follows the operating blueprint, published last June.

While there is still a huge amount of work to be done, gaps in design areas and many questions that still need answering, the Target Operating Model, clearly demonstrates the commitment of HMPPS to continue to drive the reform programme forward at pace to deliver for the public, probation staff and individuals under probation supervision.

3.3 Assistant Chief Officer events

Two engagement events with NPS and CRCs and the programme have recently taken place to refine the delivery structures for the 12 new regions and agree on the processes for staff transfer from CRCs to the NPS.

We anticipate the Probation Delivery Unit structures for regions will be announced shortly.