Updated Probation workforce strategy: filling the gaps

Given the probation service’s chronic staffing problems, it’s not surprising that His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service has today published an updated workforce strategy covering the next three years.

The strategy sets out HMPPS’ ambition for a “more positive, inclusive, and diverse” probation workforce and the steps to be taken to achieve this.

Since the strategy was first published, the government’s Transforming Rehabilitation privatisation project has been reversed and the Probation Service has been re-unified. This move (which was completed in June 2021) was thought to herald the end to under-staffing. Unfortunately, the problems have only got worse over the last year and a half. While HMPPS has succeeded in recruiting just over 2,500 new trainee probation officers between 2000-2022, it has been haemorrhaging experienced staff with 2,171 staff leaving the probation service in the las year alone (the latest available figures are for the year to 30 September 2022). 43% of those leaving had been in post for five years or longer.

The strategy has five key objectives:

1. Promoting wellbeing for everyone
2. Attracting and retaining talented people
3. Supporting and developing our people
4. Creating a more diverse workforce where everyone feels included
5. Fostering confident leaders who inspire and empower others

This first objective which contains two key strands of activity aimed at improving job satisfaction and, critically, staff retention.

Mental health support

The strategy lists four initiatives focused on improving staff mental health and resilience by March 2023.

• Explore opportunities to increase awareness of the support available and identify gaps in staff support.
• Promote engagement with and share learning from the MoJ Wellbeing Pulse Survey.
• Evaluate and share learning from the HMPPS pilots to support carers and staff experiencing menopause (particularly important given the fact that more than three quarters – 75.4% – of probation staff are women)
• Continue to develop the Mental Health Allies structure, review findings and set development plans.

Workloads 

The strategy also includes a commitment to design, develop and implement a Workforce Planning System (WPS) that provides the Probation Service with an integrated, accurate and consistent way to precisely model our workforce requirements. Although overall caseload numbers do appear to have reduced from the peaks seen in Community Rehabilitation Companies during the Transforming Rehabilitation years, this reduction appears to have been offset by the reported increase in bureaucracy and clunky IT infrastructure which characterises day-to-day work within the civil service.

Attracting and retaining talented people

This second objective includes proposed improvements to people joining the probation service which involves a new joiner induction framework to improve the experience of new starters including a buddy system along with peer coaching and support.

There is also a commitment to make it easier for staff to qualify as probation officers by introducing new internal recruitment routes and programmes, for example, Probation Services Officer (PSO) progression with or without a degree and making part-time routes available.

There is also a promise to reform pay structures although we must wait and see whether this results in a competitive pay package especially in London and the South-East. Over the last year, several probation regions have been successful in increasing staff numbers with Greater Manchester adding 231 full-time equivalent posts and the North West region adding 192. Conversely, South Central added just five more staff and London lost 147 full-time equivalent posts.

Conclusion

The probation workforce programme ends in just two years’ time and we must wait and see whether the updated strategy is backed with sufficient funding and government leadership to make a real difference and ensure that there are enough probation staff in post to deliver a quality service and achieve a level of job satisfaction.