The future of the Probation Service

Justice Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 20 Jul 2020 Closed: 8 Mar 2022 Parliament page
Probation services have gone through substantial change in the past five years. After the financial failure and withdrawal of several CRC providers, the MoJ decided to end CRC contracts 14 months early (during this year) and to return to having a single national probation service for all offenders, but with … Read more
16 Recommendations
10 Conclusions
1 Report
3 Events
Activity timeline 5 events
2 Jul
2021
Report published
23 Apr
2021
Report published
8 Dec
2020
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 6, Palace of Westminster
13 Oct
2020
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 6, Palace of Westminster
22 Sep
2020
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 5, Palace of Westminster
Title HC No. Published Items Response
18th Report - The future of the Probation Service HC 285 23 Apr 2021 26 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
26 results
1 Conclusion
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
A previous Justice Committee said in 2018 that the Transforming Rehabilitation looked unlikely ever to...
A previous Justice Committee said in 2018 that the Transforming Rehabilitation looked unlikely ever to work. Time has proved our predecessors right. We welcome the Government’s decision to reunify the Probation Service and to introduce a new probation reform programme, … Read more
Government Response
The government welcomes the Committee’s support for a unified probation service. In designing the new unified model, we have sought to learn lessons from Transforming Rehabilitation and have drawn on … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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2 Conclusion
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
This is the second major probation reform programme in the last five years.
This is the second major probation reform programme in the last five years. The unplanned-for effect of covid-19 has only added to the challenges the Probation Service faces. The lessons of the previous, failed reforms must be learned, and the … Read more
Government Response
The government welcomes the Committee’s support for a unified probation service. In designing the new unified model, we have sought to learn lessons from Transforming Rehabilitation and have drawn on … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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3 Conclusion
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
As the then Minister of State, Lucy Frazer, acknowledged to us, one reason for the...
As the then Minister of State, Lucy Frazer, acknowledged to us, one reason for the failure of the 2014–15 Transforming Rehabilitation reforms was inaccurate modelling of how much work, and therefore profit, would go to the private sector and third … Read more
Government Response
Partly This recommendation has been partly agreed as the decision to discontinue to Probation Delivery Partner competitions was taken following a review process. We never enter into a procurement with … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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4 Conclusion
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
We welcome the decision to unify the Probation Service once more.
We welcome the decision to unify the Probation Service once more. We warn, however, that, after the disruption of the past seven years, changes proposed and begun to the probation system must be fully thought through, properly funded and expected … Read more
Government Response
Agreed The government welcomes the Committee’s support for a unified probation service. In designing the new unified model, we have sought to learn lessons from Transforming Rehabilitation and have drawn … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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5 Conclusion
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
There is cause for concern in the way that some goalposts have shifted as the...
There is cause for concern in the way that some goalposts have shifted as the new model has been developed. In particular, the decision to seek Probation Delivery Partners while the new model of delivery was still being developed had … Read more
Government Response
Partly This recommendation has been partly agreed as the decision to discontinue to Probation Delivery Partner competitions was taken following a review process. We never enter into a procurement with … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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6 Recommendation
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
The Justice Secretary, Robert Buckland QC MP, highlighted the role of covid-19 in requiring his...
The Justice Secretary, Robert Buckland QC MP, highlighted the role of covid-19 in requiring his decision to cancel the Probation Delivery Partner programme, but we must be concerned at any possible echo of a repeat of over-rapid, under-researched reform being … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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7 Recommendation
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
We recommend that the Ministry review its decision to seek partners while the new model...
We recommend that the Ministry review its decision to seek partners while the new model was still being developed and to report to us on whether future procurement processes will prevent the cancellation of proposed new contacts at such a … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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8 Recommendation
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
The new unified model has the potential to increase judicial confidence, through improved communication, sharing...
The new unified model has the potential to increase judicial confidence, through improved communication, sharing of relevant information and a more consistent offer of support. We recommend that the Ministry of Justice sets out how it will assess whether the … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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9 Conclusion
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
Confidence in non-custodial sentencing among judges and magistrates - and, by implication, the public -...
Confidence in non-custodial sentencing among judges and magistrates - and, by implication, the public - will rise only if the suitability and effectiveness of such sanctions are improved. More needs to be done to address the range of issues that … Read more
Government Response
Agreed In the white paper ‘A Smarter Approach to Sentencing’ we have set out our plans to improve public protection while also tackling the cycle of reoffending. To achieve those … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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10 Recommendation
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
We recommend that the MOJ sets out what other action is being taken to improve...
We recommend that the MOJ sets out what other action is being taken to improve judicial and public confidence in sentencing, particularly for the delivery of community sentencing. We recommend that the MOJ sets out what criteria it uses to … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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11 Conclusion
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
Pre-sentence reports are an essential part of probation delivery and ensure that sentencers have the...
Pre-sentence reports are an essential part of probation delivery and ensure that sentencers have the information necessary to make sentencing decisions that will ensure justice and support rehabilitation. We welcome the MOJ’s commitment to improving pre-sentence reports and increasing their … Read more
Government Response
Agreed Our long-term ambition for probation’s role at court is to increase the proportion of cases sentenced with a pre-sentence report (PSR) to 75 per cent. The emphasis will be … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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12 Recommendation
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
We recommend that the Ministry of Justice set out how they intend to increase NPS...
We recommend that the Ministry of Justice set out how they intend to increase NPS capacity to prepare pre-sentence reports. The MOJ should also set out what work is being done besides this to improve the quality of pre-sentence reports, … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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13 Recommendation
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
We are pleased to hear that Ministry of Justice have taken steps to make the...
We are pleased to hear that Ministry of Justice have taken steps to make the Dynamic Framework more accessible to smaller third sector organisations, and particularly welcome the consultancy support that the Ministry of Justice have funded or made available … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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14 Conclusion
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
We welcome the work the Ministry is doing to feed into the Cabinet Office review...
We welcome the work the Ministry is doing to feed into the Cabinet Office review of procurement and recommend that the MOJ update the Committee on the outcome of this review.
Government Response
Agreed The formal Consultation on the Green paper on Transforming Public Procurement closed on 10 March. As a part of that Consultation the MoJ engaged with Cabinet Office to reflect … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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15 Recommendation
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
Although we recognise that contract values and volumes are indicative, we share in the concerns...
Although we recognise that contract values and volumes are indicative, we share in the concerns expressed by some of our witnesses, that in some instances projected volumes are lower than those that various organisations are currently working with. Given that … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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16 Recommendation
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
No system can function fully from Day 1, but it is vital that probation service...
No system can function fully from Day 1, but it is vital that probation service provision be as effective as possible. We acknowledge the fears of organisations such as NACRO about implementation of the Dynamic Framework, but equally note the … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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17 Recommendation
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
So far as Day 1 provision itself goes, we have heard convincing evidence that some...
So far as Day 1 provision itself goes, we have heard convincing evidence that some services may not be available straight away and are not clear what will be provided for those people who would use them. We invite the … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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18 Conclusion
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
We welcome the additional investment the Ministry of Justice has made to improve Through the...
We welcome the additional investment the Ministry of Justice has made to improve Through the Gate service provision until existing contracts end. We are pleased that this additional investment has resulted in an improved service for those in need of … Read more
Government Response
Agreed The resettlement approach in the unified model is based upon the principle of the Community probation practitioner responsible for managing people post release from prison, becoming responsible for pre-release … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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19 Recommendation
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
We recommend that the Ministry of Justice set out how they intend the new model...
We recommend that the Ministry of Justice set out how they intend the new model to be delivered practically on a local level, and how the model will work alongside those services commissioned through the Dynamic Framework. The Ministry should … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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20 Recommendation
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
We note that the new resettlement model is being developed alongside the Offender Management in...
We note that the new resettlement model is being developed alongside the Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) Model. While we welcome both models, our inquiry has highlighted some concern that the OMiC model has not yet been fully rolled out … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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21 Recommendation
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
Probation Officers are fundamental to the delivery of probation, and we recognise the important role...
Probation Officers are fundamental to the delivery of probation, and we recognise the important role they play in supporting offenders and protecting the public. The Probation Service has historically faced difficulties with staffing levels, which has resulted in Probation Officers … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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22 Recommendation
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
We recognise that newly qualified probation officers and those still in training need training, development...
We recognise that newly qualified probation officers and those still in training need training, development and support, and should have smaller caseloads, but we are concerned that in the interim, caseloads for qualified probation officers will remain high. While we … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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23 Recommendation
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
We are pleased to note the Ministry’s commitment to employing more ex-offenders and welcome HMPPS’...
We are pleased to note the Ministry’s commitment to employing more ex-offenders and welcome HMPPS’ commitment to employing 150 ex-offenders in probation. We recommend that the MOJ and HMPPS set out a detailed timeline for how it will recruit and … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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24 Recommendation
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
Transition to the new model in the context of covid-19 presents a huge operational challenge,...
Transition to the new model in the context of covid-19 presents a huge operational challenge, particularly for operating models, IT systems and building leases. The Ministry and HMPPS have assured us that work is under way to ensure transition is … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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25 Conclusion
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
We are concerned to hear that some voluntary sector organisations do not feel sufficiently involved...
We are concerned to hear that some voluntary sector organisations do not feel sufficiently involved in the process to successfully manage transition.
Government Response
Agreed We have had extensive engagement with Clinks throughout design and development of the Dynamic Framework (DF) and service specifications for Commissioned Rehabilitative Services. We have shared information and plans … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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26 Recommendation
18th Report - The future of the Pr…
We recommend that the MOJ and HMPPS involve voluntary organisations and CRCs in relevant communications...
We recommend that the MOJ and HMPPS involve voluntary organisations and CRCs in relevant communications relating to transition. We recommend that the MOJ clarify to relevant voluntary sector supply chain partners their position in relation to TUPE, including what staff … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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