Probation Day 2022

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Welcome to Probation Day 2022

Welcome to Probation Day  – our celebration of our calling and craft. We will shine a light on the work we do in the criminal justice system to inspire and celebrate.

Our first-ever Probation Day was on 21 August 2021 (Which was also the 114th anniversary of the Probation of Offenders Act 1907).

However, the roots of probation can be traced back to 1867, when Herefordshire printer and philanthropist Frederic Rainer gave 5 shillings to the Church of England Temperance Society to help rescue people who fell into crime through drunkenness.

Since those early days the service has evolved and developed, on 26 June 2021 the National Probation Service and Community Rehabilitation Companies came together to become the Probation Service.

To celebrate our second annual Probation Day, Amy Rees and Sonia Flynn along with other members of the executive team will be hosting a short celebration launch event and invite you all to attend.

Please come along and join in – Probation Day 2022 – Launch Event


Did you know?

The Probation of Offenders Act 1907 provided, for the first time, a statutory foundation of the probation service.

You can view the Act here.

People Survey: Spotlight on East Midlands

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People Survey: Spotlight on East Midlands

The East Midlands region are working on streamlining communications and increasing engagement and Safe to Challenge.



Streamlining Communications and increasing engagement

We are about to launch our monthly Regional Briefing pack which has been produced alongside the BSC team in response to staff feedback on the amount of communication that goes out.

The briefing pack will be populated with key updates/event dates/policies from heads around the region, it will then be disseminated once a month to managers to help brief their teams with. The pack will serve as a point of reference throughout the month that can be referred to when needed.

Other feedback from staff included the difficulty they faced in being able to ascertain between critically urgent communications, communications that required action and communication that they could afford to read later. In response to this we’ve developed a colour coding system that will help staff prioritise how they engage with messages. The system will be applied to the monthly briefing pack, email communication and team communications for consistency.

We also aim to regularly ask for feedback from staff about the way we communicate, to ensure that it’s the most effective way to do so.



Safe to Challenge

Safe Space events in the East Midlands give staff with similar protected characteristics the opportunity to speak openly, and with confidence. Networks such as RISE, DAWN and PIPP will be invited to future events to help offer peer to peer support and advice to colleagues who may need it alongside having a learning culture in-built.

TUBU have been invited to events within the East Midlands to help promote their services of support and signposting in cases of bullying, harassment, and discrimination. Banter workshops created by PiPP network have also been organised to raise awareness of the harmful effects that seemingly innocent jokes and comments can have on a person with protected characteristics.

Similarly, our Let’s Talk Discrimination events hosted by our RPD and heads continue to raise awareness and offer staff the opportunity to learn about the different types of discrimination that exist, the onboarding of a new Equalities Officer will help to drive these sessions going forward and keep discrimination and its negative impacts in the forefront of colleagues’ minds.

Our RPD has hosted sessions with Network leads to allow staff with protected characteristics to share their experiences.

Finally, the Equity Assurance Council continue to review data to provide regional assurance that there are not disproportionate outcomes for staff or people on probation.


People Survey: Spotlight on West Midlands

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People Survey: Spotlight on West Midlands

The West Midlands region are working on Tackling Discrimination as our People Survey priority area.

We recognise that each PDU will have its own specific circumstances which mean their survey results will look different across the region. We have therefore focused on one priority area for the region, and then given the flexibility to each PDU to focus on their own second priority area, based on their specific survey results.



Our Data

We have pledged to analyse available data to identify and tackle disproportionate outcomes for staff – so far this has included reviewing the trends around joiners, leavers, promotions, PQIPs, attendance management actions, and CBF – and has highlighted areas for us to take a further deep dive over the coming months.



Tackling Disproportionate Outcomes

We have set up Grievance Panels with the aim of reviewing Grievance trends across the region to ensure we tackle any disproportionate outcomes – the outcomes from the first panels are being taken to our next regional Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Board to discuss the actions we can take forward across the region.



Increasing Awareness

Across the region we have launched our Equality Experience Form, which provides a route for all staff to raise concerns about behaviour they have experienced or witnessed. We have supportive allies and champions for the form across the region, to encourage a culture and environment where staff feel able to share their experiences.



Career Progression

We are very proud of our PRISM positive action programme, and have continued to build the programme across the East and West Midlands. The programme offers participants a mentor to support them with their career development, as well as bespoke sessions from our HR and L&D teams around presentation skills, interview preparation, and success profiles. We are reviewing our programme for the next 2022 intake, to ensure it continues to deliver the best possible outcomes for our participants.


Amy’s message 8th July

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Amy Rees – Director General Probation, Wales and Youth


Update message to staff – Friday 8 July


I really enjoyed opportunities to be out and about meeting some of you last week. On Wednesday, I met with a group of Probation Officers in Reading to hear their thoughts on their roles and update them on work we are doing centrally. We had a very candid and insightful discussion so a huge thank you to all who joined and for the brilliant work you are doing every day.

On Thursday, I was in London visiting the Ruskin House office, meeting staff who work in the Public Protection Casework Section (PPCS) and seeing first-hand the very important work they do. Thank you to everyone I met for the warm welcome I received and all you are doing to help us protect the public and keep communities safe.

One of the vital areas of our practice the PPCS team oversee is Parole, and there is an important change to Parole Board rules being implemented from the 21 July which will see the Single Secretary of State View being introduced in terms of report recommendations. As I am sure you are aware, Parole reform is a priority for the Deputy Prime Minister (you can read more about his thoughts on Parole and a review undertaken on the MOJ intranet). Information has come out to regions this week to brief teams on the change to a Single Secretary of State View so it is really important that you are aware of this and how it will change our processes. There are also national briefings taking place from next week and you can find more information on these and how to join them below.

A reminder that we have an all staff event taking place next week on Tuesday 12 July at 9.15am to update you on work being undertaken to respond to the findings of the joint Race Survey we published in earlier this year. This will be a short 30 minute update call ahead of fuller event in September. Please do join us if you can by following this link.

I have enjoyed seeing photos of many of you taking part in Pride celebrations over the last few weeks and decorating offices to affirm our support to LGBT+ colleagues across the Probation Service. I am committed to making the Probation Service a diverse and inclusive organisation where everyone can feel they belong, so a huge thank you to everyone who is helping us do this and in particular to Nic Turner and Pride in Prisons and Probation (PiPP) staff network for all the great work they do every day to raise awareness and support staff. Hear more from Nic and how you can get involved with PiPP on the HMPPS Intranet.

Just to remind you that Probation Day 2022 is approaching with this year’s theme being Belonging. I know there are lots of plans underway across regions to celebrate our second Probation Day and I hope you will be able to take part in some way. We will also be holding a national event on Friday 19 August at 10.00am so please keep an eye out for more information on this.

Finally, Eid Mubarak to those celebrating Eid-ul Adha this weekend.

As always, thank you for all you are doing.

Amy

Probation Job Evaluation Scheme (JES) – One Year On

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Probation Job Evaluation Scheme (JES) – One Year On

A year ago, in July 2021, a review of the Probation Job Evaluation Scheme process was carried out jointly with trade unions. The review identified a number of recommendations and a central Job Evaluation Management Group (JEMG) was established to oversee the implementation of these recommendations.

A short-term recommendation of the review was a mapping exercise, which identified roles that were a high priority for job evaluation. Roles most urgently needing to go through the job evaluation process were placed in the Priority 1 group.

You can find out more about the Job Evaluation Scheme and the JES Review 2021 on the Probation Hub.

The job evaluations for roles within this first category are now complete and the PWP Job Evaluation project team would like to use this opportunity to share their thanks with those involved; we know it hasn’t always been a straightforward process.

Our priority as we reach this milestone is to look at how we can make improvements to the JES process. We are going to be working with the Strategy and Improvement team within PWP to look at the lessons learnt over the past year and the insight we can gain from the experience of stakeholders who have been involved with JES so far. If you would like to support and contribute to the lessons learned exercise, please contact Sheridan Percival (sheridan.percival@justice.gov.uk).

Work on Priority 2 roles has commenced; these are roles where an urgent business need for job evaluation has been identified – there are 13 roles in this group. Steady progress is being made and focus groups for some roles have already started. We expect work on P2 roles to progress throughout the remainder of this year and we will be implementing feedback and lessons learnt from the P1 group on an ongoing basis.

zARCHIVED: Joint Statement on Harmonisation – June 2022

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Joint Statement on Harmonisation – June 2022

We are now very close to reaching the end of the negotiations on a proposal for harmonisation of terms and conditions, both for staff remaining in the Probation Service and those due to transfer on to HMPPS or MOJ,  and we are now planning for trade union ballots on the offer.  This has been a lengthy and complex process but one in which HMPPS and the TUs have remained determined in achieving the best deal for everyone impacted by harmonisation.

We know it is frustrating and stressful waiting for confirmation of the proposal on offer – and together, we want to thank everyone for their patience and resilience during the negotiations.

Once the proposed Harmonisation Agreement is in its final draft, members of the three recognised Trade Unions will be asked to accept or reject it in a ballot. Staff will receive details of the Harmonisation Agreement and Trade Unions members will receive details of the ballot process along with information and advice from the lead for their TU.

As you know, only members of the three recognised Probation Trade Unions can participate in the ballot.  Each trade union will shortly be e-mailing all members who they have listed as being eligible to vote in the forthcoming ballot. All staff in the harmonisation group will be notified of the date that trade union members among them can expect to receive the e-mail. Members who do not receive the e-mail, and who are therefore not on the respective unions’ ballot registers, should contact their union after they know that the e-mail has been sent. If you have attempted to join one of the recognised trade unions recently, but have not heard back with confirmation of your membership, please contact the following named leads as soon as possible:

For colleagues within Functional Leadership, we aim to commence consultation on Secondary Transfer activity towards HMPPS or MoJ alignment of terms following the ballot outcome and once again we thank you for your patience. We are discussing the best approach to achieving this and will provide impacted staff with a further update as soon as we can.

In the meantime, enquiries about both harmonisation and secondary transfer can be directed to the functional mailbox: HandSTenquiries@justice.gov.uk.

 

Thank you.

People Survey: Spotlight on North West

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People Survey: Spotlight on North West

The North West region are working on Leadership and Promoting Engagement as our People Survey priority areas.



Our objectives are:

  • To increase visibility and engagement with Senior Leaders – engage with staff and wider service/partner agencies to improve the services we deliver through improved business performance, people development, increased operational resilience and greater capacity for change.
  • A greater focus on listening to the views of Staff by embedding engagement events and our ‘Engage to Improve’ schedule of events throughout the year.
  • Promote and support a healthier, inclusive workplace and  build better relationships and ensure sustainable practices – adopt the ‘Belonging Approach’.
  • Follow the principles set out in the MOJ Be Well Strategy, focusing on  the 4 key health and wellbeing strands (Mind, Lifestyle, Finance, Environment) to contribute to sustaining a healthy, happy, productive workforce/


Progress so far

Between April to June we have:

  • Co-ordinated two all staff engagement events with an agenda developed from listening to our people
  • Hosted 10 ‘Engage to improve’ sessions on a range of topics such as Learning and Development, Engaging People on Probation and Workload creative Solutions:  These sessions are well attended and have created good discussion an input to inform our approach on a range of work related topics.
  • Held PDU face to face team development sessions enabling new teams to come together and build a collective understanding of our priorities
  • Published our quarterly You Said, We Did,
  • Held a Senior Leadership Team development day
  • Held monthly Regional Reward and Recognition panels since launching our new R&R strategy on the 1st April

We regularly celebrate our people and share our successes through our monthly eZine.  This goes out to the whole region and features staff achievements including award winners, activities, photos, biographies, thank yous and shoutouts.


UPW Placement Co-ordinator – National Fleet Replacement Strategy  

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National Fleet Replacement Strategy

In June, the new Unpaid Work (UPW) Fleet Strategy will be communicated to regions by the central UPW team, outlining the resources available to us. This will enable me to build my projects accordingly and will be followed in December, with a Practical Guidance for Roles and Responsibilities of Fleet Management and Regions.

The Fleet model we are likely to be working to in the future, will enable us to be more flexible in transporting People on Probation (PoP) and the relevant equipment and tools to projects, enabling a wider range or project delivery.

Relevant to

  • UPW Placement Co-ordinator

UPW Placement Co-ordinator – New unpaid work assessment tool

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New unpaid work assessment tool

By the end of April, the new digital UPW assessment tool will be available to practitioners. There should little impact of the introduction of the digital tool for me, however, the improvement in the range, consistency and quality of information I receive, should improve.

Once complete, the assessment will be converted into a PDF document and saved in nDelius for me to use when allocating individuals to the most suitable project. I will only have to access this one document rather than searching for risk and needs information in nDelius, OASys and a separate unpaid work assessment.

Relevant to

These changes taking place in April will apply to the following roles:

  • UPW Placement Co-ordinator

Changes affecting UPW Placement Co-ordinator

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Changes affecting Unpaid Work (UPW) Placement Co-ordinator


Changes are listed by launch date and your region will inform you as to when these changes will impact you.

Signage changes in my office 

UPW Supervisor – National Fleet Replacement Strategy

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National Fleet Replacement Strategy

In June, the new Unpaid Work (UPW) Fleet Strategy will be available and followed in December, with a Practical Guidance for Roles and Responsibilities of Fleet Management and Regions, where I will be invited to note any action necessary.

The Fleet model I am likely to be managing in the future will enable me to be flexible in transporting People on Probation (PoP) and the relevant equipment and tools to projects. I will also need to ensure I hold the appropriate licences required to operate the different vehicles.

Relevant to

  • UPW Supervisor

UPW Supervisor – New National Delivery Targets

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New National Delivery Targets

My region will be expected to meet the new Unpaid Work (UPW) delivery targets which means we will be delivering an agreed percentage of our total UPW hours completed as National Individual Placements by the end of each quarter. To deliver this, my regional team will be recruiting to the agreed level for my region, increasing the project portfolio and in turn, increasing the number of available placements. I will ensure that all my People on Probation (POP) understand the rules, requirements and expectations when they start a project I am managing, and continue to ensure that these are adhered to appropriately throughout their UPW requirement. I will ensure that I appropriately alert the probation practitioner to any concern or risk issues in relation to the PoPs on my projects, whilst also ensuring the overall safety of the project.

Relevant to

  • UPW Supervisor

UPW Supervisor – New UPW Digital Assessment Tool

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New Unpaid work (UPW) Digital Assessment Tool

By the end of April, the new Unpaid Work (UPW) digital assessment tool will be available to practitioners to complete; depending on my region I may have previously completed the UPW assessment and with the introduction of the tool I will no longer be doing this. I should see improvement in the range, consistency and quality of information available for me, which will be contained in a single PDF, meaning I no longer have to check various systems. Referring to this document to gain information and insight into the people I am supervising will help inform decisions around risk and need.

Relevant to

UPW Supervisor


UPW roles – Increasing resource to support delivery of UPW

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Increasing resource to support delivery of UPW

I am likely to be welcoming new colleagues into my team over future months as funding for Unpaid Work roles increases to allow for current delivery and to address the backlog of cases that have exceeded their 12-month period, which have outstanding hours not completed.  The opportunities to support, mentor and coach new colleagues and new staff will support my professional development and help to inform the new culture of the probation service.

As a change leader I am uniquely placed to work collaboratively with my colleagues to create a one Probation service culture. In line with the Culture Code I will feel that I am part of an organisation that recognises and appreciates difference.

Relevant to

  • UPW Probation Services Officer
  • UPW Supervisor
  • UPW Placement Co-ordinator

Changes affecting Unpaid Work Supervisors

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Changes affecting Unpaid Work (UPW) Supervisors


Changes are listed by launch date and your region will inform you as to when these changes will impact you.

Move to full National Standards

UPW PSO Moving into Probation Operational Delivery (POD) Model

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Moving into Probation Operational Delivery (POD) Model

If my region had deployed the POD model across UPW, then I may now either be working to the model or be aware of the plan to move to it. My office will likely have been zoned, with new furniture and layout to support this way of working and I will be familiar with the 10 national POD principles.

POD National Principles
  1. PODs will consist of a cross grade grouping of staff with a mix of PO, PSO and Case Administrator (CA) colleagues. Ideally in a 2:3:1 ratio however this will be subject to local variation in available staff mix. This will also allow for a range of experience within the POD.
  2. Probation Practitioners will be allocated SUs with a risk of harm level appropriate to their experience, expertise and grade. Change of assessed risk that results in changing the case Tier will prompt a reallocation of the case, ideally within the POD to provide consistency for the SU.
  3. Case knowledge will be shared between POD members. Working as a team will enable probation practitioners to focus on their areas of expertise and play to individual strengths for example to facilitate the direct delivery of RARs.
  4. The Case Administrator (CA) is a critical part of the functioning of the POD, enabling others to be proactive rather than reactive.
  5. Management of the POD remains the remit of the SPO. Any management or allocation of PO or PSO work remains the remit of SPO.
  6. The POD structure will be outlined as part of the induction process for SUs to ensure that expectations and roles are set out from the beginning. This ensures that trust and transparency principles are achieved.
  7. Consideration of equalities will be embedded into the POD structure. This will be evident within both the caseload allocation and staffing. (To include considerations regarding the placement of staff with lived experience across PODs)
  8. The number of Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP) learners allocated to each POD will not exceed the number of qualified POs who have completed their Newly Qualified Officer (NQO) period. This ensures that there is adequate support and development opportunities for PQiPs without overburdening the POD.
  9. PQiPs will not form part of the 2 PO:3 PSO ratio outlined above, despite being considered as PSOs in the workload management tool for a portion of their week.
  10. Where possible, PODs must have an experienced PO within them and therefore cannot consist solely of NQOs.

Relevant to

  • UPW Probation Services Officer

UPW PSO Compliance and Backlog Prevention

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Compliance and Backlog Prevention

UPW requirements must be completed within 12 months of the initial sentence. If there are outstanding hours after this point, the requirement falls onto a ‘backlog’ and hours cannot be worked until an application is made to the Court for the requirement to be extended or if necessary revoked and resentenced.

To prevent cases falling onto the backlog, there are a number of mandatory actions that must be followed, together with some recommended advice on best practice guidance (hyperlink when available).  One of these actions requires me to undertake reviews of all my cases at the six- and nine-month points in their Order and identify those that are not on track to complete their UPW hours.

When identified, I need to discuss with my UPW team the best course of action.   I will either return the requirement to court (with applications for extension identified at the 9 month point of the order or earlier if needed, presented to the court before the 12- month expiry date of the requirement to apply for an extension, or to instigate breach action, as appropriate. This will help to ensure a backlog does not develop and that People on Probation (PoP) finish their requirements in line with the expectations of the Court.

Relevant to

  • UPW Probation Services Officer

UPW PSO – Important changes to Electronic Monitoring – New PCSC Bill

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Important changes to Electronic Monitoring – New PCSC Bill

New PCSC Bill

In May, the new Police Crime Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Bill introduces some important changes to Electronic Monitoring (EM) that I need to be aware of if I work in a region where I manage people on probation (PoP) with both and UPW requirement and and EM curfew requirement. I will have been briefed on the changes ahead of their launch. Firstly, courts will now have the option to increase the length of the EM curfew from one, to two years.

In Addition to this, from the end of June/beginning of July, as a Practitioner for PoP on community disposals only, I will have additional authority to vary EM curfew requirements without going back to court. I will have authority to vary when, during the day curfew hours take place on an order for example, I can split hours up across the day allowing for employment, childcare or religious commitments, however the total number of hours my PoP is curfewed each day on will remain the same.

Should my PoP change address, I will also be able to amend this without going back to court. Similar to the HD Variation process, I will do either of these things by completing the safeguarding and Domestic Abuse checks (for change of address) and completing a form that will be triaged by my SPO and approved by my PDU Head. This notifies both the court and the EMS provider, who will send confirmation notices to me, with EMS attending any new address before I can inform my PoP and record the contact in nDelius. This new process will save me time and support my PoP to better comply with their EM requirements which in turn, should mean they will better comply with their order.

The new rules will not be applied retrospectively, so are only available to PoPs sentenced on or after the date it is introduced. This means that for a while, I will be managing two separate processes, till my PoPs sentenced before that date have completed their curfewed hours.

To champion these changes, support learning and development and start to measure how EM is used across probation, my region will welcome an EM Lead (SPOC) who will help us implement and embed new processes, measure usage/collect data from probation and EPF (courts) to form a management information dashboard and drive innovation. All upcoming changes to EM will be captured and presented in a new EM Operational Framework, a guide that will be available to me before the PCSC Bill is introduced. I will be briefed on the process when it launches in my region.

Relevant to

  • UPW Probation Services Officer

Changes affecting Unpaid Work Probation Services Officer (PSO)

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Changes affecting Unpaid Work Probation Services Officer (PSO)


Changes are listed by launch date and your region will inform you as to when these changes will impact you.

UPW PSO – Previous changes – November 2021

UPW PSO – Previous changes – November 2021

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UPW PSO – Previous changes – November 2021

November 2021

New PoP Induction Pack

I will conduct a face-to-face induction with all my People on Probation (PoP) using the core induction pack and selecting any additional paperwork according to sentence requirements. The induction pack is on EQuiP. Person on Probation PoP Induction (rocstac.com) and brings together good practice from former CRCs and NPS. The induction is designed to ensure that there is good engagement with my PoP and help me establish a good working relationship. There will be developments to the induction pack in coming months to maximise engagement and I will be informed when this happens, as I will need to ensure I am always using the most up to date pack. If my PoP is deaf and uses British sign language, there is a video available for me to use to conduct the induction. If further support for specific non-spoken language is required, I can access HMPPS language support services via legal@clarion-uk.comThe Big Word also provide support for other language needs and I can access these services here.

Diversity Information Form

The EIF (Equalities Information Form) will be replaced by the Diversity Information Form (DIF), which will be communicated and made available via Equip in December 2021. I will collect equality information at the first point of contact allowing me to recognise the needs of people on probation (PoP) helping to engage with a complex and diverse range of PoPs to inform assessments, sentencing proposals, planning and delivery. This form enables my region to better understand its population in terms of protected characteristics, which will help to ensure that the services we commission locally better meet the needs of our PoPs.