Focus on our estates

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Estates quarterly update

Did you know our Estates team is now responsible for 766 holdings across our 11 regions and Wales?

Preparing estates for mixed case loads

The Estates team’s key areas of focus through 2021 and 2022 includes ensuring all Probation Contact Centres and Unpaid Work locations are safe and secure and enabling most of our offices to be suitable to deliver mixed caseloads. This work involves producing national standards, assessing all sites for mixed caseloads, obtaining the necessary funding and delivering the required works.

The team is also working on:

  • Continuing to exit holdings through 2023 where it makes sense to do so, delivering a 22% reduction in our estate.
  • Delivering £37.5m of capital projects and £5m of backlog maintenance
  • Rolling out new permanent signage to existing and new sites
  • Establishing the capacity of our unified estate to support our increased workforce ambition

Estates:  December 2021 national quarterly update

The Probation Reform Programme Estates workstream supports our Target Operating Model by providing a modern probation estate for England and Wales.

The Estates team is continuing to deliver upgrade projects in our 11 regions and Wales, creating buildings that offer a more positive environment;  support smarter, more flexible ways of working;  and deliver benefits to our communities.

The Estates team is supporting plans for the expansion of the delivery of mixed caseloads across each region by December 2022 through:  defining and agreeing security requirements at a national and regional level;  agreeing each region’s priority sites;  and delivering upgrade works.  It is expected that critical and high priority sites within regions will be fully compliant with mixed caseload security requirements by December 2022.

The Estates team is also working with the Unpaid Work team to support their operational delivery by baselining our estate for the delivery of Unpaid Work and preparing to help to deliver the Estates component of our future operating model.  The team is also assessing our building usage and capacity, to ensure our future Estates strategy and delivery supports wider organisational and recruitment planning.

If you are keen to discover more, please see the December 2021 Regional Team Briefing Estates Quarterly update and the Estates & Facilities Management pages on the Probation Hub.  Your Regional Probation Director, your manager and your regional Estates team will keep you informed about what our Estates strategy and delivery means at a local office, regional and national level.  If you have a question that can’t be answered by your regional team, please email:  ProbationReformEstatesPMO@justice.gov.uk.

Refer & Monitor Digital Service Round Up – September

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Refer and Monitor an Intervention Digital Service – September round up

Here is a summary of the latest Refer and Monitor (R&M) fixes, improvements and developments for colleagues in the Probation Service and Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS) Suppliers.


What’s been delivered


CSV report download

Suppliers are now able to run reports on the digital service that provide information about their caseload.

Location setting

Suppliers can now choose the relevant Probation Service office location when scheduling an in-person appointment.

Session type

It is now possible to specify if a session was delivered as a one-to-one or group session.



What we’re building


Case notes

Enabling suppliers to record all activity outside of enforceable appointments, and probation practitioners to share information with the supplier.

This will help share information inside the digital service rather than having to work outside it. Simply put, with each referral there will be a ‘case notes’ section where each user can add their notes.

Action plan improvements

This functionality will allow suppliers to create a new action plan that supersedes the previously created action plan (when approved by the probation practitioner). This will support suppliers in instances where, for example, additional sessions are agreed to be included in a plan.

Guidance in the referral form

Several improvements to the on-screen guidance and design of the referral form have been designed and tested.

The first small, but impactful, improvement you will see is the ability to add more explanatory content when choosing the number of enforceable days. This should begin to help improve the overall quality of referrals that are sent through.

The case list view

Feedback, support queries and research insight are showing that users need more granular ways to view their case lists. Building some of the improved designs into the service is about to start.

Risk screen and scores

The Risk screen will be amended to make it easier for Responsible Officers to share relevant risk information with CRS suppliers. We hope to go live with this shortly.

History of action plan approval

This will allow Responsible Officers to see the history of approval and rejection of actions plans. This is almost completed.

Number of enforceable days

Some text added to guide Responsible Officers on the number of enforceable days needed. This is almost ready.

Jargon Buster


Refer and Monitor Digital Service (R&M)

Refer and monitor an intervention digital service (sometimes referred to as Refer and Monitor) enables probation practitioners to find suitable interventions and refer service users to the service providers (suppliers) who run intervention programmes. It enables suppliers to prepare and report on the interventions that they deliver.

Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS)

Commissioned rehabilitative services allow probation to commission a greater range of resettlement and rehabilitative services regionally from specialist organisations. This enables the delivery of services that can be tailored to respond to the diverse backgrounds and needs of individuals to effect positive outcomes as well as maximise opportunities for collaboration with local partners, including VCSE organisations, local authorities and Police and Crime Commissioners

Screen grab of R&M Digital Service section: How many days will you use for this Service?

Delivery Schedule

A ‘delivery schedule’ page is being added to give an overview of what the Digital and CRS Teams are working on, and what you can expect to be added to the service.

You will also have access to the information here on the Probation Hub in our monthly Refer and Monitor an Intervention Digital Service Round Ups.

What else we’re exploring

  • Identification of custody/ community case
  • Ability to identify ‘Urgent’ pre-release referrals
  • Issues with limited access cases
  • Improved process for adding and removing action plans.
  • Issues with breaks in service delivery, caused by holidays or short-term imprisonment etc.
  • Adding accredited programmes
  • Appointments recorded in the past

More information

  • Contact the IT Helpdesk for technical questions. These are then collated and prioritised and allocated to the R&M Digital Team.
  • The Probation Hub CRS Pages are currently being redeveloped but some top tips are available and are being updated monthly
  • CRS and R&M are a key component of the Target Operating Model being delivered through the Probation Reform Programme

Feedback

  • To send feedback on the R&M tool direct to the R&M development team use the feedback option in the R&M Tool (see figure below)
Collage of colleague images with text 'Developing your career'

Employee examples of career journeys

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Career journeys

Collage of colleague images with text 'Developing your career'

Read the stories of colleagues who have gone on their own journey through Probation, the path they have taken and those who have helped them along the way.

Click on the name of your colleague below to read their career stories that will be published on the HMPPS intranet over the coming weeks.

Publish Date Employee spotlight Path type
Wed 8 Sept Victoria Saciuk Admin
Wed 22 Sept Leanne Barnett PQiP to Policy
Wed 6 Oct John Ennis Admin to SPO
Wed 20 Oct Rosaline Carew PSO, SPO, Service Design
Wed 3 Nov Ruth Gilmore Snr Admin Officer, PSO, SPO Courts
Wed 17 Nov Naden Friend PQiP, SPO, Probation Learning Manager
Mon 6 Dec Helen Amor PSO, SPO, Training
Wed 15 Dec Jenny McKie Part time – approved premises – SPO
Wed 12 January 2022 Julie Wilkinson

Welcome to your new Probation Hub

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Welcome to your new Probation Hub


Up to Speed – Keeping you up to speed with what’s happening across Probation Service.


My Work – Information and quick links to support you perform at your best and get the most from your work.


Working together – Our work with other teams, stakeholders and partner organisations.


Who we are – What it means to be part of the Probation Service.

A new look with the same Welcome Hub style


Many colleagues said the Welcome Hub was useful for more than just transition information. So, the Hub concept will live on until we bring you a new intranet.

Your new Probation Hub brings the same short, snappy information with links directly to more information and support.

It retains the popular Welcome Hub content, which includes the information that supported us to unification. Those pages that are still relevant today can be easily found in the relevant sections on the My Work page. The remaining pages are available in our Archive section.

New to the Hub is our Up to Speed section. Here you will find the communication materials from the Probation Service Reform, Workforce and other selected programmes all in one place.

Our Working together pages will build to showcase how we work with other teams, stakeholders and partner organisations

Who we are will build to demonstrate what it means to be part of the Probation Service.

We hope you like the Hub’s new look and continue to find the content useful. We always welcome your feedback (good or otherwise) and your ideas on how to improve. Please use the Contact & support section that gives you direct access to the Probation Hub editorial team and specialist areas.

Collage of colleague images with text 'Developing your career'

Developing my career in the Probation Service

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Developing my career

Feeling enriched by the work you do and knowing there are opportunities to progress make a big difference to how engaged people feel. Here we shine a light on the many ways to progress your career in the Probation Service.

Below are some great resources that explain career pathway opportunities in the Probation Service and how to make the most of them.




Calling all colleagues – MS Teams Voice

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Calling all colleagues – MS Teams telephony


If you haven’t dialled into the benefits of MS Teams Voice yet, now’s the time to make that call.

Your personal telephone number gives you a range of call features on your laptop and smartphone. Think of it as your office landline number, that you can also use at home and on the move, helping you to keep your mobile number separate for those contacts who really need it.

The MS Teams app gives you the flexibly to:

  • Look up a colleague
  • Make fast and clear calls inside and outside the organisation
  • Make video calls and share your screen
  • Turn a one-to-one call into a group call
  • Control voicemail, do not disturb, delegation and pick up groups

Making MS Teams your go-to telephone solution takes minutes. Check out the step-by-step guides on the My Workplace & Technology page.

If need any additional support, please contact our team at: PRP_TeamsTelephony@justice.gov.uk

A group of probation officers in Manchester in the 1940s

The Probation Service through time

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The Probation Service through time

A group of probation officers in Manchester in the 1940s

The officers of probation past: A group of probation officers in Manchester in the 1940s

It is a real pleasure to be celebrating our first ever Probation Day on 21 August. We wanted to take this opportunity to pause and reflect upon the momentous journey we have been on as a service, some of our key milestones and how the service has evolved over the years.

So, in conjunction with NAPO, we are delighted to share with you a brief history of probation. This history goes right back and looks at our journey to becoming the Probation Service we know today.

Change is an inevitable part of life and for us as a service, and we’re sure you’ll agree that we have had our fair share.

Our people are the core of our success 

Although this can be unsettling, what we have proved time and time again is that we grow, we adapt, and we come out even stronger on the other side.

Our people, you, are at the core of our success and regardless of the changing landscape, you always come through for the people we work with and for that, we thank you.

As we look to the future, we hope you share our optimism and excitement about the road ahead.

Since unification, there are more of us than ever working to shape our organisation, protect the public and change the lives of the people we work with.

We have so much respect and admiration for our history but can’t wait to see how we evolve and build the future together as the Probation Service.

Best wishes,

The Probation Reform team

Probation regions – new plans to reduce reoffending

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Probation regions – new plans to reduce reoffending

All 12 probation regions have published new plans that set out how they intend to work with partners to cut crime by reducing reoffending in their local area.

Hannah Meyer, HMPPS Senior Disability Champion and Executive Director, Reducing Reoffending, Partnerships and AccommodationHannah Meyer, Executive Director for Reducing Reoffending, Partnerships and Accommodation, explains more about the plans on the HMPPS intranet.

You can read the plans on GOV.UK.

Events

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Events

Upcoming dates for your diary


Recordings of events you may have missed



Welcome to our unified Probation Service

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Colleague Welcome

Amy Rees - Director General for Probation

Dear Colleague,

A big warm welcome to our first working day as a new unified Probation Service! – thank you so much for everything you have all done to get us to today – this achievement would not have been possible without your individual and collective contributions and I am very grateful to you all.

We are now a new organisation bringing together the very best practice and signifies an important milestone.  Together, we are going to build a truly excellent Probation Service which I hope you will all feel proud to be part of.

Post-unification, our focus will be on giving you time to settle in and embed the changes we have made to bring stability across the organisation, continuing with our recovery and focus on implementing the Target Operating Model (TOM).  My leadership team and I are wholeheartedly committed to supporting you as we work together to smoothly combine our teams and continue to strive to deliver excellent probation services.

As we move forward, together we will create a shared culture that proudly reflects the diversity of our workforce and the work we do. A collaborative, inclusive and supportive workplace where everyone feels that they belongA place for staff to work which is valued by people on probation and ultimately protects the public and changes lives.

We have of course undertaken a significant period of change and I do understand that times such as this will impact upon people differently and for some of you, there are unfortunately ongoing issues relating to roles and the transfer which are causing concern. I want to reassure you that we are doing all we can to resolve these matters and we will continue to support you in every way we can.

If you are experiencing any difficulties today or have any queries, there is lots of information available on the Welcome Hub along with the details of where you can seek further support and assistance; information about our staff networks and various support services. Please also speak to your line manager if you have any personal concerns. For staff joining the unified Probation Service who have a pay related query, from today SSCL will be adding a new option to their Contact Centre phone line to support staff (dial 03452415351 and this new option will be announced first).

Looking ahead, we have a number of events coming up which I hope you will be able to join.  At 4pm today, Jo Farrar, HMPPS CEO and Second Permanent Secretary, and I look forward to welcoming you to our All Staff MS Teams event (click here) to celebrate this momentous occasion and I am really looking forward to having the opportunity to welcome you in person (or at least via an MS Teams camera)!

We will also be holding our next bi-monthly All staff event on the 6 July 2021 at 1.30pm (click here).  Please join me and other members of my senior leadership team then when we are also hoping to be joined by our Lord Chancellor. Later in the summer we will be celebrating Probation Day – with a week of activities starting on the 16th August.  We will share more information on this new annual event in the coming weeks.

These are exciting times and as we enter and adapt to a new era, there will be both opportunities and challenges for us all on an individual, team and organisational level.  I strongly believe, however, if we work together, we can overcome any challenges and achieve great things.  I want to express my sincere thanks to you all once again and I am looking forward to working with you as we build upon the carefully laid foundations to strengthen our probation service and continue our focus on delivering excellent services.

Best Wishes

Amy Rees

Director General for Probation and Wales

Amy Rees message – 25 June

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Amy Rees message


25 June 2021

Pride month 2021

Amy Rees - Director General for ProbationAmy Rees

Director General for Probation & Wales

We are finally here – on the eve of unification! At midnight tonight, we officially become a new unified Probation Service and welcome all colleagues joining us.  I cannot thank you all enough for everything you have done as individuals and teams to get us to what will be a momentous milestone in our probation history.

Today also marks the end of an era and I know some of you will have mixed feelings, which is totally understandable and natural when going through a big period change. I also know that we are fortunate to have an incredibly committed and compassionate group of staff and you will be supporting each other over the coming days and weeks as we settle into our new Probation Service.  Please do reach out and speak to someone if you have any questions or are finding things difficult.

If you are experiencing any practical problems relating to unification or have any queries – please do speak to your line manager.  There is also lots of information and guidance and dedicated staff support pages on the Welcome Hub.

On Monday 28 June, we are holding an all staff ‘Welcome to the Probation Service’ call at 4pm using MS Teams live where I will be joined by our Prisons and Probation Minister Alex Chalk and HMPPS CEO and our Second Permanent Secretary Jo Farrar to discuss unification and our hopes and plans for the future of probation.  I really hope you will be able to join us – to do so, please click the link here.

I have mentioned previously my commitment to building a more inclusive culture for our new Probation Service – where everyone feels they are valued, belong and can be themselves.  I was really pleased that we launched the Tackling Unacceptable Behaviours Unit (TUBU) across HMPPS last year – a unit set up to help colleagues experiencing any form of bullying, harassment, discrimination or victimisation in the workplace.  It aims to help address these serious issues and drive the right behaviour to positively change our culture and enable everyone to be their best.  TUBU offers lots of important services including a confidential helpline and mediation which can really assist in early resolution of problems when they arise. So I wanted to make sure you were aware of TUBU and how to access their support (further information below).

In other news, our Recovery work continues and we are making steady progress increasing delivery on a regional basis.  Some of our Probation Delivery Units in the South West and London have been able to move to ‘green’ status in their Exceptional Delivery Models, meaning they can see more people on probation in person and increase home visits.  Other regions are unfortunately seeing higher rates of infection and are making adjustments to maintain the health and safety of staff and people on probation.

Please do continue to take up home testing wherever this is available to you. This supports in identifying early infections and asymptomatic cases so remains very important in our Recovery approach and keeping colleagues safe.  If you do not know how to access a home testing kit, please speak to your line manager.

We will closely review the next set of announcements by UK and Welsh governments and let you know if these lead to any changes in how we are working.

Finally, I wanted to say congratulations and a big well done to some recent probation winners:

  • Kimberley Wright – Probation Officer from the London region for winning the Individual Award in the recent Permanent Secretary monthly awards in recognition of her work in helping a female on probation break her long-standing cycle of being on probation supervision
  • Janet Thomas – Head of Public Protection – OBE for services to probation
  • Sue Taylor – Deputy Director Community Interventions Residential and Accommodation Support Services- CBE for services to HMPPS

Well done to Kimberly, Janet and Sue – really proud of you all.

Thank you, as ever, for your hard work.  I look forward to being one new ‘team Probation’ from Monday and to speaking to as many of you as possible on our call.

Amy

OTHER NEWS

Pride Month

June is Pride month – we hope you have been able to join in some of the events taking place this month to celebrate the LGBT+ community and the work of our LGBT+ colleagues.  Read about what Pride means to members of the Pride in Prisons and Probation (PiPP) network here

Tackling Unacceptable Behaviours Unit (TUBU)

TUBU offer a range of services to staff including:

Confidential Helpline: 0300 131 0052 Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm (excluding Bank Holidays) – By listening and exploring options, TUBUs trained team give callers a safe space to make decisions about how to move forward if they are experiencing bullying, harassment, victimisation or discrimination.

Workplace mediation

Find out more here: Tackling Unacceptable Behaviours Unit – HMPPS Intranet (gsi.gov.uk)

Jim Barton, Executive Director/ SRO Probation Reform and Electronic Monitoring

Job Evaluation

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Most relevant to colleagues in CRCs, Parent and Supply Chain Organisations

Job Evaluation update – June 2021

UPDATE: 24 JUNE 2021

A selection of frequently asked questions on job evaluations is now available. These have been complied from several recent engagement events.

Read the Interventions Job Evaluation FAQs here.

Watch the recording of the Job Evaluation Event here (link will take you to myLearning where you will need to log in)


Jim Barton, Executive Director/ SRO Probation Reform and Electronic Monitoring

10 June 2021

Jim Barton

Senior Responsible Officer, Probation Reform and Electronic Monitoring Programmes and Executive Director CRC Contract Management.

I want to update you on recent activity in relation to job evaluation.

When an existing job description changes or a new job description is created, the role is subject to job evaluation.  Job evaluation is an analytical process that enables jobs to be ranked fairly and without discrimination. To maintain the integrity of the JE scheme, the JES team review and evaluate roles before they can be added to the pay and grading structure and filled. This is to avoid any new job conflicting or overlapping with an existing job description.

In the NPS there are two Job Evaluation Schemes used:

  • Probation Service Job Evaluation Scheme for NPS Bands up to Band 6;
  • Hay Job Evaluation Scheme for ACO Bands;

The Probation Reform Programme has developed some new roles as part of its design work; this includes roles for the future Interventions structure.

Three roles have been evaluated recently:

  • Unpaid Work Operational Manager / Band 4
  • Programme Manager / Band 4
  • Treatment Manager / Band 3

The job descriptions for the roles above were all written using the current CRC job descriptions and the future design models, to ensure the roles and responsibilities were identified correctly, and were ratified by senior managers and focus groups of staff currently employed in this role.

These roles have unfortunately been evaluated at a lower band that the Programme had planned for. We believe that the roles should be Band 5 (Unpaid Work and Programme Manager) and Band 4 (Treatment Manager) respectively. This reflects the accepted position not just in most CRCs but in the way the roles were performed in Probation Trusts prior to Transforming Rehabilitation. As such, we do not accept the outcome which we believe significantly understates the complexity of these roles. We are now progressing appeals against all three outcomes and we will update you on the outcome of the appeal when it is known. We anticipate that the appeals will conclude by early August 2021.

Transferring staff in these roles will be attached to these evaluated job descriptions upon transfer.  For CRC staff, covered by the National Agreement, who are subject to pay assimilation upon transfer; if this is a lower band than your existing band, pay protection will apply in line with the National Agreement.  To be clear, this does not reflect an acceptance on our part that the JES outcome is right, but equally it would be wrong for us as the employer to set a precedent that we are prepared to ignore the JES process. As such, we will pursue appeal and on conclusion retrospectively correct this position.

For Parent Organisation or Supply Chain staff who are not covered by the National Agreement, they will remain on their existing contractual terms, including pay; subject to any changes we have consulted on during the measures consultation.

Please speak to your line manager if you have any immediate questions or you can also submit a question via: Strengthening.Probation@justice.gov.uk

Thanks

Jim

Redfern office, Manchester

Manchester site gets colleague approval

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Relevant to everyone

Flagship Manchester site gets colleague approval

Our new probation flagship site, in Redfern in Manchester’s northern quarter, opened on 17 May 2021. The listed building – close to excellent public transport links – provides easy access for our colleagues, people on probation and colleagues from partner organisations.

Perfectly designed

The office is fitted out according to our Probation Design Guide, which goes beyond rooms, acoustics and lighting to create welcoming, professional spaces that support positive experiences for people on probation from the moment they arrive.

Feels great

Robert Donald, Probation Officer gives it the thumbs up. He says: “Settling into the Redfern has been a really positive experience. Firstly, it’s a beautiful building and workspaces are clean and modern. I’ve enjoyed getting to know lots of NPS and CRC colleagues better and it makes me feel more positive about my day to day.

“Previously I have only communicated with some colleagues by email but seeing people face to face allows for greater understanding and collaboration which has been ace. People on probation appear to be responding well too and seem to be much more positive. The interview rooms are much more welcoming and relaxing for both them and probation staff alike’.”

Exactly what we wanted

We’ve had great feedback to date. Chris Edwards, Greater Manchester Regional Director says: “While the reform of probation applies across the whole of Greater Manchester, Redfern is our most high-profile symbol of a new organisation.

“Having seen it develop over the months, I am so grateful to all the staff who have engaged in this process. The end product is just what I’d hoped it would be: a modern working space with excellent interview and group room facilities, easily accessible in Greater Manchester and a venue where we can host stakeholders with pride.”

Redfern office, Manchester

Facts about Redfern

Redfern is part of our ambitious four-year estates strategy by the Probation Reform Programme Estates workstream worth £131 million. This will give us the estate we need to support our new Target Operating Model, and in which our colleagues and people on probation feel that they matter and we value their journeys.

  • Redfern will be the base for approximately 320 colleagues who were previously located in five sites including Moss Side, Longsight, Stretford, Salford and Oakland House.
  • There are 229 desk spaces and with a six to10 desk ratio, will actively encourage smarter working for colleagues in the region.

Decorative image of scroll saying 'your transfer letter'

Transfer Letter Update

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Most relevant to colleagues in CRCs, Parent and Supply Chain Organisations

Transfer Letter Update – 22nd June 2021

Read the new transfer letter FAQs

Decorative image of scroll saying 'your transfer letter'

Transfer letters were sent out to the majority of transferring staff the week commencing 14th June and we have sent approximately 94% of letters out. We know there are some ongoing issues with some of the letters staff have received, such as inaccuracies of the information in the letter and receiving multiple letters with differing pay details. We understand and apologise for the confusion and worry this may cause.

Following on from the update on 17th June, the letters staff received with some pay inaccuracies have now been identified and replacement letters are being sent out with a cover note. If you do not receive a second letter, this means your first letter is correct and you do not need to do anything else.

We are also aware of some staff reporting having received multiple letters. Staff should have received a maximum of two letters – an original letter and a replacement letter. However, due to a system error some letters were sent to both CRC and justice e-mails and some were sent multiple times because the mailing system used to send the letters “stuttered”.

If you believe there are any inaccuracies or anomalies in your transfer letter, and you have not yet reported this, please send as much information as possible about why you believe the information is incorrect, to the transferletterqueries@justice.gov.uk. If you have already sent an enquiry to the mailbox, be reassured that we are working through all emails sent to us as a top priority. We would ask you do not resubmit your query if you have not yet received a response and we will respond to you as soon as possible.

Any queries relating to role location are being managed within your region or future team, so please do not send these to the above mailbox and instead raise with your line manager.

If you do not have access to a justice email account, we will be sending your letter to your CRC email address. For staff members not currently at work due to sickness or maternity leave, they will be sent paper copies of their transfer letter to their home address as well as an electronic copy to their justice email address. We expect all letters to be sent by email or post to all transferring staff week ending 25th June. If you haven’t received an updated transfer letter before 26 June it will not stop your transfer.


Amy Rees message – 11 June

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Relevant to everyone

Amy Rees message


11 June 2021

Pride month 2021

Amy Rees - Director General for ProbationAmy Rees

Director General for Probation & Wales

Unification day is fast approaching with just two weeks to go until we welcome nearly 8000 CRC, Parent Organisation and supply chain colleagues and together create our new Probation Service.

I know huge amounts of work continues to prepare for 26th June. I am really grateful for all your contributions.  My executive team and I met senior leaders yesterday to discuss our reforms and future ways of working and they shared some really valuable feedback with us on the key things teams have on their minds and also what you are looking forward to when we unify. This will be helpful as we shape our focus and plans.  We were also really pleased to be joined by our Permanent Secretary – Antonia Romeo – who spoke very highly of the work you have all done and how proud she is of you.

I wanted also to acknowledge that this is a worrying time for some, with uncertainty in terms of future roles and in relation to recent job evaluation outcomes for the Unpaid Work Operational Manager; Programme Manager and Treatment Manager roles which we were disappointed about and will challenge. I cannot emphasise enough that this is absolutely no reflection on your work and the invaluable contributions you make to probation delivery.  There are roles for everyone in our new Probation Service and indeed we will continue recruiting to ensure we have the staff we need to meet future demand.  We are wholly committed to ensuring everyone is clear on their future role as soon as possible and there is lots of activity happening to make sure this happens.  In terms of the job evaluation process, Jim has recently shared information with you via your senior leaders – you can read it here.

Alongside our reform work, we of course continue with our organisational recovery. We are making steady progress wherever it is safe to do so.  We have seen further increases in delivery over recent weeks and continue to recover services where possible in accordance with government and public health guidance. I know more of you are returning to offices and I hope you have enjoyed seeing people in person again, as I did during my days in Cardiff and London this week.

It is of course crucial that we remain vigilant to the risks presented by the virus and continue to follow the basics of hands-face-space.  It is also important that we all continue with regular testing and take the vaccination when it is offered to us.  You may have seen coverage about the emerging variants of concern.  Your senior leaders are closely monitoring the situation with these in regions, making adaptations to Exceptional Delivery Plans where necessary and – if required – pausing the delivery of particularly high risks activities.

In more cheerful news, I hope you saw our Minister was able to announce last week here that we have recruited more than 1,000 new trainee probation officers – a crucial element of our Workforce Strategy and absolutely key to our future service.  We have set a target of recruiting a further 1,500 trainee officers this year and I look forward to welcoming our new recruits when they join us

Finally, as part of the Senior Leaders event I mentioned, we asked staff to submit their six word stories, sharing what makes them proud to work for the Probation Service and what they are looking forward to for the future.  We heard some fantastic thoughts and they made me think what I would say if asked the same questions so I wanted to share my six word stories with you:

Why am I proud to work for the Probation Service?

“Committed professional staff making communities safer”

What am I looking forward to for the future?

“Unified stronger innovating delivering excellent probation”

Thank you as ever

Amy

OTHER NEWS

Pride Month

June is Pride month and there is lots going on to celebrate the LGBTQ community and the work of our LGBTQ colleagues – find out more here

Carer’s Week

This week (7 to 14 June) is Carer’s Week – the annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK.  You can find advice and support here

Carers Week: Guidance for staff – HMPPS Intranet (gsi.gov.uk)

All Staff Call 28 June 4pm – Welcome to the Probation Service

There will be an all staff call welcoming everyone to the new Probation Service taking place on the 28 June at 4pm hosted by Amy Rees and Jo Farrar.  You can join the call by following this link

Decorative image of checklist

National Standards, Performance and Quality

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Relevant to everyone

National Standards, Performance and Quality

Transitional National Standards have been published for implementation following the end of CRC contracts.

However, these will remain suspended (as current ones are now) for as long as Exceptional Delivery Models (EDMs) are in place.

Once the EDMs end, National Standards will come into effect, appreciating that a period of time will be necessary post-unification to embed and apply these consistently across the business.

The Performance Framework for the Unified Model consists of existing and new metrics and specific parts of the new performance framework will be switched on to support the unified model from July 2021.

Deborah James

Shaping Commissioned Rehabilitative Services

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Relevant to everyone

Shaping Commissioned Rehabilitative Services


110 contracts have been awarded to organisations to deliver Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS), a key part of changes being delivered by the Probation Reform Programme that are set to help support us deliver the best outcomes for people on probation.

Deborah James was just one of the Programme Team who brought her operational experience to help shape these services and the tools that underpin them. We asked what benefits staff should expect to see.

I was part of the team that helped design the specifications on which contracts would be based and evaluated bids to help select the new service providers.

I also helped to design the Refer and Monitor (R&M) process and tool.

Deborah James

Tell us about your background

I have worked in various operational roles as a probation officer since 2000 (High Risk, IOM, Court teams, generic team and YOS). This helps me to understand the needs of our probation practitioners and people on probation

What was your role?

I was part of the team that helped design the specifications on which contracts would be based. I also evaluated bids to help select the new service providers.

I also helped to design the Refer and Monitor (R&M) process and tool with a team of subject matter experts, which included staff from a variety of operational roles and Justice Digital and Technology. This helped us design a time-saving system that pulls information from probation systems, pre-populates referral forms and enables CRS staff to feedback directly into R&M so probation practitioners don’t have to chase up appointment outcomes with our new service providers. Working closely with the digital team, the system has been rigorously tested and we have used feedback from staff to develop further – something we will continue to do after 26 June.

Finally, I helped to develop training materials on how to use the system and understand the new processes.

What are the biggest benefits for staff of being able to make referrals to CRS providers

Time is one of the main obstacles for probation practitioners, there is never enough of it. While they are skilled in delivering holistic services for people on probation to address their criminogenic needs, there are agencies who have specialist skills and legislative knowledge, particularly in areas such as accommodation. The practitioner will be able to see what services the provider delivers through their service directory and refer their cases with the knowledge that outcomes have been researched and discussed with staff and internal policy groups as effective outcomes for desistance.

What are the biggest benefits for staff using R&M

R&M will pull information from OASys and nDelius where completed to populate the referral form. This saves time and ensures all information is consistent.

Previously, when making referrals to other agencies, practitioners may have needed to make a series of phone calls to learn who would see their case, what was delivered in each session or how their case responded to the service. This will now be recorded in R&M and pulled through into nDelius.

R&M will ensure probation practitioners know who is allocated to their case for the service delivery. They will receive an Action Plan to approve what services will be delivered to achieve the outcomes they have set. They will also receive post-session feedback, accessed either through R&M or nDelius, which they can swiftly act on to address any problems that may arise. When the service is complete, the practitioner will receive an End of Service report that outlines what has been achieved, along with a suggested move on plan. This allows the practitioner to oversee service delivery by the CRS provider and manage their cases more efficiently.

By working closely together and using the same system, practitioners and CRS providers will develop better working relationships. For people on probation, it will help make the process feel more seamless.

What do you like about the new approach?

It is intuitive and doesn’t take long to get comfortable using it. Pre-populating referral forms will save time and paperwork. At the touch of a button, probation practitioners will know whether their case has attended an appointment and how they engaged and be able to act quickly in instances of failure to attend appointments or concerning behaviour. Knowing who is delivering the service will forge better working relationships and the practitioner can contact them quickly if need be.

Overall, it is retaining that helicopter view of services your person on probation is receiving. Being able to approve the service delivery action plan, and receiving the end of service report with a move on plan ensures that you understand what has taken place from start to finish and have direction of ongoing needs, enabling you to better manage and deliver the sentence of the court. I wish it was available when I was a practitioner!


More on CRS

Twenty-six private or voluntary sector organisations have been awarded contracts to help deliver accommodation; education, training & employment; personal wellbeing services; and women’s services.

Managed by new regional contract management teams under the leadership of the Head of Community Integration, these providers will work closely with probation practitioners and Community Interventions teams to ensure the best outcomes for people on probation in each of our new regions.

A new ‘Refer and Monitor an Intervention’ digital service is in place to enable commissioned rehabilitative services to be searched and selected for referrals and monitoring.

Training

A Learning pack has been designed to support staff in delivering CRS. The pack includes best practice and digital service user guides.

Learning products are available via My Learning


Visit our Commissioned Rehabilitative Services pages for more information

NB: In Greater Manchester, we are co-commissioning rehabilitative services with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority; and in London we have joined forces with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime to deliver services for women. Check with your line manager on what CRS and R&M mean for you.

Latest Commissioned Rehabilitative Service Contracts awarded

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Latest Commissioned Rehabilitative Service Contracts awarded

Contracts for commissioned rehabilitative services (CRS) under the new Dynamic Framework (DF) have been awarded for Women’s Services. These follow recent awards for Education Training Employment, Personal Wellbeing and Accommodation.

You can find a full list of suppliers here on the Welcome Hub and on the NPS Intranet (Only viewable on MOJ equipment).

The programme team is now working with the successful bidders to ensure they are ready to deliver services from day 1 of our new Probation Service.

A key part of our Reform Programme, commissioned rehabilitative services are designed to be responsive, flexible and support Probation Practitioners in getting the best outcomes for people on probation.

There’s more on Commissioned Rehabilitative Services and the Dynamic Framework here on the Welcome Hub. This information is also available on the NPS Intranet (Only viewable on MOJ equipment).


Jargon buster 

Commissioned Rehabilitative Services: All rehabilitative services which NPS funds and commissions but are delivered by organisations other than the NPS

Dynamic Framework: The primary mechanism regions will use to commission those services, e.g. Accommodation

CRS Refer and Monitor: The tool that practitioners will use for simple referrals and information exchange

How to access MyLearning

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How to access myLearning

Last update:  26 November, 2021

NB:  Email address in SOP

It is important that your SOP (HR) record is showing your correct email address.  If you make requests to SSCL for myLearning passwords etc the automated response will be sent to the email address on your SOP record.  Your employee number (or username) is nms followed by six numbers ie nms123456 (case sensitive).  Go to SOP to ensure your email is correct and follow the instructions below:

Enter your employee number/username (it is the same thing and case sensitive) >> My Personal Information and under My Details you will see your email address (first.surname@justice.gov.uk)

Learning records and myLearning

myLearning is where you can view your learning record and all available courses.

In the case of transitioning staff, we recognise all learning previously completed which means you only need to complete what is outstanding in your learning pathway.

Staff with existing access to myLearning

For some staff who had set up myLearning accounts prior to transfer, we were able to identify those accounts and match them to an individual transferring into the Probation Service to create a new learning profile.

The front screen for myLearning for these people will look like this.  Please continue to use the log in name created prior to transfer.  The record of learning should reflect learning done prior to and following transfer.

Screen shot of myLearning login page

Employee number (e.g. nms12345678 with nms in lower case).

NB:  If you’ve forgotten your password use the ‘Forgotten…’ under the login button.

Useful videos

Guide on how to log on to myLearning

Guidance for Line Managers on how to view team records

Guidance for Line Managers on how to view the line manager dashboards

Staff without an existing myLearning account

If you did not have an account previously, or we were not able to match your account, you will have received new log in details to use your nms employee number (e.g. nms12345678 with nms in lower case).

For those staff who received new account details, but who also had a CRC account the two accounts will need to be merged.  You need to email training-services-delegate-management@gov.sscl.com giving details of your old account log in and also your new nms employee number and they will be able to merge your accounts.  Once you have done this, when you next log on to myLearning all the learning you have completed, using either of accounts, will be recorded on one single record.  Going forward you just need to continue to use your nms number to log onto myLearning.

If you are unsure if you need your account merging or have lost the original email you will be able to confirm that you are logging in correctly by looking at the homepage.  If when you log on you see the image below this indicates you need to have your old account merged with your new account detail. You will need to contact SSCL, following the instructions above.  They will also be able to perform a password reset on your new account should you require it.

Help and queries

Guidance videos and Job aids are available on myLearning under the ‘Help’ section and further information about myLearning can be found on myHub at myLearning.

Jo Farrar, HMPPS CEO, and Amy Rees, Director General for Probation and Wales

Jo Farrar and Amy Rees introduce the TOM

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Jo Farrar and Amy Rees introduce the Target operating model


Today (9 Feb) marks an important milestone for HMPPS as we publish our Target Operating Model.

Jo Farrar, HMPPS CEO, and Amy Rees, Director General for Probation and Wales

It describes how our probation services will be run as we start to implement our reforms from 26 June 2021. (This will mark the day when we will formally integrate Community Rehabilitation Company and National Probation Service colleagues into a new unified probation service.)

The model will establish a strengthened and inclusive probation system. One that will enable us to deliver the HMPPS vision of working together to protect the public and help people lead law-abiding and positive lives. It will mean a better experience for our staff, service users, delivery partners and the public.

Our plans, supported by an extra £155 million of funding a year, will allow us to implement improvements over the next few years. Some changes, such as the new regional structures are already taking shape. Others, such as work on our estate, will take longer.

We’d encourage you to read the Target Operating Model executive summary. You can also explore areas of relevance or interest to you in the full operating model.

With all of us focused on providing the best service we can during these difficult times and with many of you working flat out to ensure the safety of the public and those under our supervision, this is an exciting development and offers a bright light for our probation services as we emerge from the shadows of COVID-19. We are wholeheartedly committed to delivering these important reforms while also ensuring we continue to support you through these changes and minimise any disruption to services.

Supporting you through transition

Over the coming days and weeks we will be exploring some of the core areas of our new probation services and sharing further details on what these changes mean for you. The Welcome Hub will continue to provide a host of information as we edge closer to 26 June 2021.

We’d like to thank all those involved in bringing our plans to the next stage and to you all for your ongoing hard work and commitment to your roles during the current crisis.

Look out for further updates on our progress as we continue to build a probation service not just fit for today, but fit for the future and one in which we can all share enormous pride.

With best wishes.

Jo Farrar, Chief Executive, HMPPS
Amy Rees, Director General, Probation and Wales

Don’t have time to read the TOM at the moment?

Check out the quick overview of the TOM and its key areas on the Our new operating model pages.