Formation of the new Probation Service.

Unifying to form the new Probation Service brings the best from former CRCs, Supply Chains and former NPS. As a change leader I am uniquely placed to work collaboratively with my colleagues to start 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.

I am likely to be welcoming new colleagues into my team over future months.  The opportunities to support, mentor and coach new colleagues will support my professional development and help to inform the new culture of the probation service.

Day 1

The Probation Service Probation Delivery Unit (PDU) structures have been updated to reflect the future unified service.  If I joined the Probation service from the former CRCs I will have moved to these structures between July and December 2021, and this schedule will have been shared with me.

Transfer of cases

I will be aware of the expectations of the case transfer policy framework, which came into effect on the 26th June 2021 to support unification and details changes to internal case transfers and transfers between regions, including risk and responsivity.

Commissioned Rehabilitative Services

I will be aware of the specialist commissioned rehabilitative services in my region for accommodation, Education, Training and Employment (ETE), personal wellbeing and women’s services and I will be kept informed by my region of any new commissioned services. I will have used the My Learning training package to understand the referral process and new systems i.e., how to use the digital system to select, refer, and book and track. CRS will be one of many tools such as the SIs and Toolkits that can be used for RAR delivery and will also meet the needs of PoPs who may not qualify for Accredited Programmes.

I will have been informed how to raise concerns regarding CRS service delivery through my Senior Probation Officer, who will determine whether this should be escalated to the Contract Management Team.

With the launch of the No.10 Crime Plan coming in May 2022, I will start to hear about services in my region to help address the needs of my PoP, including clear pathways to support services such as access to mental health and women-specific services. I will consider these along with all services a can refer to through the Refer and Monitor.

Changes to UPW Standalone Cases

There will be flexibility in each region on the management of standalone UPW cases, to reflect the geographical differences.  My local model may change to deliver the different models inherited

Changes to my place of work  

Estate modernisation activities continue to take place, and the office in which I work, may be undergoing a major refurbishment or seeing smaller scale smarter working initiatives rolled out. These will have been communicated through regional comms packs providing detail of the changes.

Start working to agreed National Standards 

From 10th September regions moved out of Exceptional Delivery Models (EDM) into National Standards. My region will have informed me of any local variations to National Standards that have been agreed as part of a response to Prioritising Probation. I need to ensure that I and my team understand the standards we are required to meet and have local plans to achieve this. In January 2022 I can expect my region to move to full National Standards, if there continue to be any local variations in place this will be communicated with me.

Home Detention Curfew (HDC)

Following receipt on an email alert into my PDU functional mailbox, I will need to access the HDC portal to track any incoming requests from prisons and ensure the practitioner completes the necessary checks, and returns the information via the portal to the HDC Clearing Office within ten days. I will need to request access to the portal via the IT catalogue and will then be provided with log in details. Guidance can be found on EQuiP HDC (rocstac.com).  This will ensure the timely assessment and release of People in Prison and so help them to comply with their HDC conditions and their successful rehabilitation.

VISOR Vetting

I may need to be VISOR vetted and trained to enable the sharing of information as caseloads mix across the teams. My region will communicate with me when the vetting and training will take place. In the meantime, I will be able to access VISOR information through other vetted and trained colleagues within my PDU, or where it exists, the regional VISOR team. VISOR admin will return to each PDU by the end of 2022.

Wind down of UPW – Professional Services Centre (PSC)

In the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, Greater Manchester, East Midlands and the South Central regions, UPW standalone activities and administrative services are currently provided by the Professional Services Centre (PSC); this will start to change from October 2021 as these services move from the PSC to the regions. The timetable for change differs depending on the region, but by January 2022 all administration activities will have moved back into my region. My region will communicate with me the timescale and plans for the return of this work. As we withdraw from the PSC, my region will review the administrative processes and adopt best practice from former NPS and CRC to provide consistency across the region. To help achieve this, my region may need to recruit to build our team.