Mixed caseloads
Our journey
Managing mixed caseloads in all 11 regions and Wales will deliver many benefits.
It will support improved outcomes for people on probation, help us unite our organisation and improve continuity for our Probation Practitioners and people on probation.
Wales leads the way on our journey to mixed caseloads, having started the process in 2019. Our 11 regions in England began their journeys to mixed caseloads in September 2021, with regions progressing at different paces, subject to programme and regional milestones being met.
All regions will be managing mixed caseloads by December 2022; every Probation Practitioner will have undertaken the relevant learning and development, with administrative integration, digital tools and Probation Delivery Unit structures in place, supported by our Unified Tiering Model and a new Workload Measurement Tool.
January 2022 mixed caseloads update
Our Target Operating Model defines an end state where former CRC and NPS caseloads are unified, enabling probation practitioners to hold mixed and varied caseloads, in accordance with our Unified Tiering Model.
Most regions have started the move to mixed caseloads and anticipate the completion of relevant Learning & Development and Professional Service Centre regionalisation, where relevant, by June 2022, the date when all regions and Wales will deliver mixed caseloads.
Achieving unified caseloads will: improve continuity for our probation practitioners and people on probation; enhance staff wellbeing by reducing the emotional burden of managing particular cohorts; help us to develop a more skilled, knowledgeable and flexible workforce, with greater opportunities for career satisfaction; and unite our organisation.
We recognise that most staff will not yet be experiencing the full benefits associated with holding a varied caseload, as this is likely to be achieved incrementally. Staffing gaps in our workforce have hindered our ability to provide Probation Officers with more varied risk levels within their caseloads – i.e., managing Tier C cases. Work is underway to recruit to Probation Officer vacancies alongside the increased targets for PQiP recruitment. Additionally, staff experience will be different in different Probation Delivery Units across the country, depending on staffing profiles. Your senior team will share information about timescales for delivery in your region.
The Probation Reform Programme is continuing to deliver projects to support mixed caseloads: MAPPA Learning & Development launched in November 2021; SEEDS2 Learning & Development for Senior Probation Officers will be available in early 2022, followed by SEEDS2 for probation practitioners and senior managers; a Vetting & Training plan has been published, setting out our approach to ensure that all relevant staff are appropriately vetted and trained; and new Estates security standards are in consultation with Trade Unions.
Discover more
To discover more about mixed caseloads, please see our January 2022 Regional Team Briefing Mixed Caseloads Update and January 2022 Mixed Caseloads Staff FAQ. If you have any questions about mixed caseloads, please email: mixedcaseloads@justice.gov.uk.
More information
Full details on our national journey to mixed caseloads are available in our: