Our Exec Team

Chris Jennings

Executive Director HMPPS Wales and Public Protection Group

Responsible for all prison and probation services in Wales, including public and contracted delivery.

Maintains effective relationships with Welsh Government and key stakeholders in Wales to manage the integration of devolved and non-devolved services. Sets strategic direction and holding overall responsibility for effective performance and successful delivery of all change projects.

Responsible for Public Protection group, a national function focused on sexual and violent offences, by means of operational delivery, statutory casework, policy, assurance and guidance.

Chris attends

• POMC, SMT, SLG, All Wales CJB, Probation Reform PB, Probation Workforce PB, HMPPS Change PB, Digital and Data Sub Committee, HMPPS Equalities Sub Committee, NSPF, Design Authority, Prisons Management Committee, Prison Performance Committee, HMPPS Judicial Engagement Forum

Stakeholders Chris sees regularly

• Welsh Government, HMCTS, All Wales CJB members, HMPPS Exec Directors in prisons and YCS, MoJ Policy leads, Directors for contracted partner organisations

Who Chris manages

• Kenny Brown, Sian Hibbs, Nic Davies, Gordon Davison

Jim Barton

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

Jim is responsible for the design, planning and implementation of the future strategy for the probation service. Jim manages the Programme Director and the leads for service design, competition, stakeholder engagement and resettlement.

Their work includes designing a new operating model for probation, transitioning Offender Management into the NPS, reorganising the NPS into 12 regions across England and Wales and running competitions to appoint Probation Delivery Partners & establish a Dynamic Framework. Jim is also responsible for managing the CRC contracts to conclusion.

Jim is responsible for the Electronic Monitoring (EM) Legacy and Expansion Programmes, which will respectively complete the roll out of new technology for the operation of EM and radically expand the use of EM throughout the CJS.

Jim attends

• SLG, National Organisational Readiness Board, POMC, Probation Programme Consultative Forum, Probation and Wales Exec meetings, Probation Programme Challenge Panel, Probation Programme Board, Probation Estates Board, Workforce Programme Board, HM PPS Change Portfolio Board, HM PPS Digital and Data Board

Stakeholders Jim sees regularly

• Probation Trade Unions, RPDs, CRC CEOs, Ministers

Who Jim manages

• Spencer Draper, Matthew Wilson, Chris Taylor, Nick Poyntz, Darren Thompson, Paul Ruff, Matt Grey, Kenny Everett

Ian Barrow

Executive Director, Probation Workforce Programme and Probation Business Recovery Programme.

Ian is the Executive Director and SRO for the Probation Workforce Programme (PWP) and the Probation Business Recovery Programme (PBRP). He is also SRO for the Race Action Programme (RAP).

Both Programmes will drive forward the changes required to ensure we have the most effective and futureproof system and workforce possible to deal with increasing demands on the business.

For PWP, it includes building a new way of recruiting, training, and retaining staff, managing the retender of CJL contracts, securing the pay award, and developing a competency based pay framework.

Recovery work ensures that effective practices and lessons from the pandemic response are captured, utilised, and built into the new system, using an opportunity to improve and innovate. It will also be used to futureproof Probation against potential future crises in line with the Unified Model.

RAP aims to create a fair, transparent operational delivery model that values diversity and is inclusive  for all, using its action plan as mechanism to deliver.

Ian attends

• Probation Exec Meeting, SLG, POMC, Challenge Panel, Probation Reform Programme Board, Probation SLG, HMPPS Recovery Independent Advisory Forum, Commercial Sub-Committee, People Sub-Committee, Investment Committee

Stakeholders Ian sees regularly

• Private Sector Service Delivery, Trade Unions, Regional Probation Directors, CRC CEOs, Ministers

Who Ian manages

• Pia Sinha, Helen Carter

Sonia Flynn

Chief Probation Officer & Executive Director Women

Responsible for the operational management of the National Probation Service (NPS) and Head of the Probation Profession. Sonia is the HMPPS Strategic Lead for Women offenders across the criminal justice system in community and custody.

Sonia currently directly line manages 14 SCS1 senior leaders & the NPS manages a caseload of approximately 100,000 cases. In March 2020 the NPS employed 9,400 FTE staff.  In the future Probation system, Sonia will have responsibility for line management and contract management of the entire Probation system, in England.

Attends

• POMC, Probation and Wales SMT meetings, Improving Systems and Outcomes Committee, Probation Reform Programme Board, Probation Workforce (PW) Programme Board, PW Modelling Board, PW Programme Pay Steering Group, Probation Business Recovery Programme Board, HMPPS D and I Sub-Committee, HMPPS Executive Occupational Health and Safety Sub-Committee, Advisory Board for Female Offenders, AP Expansion Board, OMiC Board, Sex Offenders Management Board, CT Step Up Transformation Board, Joint Negotiating Committee (Chair), HMPPS Judicial Forum (Chair), Parole Forum (Chair), Design Authority, Advisory Panel on Probation Learning (Chair), National Operational Readiness Board (Chair), Reducing Reoffending Delivery Board, Five Nations of Probation Videoconference (Chair), High Profile Event meetings (Chair), HMPPS Service User (SU) Advisory Group and SU Involvement Group

Stakeholders Sonia sees regularly

• HMIP, Probation Trade Unions, SPJ, Parole Board, Victims Commissioner

Who Sonia manages

• Regional Probation Directors (RPDs), Ingrid Wheeler, Roz Hamilton, Sara Robinson

Hannah Meyer

Executive Director, Reducing Reoffending, Partnerships & Accommodation and senior sponsor across Probation and Wales for the DAWN network

Hannah is responsible for the delivery of residential services in the community and is the SRO for the Reducing Reoffending Delivery Programme.  Her directorate works across Government and with the wider public and voluntary sector to reduce reoffending, primarily through improving accommodation, employment and substance misuse outcomes for prison leavers.

Responsible for the design and delivery of the new Community Accommodation Service, including the expansion and improvement of Approved Premises, delivery of Bail Accommodation and Support Services (BASS) and the new ‘vanguard’ accommodation provision for all people leaving prison without suitable accommodation.

Hannah is responsible for designing the new Prison Education Service as well as ongoing collaborative working with health partners to deliver improved mental health and substance misuse outcomes. Hannah is also the HMPPS Executive Director for the Joint MoJ-HMPPS Strategic Policy Unit and will expand its brief into wider MoJ/HMPPS strategic priorities in the Spring/Summer of 2021.

Hannah attends

• SLG, POMC, Probation and Wales Exec meetings, Improving Systems and Outcomes Committee, Reducing Reoffending Delivery Programme Board (Chair), Reducing Reoffending Board (cross-Government), Accredited Programmes and Interventions Delivery Strategy Board (Chair), Sexual Offending Management Board (Chair), Probation Programme Steering Group and Design Authority Board, Prison Recovery Board

Stakeholders Hannah sees regularly

• Ministers (MoJ and cross-Government), DWP, MHCLG, Cabinet Office, NHS England, VCSE organisations, DAWN Staff Network

Who Hannah manages

• Sarah McKnight, Sue Taylor, Alfred Jackson

Sam Clifton

Deputy Director Head of Director General’s Office

Sam leads the office of the Director General for Probation & Wales. He and the DG team work across Amy’s areas of responsibility in the support of the Senior Leadership Team’s priorities.