Our vision and strategy

The new probation service forms part of Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), along with the Prison Service and Youth Custody Service. In turn, HMPPS is part of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), the Government’s ministerial department at the heart of the justice system, working together to bring the principles of justice to life for everyone in society.

The MOJ are responsible for everything that goes into running the UK’s criminal and civil justice systems, creating the foundations for a safe, fair and prosperous society. There are more than 70,000 MOJ staff based across England and Wales. The MOJ are responsible for 500 courts and tribunals, 122 prisons, 252 NPS offices, the policies underpinning the system and much more.

HMPPS has a duty to implement the sentences and orders of the courts; to protect the public; and to rehabilitate offenders. At any one time, we work with over 330,000 people convicted of a crime or on remand, to carry out court orders by providing custody and supervision in the community. We believe people can change, and that our efforts to reduce reoffending make the public safer.

The probation service oversees probation delivery in England and Wales to support the rehabilitation of our service users, encouraging them to turn around their lives and become law-abiding citizens, ultimately keeping the public safe.

What are we trying to achieve?

Our One HMPPS business strategy sets out how we are going to achieve our vision of working together to protect the public and help people lead law-abiding and positive lives. 

We have four overarching principles that, if built into the way we work, will enable us to achieve our vision:

You are critical to helping those across our service to lead law-abiding and positive lives. Enabling our people to be their best means giving you the support you need to motivate those in our care, reduce the likelihood of violence in custody and reduce the risk of reoffending. We want HMPPS to be an inclusive organisation that attracts a workforce that, at all levels, better reflects the society we serve.

Our work is affected by changes in technology and society and we need to keep building our understanding of what works, drawing on a diverse range of expertise. Creating an open learning culture where we continually look for ways to improve our performance, look for and share good practice and learn from our successes and what has not worked, will help to address the challenges that we face and enhance the service we deliver.

We need to work collaboratively across HMPPS and expand and strengthen our partnerships with other public and third sector organisations to coordinate the provision of services, so that those in our care, or under supervision, can access the most appropriate interventions, at the best time, to support them to change their behaviour.

We will be investing in our estate, balancing improvements to existing buildings with building new, modern facilities. Improving our technology will make it easier for our people to do their jobs more efficiently, provide better access to information to help staff make better decisions and improve outcomes, and develop smarter, innovative ways to address the needs of those in custody and the community.

Our strategy at a glance

HMPPS vision - working together to protect the public and help people lead positive and law abiding lives
Vision – Working together to protect the public and help people lead law-abiding and positive lives

Principles – Four principles underpin our vision:

  1. Enable people to be their best
  2. An open, learning culture
  3. Transform through partnerships
  4. Modernise our estates and technology

Outcomes – by achieving our vision, we will deliver excellent outcomes:

  • Protecting the public
  • Reducing reoffending
  • Decent and safe prisons
  • Diverse, skilled and valued workforce
  • High-quality sentence management

Download the HMPPS Strategy here.

Our Workforce Strategy

To deliver services successfully in the new Probation Service, our new workforce is absolutely crucial and we will be investing in you to make sure you have the support and tools you need to do your jobs brilliantly.

Our Probation Workforce Strategy outlines our ambition to build a positive, inclusive and diverse workforce and our commitment to you in investing in your wellbeing, your ongoing professional development and making sure that probation is an excellent and rewarding place to work.

We know that the probation system has been through a consistent cycle of change in recent years, which many of you have experienced, including Transforming Rehabilitation. We are committed to continuous improvement, navigating challenges and harnessing the successes to build a sustainable and effective future probation service.
Read more about our future operating model.