Probation: Staff

(asked on 24th January 2022) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of staffing levels in the (a) regional and (b) national probation service teams.


Answered by
Kit Malthouse Portrait
Kit Malthouse
This question was answered on 1st February 2022

The Probation Service is committed to increasing recruitment to fill Probation Officer vacancies, particularly in regions with significant local employment market challenges. Staffing levels are monitored on an ongoing basis through operational management and plans around recruitment and retention.

In 2020/21, we recruited a record 1,007 trainee probation officers. We are further increasing our recruitment to unprecedented levels, with a target 1500 trainee Probation Officers (PQiPs) being recruited this financial year (2021/2022). A further 1,500 PQiPs to be recruited in financial year 2022/23.

Our Recruitment and Retention Strategy focuses on addressing recruitment and retention challenges within the Probation Service, particularly for those Probation Delivery Units (PDUs) with the highest average Probation Officer vacancy rates over a 12-month period.

We have identified common drivers of attrition across those regions where it is more challenging to recruit and retain probation officers. Work is currently underway to address all drivers of attrition alongside a targeted recruitment campaign to reduce probation officer vacancy rates in regions with high vacancy levels.

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