Unions urge action on ‘unmanageable’ Probation Service workloads

Unions have warned of ‘unmanageable’ workloads in the Probation Service, forcing staff to quit and putting pressure on less experienced employees.

Napo – the trade association and union for probation and family court staff – Unison and the GMB have said that soaring workloads in the Probation Service in England and Wales, exacerbated by a recent restructuring and staff shortages, were putting the public at risk and could lead to a “catastrophic breakdown” of the service if the Ministry of Justice does not intervene.

The unions claimed overstretched employees are leaving the service, forcing less experienced and newly-qualified staff to take the reins.

They have launched a campaign, Operation Protect, to raise awareness of the issue, and delivered leaflets and posters to HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) yesterday (26 June).

Napo general secretary Ian Lawrence said: “It would be all too easy for this much-needed campaign to be seen as a negative move from the probation unions.

“But among the key objectives is a call to senior leaders in probation and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service to play their part by reaching an agreed workload reduction and management strategy with unions. This will allow the service to start to recover from the incessant and damaging changes it has gone through for more than a decade.

“Probation can and must do better with the right levels of investment, but our members need to see that this government is taking their concerns seriously.”

Unison national officer for police and justice Ben Priestley said: “Probation staff are determined to keep the public safe and rehabilitate those on probation. But overwhelming workloads and staffing shortages have created a dangerous situation, which the government must address.”

GMB national officer George Georgiou said: “The probation service has seen 10 years of underfunding and increasing workloads for all its staff. This campaign seeks to address the working conditions for our members who are being made unwell through high workloads.”

Through the campaign, the unions aim to:

• work with ministers, HMPPS, HM Inspectorate of Prisons, the Probation Institute, sentencers and statutory partners to agree on a probation workload reduction programme
• agree safe workloads and case allocation system, allowing staff and managers to prioritise and suspend work when needed
• ensure that all staff have high-quality supervision
• give staff the confidence, support and tools to challenge excessive workloads
• reach an employee care agreement with the Probation Service.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Probation staff do an incredibly difficult job and we are grateful to our dedicated workforce which is helping to steer offenders away from crime and keep people safe.

“We are investing an extra £155 million a year into the Probation Service and have recruited 4,000 more trainees in the last three years to help cut their workloads and better protect the public.”

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