A new approach to Probation training

Shifting the strain

In response to the perma-crisis of prison overcrowding, the new UK Government announced the expansion of the Early Release Scheme last summer. This reduced the required custodial sentence from 50% to 40% of the full tariff for certain offenders, excluding those convicted of the most violent and serious crimes. Since its inception, the scheme has facilitated the early release of over 19,000 prisoners in England and Wales, with 3112 eligible prisoners released this autumn.

While the Early Release Scheme may temporarily relieve the overburdened prison system, it has also highlighted the need for comprehensive prison reform. Balancing the goals of reducing overcrowding, ensuring public safety, and facilitating effective rehabilitation remains a complex challenge for policymakers.

Beyond its impact on prisons, the Scheme has also meant growing pressure on an already strained Probation Service. Probation officers are already carrying workloads above 100% capacity. Despite numerous recruitment drives, there remains a shortfall of over 1500 Probation Officers.

In January, the HM Inspectorate of Probation reported on staffing challenges in the Probation Service, observing that there remains “a significant shortage on the front-line, which is exacerbated by the high numbers of experienced staff leaving the service”

The Inspectorate’s report on the recruitment, training, and retention of frontline probation practitioners, based on six weeks of fieldwork, includes the following key findings:

• Recruits joining the service had unrealistic expectations, “lacked resilience and had not fully anticipated the demand of the role”.

• There is an overreliance in training on “virtual methods” and “eLearning”, which fails to prepare recruits with the relational skills needed for the role.

• The face pace of the training programme risks compromising personal development, and training days are interrupted by operational tasks.

  
  

The result of this pressure on recruitment can be seen in the retention figures for Probation Service staff, which, as of 30 September 2024, was just 10.4%.

A new approach

Given these figures, it is clear that the Probation Service remains in crisis.

Open Justice is particularly concerned about the details in the report on the nature of training for probation roles. The overuse of online material which focuses on abstract concepts has resulted in a lack of resources that can “build skills to support face-to-face engagement with people on probation”. One practitioner states: “Training is pretty much online now; it is not conducive with being a reflective practitioner or building relational skills.”

The report urges a new approach to the training of Probation Officers. As the Inspectorate recommends, there is a pressing demand to “ensure that appropriate face-to-face delivery methods are used to deliver training that relates to skills development and that candidates are given sufficient opportunities to practise these skills in learning environments”.

In light of the Inspectorate’s recommendation, Open Justice is calling for a comprehensive review of training practices within the Probation Service, with the aims of:

1. Evaluating the effectiveness of current training materials concerning probation officers' ability to keep people safe.

2. Providing targeted remedial training based on identified deficits and commissioning new material to address these deficits.

3. Ensuring ongoing professional development to maintain high standards in practice.

   
   

Open Justice believes that training material must be informed by the lived-experience of those impacted by the Probation Service. It should strengthen, rather than undermine, the relational skills of those recruited into the service, and it should develop an understanding of the complex needs of those who pass through the service.

Radical reform of Probation will require not only more funding and better recruitment methods. Preparation for the role must begin to reflect the reality of working alongside those affected by the prison system. This can only be achieved by listening to those who are the experts on the question: former prisoners themselves.

The Inspectorate’s report represents an opportunity to reflect seriously on how probation training can be transformed for the good of all. Without immediate and meaningful reform, the destructive cycle of high staff turnover, inadequate preparation, and strained frontline services will persist, ultimately compromising public safety and rehabilitation efforts.

Open Justice urges policymakers to act decisively, incorporating insights from lived experience to create a more resilient, skilled, and empathetic workforce. By prioritizing relational skills, practical training, and direct engagement with service users, the Probation Service can begin to rebuild trust and effectiveness in its vital mission.