- Conference
- 2023 Police & Justice Service Group Conference
- Date
- 6 June 2023
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes with concern the direction of travel of the latest proposals around Accredited Programmes in the Probation Service.
The primary driver for this latest change project, known as the Next Generation, appears to be rooted in cost savings and in tacking the inefficiencies of programme delivery within the Prison system.
The rationale for imposing yet another change project on the Probation Service has yet to be properly explained.
Of the gravest concern is the desire to move to a ‘one size fits all’ style of programme where the type of offence committed is no longer the key factor in terms of which type of programme would be assessed as suitable. It also means that that all facilitators could be expected to deliver all types of programmes, regardless of grade, experience or indeed a desire to work with a specific groups of offenders.
The One HMPPS agenda continues to prioritise the needs of the Prison Service as opposed to those of the Probation Service.
We believe that these plans are both unnecessary and unsafe.
We therefore call on the Service Group Executive to:
1)Oppose plans for the One HMPPS agenda via our agreed consultative forums;
2)To raise our concerns around the direction of travel of accredited programmes with our external partners and stakeholders such as His Majestys Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) and the Justice Alliance;
3)To work with Labour Link and the shadow justice MPs to influence what the future of Probation would look like under a Labour government.