East Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire probation services 'require improvement'

Probation services in North and North East Lincolnshire had "much to be proud of", inspectors said

Probation services covering East Yorkshire and the Humber region have been rated as "requiring improvement" following an inspection.

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation said Hull and East Yorkshire's services "struggled with high workloads".

Meanwhile, North and North East Lincolnshire's services needed time to "develop plans to improve".

However, Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell said the services were "determined to meet" their challenges.

'Time to develop'

Inspectors said probation services in North and North East Lincolnshire needed improvement on all the cases staff were working on, "particularly with those dealt with by the courts, and specifically in assessing and managing the risk people on probation may pose to the community".

However, Mr Russell said the "requires improvement" rating for northern Lincolnshire "belies a probation service on an upward trajectory".

The foundations were in place for them to "become a credit to the local community", he added.

"They can see how to improve, and have put plans in place to do so. They just need time to develop this work," he said.

"Right now, the successes of the leadership team, the positivity of staff and the programmes available to people on probation aren't translating into a high quality of service.

"When they strike this balance, there is little doubt the necessary improvements will be achieved," Mr Russell said.

'Determination to progress'

Meanwhile, an assessment of probation services in Hull and the East Riding had "resulted in a mixed bag of findings", His Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation said.

Of those services, Mr Russell said: "On the one hand they have a well-respected management team, enthusiastic front-line staff and some excellent work with people on probation.

"But, on the other hand, they are understaffed and therefore struggling with high workloads."

There were "concerns over whether the risk of harm people on probation may pose is being properly assessed", he added.

However, the rating of "requires improvement" reflected a "determination to progress" by the services in Hull and East Yorkshire, he said.

Inspectors made 10 recommendations for the North and North East Lincolnshire service and five for the Hull and East Riding services.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice, which oversees probation services, said: "We have taken immediate action to address the issues raised by inspectors, including additional training for staff to improve risk assessments and more regular quality checks on management plans for offenders.

"We are also investing an extra £155m a year into the Probation Service and recruiting record numbers of staff to deliver tougher supervision and keep the public safe."