‘Inadequate’ probation service showed ‘worrying’ lack of attention to keeping people safe - report
A damning report has found that people were put at risk from the lack of checks by Lincolnshire’s probation services.
A watchdog has found the East and West Lincolnshire Probation Delivery Unit to be ‘inadequate’ in five out of seven areas, saying that not enough attention was paid to keeping people safe.
There were also oversights when assessing whether people posed a risk of domestic violence.
A report published by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation criticised the ‘worrying’ lack of attention paid to keeping people safe in assessments.
The risk of harm posed by people on probation was only properly analysed in 13 out of 50 cases looked at.
“Service delivery to keep people safe was also poor, with insufficient attention given to protecting actual and potential victims from the risk of potential harm posed by people on probation,” it said.
It found that staff were engaged and motivated, but were overstretched in covering the large, rural area.
The probation service monitors 1,852 people, which is made up of 892 community and suspended sentence orders, 543 people on post-release licences, and 417 people in prison.
Martin Jones, Chief Inspector of Probation, said: “Despite a positive and supportive teamwork culture, we found regional and local governance arrangements to be driving staff and managers to prioritise performance targets over delivering a quality service.
“Unfortunately, the quality of work delivered to manage risk of harm was insufficient, which resulted in an overall rating of ‘Inadequate’.”
“I hope that the findings of this will afford East and West Lincolnshire some much-needed regional and national support to overcome the challenges associated with the [area’s] geography.
“Leaders also need to prioritise ensuring their practitioners understand their responsibilities and ensure management oversight develops reflective practice and professional curiosity.”