POOR risk assessments, high workloads, and staff vacancies have resulted in a damning 'Inadequate' rating for St Helens and Knowsley probation services.

Working with criminals before and after sentencing, the Probation Delivery Unit (PDU) assesses and manages the risk posed by offenders to protect victims of crime and the general public.

This involves supervising offenders subject to community sentences, completing risk assessment plans, and liaising with local agencies and the criminal courts.

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'High workloads, staff vacancies, inexperienced new recruits'

While evidently a stressful job, the St Helens and Knowsley PDU was given the lowest 'Inadequate' rating when recently inspected by the HM Inspectorate of Probation.

Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell said: “A number of factors have contributed to this disappointing rating for Knowsley and St Helens PDU including high workloads, staff vacancies, inexperienced new recruits, and insufficient training opportunities – a similar picture to other services across England and Wales.

"However, they have additional challenges in accessing vital information about people on probation from the police, and this is hindering their work to keep people safe.

"There is a long road ahead, but staff and managers have the energy and determination to make this probation service the best it can be.”

Vacancy improvements, but poor risk assessments

While the probation service has had high levels of staff vacancies, the report did state how it has more recently been improving in terms of recruitment, with a falling vacancy rate for Probation Officers and no vacant positions at the Probation Services Officer grade.

The challenge ahead is said to provide the appropriate training and development to new staff, to enable them to gain vital experience of supervising people on probation.

This is necessary as the inspection also added that a "poor quality of work" used to manage the risks of people on probation was of particular concern.

In St Helens and Knowsley, inspectors stated how only 24 per cent of cases showed "sufficient assessment of the potential risk of serious harm posed by the person on probation".

'This isn't good enough'

Mr Russell continued: “Like other probation services in the region, Knowsley and St Helens are hindered by delays in receiving vital information – probation services in the Merseyside area were waiting for 1,350 domestic abuse enquiries to be returned by the police at the time of our inspection.

"Without this information, probation officers do not have a full picture of the person on probation they are supervising, especially the potential risk of serious harm they may pose to actual or potential victims.

"This isn’t good enough, and the service must work with its police partners and the regional team to improve this situation in order to properly safeguard the public.

Following the report, St Helens and Knowsley PDU received 10 recommendations to improve, including that information relating to child safeguarding is obtained routinely and used to ensure risks to children are understood and safety arrangements are in place.