Napo, the trade union and professional association for probation
staff is today celebrating a major turning point in its campaign
to restore Probation to public sector ownership as the Secretary
of State for Justice , announces a fundamental change
in government policy.
The statement by the Minister confirms a decision that will
result in the eventual transfer of around 80% of probation work
from that currently undertaken by the Community Rehabilitation
Companies (CRCS) to the National Probation Service. The current
CRC contracts with the Ministry of Justice are due to be
terminated in December 2020.
In 2014, the then Secretary of State, , privatised 80% of probation
services under his ‘Transforming Rehabilitation’ (TR) agenda.
Eight organisations acquired 21 CRC contracts, which have been
subject to a plethora of highly critical reports by Dame Glenys
Stacey Chief Inspector of Probation. These reports, alongside the
findings from the Justice Select and Public Accounts Committees,
have repeatedly raised concerns about public safety, the quality
of service being delivered and the ability of private sector
providers to make a real difference to reoffending rates. In
February this year three Working Links CRC contracts went into
administration leaving debts of over £1.2 million to third sector
contractors for which the MoJ has been directed to make
reparation.
As the largest union representing probation staff, Napo has been
campaigning for the CRCs to be returned to public ownership since
day one. Voicing members’ feedback about the way the CRCs have
managed their contracts, Ian Lawrence General Secretary said:
“Since these so called reforms were first outlined Napo has
raised serious concerns about this untested social experiment.
The government went ahead and implemented a model that had been
criticised across the board for being unfit for purpose. Our
members predicted that the TR model was doomed to fail from the
outset. We are pleased that this Minister has chosen to heed our
concerns, examine the need for a different approach and take
action.”
The new arrangements will replicate the Welsh model for probation
that was announced earlier this year and which will be enacted by
this December. This will see the majority of probation work
involving clients under supervision transferred into public
ownership by December next year, along with the staff involved.
The government intends that the remaining intervention work, such
as Community Payback and Accredited Programmes, will be put out
to tender.
Ian Lawrence went on to say: “We are obviously disappointed that
there is an intention for some probation work to remain in the
private sector. Napo will continue to campaign to ensure that all
of these services and our members who provide them, are
eventually transferred back into the public sector and that we
will step up our efforts to secure pay parity for all Probation
staff. This victory has not given us all that we want and while
this news will be welcomed by Napo members and other
stakeholders, the campaign for public ownership is not over yet.”
