South Yorkshire probation service is now ‘good’, say inspectors who called for improvements

In 2019 the South Yorkshire Community Rehabilitation Company, which has offices in Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster, was given the second-lowest rating of 'requires improvement’ by HM Inspectorate of Probation.

Twelve months ago checks found that the level of reoffending was ‘comparatively high’, the number of qualified probation officers the organisation employed had 'fallen considerably’ and that offenders' supervisors had changed too often.

Standards were deemed to have risen following another inspection in November and December, but further areas have been flagged up for development. SYCRC should ‘improve the implementation and delivery of sentences’, a report recommends, and ensure convicts who require home visits receive them when it is safe to do so.

Interviewing facilities at the four offices are ‘not adequate’, and the Doncaster office is ‘overcrowded’, the report adds.

SYCRC is owned by the private firm Sodexo Justice Services, and supervises 3,600 low and medium-risk offenders. Some are preparing to leave or have left prison, while others are serving community sentences.

The chief inspector of probation, Justin Russell, said: “South Yorkshire CRC is much improved since our last inspection in 2019.

“The senior leadership team is committed to providing high-quality tailored services that support individuals to turn away from crime. The CRC has a service user council and listens to the experiences and views of the people they supervise.

“Leaders also empower staff to bring about positive lasting change in the lives of those under probation supervision.

“Since our last inspection, there has been considerable investment in staffing and staff development. This has led to probation staff managing fewer cases on average, which has led to improvements in the quality of casework.”

The quality of SYCRC’s Through the Gate services, which support people as they prepare to leave jail, has picked up markedly, the report says. The type and number of activities it offers to help offenders turn their lives around has increased too, it adds.

“We would like to see a greater number of service users completing these interventions," said Mr Russell.

“Although there have been encouraging improvements since our previous inspection to the way the CRC identifies and manages potential risks of harm, we would still like to see further progress.

“When it is safe to do so, staff should conduct more home visits where appropriate, so they can have a deeper understanding of the service user’s home life and ascertain who has regular contact with the service user.

“This professional curiosity is vital. Probation staff must pay consistent attention to potential risks to ensure the safety of potential victims and the wider public.”

A SYCRC spokesman said: “We are delighted to have achieved an overall ‘good’ rating with three ‘outstanding’ ratings for leadership, staff and Through the Gate services. This is a reflection of the hard work and commitment of staff to protect the public and support individuals to turn away from crime.

“We were particularly pleased that the inspector recognised our investment in staff development was excellent, our personalised service to support people leaving prison was impressive and that we have made improvements on our Community Payback scheme.

“We are now looking at recommendations in the report to develop an action plan to address further areas for improvement.”

Sodexo Justice Services, part of a large multinational company, took over formal ownership of SYCRC in 2015. Sodexo runs four of the 14 private prisons in England and Wales.

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