The CPPS Plan to Improve Compliance with Procedures for Managing Parole Orders is split into four main areas of work. Work has already started on the actions required to make these things happen:
1 - To ensure resources are available to manage the volume of work
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The nature of the gap between demand for probation services and availability of staff is identified
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Additional resources are sought from Government to close any significant gaps
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The service is using existing resources as efficiently as possible, reducing the need for additional staff
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Procedures are reassessed and reduced when the resource gap is significant so that there is a consistent approach to identifying the tasks not done
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Efficient and effective recruitment processes are in place
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Workload pressures of staff are recognised and managed
2 - To ensure that procedures and systems are appropriate, easily understood and well communicated
- The procedures staff are required to follow are simple, clear and focus on effective delivery of service
- The operational manuals are easy to navigate so that procedures are easy to find
- Mechanisms are in place for effective communication to managers and staff about changes in procedures
- The support provided by the computer systems is effective.
3 -To ensure support is in place for probation officers and managers, including training, organisational structure and administrative support
- The training for new probation officers appropriately emphasises quality of service delivery
- Specialist training is available for managing high risk offenders on parole
- Refresher training is available for probation officers who have either not been through the curriculum or have had more than three years experience
- Training is provided on the computer system for all staff following the systems redesign
- Training is developed for new managers regarding their roles in managing service delivery quality.
4 - To ensure there is an organisational culture that supports compliance with procedures and accountability
- The management structure appropriately supports effective management oversight of service quality, in particular to ensure that staff comply with procedures and exercise effective judgement in the management of offenders
- Managers and staff adopt a culture that recognises the importance of compliance with procedures
- There are appropriate consequences when manager and staff do not follow procedures
- Appropriate support is in place for managers and staff who struggle to follow procedures
- Communication is effective and always addresses the reasons why procedures are important or changes are being made, linking them back always to public safety
- Specification of performance standards so that they appropriately reflect expectations and accountabilities on the Probation Service
- Alignment of measurement and reporting systems to focus on the key performance standards
- Alignment of management meeting discussions at each level in the structure to reflect the key performance standards and accountabilities
- Alignment of individual performance agreements to the performance standards and accountabilities of the Service.
Further information
The Community Probation & Psychological Services Plan to Improve Compliance with Procedures for Managing Parole Orders can be viewed here (PDF: 875KB)
