Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 15
15
Accepted
HMPPS prioritises staff investment through pay and development to improve probation officer retention.
Recommendation
HMPPS told us it is seeking to improve the conditions of service for existing staff to assist with staff retention. It has implemented a new three-year pay deal and increased its focus on staff development and wellbeing. We asked whether pay increases would reduce the amount of resettlement funding available for other activities, HMPPS acknowledged that getting both the right number of staff and rate of pay was a “constant balancing act” but insisted that investing in its staff was a priority. HMPPS told us it has recently seen a slight improvement in the rate of retention for probation officers.35 27 Qq 77–79 28 Q42 29 C&AG’s Report, paras 2.6–2.8 30 Q57 31 C&AG’s Report, para 2.8 32 Q35 33 Qq 32, 43 34 Q58 35 Q57, 115 12 Resettlement support for prison leavers Commissioning resettlement support
Government Response Summary
The government accepted the recommendation, detailing a multi-faceted plan by HMPPS over the next 12-18 months to retain and incentivise experienced staff through initiatives like refreshing career pathways, developing alumni and transfer schemes, continuing brand campaigns, and setting a retention improvement target by 2024-2025.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented. 3.2 HMPPS will take a number of additional steps to retain and incentivise experienced staff over the next 12-18 months. 3.3 The agency will: • continue the work of its retention strategy and accompanying toolkit, which identifies local, regional and national interventions against the drivers of attrition, as well as reviewing findings from the retention oversight process, which targets sites with the highest attrition, and determines how local challenges can be tackled; • refresh the Career Pathways Framework, which aims to improve retention of experienced staff by showing the many career opportunities available in HMPPS, in particular for Probation staff reaching retirement. The agency has seen an increase in interest from frontline staff, and is committed to updating this regularly (next in January 2024, and quarterly thereafter); • build on the Prison Officer Alumni scheme, which fast-tracks former staff back into the service, by launching an equivalent for Probation by January 2024. This will attract experienced probation staff back into the service through a streamlined recruitment process; • pilot a level transfer scheme for prison officers to move between establishments, launched in October 2023, which creates opportunities for personal development and flexibility following changes in personal circumstances; • continue the national HMPPS brand campaign, launched in September 2023, to build pride and morale in the agency’s staff, raising the profile of the work they do; and • continue to promote the Probation Pathway initiative which encourages unsuccessful candidates for trainee probation officer and probation service officer roles to consider alternative roles also assessed during the same recruitment process where they are deemed appointable. 3.4 HMPPS has committed to improving retention through setting a target of a year-on-year decrease in the proportion of staff leaving the organisation, from 2022-23 to 2024-2025.