29/11/2010
Survey reveals Probation Service being pushed to breaking point

UNISON, the UK’s leading public sector union, today warned that the probation service is being pushed to breaking point, by a toxic cocktail of staff cuts and increased workloads. These spell danger for the government’s so-called “rehabilitation revolution”, which will see more offenders put on probation to take the prison population down. The survey of staff in the sector by the union found 69% of respondents already suffering from staff cuts, with 80% saying that workloads have increased in the last year. 74% said that stress levels had risen, whilst 69% said morale had decreased. 68% of staff said they felt less secure in their jobs than they did last year. Staff also raised concerns over management, with 46% saying they did not feel supported. The union said that plans to privatise parts of the service could see private companies making money out of offenders’ doing community payback work. The union warned these moves could spark a race to the bottom on service quality and terms and conditions for staff. Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said: “The probation service is instrumental in delivering community justice, rehabilitating offenders, and protecting the communities where offenders live and work. It is deeply worrying that the service is already under severe pressure, with staff reporting an increase in stress and workloads, but a reduction in numbers, leading to a collapse in morale. Worrying numbers of staff said they did not feel supported by their managers. “The worry is that an already tough job is set to get even tougher. The Ministry of Justice has been hit with savage cuts. If these cuts fall on the probation service, it will buckle under the strain. At the same time as cutting, the government is set to launch a “rehabilitation revolution”. This will see more offenders placed into the community. Who will be making sure these offenders and the communities where they live and work are safe?“The government is pressing ahead with plans to privatise parts of the service, including community payback work. This will take vital lifeblood away from Probation Trusts, and see private companies making money out of offenders’ hard work. It is highly unlikely that privatisation will lead to cost savings, but it is certain to lead to a lower quality service, and a race to the bottom for staff terms and conditions. “Our survey shows a clear link between staffing cuts and rising stress levels. And now the government’s plans are set to make matters worse by piling on the pressure. There is only so far the service can be stretched before it reaches breaking point. The government should take another look at its plans and take into account the risk they pose to offenders and to communities.” Key findings from the survey: - 80% of respondents said their workload had increased over the past year, with staff in Wales, the South West, and the North East most likely to report an increase. - 52% said they would not recommend their job. - Job security is a major concern – 68% felt less secure in their job compared with a year ago.- 69% said staff numbers in their area had already decreased over the previous year, with staff in Wales, the South West, Greater London and Eastern England more likely to report a decrease in staff numbers over the previous year. - 69% said morale had decreased in the past year. - 74% said stress levels had increased over the past year – staff in the North East, South West, Wales and Eastern England were more likely to report an increase. - 46% said they did not feel supported by their manager. - 79% said they had undergone training in the past year, with 32% saying their training lasted between 1 and 2 days. 46% said their training lasted between 3 and 6 days. - The three regions which stuck out in terms of workload pressure, stress and morale were Wales, the South West and the North East. UNISON represents 5000 members in the probation service, and more than 1000 were sampled in this survey.