Probation services

Introduction

Probation services are a key part of the criminal justice system. They are overseen by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), which is an executive agency within the Ministry of Justice.

Probation services are responsible for:

  • Advising courts on sentencing decisions
  • Supervising people in the community who have offended and been released from custody on license and people who have received community sentences
  • Working with people in custody to prepare them for a life after release
  • Monitoring the risk posed by people supervised in the community and ensuring the public is protected
  • Planning and delivering rehabilitative support, often in partnership with voluntary sector organisations
  • Enforcing compliance with court orders and licence conditions.

From 2015 to June 2021, under the Ministry of Justice’s Transforming Rehabilitation programme, probation services were delivered by the National Probation Service and 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) across England and Wales.

Following a consultation on the probation system, in June 2021 all sentence management in England and Wales was brought back under the responsibility of the Probation Service.

There are 11 Probation Service areas in England and one Probation Service area in Wales, with each area overseen by a Regional Probation Director (RPD) who is responsible for the overall delivery and commissioning of probation services in their area.

Voluntary sector and private sector organisations are commissioned to deliver rehabilitation and resettlement services through the probation Dynamic Framework.

A limited number of rehabilitation and resettlement services were commissioned to go live on day one of the reunified model. These were contract lots for Accommodation; Education, training and employment; Personal wellbeing; and Women – specialist holistic services to support women under probation supervision.

Organisations bid for these contracts over a series of call-off competitions from August 2020, with successful organisations announced in May 2021.

From June 2021

Though competitions for day one services under the reformed probation model were conducted centrally by HMPPS, from June 2021, responsibility for commissioning services will lie with the Regional Probation Director (RPD) appointed in each Probation Service area.

For 2021-22 there is a total national budget across all 12 regional probation areas of £12.5m and RPDs are developing commissioning plans. Each regional probation area has been allocated funding for core sentence delivery services (i.e. the Finance, Benefits and Debt, and Dependency and Recovery service categories).

There is no assigned budget however for other service categories, (i.e. services for racially minoritised people, Restorative Justice and Cognitive and Behavioural Change).

The Regional Outcomes and Innovations Fund (ROIF) is available as an additional source of funding for non-enforceable activity. In 2021/22 this totals £5m nationally but will likely increase to £20m in 2024-5 across England and Wales.

The Ministry of Justice is currently reviewing how it procures Dependency and Recovery and Finance, Benefit and Debt services and is aiming to go out to tender in late 2021. To ensure providers are onboarded onto the Dynamic Framework for future competitions, the Ministry of Justice suggests that any providers delivering these services complete the Selection Questionnaire via the esourcing portal Jaggear.

Greater Manchester

HMPPS will not be procuring day one services for Greater Manchester through the Dynamic Framework. HMPPS are co-commissioning these services with Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and will be procuring them through GMCA procurement routes.

Initially, GMCA split the commissioning into five contract lots:

  • Accommodation
  • Employment, Training & Education (ETE) and Finance, Benefit & Debt (FBD)
  • Dependency & Recovery
  • Personal Wellbeing - which has been split into three separate specifications
    • Peer Support
    • Emotional Support
    • Family Support
  • Women

GMCA has committed to working with Clinks and other voluntary sector leads in Greater Manchester to ensure that the sector has the resource to engage in the process. Clinks hosted some engagement and market warming events on behalf of GMCA at the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021 and we will continue to keep the voluntary sector informed and up to date of the procurement process.

GMCA is using The Chest portal to procure contracts - instructions on how to register and use the portal can be found by following the link. GMCA is holding market engagement events prior to the expression of interest stage opening for each tender. You can find out more about these here. Interested attendees must register for these events by completing an expression of interest via The Chest. If providers don't attend market engagement events, this doesn't preclude them from submitting an expression of interest in regards to the tender in order to then bid for the contract.

Reducing reoffending plans

Following the unification of the Probation Service in June, each of the 12 Regional Probation Directors (RPDs) has published a Regional Reducing Reoffending Plan, which sets out how they will work with partner organisations to cut crime and make communities safer by reducing reoffending. RPDs bring together direct delivery of sentence management, unpaid work and interventions with significant regional commissioning budgets for rehabilitative services. The plans, which will be renewed annually, allow RPDs to highlight specific priorities and ambitions for their individual regions. They also reflect and align with the broader HMPPS approach to reducing reoffending - strengthening supervision, engaging people in rehabilitative activity and improving the support they receive to resettle in the community.

The new probation system
  • The Target Operating Model (TOM) sets out in detail the latest plans for how the future probation system will look.
  • All responsibility for sentence management will move to the Probation Service.
  • In each area, Probation Service operational delivery will be reorganised around Probation Delivery Units.
  • There are 12 probation regions in England and Wales, and 12  Regional Probation Directors have been appointed to lead probation services in their region.
The commissioning process
  • The dynamic framework is the mechanism through which rehabilitation and resettlement interventions will be procured for the future probation model. The framework is the main opportunity for voluntary organisations of all sizes to deliver services through the new probation system.
  • Market warming is the stage where preparatory documents are released to potential bidders so they can prepare.
  • Jaggaer is the esourcing portal/website (formally known as Bravo) through which documents on the commissioning process can be found and organisations can complete the qualification and call-off process.
  • Qualification is the process by which organisations apply to be on the framework.
  • The Selection Questionnaire (SQ) is something organisations must complete to qualify on the framework and will cover basic information about the organisation and the services they deliver.
  • Call-off is the stage at which organisations can compete for a contract on the dynamic framework. Commissioners will announce their intention to run call-off for specific services, at which point organisations who have qualified onto the framework can compete for the specific contracts.
  • Day one call-offs are for contracts to deliver core services that are needed from the first day of delivery of the new model.
  • Service categories are the types of services that will be commissioned under the dynamic framework. There are 14 Service categories:
    • Accommodation
    • Finance, Benefits and Debt
    • Education, Training and Employment
    • Dependency and Recovery
    • Family and Significant Others
    • Lifestyle and Associates
    • Emotional Wellbeing
    • Social Inclusion
    • Women
    • Young Adults (18-25 years old)
    • Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic (BAME)
    • Restorative Justice
    • Cognitive and Behavioural Change
    • Service User Involvement
  • Prime providers/contractors work directly with the government to deliver services. They can subcontract work to other providers, manage subcontractors, and are responsible for ensuring that the work is completed as defined in the contract.
  • Values refers to the overall cost of the service and the volume is the number of service users HMPPS are buying the service for.
Additional interventions
  • Accredited programmes are aimed at reducing reoffending. They are pre-set programmes that have been specifically designed to support desistance and have been approved by the MoJ through an accreditation process. The Thinking Skills and the Building Better Relationships programmes will be the most widely available under the new system, but a range of accredited programmes are available in each area.
  • Structured interventions are aimed at people deemed to be of lower risk of harm and who do not meet the threshold of an accredited programme. The interventions have a fixed number of sessions and pre-set content that everyone receives.
  • The Regional outcomes and innovation fund is an HMPPS fund which regional probation directors will be able to access to commission outcome-related services.

Our members

Voluntary organisations working in the criminal justice system have a long history of providing services that complement and supplement probation services. Indeed, the probation service has its roots in the voluntary sector.

In modern times, the role of voluntary organisations has become distinct from that of statutory probation services. Probation services are responsible for delivering the sentence of the court. Voluntary organisations provide wrap-around services to enable and support individuals to undertake and complete their sentence and go on to live fulfilling lives.

This support includes help with accommodation, employment and education, drug treatment, and debt advice as well as projects or services specifically for particular cohorts such as women and young adults.

Clinks thinks

Voluntary organisations working in the criminal justice system must be properly engaged and treated as an equal partner in the design and delivery of probation services.

To nurture local partnerships, each probation region should develop a multi-agency network that brings together key partnership organisations to inform the design and delivery of services.

What Clinks is doing

Throughout the probation reform process, Clinks has worked to ensure the voices of voluntary organisations working in criminal justice and the people they support are heard by HMPPS and the MoJ:

Dynamic Framework

Though day-one services have been commissioned, the Dynamic Framework will exist for seven years and can be extended up to three years (so overall it could last for 10 years). Organisations can continue to qualify across the lifespan of the framework to be able to bid for future contracts.

All relevant information is hosted on Jaggaer (formerly Bravo). To access this, organisations need to log in to the system. If you do not already have an account you will need to register here. If you are unsure whether you already have an account, you can email esourcing@Justice.gov.uk and the team will check for you.

To support organisations to understand the Dynamic Framework and what it means for them, we ran a series of online events alongside HMPPS, which covered the commissioning processes, IT standards, and information and guidance on building partnerships and consortia. Watch recordings of these events below.

Introduction to the probation Dynamic Framework

This session introduces the commissioning of probation services via the Dynamic Framework and explains the IT security standards required to engage in the Dynamic Framework. It was held on 24th June 2020.

Building partnerships for the probation Dynamic Framework

This session gives information and guidance on building partnerships and consortia, covering best practice in all areas of consortia development and implementation in the context of the multi-service lots being commissioned. It was held on 1st July 2020.

Ensuring probation reform meets the needs of racially minoritised people

This briefing event explains how the reformed probation service intends to meet the needs of racially minoritised people under probation supervision and engage organisations that are led by and focussed on racially minoritised people in service delivery. It was held on 16th September 2020.

Information security and data protection requirements

This session covers the information security and data protection requirements for the probation Dynamic Framework with a focus, in particular, on the requirements for day one call-offs. It includes a discussion of what, if any, further support organisations think they might need to be able to meet the requirements. It was held on 15th September.

If you have a specific question relating to the Dynamic Framework, please ask this via Jaggaer as a clarification question. All questions submitted are logged and answers are published on Jaggaer. 

Voluntary organisations working in criminal justice can also send questions to us at probation@clinks.org. Through this mailbox we will answer your question if we can and collect feedback from organisations to inform our influencing of the probation review programme but we may need to refer you to the clarification process on Jaggaer if we can't answer your question. We will answer as many enquiries as we can and will work to provide an initial response within 48 hours. Please do consult the questions below and those published on Jaggaer before contacting the mailbox.

Below we have provided a list of the questions and answers collated from our recent Introduction to the Dynamic Framework events.

What is the expected turnaround time from issue of call off competitions to submission deadline?

HMPPS are looking at a minimum of four weeks from the formal launch of each call off competition to the submission deadline.

How long will the Dynamic Framework be in place?

The framework will exist for seven years and can be extended up to three years (so overall it could last for 10 years).

Can I bid for more than one lot? Won’t this take a lot of time for a small organisation to fill in?

To a certain extent HMPPS expect that only larger organisations will bid for several different contract lots, whether that be the same lot in several geographic areas or multiple lots in one geographic area. For the evaluation, there will be some questions which are standard across all of the lots and some questions which are focussed on local solutions. So organisations won’t need to change the entire evaluation for every lot.

Can we qualify to be on the framework for different areas in the future following our first submission?

In terms of geographic areas, yes, you can go back to update your submission in the future if you’re working in new geographic areas. In terms of different categories and need areas, you can do, but this will be a more complicated process in terms of re-submitting your application. And so it would be preferable if you include all of your categories on the initial qualification application.

If bidding in a consortium/partnership, would every organisation need to pre-qualify to be part of that bid?

You will need as a minimum one organisation qualified in the supply chain for all the relevant areas the consortia wishes to deliver. This could be one organisation qualified for all areas or several different organisations in the supply chain qualified in different areas.

HMPPS would absolutely encourage all organisations to qualify individually because the advantage is you get access, you will be invited to all of the relevant call offs, and therefore you'll get notified about them. So even if you plan to respond as part of a supply chain, they would encourage you to qualify individually anyway.

What kind of information will be required in the case studies we need to provide to qualify?

The case studies are the most straightforward way to demonstrate your ability to deliver the outcomes that HMPPS are seeking. Focus on services you deliver and outcomes you have achieved in line with what is described on the Standard Questionnaire.

Is there a minimum turnover or minimum number of years existence to qualify for the framework?

There isn't a minimum turnover required as such. However, there are different requirements in terms of demonstrating your financial health depending on the size of lots you’ll be going for. There is information on this in the market warming documents and a presentation on the Standard Questionnaire and qualification – all on Jaggaer. This sets out the different levels of evidence that you would need to provide depending on which level of lot you are likely going for. In terms of years existence there is also no specific requirement.

Will there be any grants? Will they be judged at Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) level?

Clinks has been advocating for greater use of grants in the commissioning of services and for services to be commissioned at local level to best enable the involvement of small and specialist voluntary orgasniations. We hope that grants will be available in the future.

If I already have a login with Bravo can I login to Jaggaer?

Yes, your Bravo login will work with the new portal Jaggaer. Access it here

Keep up to date

Clinks will continue to influence the probation reform programme on behalf of the voluntary sector and keep organisations informed in a way that is timely and accessible. We will be publishing regular blogs and briefings, as well as providing regular updates on Twitter and in our weekly Light Lunch email updates.

For more information, read our publications and our blogs on probation reform

Advising the Ministry of Justice

Throughout the development of the unified probation service Clinks has worked closely with Ministry of Justice and HMPPS to ensure that challenges and barriers for the involvement of the voluntary sector are recognised and removed.

Clinks provides the chair and secretariat for an advisory group to the Ministry of Justice. The Reducing Reoffending Third Sector Advisory Group’s (RR3) purpose is to build a strong and effective partnership between the voluntary sector and the MoJ.

At various meetings with the Ministry of Justice, the RR3 has fed back its views about the review of probation. Read the meeting notes.

In 2016, the RR3 convened a special interest group on supporting effective mentoring through the gate to explore how to provide effective mentoring for men and women resettling in the community after a prison sentence. It considered the role and contribution of voluntary organisations in pioneering this approach and the impact of probation commissioning and contracting arrangements and funding on voluntary organisations’ ability to deliver effective mentoring. The group made recommendations to voluntary groups, the Ministry of Justice and other relevant parties.

In April 2020, the Reducing Reoffending Third Sector Advisory Group (RR3) set up a special interest group on probation, to provide a formal avenue to channel voluntary sector advice to HMPPS, ahead of the planned implementation of a reformed probation model. Read the latest notes from this special interest group here

To mark the launch of the reformed probation model in June 2021, the Reducing Reoffending Third Sector Advisory Group (RR3) special interest group on probation reform has published its final report.

The report reflects on the key learnings from the group, which we hope can help shape improved commissioning processes and better partnership working in future probation services.

We continue to engage with MoJ, HMPPS and Regional Probation Directors to ensure the voluntary sector is a central partner to the Probation Service.

What's new

Blogs

Publications

Supporting families of people in prison and on probation

Supporting families of people in prison and on probation

This evidence review by Jane Dominey, Sophie Ellis and Caroline Lanskey from the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, reviews the current evidence base on the impact of criminal justice involvement on the families of people in prison and on probation.

Latest on Twitter

Events

North East criminal justice forum
Date
Thursday 3 February
Location
Online
From
Free

Related publications

Related blogs

Crossroads Trust

An independent review of the probation Dynamic Framework

Richard Oldfield recommends that there should be a large-scale adoption of grants as the funding mechanism for some of the services; simplification of contracts; and a system which obliges large entities to include more specialised smaller organisations in their bids.

Other sources of support

HMPPS Organisational Chart

HMPPS: Strengthening probation, building confidence

HMPPS Probation Finder