Call To Arms!

Forget all that Probation Day nonsense - the MoJ are determined to completely erase probation as a distinct entity and the civil servant in charge is clearly on a mission to ensure elevation to Cabinet Secretary when Liz Truss is proclaimed new leader in a couple of weeks. Time is short but despite probation being in a state of crisis, things are being accelerated, in fact just as the same civil servant rushed-in the failed TR project. 

Thanks go to the reader for alerting me to this from the Probation Institute:- 

Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2022 12:33:47 PM
Subject: 

One-HMPPS Programme

Dear all,

We hope this find finds you well and enjoying the Summer.

You may have been reading reports of possible changes to the structures of HMPPS. These proposals are becoming more apparent, and we now understand that it is clearly intended to integrate the management and leadership of the probation and prison services. It is intended that this restructure should give greater autonomy to regional management of HMPPS; also to achieve the anticipated efficiency savings in the civil service.

We attach a note circulated to all staff last week. It is rather bland. A couple of days later this was followed by a note from Antonio Romeo Permanent Secretary MOJ including the text below. It seems that events are moving quickly.

I have now agreed with the Deputy Prime Minister to move to a new top-level structure in the agency with a Director General Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Director General Operations.

The CEO post will be a full-time Accounting Officer for the agency, no longer combined with Second Permanent Secretary responsibilities. The two new Director General (DG) posts will replace the existing DG Prisons and DG Probation, Wales & Youth posts. These changes will support the move to a regional model which the new CEO and DG Ops will oversee.

Jo will continue to oversee HMPPS alongside her wider Second Permanent Secretary responsibilities overseeing CICA, LAA, OPG and the service delivery transformation portfolios including digital and programme delivery.

We will fill the two DG roles via an internal HMPPS process, with the changes taking effect from 1st September. These changes will help strengthen HMPPS’s work towards our shared mission of protecting the public, delivering safe prison regimes and reducing the risk that people will reoffend.

We anticipate that you will be as concerned as we are, particularly regarding the proposed date for leadership changes.

Napo is firmly opposed. With the benefit of experience, it is difficult to see this as other than the loss of professional identity and autonomy for the probation service with all that this will entail.

As the current political environment is rather fluid, we believe that it is worth mounting a campaign to change this decision. It may be that Dominic Raab will not remain in his role but time is short.

We are drafting a short public statement which we will share in the next few days. We are meeting with Napo and others to plan.

You might think it appropriate to write to your MP, or the Minister of State for Prisons and Probation Stuart Andrew, or Dominic Raab - or all three! Any information about the model in Wales would be helpful - the recent Review Letter from HMIP includes a mix of strengths and significant areas for improvement.

We will arrange a Fellows meeting very soon.

With best wishes,

Helen and Mary Anne

Helen Schofield
Acting Chief Executive
Probation Institute

--oo00oo--

One HMPPS Programme

Everyone working in probation, prisons, youth custody, headquarters, and regional services is working to deliver the same mission: public protection, including safe prison regimes, and reducing the risk that people will reoffend. That is at the heart of what we mean by “One HMPPS”. The One HMPPS programme has been launched by the HMPPS Leadership Team to consider how closer regional working and a greater focus on the frontline can help us better deliver that mission.

The programme aims to refocus the agency on our core operational business, making sure that the whole organisation is structured to ensure the frontline has the right support and supporting improved outcomes. A key aim of the programme is to protect investment in operational delivery and avoid structural change in how we run prisons, deliver probation services and run the youth custody service, but our work will also need to identify cashable efficiency savings in a way that will still enable us to deliver effective operational services that help change lives.

This is a long-term programme of change, which is currently in the design stage. No decisions have been made yet, but our design will be shaped by the following principles:

• A focus on the front-line services that we deliver, improving services and outcomes for all offender groups, including women and young people
• Deeper collaboration across the agency both within HQ and closer to the point of delivery, particularly between prisons and probation, in the development and implementation of the One HMPPS vision;
• Strengthening HMPPS’s regional impact through devolved decision making and by building, and delivering through, stronger relationships with our partners
• Identifying and designing out duplication in the system, and identifying how the agency can operate in a more efficient way and
• Using evidence and data in how change is designed and the decisions we make.

Practically, this is likely to look like a more regional way of working across England, building upon lessons learned from the HMPPS Wales model, with greater autonomy afforded to the regions to allow them to innovate, and to build upon local networks to best meet the needs of their local cohorts. The Programme shares the commitment to grow and better support our frontline operational teams and the assumption is that the best way to better support the frontline is to empower Prison Groups and Probation Regions. This is likely to require changes in HQ to make sure it is easy to navigate and provides the best support to the frontline. The voice of HQ staff in how to do this will be essential.

The One HMPPS Programme also allows respond positively and appropriately to cost reduction asks, arising both from our 2021 Spending Review settlement, and more recently from Civil Service 2025. It is important we do this in the right way, by understanding how HMPPS can operate to deliver better outcomes in a manner that ensure the agency is both more effective and more efficient.

At this stage there is no confirmed timeline for implementation, but we anticipate that you will start to see changes in how we operate by 2025, the end of the current Spending Review period.

We know that many of you have gone through a lot of change over the past few years, and it may be unsettling to hear plans of further changes to the way we operate. The programme is committed to meaningfully engaging and working with all parts of HMPPS and our recognised Trade Unions to understand business needs and develop and refine our future design and implementation plans, and whilst we are currently at the beginning of the change journey, as more concrete proposals are developed the programme is committed to formal consultation with our recognised trade unions throughout.

After engagement with HMPPS recognised trade unions we will begin to reach out in Autumn 2022 to let you know how you can help shape this work. We encourage you to feed in your views to make sure that the proposed changes are designed in a way that best delivers for you and the wider agency.

--oo00oo--

One HMPPS Programme, Q&A

We understand that colleagues will have many questions regarding the commencement of the One HMPPS Programme, we will continue to ensure engagement with all staff throughout and that this document is updated accordingly.

Why are these changes being made now?

The agency has committed to this programme of change in recognition of the need to make sustainable changes to ensure that the agency is operating at its best, protecting the public and reducing reoffending.

Since unification of the Probation services, for the first time all services are operating entirely under the HMPPS umbrella. This presents us with a timely opportunity to reconsider how we operate as an organisation to deliver the best possible outcomes in the most efficient and effective way.

The programme is committed to ongoing engagement with staff from across the business to ensure that views are fed in and responded to appropriately throughout the process. Whilst we are currently at the beginning of the change journey, as more concrete proposals are developed the programme is committed to formal consultation with our recognised trade unions prior to implementation.

The Programme is also working through the scope of the Civil Service 2025 announcement and assessing how we can meet the efficiency ask of CS2025 whilst protecting and supporting the front line and avoiding detrimental impact on the essential services delivered by the agency. We do not expect structural changes to have an impact below PGD/RPD level; and will work closely with operational leaders to minimise disruption to the front line.

Why more change now particularly as probation has gone through significant changes over the last year?

The agency has committed to this programme of change in recognition of the need to make sustainable changes to ensure that the agency is operating at its best, protecting the public and reducing reoffending. We are also committed to realising efficiencies as part of our Spending Review settlement and in response to Civil Service 2025.

The programme is committed to ongoing engagement with staff from across the business to ensure that views are fed in and responded to appropriately throughout the process. Whilst we are currently at the beginning of the change journey, as more concrete proposals are developed the programme is committed to formal consultation prior to implementation.

We do not expect structural changes to have an impact below PGD/RPD level; and will work closely with operational leaders to minimise disruption to the front line.

How will this change result in efficiencies?

Moving to a more regional model will enable us to review the purpose, function and structure of HQ, streamlining how we work and reducing duplication to make sure the centre best supports the frontline. We are at the beginning of this process, however, and are committed to engaging properly with staff in order to inform design as plans develop further.

Many of us have experienced restructures before, why will this be any different/successful?

Since unification of the Probation service we are in an unprecedented position whereby all services are operating entirely under the HMPPS umbrella. This has offered us the opportunity to think about how best we should structure the agency to operate most effectively going forward. We are committed to learning from past organisational changes and restructures to ensure that the changes we make are sustainable and meet the future needs of the organisation. We are also committed to meaningful engagement with our staff and formal consultation with our recognised Trade Unions ahead of implementation.

How are we learning from DOM/ROM model/previous organisational change?

The programme is committed to ensuring that lessons from past restructures and models, including from other government departments and agencies, are incorporated throughout the planning of the changes being proposed.

What benefits have we seen from the implementation of this model in Wales?

We have seen significant benefits from the implementation of a more regional way of
working in HMPPS Wales, including better joint planning with partner organisations;
efficiencies from shared use of resources; and a more cohesive approach to end-to-end
offender journey planning and joint commissioning.

We are committed to taking the key learning from how HMPPS operates in Wales and
exploring how a similar approach could be adopted in England, recognising the differences between these two areas.

What will this mean for how we work with the functional model?

The Programme team are currently working closely with leads from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to explore and understand functional requirements within the regions and how we can best work in collaboration with MoJ functions to meet these needs going forward.

What will the relationship be between regions and HQ in future?

We anticipate that HMPPS will move to a more regionally focused operating model which would allow the front-line more opportunity to innovate and be better able to respond to the specific needs of the offender cohort at a regional level. In response to this new way of operating we need to ensure that HMPPS HQ has a renewed focus on our core operational business and can best meet the needs of the newly empowered regional front-line. We are at the beginning of this process, however, and we are committed to engaging meaningfully with staff in order to inform design as plans develop.

Will it be a one size fits all? Areas of the country differ.

We are keen to ensure that in adopting a regionally focussed model, front-line services can be tailored to best meet local and regional needs. No decisions have been taken about what this will look like at this stage, and we are committed to engaging meaningfully with staff to inform design as plans develop

Are you increasing/decreasing the number of regions?

No decisions have been made about what a regional structure would look like. The programme is committed to engaging across the business to ensure the new regional
structure supports and enhances how we deliver our services.

How much autonomy and flexibility will regions have? How will we ensure consistency in delivery across England and Wales?

We are still exploring options for what more empowered regions would look like. The programme will ensure that there are appropriate governance and accountability measures that will enable consistency in the outcomes that will be achieved at a regional level whilst encouraging and enabling innovation.

What will this mean for specialist estates like LTHSE, women, YCS?

We recognise and appreciate that some functions may have to remain under national management, and will engage fully with colleagues across these areas to understand how best they will derive benefit from the advantages that greater alignment will offer and operate alongside our future regional structures.

How will we involve everyone from Directors to frontline staff?

The Programme will undertake engagement activity with all grades of staff across the agency to help design, develop and deliver the new operating model for HMPPS.

How will we take external partners with us?

We want the changes that are being spoken about to build upon and enhance existing relationships with our external partners and will offer greater opportunity for collaboration and partnership working.

How will this help us to manage our population across regional borders?

We recognise and appreciate that some functions may have to remain under national management in order to best support the operational front line. We will work with the Population Management Team to understand how the new structure could best support population management in the future.

How will you ensure that the changes do not impact front-line delivery?

We do not expect structural changes to have an impact below PGD/RPD level; and will engage closely with operational leaders to minimise disruption to the front line. We anticipate that many of the changes that are implemented will have a positive impact on front-line delivery, including an increased ability to tailor services to the needs of local cohorts.

The programme is committed to ongoing engagement with staff from across the business to ensure that views are fed in and responded to appropriately throughout the design and implementation process.

Prisons and probation do have differences – how do we work with that?

We recognise the differences between Prisons and Probation. The services that we deliver as an organisation are jointly responsible for delivering the outcomes of public protection and reducing reoffending; and we can best deliver on these outcomes if we are working in a more aligned way. We want to engage across the business to identify opportunities for working in a more strategically aligned way, and use these to inform design going forward.

What will be the impact on staff members across the agency?

The Programme is guided by the need to be frontline focused, ensuring that HMPPS HQ’s purpose, functions and structure are clear and, where necessary, streamlined so that it provides the best support and appropriate challenge to operational delivery, and regions have better access to its services.

The programme is committed to ongoing engagement with staff from across the business throughout the programme’s lifecycle to ensure that views are fed in and responded to meaningfully. Whilst we are currently at the beginning of the change journey, as more concrete proposals are developed the programme is committed to formal consultation prior to implementation.

When will these changes start to be implemented?

Whilst our implementation timeline is yet to be determined, we anticipate this will be a phased approach during the last year of the current Spending Review period, by 2025.

Has this programme emerged in response to Civil Service 2025?

The One HMPPS Programme was commissioned by the HMPPS Leadership Team (HLT) before the announcement of CS2025. The ambition of HLT to deliver the tenets of the One HMPPS programme – a regionally focused model with a renewed emphasis on the operational line, supporting more local partnership working, and with a smaller, more efficient HQ – still stand whether or not we are responding to Civil Service 2025.

Will there be job losses? Will there be a voluntary redundancy option?

We will explore a variety of options as part of our design work. Any options that would result in staff reductions would only be implemented after engagement, consultation and - where appropriate - negotiation with our recognised Trade Unions, and we are committed to ensuring that changes are managed fairly and appropriately.

Will pay/terms and conditions be impacted by these changes?

At this stage, we do not have any plans to change terms and conditions. Any option that would result in changes to T&Cs would be subject to engagement, consultation and - where appropriate - negotiation with our recognised Trade Unions.