First Approved Premises report published
Published: 17 September 2025
The launch of our Approved Premises (APs) inspection programme comes at a pivotal point for the Probation Service. The number of places available in APs has been under pressure in recent years, and this is pressure is likely to increase following the introduction of Probation Reset, SDS40 early release scheme and the implementation of the Sentencing Review.
The national network APs is one of the least visible and least well-known corners of the criminal justice system, yet they provide essential support for people leaving prison who are assessed as a risk of serious harm. These individuals require an increased level of monitoring in the community and APs help them to rehabilitate and resettle while ensuring the public are protected during those early months back in the community.
Within our inspections of probation delivery units and regions within the Probation Service, we routinely find public protection to be an area of weakness, with insufficient work being done to keep victims and the public safe from harm. The role APs play in public protection cannot be underestimated and it is crucial that we gain some oversight into this extremely important aspect of probation work. AP staff and managers also deserve to know what they are doing well, and we believe there should be a mechanism for learning from best practice from the AP network.
Currently, APs face no accountability to the public through inspection processes to see how far they are achieving their aims. We believe people deserve to know how well the Probation Service is working to protect communities through the national network of APs.
I am delighted to announce the Southview Approved Premises, the first service inspected in the programme, has been rated ‘Outstanding’. While in our inspections of probation delivery units we routinely find concerning public protection work, at Southview our inspection team found no areas for improvement relating to public protection. Inspectors spoke enthusiastically about the leadership and staff working on the premises and I again want to congratulate them on the invaluable work they do to keep communities safe and reintegrate prison leavers back into the community.
Read the full report of Southview Approved Premises here.
The launch of our Approved Premises (APs) inspection programme comes at a pivotal point for the Probation Service. The number of places available in APs has been under pressure in recent years, and this is pressure is likely to increase following the introduction of Probation Reset, SDS40 early release scheme and the implementation of the Sentencing Review.
The national network APs is one of the least visible and least well-known corners of the criminal justice system, yet they provide essential support for people leaving prison who are assessed as a risk of serious harm. These individuals require an increased level of monitoring in the community and APs help them to rehabilitate and resettle while ensuring the public are protected during those early months back in the community.
Within our inspections of probation delivery units and regions within the Probation Service, we routinely find public protection to be an area of weakness, with insufficient work being done to keep victims and the public safe from harm. The role APs play in public protection cannot be underestimated and it is crucial that we gain some oversight into this extremely important aspect of probation work. AP staff and managers also deserve to know what they are doing well, and we believe there should be a mechanism for learning from best practice from the AP network.
Currently, APs face no accountability to the public through inspection processes to see how far they are achieving their aims. We believe people deserve to know how well the Probation Service is working to protect communities through the national network of APs.
I am delighted to announce the Southview Approved Premises, the first service inspected in the programme, has been rated ‘Outstanding’. While in our inspections of probation delivery units we routinely find concerning public protection work, at Southview our inspection team found no areas for improvement relating to public protection. Inspectors spoke enthusiastically about the leadership and staff working on the premises and I again want to congratulate them on the invaluable work they do to keep communities safe and reintegrate prison leavers back into the community.
Read the full report of Southview Approved Premises here.
Approved premises (APs), formally known as probation hostels, play a key role in managing the risks posed by people released from prison who are deemed too complex or high risk to live independently. Until now, APs have not been subject to any form of independent scrutiny, despite the vital role they play in keeping communities safe and providing effective rehabilitation.
I am therefore delighted to announce that Southview AP – the first in our new AP inspection programme – has been rated as ‘Outstanding’.
We found strong and inspiring leadership, stable staffing, and a passionate and motivated team operating in a safe and welcoming environment within which residents felt respected and supported. As a consequence, managers and staff at Southview AP were deploying effective public protection strategies and engaging its residents in a meaningful programme of rehabilitation.
Striking a balance between protecting the public and rehabilitating people on probation, by establishing a quality relationship, is complex, and in other probation inspection programmes, we often find deficits here. It is clear that the psychologically informed planned environment (PIPE) approach embedded at Southview AP is succeeding in getting this crucial balance right.
We have identified a small number of areas for improvement which would enhance delivery at Southview even further – some of which are the responsibility of national leaders to address. In particular, the slow response to outstanding repairs and required building alterations is causing significant frustrations for staff and residents and must be addressed so as not to detract from the outstanding work being undertaken.
The team at Southview should be extremely proud of what they are achieving. I wish them well for the future.
Martin Jones CBE
HM Chief Inspector of Probation
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/york-probation-hostel-gets-top-230200510.html
ReplyDeleteA probation hostel in York has been rated “outstanding” following a visit from inspectors.
DeleteThe Southview hostel in Boroughbridge Road manages up to 17 men released from prison who are deemed too complex or high risk to live on their own.
Fifteen residents were under its care during the hostel’s first inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation, which was carried out as part of a new initiative by the watchdog.
The rating follows York’s wider probation service, the probation delivery unit, being rated inadequate – the lowest possible rating – after its first inspection last year.
Inspectors said they were “impressed” by the public protection work at Southview, which “contrasts with the Inspectorate’s findings across probation delivery units (PDUs) where deficits are often found in this area”.
Their two-day visit at Southview was carried out in July and included off-site inspection of eight cases relating to people who were either still a hostel resident or who had recently left its care.
Inspectors also interviewed current residents about their experiences at Southview, and inspected the hostel's ‘out of hours’ activities, including shift handover processes.
Chief inspector of probation, Martin Jones, said he was “delighted” with the outcome of Southview’s inspection.
“The team are motivated, knowledgeable, and passionate about the work they are doing, and residents praised staff and spoke about their keywork sessions highly,” he said.
He said Southview, and other facilities like it, “play a vital, and perhaps unappreciated, role in the protection of the public by providing safe closely supervised release for some of the most complex people, in the crucial first weeks after their release from custody”.
“This report shines a light on the invaluable work they do to keep communities safe and reintegrate prison leavers back into the community,” Mr Jones added.
Inspectors find a 'warm and welcoming atmosphere and culture' at hostel. They have a “strong relationship” with the police which helps “promote effective risk management and public protection”, the inspection report said.
It added: “There was a warm and welcoming atmosphere and culture, promoted by management and replicated by staff.
“As a consequence, residents were overwhelmingly positive about the [Southview], its culture, and the support provided by staff.”
Staff at Southview are given additional training to understand the psychological and social needs of the residents.
Now watch some beancounter close it down
DeleteAs much as I'm glad occasional bits of Probation are deemed good, the fact of the matter is that certain parts of the service are, when compared to case management, a cushy number. Until front line case management is properly resourced, and dare I say it paid a premium, then officers will continue to leave the service either to less stressful roles in APs, VLOs Prisons, other units, even to be SPOs etc and inspections, will continue to see us demotivated, overworked and struggling to do the basics at times
ReplyDeletePay won't improve the quality of the work. Interest dedication understanding mutual obligations. Respect comes from the role not a pay rate and as we no longer provide the sort of interest level and guidance we once did the job has no professional standing. It is a bain of my career seeing us tagging signposting yet neutered from real difference making practice I no longer care. The pay is just what pays the mortgage .
DeleteI disagree, better pay does help inprove quality, mainly by improving recruitment, retention, and morale — but it won’t solve quality issues on its own. The biggest gains come when higher pay is combined with better resourcing, manageable caseloads, and strong leadership.
DeleteOf course, better pay means recruitment, retention, and morale. With more staff, more motivated staff, better quality of staff, better quality of work.
DeleteTired of this “it’s not just a job, we don’t do it for the money” RUBBISH.
It IS just a job and we wouldn’t do it for free.
Very true more money would be nice but the job these days and our fallen position in the justice system won't warrant a pay hike it's regarded as a low value role. Monitoring till an order runs its course simple anyone does do it nowadays. The task is how we fight back to our status and what help we need to get there. By delivering a reduction in criminal behaviour attributable to qualitative interventions which require engagement and resetting offender activity crime free. We will never do that or demonstrate it. Get used to what we have become.
DeleteI'm in complete agreement with annon@ 18:59..
DeleteDouble the pay. Double the number of staff. Half the caseloads. All that achieves is twice the number of staff being paid twice as much for half the work and still doing the same old shite that attracts the same old inadequate inspection assessments.
It's just a job? How can being charged with public protection and claiming the right to take someone's liberty away ever be described as "just a job?"
The thing too with "just a job" means you're selling your labour, not your skillset. If it's "Just a job" then get used to a set hourly rate with lower and lower pay increases whilst the national minimum wage raises at a faster rate until probation itself becomes a national minimum wage job.
Actually I asked a question a week or two ago, "do people see probation as white collar or blue collar employment?'. If probation work is "just a job", a simple exchange of labour for renumeration, why would probation workers expect to be paid more then the national minimum wage?
Just a thought!
'Getafix
Quite a debate to be had on the issues raised here.
DeleteIn the first instance, we, the supposed professionals didn’t make the job what it’s become. That is down to the glorious leaders who, as I said last week, haven’t identified where we are being led to, how long it will take, what we will experience on the way, and how we will know when we arrive.
I’m sure they have an agenda, they just haven’t shared it yet.
Secondly, if it is, ‘just a job,’ perhaps we should be campaigning to forego salary status and be paid by the hour. I think that once they are forced to quantify the amount of free labour they currently extract, they might be keen to come back with an offer of decent remuneration.
As things stand, the leaders are asking themselves and you, ‘why should we pay for something we are currently getting for nothing.’
Unfortunately, until our own people decide whether it’s, ‘just a job,’ or a prized and valued vocation, we will get nowhere.
Whoever said you can’t have it all ways had obviously never studied the probation workforce.
If i had my caseload cut to 25 then I could actually do the work I wanted to with them and develop a proper relationship with my cases instead of sometimes seeing them as an impediment. I usually find most of your comments informative but this one is pretty poor. Plus we're already doing twice the work for half the pay if as the MOJ research states, another 10000 officers are needed on current caseloads.
DeleteIt can't ever be just a job.
Deletehttps://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/sep/18/offenders-england-wales-serious-risk-to-women-girls
'Getafix
I saw that question posed and it had a reflective impact. I wanted to say white but know what it has become. It's still white but I know it's really blue. It still upsets me to have answered this conundrum
DeleteIt is just a job now after and sadly 1859 may have it right because it how I feel . I want a better job more than money so it is not about pay for me. Yes more than 10 years in pquip and wondering what was the point.
It is quite a debate although getafix has made an interesting point on the risk of pay decline. It is about vocation aswell but the alarm should be ringing in our ears. I like the idea of stopping the extra for free so how do we get our lacklustre union to formulate this proposal a blended approach.
DeleteAPs are a very different role to case management but I have to say that they are stressful roles. Very high risk residents, who in custody were on 4 or 6 man lockdown are monitored by 2 staff who rely on their personal skills to manage any situation. If residents are a risk to probation staff to the extent they need to be seen in police stations, they are monitored by the same 2 staff in APs with no security on site. AP staff have to be trained to manage residents who self harm, commit suicide and other events that rarely, if ever, happen in offices. This is just a part of their jobs.
DeleteSouthview rightly got an outstanding inspection report. It is a great example of what an AP can be. A manageable number of residents, and as a PIPE, it has more staff and residents can stay for up to 6 months. Unfortunately there are too many APs that have at least twice as many residents with less staff. Im sure future inspections will see this.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20vxlgx181o
ReplyDeleteSquealer's press release (i.e. govt propaganda reprinted without journalistic scrutiny)
"Chemical suppressants for sexual offenders will be trialled in north-west and north-east England as part of efforts to cut reoffending, the justice secretary has said.
The government had pledged to widen the existing pilot in four prisons in the south-west to 20 prisons following recommendations from the independent sentencing review to explore its use in May.
The medication limits "problematic sexual arousal" and restrains offenders who could be a risk to the public, David Lammy said.
The expansion means about 6,400 sex offenders will be able to access medication alongside psychological treatment to help change their behaviour and crack down on crimes such as rape, grooming and assault.
Speaking at the start of a debate on the second reading of the Sentencing Bill, the Lord Chancellor told MPs a trial in south-west England had been "positive".
Mr Lammy added: "While the evidence base is limited, it is positive and for that reason we will roll the approach out nationwide, starting with two new regions, the North West and North East, covering up to 20 prisons."
'Suppress urges'
It comes as part of the Sentencing Bill, which is seeking to introduce reforms proposed in the sentencing review led by former justice secretary David Gauke, to tackle jail overcrowding in the long term.
It also looked at ways to cut reoffending, with one proposal to consider further use of chemical suppressants.
Problematic sexual arousal can be reduced by chemical suppressants and prescribed medication, but the review highlighted the treatment would not be relevant for some sex offenders, such as rapists driven by power and control, rather than sexual preoccupation.
In a statement, Mr Lammy added: "Evidence shows this medication helps suppress urges, which is why we're expanding access to it.
"This is part of our comprehensive approach to managing dangerous offenders and preventing reoffending.
"Make no mistake - those who commit serious crimes will face the full force of the law. But alongside prison, we have a duty to use every method available to rehabilitate offenders and protect the public, as part of our Plan for Change."
MPs voted 340 to 77, majority 263, to pass the Bill at second reading.
Previously announcing the plan, former justice secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was exploring whether the treatment could be made mandatory for sex offenders.
But it is understood this pilot expansion will remain voluntary.
A Conservative amendment to halt the progress of the Bill because it "will lead to an increase of dangerous criminals on our streets" was rejected by 78 votes to 292, majority 214."
______________________________________________________
"The medication limits "problematic sexual arousal" and restrains offenders who could be a risk to the public, David Lammy said... "While the evidence base is limited, it is positive and for that reason we will roll the approach out nationwide..."
sounds like everything that's ever been imposed on probation by desperate politicians, i.e. limited evidence but selectively positive, so let's roll it out regardless.
see also: IPP, TR, sotp, tagging, etc etc ad nauseaum.
It won't end well.
p.s. smotrich has now openly told the world that Gaza is actually a very lucrative real estate project & trump has been actively involved in discussing how to share the spoils. Yep, the same orange mobster we, the UK taxpayer, are being fleeced out of £tens-of-millions to stroke his fragile ego.
here's that govt press release
Deletehttps://www.gov.uk/government/news/more-sex-offenders-given-chemical-suppressants
A cutting-edge pilot that aims to cut reoffending and that could lead to less victims will be expanded to two new regions - the North West and North East of England. This will extend across twenty prisons, ramped up from the current four in the South West pilot.
DeleteThis will mean around 6,400 sex offenders will now be able to access this medication, along with psychological treatment, to help change their criminal behaviour and clamp down on the some of the most dangerous crimes – including assault, grooming and rape.
Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy, said:
Protecting the public is my priority. Evidence shows this medication helps suppress urges, which is why we’re expanding access to it.
This part of our comprehensive approach to managing dangerous offenders and preventing reoffending. Every tool we deploy serves one main purpose: keeping communities safe and reducing the number of victims.
Make no mistake – those who commit serious crimes will face the full force of the law. But alongside prison, we have a duty to use every method available to rehabilitate offenders and protect the public, as part of our Plan for Change.
The pilot follows a key recommendation from Sir David Gauke’s Independent Sentencing Review.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) limit invasive sexual thoughts, while anti-androgens reduce the production of testosterone and limit libido. This medication is effective at reducing sexual urges when combined with coordinated support, such as therapy.
This comes as part of the second reading of the Sentencing Bill in the House of Commons. This legislation will help to end the prison crisis inherited by the Government and prevent the collapse of the justice system.
https://insidetime.org/newsround/give-us-the-right-to-strike-demand-prison-officers/
ReplyDeleteThe government needs something similar to curb their lust for power
ReplyDeleteThey're all fucking off before the real shit begins...
ReplyDeletehttps://www.gov.uk/government/news/james-mcewen-appointed-as-ceo-of-hmpps
"James joined the Ministry of Justice in 2016 and currently serves as Chief Operating Officer. He brings extensive experience from a career spanning multiple government departments including the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Energy and Climate Change."
so its bye bye copple, baling out with a platinum pension.
"James succeeds Phil Copple CB, who is leaving the agency after a distinguished 35-year career that began when he joined the Prison Service as a prison officer in 1990. He has served as Director General Operations of HMPPS since August 2022 and took on interim responsibility as Chief Executive Officer at a crucial time in April this year."
Get in there quick folks!!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.tickettailor.com/events/hmppsinsights25/1819363
Open to HMPPS/MoJ staff only
An opportunity for one person to have a coaching session with James McEwen, Chief Operating Officer for the MoJ. This session can be in person in London or online.
Enter the draw by 24 October for a chance to attend this event. The lucky winner(s) will be notified by 31 October.
No thanks. Couldn’t think of a worse way to waste a day !!
DeleteSeen on Twitter:-
ReplyDelete"It appears the Government has finally held to account 2 of the top 4 HMPPS senior leaders - though that is not how it is being badged. Sadly the opportunity to bring in new blood through open competition has again been lost and one of its own shuffled up."
https://www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/article/home-office-offers-up-to-190k-for-digital-and-innovation-head
ReplyDeletethe currently-vacant role is one of 11 executive committee posts that sit directly below permanent secretary Dame Antonia Romeo and second perm sec Simon Ridley.
And still they say the glorious leaders are at the top of their game.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/sep/18/offenders-england-wales-serious-risk-to-women-girls
The Probation Service in England and Wales is failing to monitor and assess tens of thousands of offenders who pose a serious risk to women and girls, a watchdog has told the Guardian.
DeleteMartin Jones, HM chief inspector of probation, launching a six-month inquiry into failings in public protection, said it was inevitable there would be more murders, rapes and serious sexual offences without an improvement.
His comments come amid concerns there is a shortfall of staff in the Probation Service, and as the government increases its workload by having more criminals in the community tagged and monitored.
Jones said several inspections had found that about a third of offenders who were released into the community were not properly assessed.
He said: “What that means, in really sharp terms, is that [probation staff] do not understand enough about the risk of the people that they’re managing. Where they do have information, they’re not utilising that to mitigate and manage that risk. And what that means, sadly, is that women and children are at risk of violence in some way, largely perpetrated by men on probation.
“The probation service is managing 160,000 offenders in the community. We have found that two-thirds of those cases – around 100,000 cases – are not being managed properly … So we are talking about tens of thousands of people who pose a risk to women and girls.”
Referring to the case of Damien Bendall, who was categorised as “low risk” by probation staff before murdering an entire family in 2021, Jones warned there would be further examples of serious failings by the Probation Service without urgent reforms.
He said: “It’s inevitable that the deficit in public protection leads to increased risk to the public, and I would anticipate that unless it is properly tackled, you will see an increase in the number of serious further offences that are taking place.”
Plans were outlined in the sentencing bill to increase the number of offenders monitored through electronic tagging. Last week the government announced that up to 22,000 more offenders would be tagged each year, under its “plan for change”.
Jones said tagging should not be seen as easy to oversee or a way of reducing serious crime. He said: “Bendall wore a tag but it did not prevent his crimes. And with most offenders, they need help tackling addiction, getting somewhere to live and get a job. Tagging does not help them either.”
He said the ability to share information was vital for improving public protection. “If probation don’t understand the risk that somebody poses – that you don’t understand who, for example, is living in a house and the risk of domestic abuse – then you will end up with more tragedies.”
Jones’s team has conducted more than 40 inspections of probation offices, which assessed their duty to protect the public, and each one was rated as “inadequate” or “requires improvement”.
In one case examined by Jones’s inspectors, police had been called out to the address of a domestic abuse perpetrator 11 times in five years. The probation service knew children were in the house but had not asked the police for any more detail about the incidents and did not understand enough about how the partner of this perpetrator and their children were at risk.
In another, probation officers found that a man who posed a risk to his partner and children received no response when they visited his home three times. Staff should have questioned why he was avoiding visits but did not escalate their concerns with children’s services.
Jones said the watchdog’s inspectors would suspend all of their usual inspections of probation offices for six months to concentrate on public protection.
The MoJ has been approached for comment.
Six weeks training and no qualifications required for prison officers and now better pay see London starting salaries below when will you stand up for yourselves ?
ReplyDeletetraining, you can choose to work 37, 39 or 41 hours a week. Your annual salary will reflect your weekly hours.
37 hours a week = £39,493 a year
39 hours a week = £41,984 a year
41 hours a week = £44,474 a year
All salary figures quoted