Community Performance Annual, update to March 2023
Published 27 July 2023
Applies to England and Wales
© Crown copyright 2023
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/community-performance-annual-update-to-march-2023/community-performance-annual-update-to-march-2023
1. Main Points
This publication sets out statistics on Probation Performance from April 2022 to March 2023, incorporating Management Information on Accommodation and Employment outcomes for supervised individuals.
| 2 of 12 regions were rated ‘good’ | The Probation Scorecard, which gives an overall rating of the performance of the Probation Service both nationally and within regions, shows that only two of twelve regions are operating at a ‘good’ level - all other regions are rated as either ‘requiring improvement’ or ‘inadequate’. | |
| 10 of 26 probation service levels were at or above target for 2022-23 this compares to 8 out of 16 for 2021-22 | On a national level, 10 out of 26 probation service levels were above or equal to their target for 2022-23. Across the 2022-23 year, targets have increased in comparison to targets in the 2021-22 year. Of the 22 service levels measured quarterly in the January to March 2023 quarter, only two did not improve in performance compared to the October to December 2022 quarter. | |
| Commissioned Rehabilitative Services performance has been improving across the 2022-23 performance year | Of the three service levels measured within the Commissioned Rehabilitative Service, on a national level, one service level performed above target for the April 2022 to March 2023 performance year. Of the two service levels measured quarterly in the January to March 2023 quarter, both service levels had increased in performance compared to the October to December 2022 quarter. | |
| Employment rates are improving | Employment rates at each of the points measured showed improvements in the year to March 2023 as compared to the year before. | |
| Accommodation rates are stable | Accommodation rates remain at a high level with slight improvements in positive outcomes for 3 months post release in the year to March 2023 as compared to the year before, but slight decreases in positive outcomes for accommodation at release in comparison to the year before. | |
| Community Accommodation Service Tier 3 | In total 5,796 people have been placed in CAS3 accommodation between 1st July 2021 and 31st March 2023. Of these places 5422 (93.5%) were for male residents, and 368 (6.3%) were for female residents (6 were Unknown). For reference males comprise 96% of the prison population, and females 4%. |
2. Introduction
The New Probation Performance Framework
On 26th June 2021 the privatised probation services (the Community Rehabilitation Companies) were returned to public control, and absorbed into the newly named “Probation Service”. The unified Probation Service is now responsible for managing all those on a community sentence or licence following their release from prison in England and Wales. There are now 12 probation regions across England and Wales, introducing 11 new probation regions in England; arrangements in Wales remain unchanged.
A Probation Service Performance Framework supports delivery of the Target Operating Model by the unified service.
As part of the reforms to the probation system, some rehabilitative services such as education, training and employment and accommodation, are delivered under contract by Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) and specialist organisations. The management of these Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS) contracts is also supported by a performance framework.
Previous publications can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/prisons-and-probation-statistics#performance
Related statistics on reoffending are published by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) here: http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/reoffending-statistics
3. Probation Scorecard
The Probation Scorecard was developed alongside the Probation Performance Framework. It pulls out the core measures (OSAG quality audits, and management information from data recorded by regions) to show a more complete picture of performance in the probation system.
The Probation Scorecard is reported to the Probation Performance Committee. This committee oversees governance of the probation system, and consists of HMPPS Senior Level Management, including the Chief Probation Officer. All measures, weights and targets for the Probation Scorecard are agreed by the Probation Performance Committee.
Performance ratings and overall scoring for the Probation Scorecard are derived from the measures included within the scorecard, which are weighted individually. For more information on the weightings, please refer to the technical notes. The Probation Scorecard Rating is assigned using the total score the region achieved as a percentage of the maximum possible score achievable. The table below shows the ratings and the thresholds for those ratings:
| Probation Scorecard Rating | Probation Scorecard Thresholds |
|---|---|
| 4 - Outstanding | Greater than or equal to 86.6% |
| 3 - Good | Less than 86.6% and greater than or equal to 73.3% |
| 2 - Improvement Required | Less than 73.3% and greater than or equal to 60.0% |
| 1 - Inadequate | Less than 60.0% |
The following map shows the overall rating for each region. For the performance year 2022-23, no region received a score of 4 (Outstanding) but two out of the twelve regions (Greater Manchester and Wales) did receive a score of 3 (Good).
Table 1: Probation Service Scorecard Ratings for all regions, for the performance year 2022-23, England and Wales.
(Source: Probation Service Scorecard Ratings)
| Region | Overall Score |
|---|---|
| East Midlands | 2 |
| East of England | 2 |
| Greater Manchester | 3 |
| Kent, Surrey & Sussex | 1 |
| London | 1 |
| North East | 2 |
| North West | 2 |
| South Central | 2 |
| South West | 2 |
| Wales | 3 |
| West Midlands | 1 |
| Yorkshire & the Humber | 1 |
| National | 2 |
4. Probation Service Delivery of Service Level Metrics
With the introduction of the new probation service performance framework in July 2021, no regions’ performance should be considered comparable with performance data published before.
National delivery by the Probation Service against Service Levels has improved over the year. Of the 22 probation service levels that were measured quarterly in the January to March 2023 quarter, 20 improved from the October to December 2022 quarter, 1 service level remained the same and 1 service level declined in performance 1 . The most significant increase was for SL027 which increased by 11pp. The only service level to decrease, SL017b, decreased by -0.4pp.
At year end, 9 probation service levels that were measured quarterly were above or equal to the expected target and 13 were below target.
Table 2: Probation Service Performance of all available service levels for Performance January to March 2023 (%), England and Wales 1 .
(Source: Probation Service Performance Data Tables; Table NAT)
| Performance Measure | Performance January to March 2023 (%) | Target January to March 2023 (%) | Percentage point change since previous quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| SL004 - Initial appointment for community sentences | 90.8 | 95.0 | 2.4pp |
| SL005 - Initial appointment for releases from custody | 95.9 | 95.0 | 0.4pp |
| SL006 - Initial sentence plan for community sentences and releases | 82.5 | 95.0 | 0.6pp |
| SL007 - Monthly appointments offered | NA | NA | [x] |
| SL007R - Monthly appointments offered | 81.3 | 91.3 | 2.8pp |
| SL010 - Timely risk management plans (recall reports part B) | 91.7 | 90.0 | 0.7pp |
| SL011 - Timely parole reports | 86.5 | 90.0 | 2.7pp |
| SL012 - Completion of targeted interventions for people convicted of sexual offences | 57.5 | 67.6 | 1.7pp |
| SL013 - Requirements completed by sentence expiry | 76.5 | 81.3 | 0.0pp |
| SL014 - Housed on release from custody | 83.3 | 89.8 | 1.8pp |
| SL015a - Settled accommodation at 3 months post release | 72.7 | 79.6 | 0.2pp |
| SL015b - Settled accommodation at 3 months post community disposal | 82.0 | 79.5 | 1.9pp |
| SL016 - Employed at 6 weeks post release from custody | 16.4 | 18.1 | 0.1pp |
| SL017a - Employed at 6 months post release | 26.4 | 22.1 | 1.9pp |
| SL017b - Employed at 6 months post community disposal | 41.8 | 37.2 | -0.4pp |
| SL022 - POM/COM handover meeting | 51.2 | 86.2 | 2.3pp |
| SL026 - Unpaid work assessment | 77.5 | 79.0 | 4.9pp |
| SL027 - Unpaid work starts within 15 business days of sentence | 56.9 | 73.8 | 11.0pp |
| SL028 - Unpaid work stand downs | 1.0 | 2.5 | -0.2pp |
| SL029 - Unpaid work completions within 12 months | 50.6 | 68.0 | 3.2pp |
| SL031 - Accredited programme starts [targeted] | 68.8 | 87.3 | 3.6pp |
| SL033 - Accredited programme completions [targeted] | 40.5 | 52.5 | 3.5pp |
| SL040R - Recording protected characteristics | 98.7 | 95.0 | 0.9pp |
There are three Service Levels which are measured annually by survey data. Two of these service levels (SL001 and SL020) were measured in the previous performance year, while one of these service levels is new for this year (SL021). Of the two service levels which were measured last year, one of the service levels (SL001) saw an increase in performance this performance year in comparison to the previous performance year, by 6.4pp. The performance of service level SL020 has decreased since the previous year, by -2.9pp.
For this performance year, only one of the three service levels measured annually was above or equal to the expected target (SL021), with the other two below target.
Table 3: Probation Service Performance of all survey service levels for the performance year 2022-23, England and Wales.
(Source: Probation Service Performance Data Tables; Service Levels SL001, SL020, SL021)
| Metric ref | Performance April 2022 to March 2023 (%) | Target April 2022 to March 2023 (%) | Percentage point change from previous performance year |
|---|---|---|---|
| SL001 - Judicial engagement | 65.8 | 70.0 | 6.4pp |
| SL020 - Persons positive experience | 71.7 | 75.0 | -2.9pp |
| SL021 - Victim satisfaction | 84.7 | 80.0 | [x] |
5. Commissioned Rehabilitative Service Delivery of Service Level Metrics
As part of the reforms to the probation system, some rehabilitative services such as education, training and employment and accommodation, are delivered under contract by Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) and specialist organisations at the local, or regional level. The management of these Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS) contracts is also supported by a performance framework.
Of the three CRS service levels measured within this publication, two were measured in the January to March 2023 quarter. Both of these improved since the previous quarter. The most significant increase was that of SL001, which increased by 4.4pp in comparison to the previous quarter.
Table 4: Commissioned Rehabilitative Service Performance of all service levels for Performance January to March 2023 (%), England and Wales.
(Source: Commissioned Rehabilitative Services Performance Data Tables; Table NAT)
| Performance Measure | Performance January to March 2023 (%) | Target January to March 2023 (%) | Percentage point change since previous quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| SL001 - Supplier assessment appointment (SAA) timeliness | [x] | [x] | [x] |
| SL001R - Supplier assessment appointment (SAA) timeliness (revised) | 92.0 | 95.0 | 4.3pp |
| SL002 - Initial appointments attended | 91.8 | 90.0 | 0.7pp |
6. Employment
In the year to March 2023, 17.4% of prison leavers were employed 6 weeks post release (excluding cases out of scope or where the status was unknown). This is up from 13.0% in the previous year, a 4.4 percentage point increase. Every region within England and Wales saw a rise in the proportion of prison leavers employed 6 weeks post release in the year to March 2023, in comparison to the previous year.
In the year to March 2023, 25.9% of prison leavers were employed 6 months post release (excluding cases out of scope or where the status was unknown). This is up from 17.3% in the previous year, an 8.6 percentage point increase. Every region within England and Wales saw a rise in the proportion of prison leavers employed 6 months post release in the year to March 2023, in comparison to the previous year.
In the year to March 2023, 44.5% of persons sentenced to a community order were employed 6 months post their sentence (excluding cases out of scope or where the status was unknown). This is up from 38.8% in the previous year, a 5.7 percentage point increase. Only one region saw a decrease in the proportion of persons sentenced to a community order who were employed 6 months post their sentence.
For this performance year, there seems to be a correlation between custodial sentence length and employment rates. Higher employment rates have been seen for those who have completed longer custodial sentence lengths, both within 6 weeks and 6 months post release, whereas the lower employment rates occur from those who have shorter custodial sentence lengths.
Compared to other groups, lower employment rates post-release were also seen among: women; persons aged over 40 or under 20; Black or Black British persons. Additionally, high variation was seen between different regions and offence type categories.
7. Accommodation
In the year to March 2023, 86.3% of prison leavers were housed on the night following release (excluding cases out of scope or where the status was unknown). This is down slightly from 86.8% in the previous year, a 0.5 percentage point decrease. Of the twelve reported regions across England and Wales, five regions saw an increase in the proportion of prisoners housed on the night following release from the previous year.
In the year to March 2023, 75.6% of prison leavers were in settled accommodation 3 months post release (excluding cases out of scope or where the status was unknown), this is up slightly from 75.3% in the previous year, a 0.3 percentage point increase. Of the twelve reported regions across England and Wales, five regions saw an increase in the proportion of prison leavers in settled accommodation at 3 months post release.
In the year to March 2023, 85.1% of persons sentenced to a community order were in settled accommodation 3 months post their sentence (excluding cases out of scope or where the status was unknown). This is up slightly from 84.8% in the previous year, a 0.3 percentage point increase. Of the twelve reported regions across England and Wales, seven regions saw an increase in the proportion of persons sentenced to a community order who were in settled accommodation 3 months post their sentence.
Like employment, there also seems to be a correlation between custodial sentence length and accommodation rates. Lower accommodation rates are more likely for those who have been on shorter custodial sentences, with higher accommodation rates for those on longer custodial sentences.
Additionally, high variation was seen between different regions and offence type, as well as age with lower accommodation rates seen among persons aged 40-49. For accommodation at release, there was no difference in the rates between men and women. However, at the 3 month post release stage, the rate for men was higher than that for women
Only a slight variation was found for different ethnic categories, with the lowest accommodation rates at release being seen among those who are in the ‘Other ethnic group’ category, and the lowest accommodation rates at 3 months post release being seen for those who are Black or Black British.
8. Community Accommodation Service Tier 3 (CAS3)
From 19 July 2021, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) launched a new transitional accommodation service, CAS3, providing up to 12 weeks’ basic accommodation for those leaving prison at risk of homelessness in five probation regions (Yorkshire and the Humber; North West; Greater Manchester; Kent, Surrey and Sussex; and East of England). Delivery of CAS3 in Wales, through grant funding arrangements with Welsh Local Authorities, commenced in June 2022, while mobilisation of the service in the remaining six probation regions in England commenced in May 2023. Full national coverage will be in place by November 2023.
In total 5,796 people have been placed in CAS3 accommodation between 1st July 2021 and 31st March 2023. Of these places 5422 (93.5%) were for male residents, and 368 (6.3%) were for female residents (6 were Unknown). For reference males comprise 96% of the prison population, and females 4%.
1 SL028 measures the percentage of Unpaid Work appointments which are cancelled on the same day as the appointment was arranged to take place. Therefore, a decrease in the proportion of Unpaid Work Stand Downs is a positive outcome and indicates an improvement in performance.
9. Further Information
Accompanying files
As well as this bulletin, the following products are published as part of this release:
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a set of data tables, covering each section of this bulletin
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appendices
Explanatory notes
Data in this report are drawn from administrative IT systems; largely National Delius (nDelius), the current probation case management system.
Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the information collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. While the figures shown have been checked as far as practicable, they should be regarded as approximate and not necessarily accurate to the last whole number shown in the tables.
Where figures in the tables have been rounded to the nearest whole number, the rounded components do not always add to the totals, which are calculated and rounded independently.
Reported percentage point changes and performance figures are calculated on unrounded figures, however rounded to the nearest whole percentage for presentation in this document. Performance figures accurate to one decimal place can be found in the accompanying tables, published alongside this document.
Symbols and conventions
The following symbols have been used throughout the tables in this bulletin:
| Symbol | Description |
|---|---|
| [x] | Not available |
| 0 | Nil or less than half the final digit shown |
| [z] | Not applicable or unreliable (less than 30 observations) |
| [p] | Provisional data |
| [r] | Revised data |
Future publications
Our statisticians regularly review the content of publications. Development of new and improved statistical outputs is usually dependent on reallocating existing resources. As part of our continual review and prioritisation, we welcome user feedback on existing outputs including content, breadth, frequency and methodology. Please send any comments you have on this publication including suggestions for further developments or reductions in content.
Contact
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General information about the official statistics system of the UK is available from www.statistics.gov.uk
Next update: 25 July 2024
URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics
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Produced by the Ministry of Justice
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