Community Performance Annual, update to March 2026
Published 30 July 2026
Applies to England and Wales
© Crown copyright 2026
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/community-performance-annual-update-to-march-2026/community-performance-annual-update-to-march-2026
1. Main Points
This publication sets out statistics on Probation Performance from April 2025 to March 2026.
| 3 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 3 of 12 regions are operating at a ‘good’ level, all other regions are rated as either ‘requiring improvement’ or ‘inadequate’. |
| Nationally, 8 of 26 probation service levels met target or were better for the year ending March 2026. This compares to 7 out of 27 in the year ending March 2025 | On a national level, performance of 8 of 26 probation service levels met target or were better for the year ending March 2026. 14 of 23 improved in performance between the years ending March 2025 and March 2026. |
| Commissioned Rehabilitative Services performance has remained stable | Of the service levels measured within the Commissioned Rehabilitative Services, on a national level, 1 of 2 service levels performed above target for the year ending March 2026. |
2. Introduction
The Probation Performance Framework
The Probation Service is responsible for managing all those on a community sentence or licence following their release from prison in England and Wales. There are 11 probation regions across England and 1 for Wales.
The Probation Service Performance Framework supports delivery of the Target Operating Model by the probation service.
On 28th April 2025 an “impact” strategy was implemented for low risk individuals. For eligible offenders, contact appointments are completed during the first 16 weeks of starting a community order, or on release from prison on licence. After this period, probation practitioner contact is suspended, though orders and licences remain active. All other requirements and licence conditions remain unchanged and must still be completed. Consequently, some offenders who are on or have been on the probation caseload are not in scope for some service levels, as the probation practitioner contact was suspended at the measurement point.
Some rehabilitative services such as personal wellbeing 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/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics##community-performance-statistics
Related statistics on reoffending are published by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/reoffending-statistics
More detailed statistics on accommodation and employment are published by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) here:
Accommodation: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-accommodation-outcome-statistics
Employment: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-employment-outcome-statistics
3. Probation Scorecard
The Probation Scorecard was developed alongside the Probation Performance Framework. It pulls out the core measures (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 owned by the Probation Performance Committee in HMPPS. This committee oversees governance of the Probation Performance Framework, and consists of HMPPS Senior Level Management, including the Directors General and the Chief Probation Officer. All measures, weightings and targets for the Probation Scorecard are agreed by the Probation Performance Committee and reviewed annually.
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% |
Following the production of the data-driven performance ratings, a moderation process takes place. Probation regions can submit a moderation proposal to challenge the data-driven performance rating. Where a justifiable improvement or decline in performance would move a region to the next rating, evidence is considered by the moderation panel as to whether the rating should change. No ratings were changed as a result of moderation for the year ending March 2026. The analysis in this publication reflects the data-driven breakdowns at measure level along with the final moderated overall region rating.
The following map and table shows the overall rating for each region. For the performance the year ending March 2026, no region received a score of 4 (Outstanding); however 3 of the 12 regions did receive a score of 3 (Good).
Figure 1: Probation Service Scorecard Ratings for all regions, for the performance year April 2025 to March 2026, England and Wales.
(Source: Probation Service Performance Data Tables; Scorecard)
Table 1: Probation Service Scorecard Ratings for all regions, for the performance year April 2025 to March 2026, England and Wales.
(Source: Probation Service Performance Data Tables; Scorecard)
| Region | Overall Score | Score Description |
|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | 2 | Improvement Required |
| East of England | 2 | Improvement Required |
| Greater Manchester | 3 | Good |
| Kent, Surrey & Sussex | 1 | Inadequate |
| London | 1 | Inadequate |
| North East | 2 | Improvement Required |
| North West | 3 | Good |
| South Central | 2 | Improvement Required |
| South West | 2 | Improvement Required |
| Wales | 3 | Good |
| West Midlands | 2 | Improvement Required |
| Yorkshire & the Humber | 2 | Improvement Required |
| England and Wales | 2 | Improvement Required |
4. Probation Service Delivery of Service Level Metrics
In the year ending March 2026, 2 probation quality measures met or exceeded the expected target and 3 did not meet target.
Table 2: Probation Service Performance of all available quality measures for the year April 2025 to March 2026, England and Wales
(Source: Probation Service Performance Data Tables; Annual)
| Performance Measure | Period Covered | Performance | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| QM003 - Pre sentence advice quality | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | Amber/Green | Amber/Green |
| QM102 - Enforcement quality | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | Amber/Green | Amber/Green |
| QM103 - Risk management quality | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | Amber/Red | Amber/Green |
| QM104 - Sentence delivery quality | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | Amber/Red | Amber/Green |
| QM118 - Assessment and planning quality | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | Amber/Red | Amber/Green |
Of the 23 probation service levels that were measured for at least 6 months of both the year ending March 2026 and the year ending March 2025, 14 improved, and 8 declined in performance, with 1 unchanged. The largest increase was for SL023, which increased by 13.2pp. The largest decrease was for SL011, which decreased by 1.1pp.
In the year ending March 2026, 8 probation service levels met or exceeded the expected target and 18 did not meet target[footnote 1].
Table 3: Probation Service Performance of all available service levels for the year April 2025 to March 2026, England and Wales
(Source: Probation Service Performance Data Tables; Annual)
| Performance Measure | Period Covered | Performance (%) | Target (%) | Percentage point change from previous performance year[footnote 2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SL001 - Judicial engagement | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 71.1 | 70.0 | 1.3pp |
| SL004 - Initial appointment for community sentences | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 94.0 | 95.0 | 0.2pp |
| SL005 - Initial appointment for releases from custody | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 96.6 | 95.0 | 1.1pp |
| SL006S - Initial sentence plan for community sentences and releases for supervised cases | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 90.9 | 95.0 | [x] |
| SL011 - Timely parole reports | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 81.5 | 90.0 | -1.1pp |
| SL012R - Completion of targeted interventions for people convicted of sexual offences | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 63.7 | 70.0 | 0.9pp |
| SL013 - Requirements completed by sentence expiry | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 75.8 | 85.0 | -0.5pp |
| SL014 - Housed on release from custody | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 80.8 | 90.0 | 0.4pp |
| SL015Sa - Settled accommodation at 3 months post release for supervised cases | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 77.2 | 80.0 | 1.8pp |
| SL015Sb - Settled accommodation at 3 months post community disposal for supervised cases | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 85.1 | 80.0 | 1.3pp |
| SL016R - Employed at 6 weeks post release from custody for supervised cases | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 19.3 | 21.0 | 0.8pp |
| SL017Ra - Employed at 6 months post release for supervised cases | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 34.2 | 34.5 | 2.4pp |
| SL017Rb - Employed at 6 months post community disposal for supervised cases | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 43.8 | 47.1 | -0.5pp |
| SL020 - Persons positive experience | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 71.6 | 75.0 | 0.6pp |
| SL021 - Victim satisfaction | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 85.4 | 80.0 | 0.7pp |
| SL022S - POM/COM handover meeting[footnote 3] | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 64.3 | 95.0 | [x] |
| SL023 - Pre-release sentence plans for enhanced cases | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 50.4 | 95.0 | 13.2pp |
| SL026 - Unpaid work assessment | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 85.2 | 90.0 | -0.4pp |
| SL027 - Unpaid work starts within 15 business days of sentence | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 71.0 | 80.0 | -0.1pp |
| SL028 - Unpaid work stand downs[footnote 4] | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 0.4pp |
| SL029 - Unpaid work completions within 12 months | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 62.6 | 75.0 | -0.5pp |
| SL031 - Accredited programme starts (targeted) | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 85.9 | 90.0 | -0.2pp |
| SL033 - Accredited programme completions (targeted) | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 54.2 | 60.0 | 1.7pp |
| SL040U - Recording protected characteristics for supervised cases | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 99.1 | 95.0 | [x] |
| SL125c - Timeliness of recall process - regular recalls probation service | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 97.2 | 95.0 | 1.1pp |
| SL125d - Timeliness of recall process - emergency recalls probation service | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 99.6 | 95.0 | 0.0pp |
5. Commissioned Rehabilitative Services Delivery of Service Level Metrics
Some rehabilitative services such as personal wellbeing 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. Some rehabilitative services, including personal wellbeing and accommodation, are delivered under contract by voluntary and community sector (VCS) and specialist organisations at local or regional level. The performance framework also supports the management of these Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS) contracts. Data for Greater Manchester are excluded from these CRS datasets, as rehabilitative services in that area operate under a separate framework.
In the year ending March 2026, CRS SL005R exceeded the target, CRS SL001R was steady with a similar score to the previous year.
Table 4: Commissioned Rehabilitative Services Performance of all service levels for the year April 2025 to March 2026, England and Wales.
(Source: Commissioned Rehabilitative Services Performance Data Tables; Annual)
| Performance Measure | Period Covered | Performance (%) | Target (%) | Percentage point change from previous performance year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRS SL001R - Supplier assessment appointment (SAA) timeliness (revised) | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | 94.5 | 95.0 | 0.0pp |
| CRS SL005R - Initial appointments attended within 20 working days | May 2025 to Mar 2026 | 93.3 | 90.0 | [x] |
6. Further Information
Accompanying files
As well as this bulletin, the following products are published as part of this release:
-
a set of data tables, covering each section of this bulletin
-
Technical Note
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.
Performance figures rounded to one decimal place can be found in this document and the accompanying tables published alongside this document. Reported percentage point changes and performance figures are calculated on rounded figures. Where figures in the tables have been rounded, the rounded components do not always add to the totals, which are calculated and rounded independently.
Symbols and conventions
The following symbols have been used throughout the tables in this bulletin:
| Symbol | Description |
|---|---|
| [x] | Not applicable or Not available |
| 0 | Nil or less than half the final digit shown |
| [z] | Unreliable (less than 30 observations) |
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
Press enquiries should be directed to the Ministry of Justice press office:
Tel: 020 3334 3536
Other enquiries about these statistics should be directed to Data and Analysis at the Ministry of Justice:
Email: communityperformanceenquiries@justice.gov.uk
General enquiries about the statistical work of the Ministry of Justice can be e-mailed to:
Email: statistics.enquiries@justice.gov.uk
General information about the official statistics system of the UK is available from:
URL: http://www.statistics.gov.uk
Next update: 29 July 2027 from:
URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics
© Crown copyright
Produced by the Ministry of Justice
Alternative formats are available on request from:
Email: statistics.enquiries@justice.gov.uk
-
Only including measures which were active for at least 6 months of the year ending March 2026 ↩
-
“Percentage point change from previous performance year” has only been populated where the measure was active for at least 6 months in both the year ending March 2026 and the year ending March 2025 ↩
-
POM/COM Handover Meeting is the handover meeting between the Prison Offender Manager (POM), Community Offender Manager (COM), and the prisoner to prepare the prisoner for release. ↩
-
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. ↩