MPs back Napo calls for probation investment and exploration of Welsh devolution
Napo has welcomed the publication today (9 June) of the Welsh Affairs Committee report Jagged Justice: Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation in Wales, which echoes long-standing union concerns about the future of probation in Wales and the need to properly invest in the workforce.
The union submitted written evidence to the Committee's inquiry, while Napo Cymru branch member Su McConnel gave oral evidence alongside colleagues from UNISON and PCS.
Although much of the report focuses on prisons, two recommendations are of significance for probation staff and the communities they serve.
The Committee held the UK Government to their manifesto pledge to explore the potential benefits of devolving probation and youth justice in Wales, concluding that “it could not be delayed indefinitely” and that “there is merit in testing whether a more localised approach could deliver better outcomes for people on probation and the wider public.”
The report also calls on the Ministry of Justice to undertake a review of probation staffing levels, pay and working conditions as part of its forthcoming strategic review of probation, recognising that ambitions to expand community sentencing cannot be delivered without sufficient investment in the workforce.
Napo General Secretary Ian Lawrence said: "It is encouraging to see a Parliamentary Committee recognise issues that Napo has been raising for many years.
"The recommendation to explore the devolution of probation in Wales reflects our long-held view that services are often most effective when they are designed and delivered closer to the communities they serve.
"We’re also pleased that the Committee agree that probation staff cannot continue to do more with less. If governments are serious about reducing reoffending and making greater use of community alternatives to custody, then staffing levels, pay and working conditions must be addressed as a matter of urgency.”
Napo will continue to press both the UK and Welsh Governments to engage with probation staff and their representatives as discussions on the future of justice services in Wales develop.
You can read the full report of the committee here. Jagged Justice: Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation in Wales