York's probation service has been given the lowest possible rating after an inspection.
His Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation rated York probation delivery unit (PDU) inadequate - the lowest possible rating - in the first inspection since it was founded.
York PDU is the smallest unit of its kind in England and Wales, and one of 11 in Yorkshire and the Humber. In 2021, it was established after probation services were unified in a merger between community rehabilitation companies (CRCs) and the national probation service (NPS).
"York PDU faces some significant challenges in delivering a high-quality service under its current operating model," said Martin Jones, Chief Inspector of Probation.
"Despite the resilience of senior probation officers (SPOs) their wide spans of responsibility are spread even thinner due to the lack of staff recruited at this level."
Inspectors found problems that they said were consistent with national trend, in relation to recruitment and staffing. They added that, in York, there was "little scope for resilience" due to the unit's size.
The report said: "The PDU’s small size placed limitations on senior probation officer recruitment, resulting in a detrimental impact on some managers’ health and wellbeing, and impacting their ability to perform the job to the standard needed to protect communities and promote desistance.
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"While the quality of assessments was well focused on engaging the person on probation, the identification and understanding of protected characteristics and their potential impact on engagement was insufficient in half of the cases examined."
Despite some strengths, inspectors reported a "lack of professional curiosity" in following up indicators of potential risk.
The report made seven recommendations for York PDU, including to develop practitioners' confidence and skills in the use of professional curiosity.
Mr Jones said that "some elements of positive practice were observed at York PDU".
He added that it was "particularly around the availability of services available for people on probation".
"If HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) address the resourcing problems the PDU face, the foundations are in place to drive improvements and better protect the public."
Meanwhile, North Yorkshire PDU received a 'requires improvement' grading - one higher than that given to York. The report mentioned practitioners’ lack of access to police intelligence about domestic abuse.
It said: "Gaps were observed in accessing information about safeguarding children – with senior leaders not doing enough to ensure that information sharing arrangements were sufficient in keeping people safe from potential harm.
"This was a crucial gap which, if closed, would enable the PDU to thrive."
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