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1385252

registered interest
date	06/12/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Probation: Labour Turnover
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of (a) recruitment, (b) morale and (c) retention of probation staff.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	87783
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2021 answer text <p>In April 2021 we published the first national Recruitment and Retention Strategy for the Probation Service which identified several key areas of focus.</p><p> </p><p>The Probation Service is committed to increasing recruitment to fill Probation Officer vacancies, particularly in areas with significant local employment market challenges.</p><p> </p><p>In 2020/21, we recruited a record 1,007 trainee probation officers. We are further increasing our recruitment to unprecedented levels, with a target 1,500 trainee Probation Officers being recruited this financial year (2021/2022).</p><p> </p><p>As of 30 September 2021, the overall leaving rates for the Probation Service is 7.7%, which is an increase of 1.1%points from 6.6% at 30 June 2021. This figure is lower than the overall HMPPS leaving rate as of 30 September 2021, which is 10.1%.</p><p>The Probation Services Officer (PSO) leaver rate for 12 months to March 2021 (7.0%) was the lowest it had been in the past 5 years. The percentage as of 30 September 2021 stands at 8.4% which is an increase of 1.1% points as at 30 June 2021.</p><p>The Probation Officer (PO) leaving rates are 6.9% as of 30 September 2021 which is an increase of 1.1% points from 5.8% at the 30 June 2021.</p><p>The Senior Probation Officer (SPO) leaver rate for 12 months to March 2021 (3.3%) was the lowest it has been in the past 5 years; however, the decline needs to be treated with caution as this is likely to be an artificial decline due to the pandemic. It has since risen to 4.3% as at 30 September, which is an increase of 0.9% points from 3.4% at 30 June 2021.</p><p> </p><p>As outlined in the Recruitment and Retention Strategy, our focus is addressing recruitment and retention challenges within the Probation Service, particularly for those Probation Delivery Units (PDUs) with the highest average Probation Officer vacancy rates over a 12-month period.</p><p>We have identified six common drivers of attrition across those regions where it is more challenging to recruit and retain probation officers. These drivers include:</p><ul><li>Pay and benefits</li><li>Newly Qualified Officer (NQO) attrition</li><li>High caseloads</li><li>Lack of career progression</li><li>Wellbeing</li><li>Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination</li></ul><p> </p><p>Work is underway to address these six drivers of attrition and we are developing solutions to help regions retain staff which will strengthen our ability to help manage staff wellbeing and resilience.</p><p> </p><p>We have introduced three new pathways to help retain experienced staff approaching retirement. This allows them to continue their current roles on more flexible terms or utilise their experience to help guide new starters by taking on new roles as Practice Tutor Assessors or Learning Coaches and reduce the pull on existing experienced Probation Officers to help with this workload.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 09/12/2021 17:49:26 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1385253

registered interest
date	06/12/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Probation: Labour Turnover
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve the levels of (a) recruitment, (b) morale and (c) retention of probation staff.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	87784
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2021 answer text <p>In April 2021 we published the first national Recruitment and Retention Strategy for the Probation Service which identified several key areas of focus.</p><p> </p><p>The Probation Service is committed to increasing recruitment to fill Probation Officer vacancies, particularly in areas with significant local employment market challenges.</p><p> </p><p>In 2020/21, we recruited a record 1,007 trainee probation officers. We are further increasing our recruitment to unprecedented levels, with a target 1,500 trainee Probation Officers being recruited this financial year (2021/2022).</p><p> </p><p>We have identified six common drivers of attrition across those regions where it is more challenging to recruit and retain probation officers. These drivers include:</p><p>o Pay and benefits</p><p>o Newly Qualified Officer (NQO) attrition</p><p>o High caseloads</p><p>o Lack of career progression</p><p>o Wellbeing</p><p>o Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination</p><p> </p><p>Work is underway to address these six drivers of attrition, and we are developing solutions to help regions retain staff which will strengthen our ability to help manage staff wellbeing and resilience.</p><p> </p><p>We introduced three new pathways to help us retain experienced staff approaching retirement. This allows them to continue their current roles on more flexible terms or utilise their experience to guide new starters by undertaking new roles as Practice Tutor Assessors or Learning Coaches, which reduces the pull on existing experienced Probation Officers to help with this workload.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 09/12/2021 17:50:21 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1385254

registered interest
date	06/12/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Probation: Retirement
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate he has made of the number of probation staff who are expected to retire over the next 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	87785
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2021 answer text <p>Due to changes in retirement rules in recent years we are unable to collect data on how many staff are due to retire within the next 12 months as there is no longer a statutory retirement age for Probation Officers.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 09/12/2021 17:51:03 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1385256

registered interest
date	06/12/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	CAFCASS: Working Hours
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate he has made of the average number of hours per week of (a) paid and (b) unpaid overtime worked by Cafcass staff.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	87786
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2021 answer text <p>Cafcass pays overtime claims via a monthly payroll so calculations on a weekly basis are not available. However, based on the last 12 months, an average of 476 hours per week overtime was claimed across the whole workforce (more than 2,000 people). On average, 353 hours ‘Time Off In Lieu’ (TOIL) per week were recorded across the whole workforce.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass staff are paid overtime in line with its organisational policy. For staff in operational roles, the primary means of managing additional hours worked is through TOIL but may, by exception, be paid at plain time. Staff in Business Services and in some other roles receive overtime payments at premium rates depending on numbers of hours worked and whether working at weekends or on bank holidays.</p><p> </p><p>Ministry of Justice (MoJ) officials attend fortnightly meetings with Cafcass senior management at which recruitment, retention and staff morale issues are discussed in depth. We understand that for the period November 2021 – January 2022, new starters (including those with confirmed start dates) will exceed the number of expected leavers. Cafcass has been highly effective in recruiting and in the last 12 months has been able to grow the workforce by almost 7% (140 Full Time Equivalent).</p><p> </p><p>The MoJ recognises the additional pressures that the family justice system has faced since the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent impact on Cafcass staff. Cafcass senior management routinely monitors the wellbeing of its workforce and has recently completed an all-staff survey to assist in measuring levels of morale and engagement. The findings of the survey are currently being analysed and will be reported and shared with staff shortly. In addition, the Cafcass leadership team host regular live events open to all staff to gather direct feedback and answer questions on current issues affecting all its people.</p><p> </p><p>The most significant factor impacting the Cafcass workforce currently is the volume of casework. Earlier this year, £6m in additional funding was agreed to enable Cafcass to increase staff capacity to meet the increased open caseload. The MoJ has also given approval to Cafcass spending up to £4.7m above its budget during the current financial year in order to recruit additional staff.</p> answering member constituency South Suffolk answering member printed James Cartlidge grouped question UIN 87787 87788 87789 question first answered 09/12/2021 17:47:14 answering member 4519 label Biography information for James Cartlidge
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1385257

registered interest
date	06/12/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	CAFCASS: Working Hours
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether Cafcass staff are paid for overtime worked.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	87787
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2021 answer text <p>Cafcass pays overtime claims via a monthly payroll so calculations on a weekly basis are not available. However, based on the last 12 months, an average of 476 hours per week overtime was claimed across the whole workforce (more than 2,000 people). On average, 353 hours ‘Time Off In Lieu’ (TOIL) per week were recorded across the whole workforce.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass staff are paid overtime in line with its organisational policy. For staff in operational roles, the primary means of managing additional hours worked is through TOIL but may, by exception, be paid at plain time. Staff in Business Services and in some other roles receive overtime payments at premium rates depending on numbers of hours worked and whether working at weekends or on bank holidays.</p><p> </p><p>Ministry of Justice (MoJ) officials attend fortnightly meetings with Cafcass senior management at which recruitment, retention and staff morale issues are discussed in depth. We understand that for the period November 2021 – January 2022, new starters (including those with confirmed start dates) will exceed the number of expected leavers. Cafcass has been highly effective in recruiting and in the last 12 months has been able to grow the workforce by almost 7% (140 Full Time Equivalent).</p><p> </p><p>The MoJ recognises the additional pressures that the family justice system has faced since the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent impact on Cafcass staff. Cafcass senior management routinely monitors the wellbeing of its workforce and has recently completed an all-staff survey to assist in measuring levels of morale and engagement. The findings of the survey are currently being analysed and will be reported and shared with staff shortly. In addition, the Cafcass leadership team host regular live events open to all staff to gather direct feedback and answer questions on current issues affecting all its people.</p><p> </p><p>The most significant factor impacting the Cafcass workforce currently is the volume of casework. Earlier this year, £6m in additional funding was agreed to enable Cafcass to increase staff capacity to meet the increased open caseload. The MoJ has also given approval to Cafcass spending up to £4.7m above its budget during the current financial year in order to recruit additional staff.</p> answering member constituency South Suffolk answering member printed James Cartlidge grouped question UIN 87786 87788 87789 question first answered 09/12/2021 17:47:14 answering member 4519 label Biography information for James Cartlidge
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1385258

registered interest
date	06/12/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	CAFCASS: Labour Turnover
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of (a) recruitment, (b) morale and (c) retention of Cafcass staff.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	87788
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2021 answer text <p>Cafcass pays overtime claims via a monthly payroll so calculations on a weekly basis are not available. However, based on the last 12 months, an average of 476 hours per week overtime was claimed across the whole workforce (more than 2,000 people). On average, 353 hours ‘Time Off In Lieu’ (TOIL) per week were recorded across the whole workforce.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass staff are paid overtime in line with its organisational policy. For staff in operational roles, the primary means of managing additional hours worked is through TOIL but may, by exception, be paid at plain time. Staff in Business Services and in some other roles receive overtime payments at premium rates depending on numbers of hours worked and whether working at weekends or on bank holidays.</p><p> </p><p>Ministry of Justice (MoJ) officials attend fortnightly meetings with Cafcass senior management at which recruitment, retention and staff morale issues are discussed in depth. We understand that for the period November 2021 – January 2022, new starters (including those with confirmed start dates) will exceed the number of expected leavers. Cafcass has been highly effective in recruiting and in the last 12 months has been able to grow the workforce by almost 7% (140 Full Time Equivalent).</p><p> </p><p>The MoJ recognises the additional pressures that the family justice system has faced since the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent impact on Cafcass staff. Cafcass senior management routinely monitors the wellbeing of its workforce and has recently completed an all-staff survey to assist in measuring levels of morale and engagement. The findings of the survey are currently being analysed and will be reported and shared with staff shortly. In addition, the Cafcass leadership team host regular live events open to all staff to gather direct feedback and answer questions on current issues affecting all its people.</p><p> </p><p>The most significant factor impacting the Cafcass workforce currently is the volume of casework. Earlier this year, £6m in additional funding was agreed to enable Cafcass to increase staff capacity to meet the increased open caseload. The MoJ has also given approval to Cafcass spending up to £4.7m above its budget during the current financial year in order to recruit additional staff.</p> answering member constituency South Suffolk answering member printed James Cartlidge grouped question UIN 87786 87787 87789 question first answered 09/12/2021 17:47:14 answering member 4519 label Biography information for James Cartlidge
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1385259

registered interest
date	06/12/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	CAFCASS: Labour Turnover
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve the levels of (a) recruitment, (b) morale and (c) retention of Cafcass staff.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	87789
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2021 answer text <p>Cafcass pays overtime claims via a monthly payroll so calculations on a weekly basis are not available. However, based on the last 12 months, an average of 476 hours per week overtime was claimed across the whole workforce (more than 2,000 people). On average, 353 hours ‘Time Off In Lieu’ (TOIL) per week were recorded across the whole workforce.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass staff are paid overtime in line with its organisational policy. For staff in operational roles, the primary means of managing additional hours worked is through TOIL but may, by exception, be paid at plain time. Staff in Business Services and in some other roles receive overtime payments at premium rates depending on numbers of hours worked and whether working at weekends or on bank holidays.</p><p> </p><p>Ministry of Justice (MoJ) officials attend fortnightly meetings with Cafcass senior management at which recruitment, retention and staff morale issues are discussed in depth. We understand that for the period November 2021 – January 2022, new starters (including those with confirmed start dates) will exceed the number of expected leavers. Cafcass has been highly effective in recruiting and in the last 12 months has been able to grow the workforce by almost 7% (140 Full Time Equivalent).</p><p> </p><p>The MoJ recognises the additional pressures that the family justice system has faced since the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent impact on Cafcass staff. Cafcass senior management routinely monitors the wellbeing of its workforce and has recently completed an all-staff survey to assist in measuring levels of morale and engagement. The findings of the survey are currently being analysed and will be reported and shared with staff shortly. In addition, the Cafcass leadership team host regular live events open to all staff to gather direct feedback and answer questions on current issues affecting all its people.</p><p> </p><p>The most significant factor impacting the Cafcass workforce currently is the volume of casework. Earlier this year, £6m in additional funding was agreed to enable Cafcass to increase staff capacity to meet the increased open caseload. The MoJ has also given approval to Cafcass spending up to £4.7m above its budget during the current financial year in order to recruit additional staff.</p> answering member constituency South Suffolk answering member printed James Cartlidge grouped question UIN 87786 87787 87788 question first answered 09/12/2021 17:47:14 answering member 4519 label Biography information for James Cartlidge
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts