| answer text |
<p>(1) As of March 2022, 96% of Probation staff (Probation Officers and Probation
Service Officers) hold less than 50 cases, with an average caseload of 34 (rounded
down to nearest full number). The average caseload for the 4% who hold over 50 cases
is 59. The Probation Service is committed to providing a quality service in order
to achieve its mission of protecting the public, supporting victims and reducing reoffending.
We recruited a total of 1,007 trainees (against a target of 1000) in 2020/21 and 1,522
trainee probation officers (against a target of 1,500) in 2021/2022. Further recruitment
is planned in 2022/23. This will ensure that the Service has the resources it needs.</p><p>
</p><p>(2) The number of open active children’s cases within Cafcass was 34,834 in
May 2022. This has reduced from 38,178 in April 2021, but still represents an increase
of 15.1% on pre-pandemic levels. Officials at the Ministry of Justice are in regular
contact with Cafcass management to ensure it has the resources it needs to manage
staff workloads. For 2022/23, the Ministry of Justice has provided Cafcass with a
budget increase of £8.4m from its 2021/22 starting position. All public law work continues
to be allocated in Cafcass in the usual way and within established timescales.</p>
|
|
