Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to support probation officers working in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire.

West Midlands Probation region is committed to supporting probation officers across Staffordshire, including those working in the Newcastle-under-Lyme area. The challenges faced by probation staff are recognised and the region continues to take steps to ensure their wellbeing and professional development.

The Lord Chancellor has committed to bringing in at least 1,000 new probation officer trainees by March 2025 to bolster probation capacity. Across the West Midlands region, there are currently 186 trainee officers. In North Staffordshire, caseloads are carefully managed to make sure staff have the capacity to deliver effective supervision.

The Probation Service Learning and Development Model sets out the mandatory, required, and desirable learning for Probation Officer (PO) and Probation Services Officers (PSO). Support includes digital (e.g. videos, podcasts, interactive experiences and virtually delivered learning), as well as face to face delivery and a suite of resources. Alongside this, HMPPS launched a new learning programme in 2024 for all new Senior Probation Officers focused on developing their skills to support Probation Officers to deliver high quality probation practice.

Regional staff support and wellbeing leads cover both prison and probation. Their role includes coordinating wellbeing services, peer services and liaison with human resources (HR) and other stakeholders. An updated HMPPS Staff Support Directory was published in May 2024. A range of well-being and support initiatives are in place across North Staffordshire.