Frontline leadership in probation and youth justice

Our first Research & Analysis Bulletin for 2024 explores frontline leadership in probation and youth justice. Based upon analysis of multiple sources, key findings and implications are as follows:

• We found that probation and youth justice supervision was much more likely to be deemed effective when the management oversight had also been found to be effective and appropriate.
• Across probation inspections, only 28 per cent of cases were deemed to have received sufficient management oversight. Results were much better for inspections of youth justice services (YJSs); there was deemed to be sufficient management oversight in 59 per cent of court disposal cases and 63 per cent of out-of-court cases. YJSs appear to benefit from more manageable caseload sizes and a stronger local focus with better integration and connections across helping services.

• Inspector commentaries highlighted the importance of making time for reflective practice supervision as a key component of effective management oversight. However, Senior Probation Officers (SPOs) were concerned that bureaucratic demands undermined their ability to find the time for such supervision with team members. Our survey of SPOs found considerable resentment at having too broad a range of tasks which distracted them from delivering core probation work.

“The span of control for SPO's is absolutely not sustainable in the long term. Stress and burnout are an issue. We are asked to do many managerial roles in one and we are missing the whole point of a senior probation officer – in that we are there to guide and support staff to be the best they can be while managing risk. HR takes over most of the time. Workload is way above what hours we can manage in a day.”

• The following potential approaches for improving frontline leadership are set out:

• More generally, consideration needs to be given to the optimum organisational culture and the supporting leadership behaviours and operational delivery structures. If we want staff to be professionally curious and adopt a growth mindset, continually looking for ways to develop and improve, then providing the time and space for reflective practice supervision as part of a wider learning culture is critical. Ways of promoting and incentivising transactional leadership behaviours should be considered, encouraging a focus upon people rather than tasks and the building of trust and strong two-way interpersonal relationships, facilitated through an open, supportive and safe environment.

The bulletin can be accessed via the link below.

Research & Analysis Bulletins (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk)