Feedback from the National Probation Service
Work undertaken for the National Offender Management Service/Probation
Performance improvement
A significant example of our work on performance improvement and organisational design is the review of regional management and development of a performance improvement function that we undertook for NOMS and the National Probation Service. The objective of the review was to improve the ability of the probation service to deliver its aims by evaluating its current regional management arrangements and developing a set of proposals for a performance improvement function. It was undertaken in the context of the major changes facing the probation service including the creation of probation trusts and the introduction of a commissioning regime.
The review focused on three main issues:
- the regional manager role and the potential impact of its loss;
- arrangements for regional governance and how they could improve; and
- the structure and function of an improvement resource.
The review identified (a) a set of interim solutions for the next 2-3 years that would enable the probation service to make a step change in its performance and (b) a destination vision for processes and structures that would be ultimately required. The solutions proposed were designed to provide the probation service with an integrated capability to respond to the challenges including:
- Creating a national provider development board to develop a strategy for provider development and lead the implementation of the strategy;
- Strengthening the design and operation of regional probation partnership boards to build organisational capability and raise performance;
- Focusing a performance improvement function on provider improvement through project based interventions and development support; and
- Re-focusing the regional manager resource on performance improvement and incorporating into a national team that can target effort using a risk based approach.