County probation service is rated 'inadequate' again

LEICESTERSHIRE’S probation service has been rated ‘inadequate’ for the second time in three years. Inspectors raised a number of concerns and found staff had failed to request child safeguarding information in nearly a quarter of relevant cases.

- By DYLAN HAYWARD

The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Probation Delivery Unit (PDU) received the rating following its latest inspection by HM Inspectorate of Probation. The PDU, which has offices in Leicester, Loughborough and Coalville, supervises offenders in the community and those released from prison on licence across the region.

It is one of the largest probation units in England and Wales, supervising 1,364 people serving community sentences and 939 people on licence following their release from prison. However, inspectors raised a number of concerns and rated the PDU ‘inadequate’ - the second time it has received that rating in three years.

In its report, inspectors found PDU staff had failed to request child safeguarding information in 24 per cent of cases where they should have done so. In 15 per cent of cases, workers did not ask for domestic abuse information when it was needed to assess risk.