Home > NEWS > Press Releases > 2024 > July-Sep > Review finds improvement in organisational culture and operational practice of PBNI Review finds improvement in organisational culture and operational practice of PBNI 14/08/2024 A Follow-Up Review of an inspection of probation practice has found significant progress has been made by the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI) towards fully implementing the inspection recommendations. Inspectors from Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJI) made five strategic and six operational recommendations in their 2020 inspection report to deliver improvement in the PBNI’s staff morale and organisational culture and how it managed the risk of harm presented by men and women under probation supervision to others in the community. “When Inspectors returned to assess progress earlier this year, we found one strategic and two operational recommendations fully achieved with the remaining four strategic and four operational recommendations partially achieved. We welcome the commitment shown by the PBNI towards implementing the recommendations,” said Jacqui Durkin, Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland. “The PBNI had experienced significant changes since the full inspection with a reconstituted Board, a new Chief Executive and a restructured senior leadership team. The benefits of these were evident to Inspectors in this Follow-Up Review with improvements to organisational culture and trusted relationships. There is no doubt that staff feel the PBNI is a better place to work than when Inspectors undertook their inspection fieldwork in 2019,” said Ms Durkin. Inspectors found work was undertaken to develop an inclusive organisation culture, increased consultation with staff and contact between staff at all levels and the Senior Management Team. Inspectors also heard from PBNI managers and staff representatives that there was now a willingness to focus on learning and the development of professional practice rather than a fear and blame culture. Further work was progressed to reform the outdated pay structure for PBNI staff which will assist the PBNI to stabilise its workforce and address issues of staff turnover when it is implemented. “While both Inspectors and the PBNI recognise that further work is required to sustain the improved organisational culture, fieldwork for this Follow-Up Review showed there had been a great deal of activity that was having a positive impact. I would encourage the PBNI to continue the journey it has begun,” said Ms Durkin. The Follow-Up Review also found evidence of work within the PBNI to develop and improve the quality of its work to assess and manage the risk of harm. Increased levels of staff training including in the development of professional curiosity had occurred with a focus on key areas and the introduction of case plan workshops bringing much needed attention to risk of harm linked to child protection, domestic abuse and sexual offending. The introduction of a Practice, Performance and Research Unit (PPRU) to undertake case audits and disseminate learning from Serious Further Offences incidents and provide assurance to the Senior Leadership Team and Board around the quality of probation practice was also welcome. While workload pressures in Probation Teams meant PPRU staff were redeployed to operational practice on several occasions, Inspectors were told the PPRU had been reinstated at the time of fieldwork for this Follow-Up Review. “Inspectors welcome the work undertaken by the PBNI to improve its processes for collating Section 75 equality monitoring information and the steps taken to use this data to inform service delivery and decision making. We encourage the PBNI to build on this work and use the equality information collected to analyse outcomes for services users across all Section 75 categories,” said the Chief Inspector. Ms Durkin said Inspectors also recognised work undertaken by the Department of Justice to review the PBNI’s status and governance arrangements. While this work was stalled by the collapse of the Northern Ireland Assembly in February 2022, Inspectors hope it will be prioritised under the next Assembly mandate or achieved through secondary legislation. “The vision and business of the PBNI is changing lives. To do this it relies on staff who build effective relationships with service users to achieve trust and the best outcomes to make our community safer. This ambition and ethos resonates for its own staff and how they are resourced, supported and developed to carry out their important work. “The Chief Executive and her leadership team approached the self-assessment for this Follow-Up Review in a pragmatic and honest way. As an Inspectorate, we don’t always find that, and it was refreshing to work with an organisation that truly reflects on its practice and recognises that there is more to be done; not only with the 2020 Inspection Report recommendations but by authentically embracing an ethos of continuous improvement,” said the Chief Inspector. “I am impressed and encouraged by the leadership demonstrated and grip on these recommendations that have been used as a lever to drive change and improvement for service users and staff. “I am ambitious about how the PBNI progresses as an organisation in the future but much more importantly, the PBNI and its staff are ambitious for what their future holds and the vital services they deliver. CJI will return to inspect probation practice within the PBNI and work to complete the implementation of the remaining recommendations as part of a future Inspection Programme,” said Ms Durkin.