Letter From a Vanished Profession #probation probationmatters.blogspot.com/2026/02/lett...

Self-preservation #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2026/01/self...

"Blogs like this exist precisely because many people don’t feel safe or able to speak openly elsewhere. When challenge is sidelined or reframed as negativity, people retreat to the few spaces where honest discussion is possible." 1/2

The Discussion Goes On 2 #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-...

The Discussion Goes On #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-...

Some Reactions #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/12/some...

"Probation is now reliant upon plaudits and platitudes to paper over the cracks, we’ve already had two serious office based assaults what exactly will it take before management really listen rather than spoon feed us weasel words?" #probation

"Probation cannot function when those doing the work are stretched, silenced, and sidelined. It cannot deliver safety or rehabilitation when leadership treats frontline expertise as optional noise." 1/2

"In our probation PDU and region they stage ‘listening events’, wheel out constant ‘all-staff calls’, and drown us in newsletters, but it’s performative and a facade. They only ever listen to themselves." #probation

Open Letter #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/12/open...

"Under what power will we have the right to search someone. What if the person refuses. Enforce it? This sets a dangerous precedent. What exactly is this body worn camera being attached to? Clearly a vest. I can’t carry on. It’s unrecognisable." 1/2

👑 A slice of 20th century London design heritage is making an unexpected comeback: In a story first reported by @ianvisits.co.uk, the historic GLC coat of arms, used between 1965 and 1986, will soon become the emblem of the Greater London Authority (GLA), as the body celebrates its 25th birthday.

"The testimonies tell one story: probation is running on fumes and frontline staff are the fuel. Violence is rising, workloads are unmanageable, and inexperienced officers are being handed risks they can’t safely carry." 1/4

"Leadership has to start by listening to the people holding this service together. Give practitioners back their professional judgement, cap the workloads that are burning them out, and invest in the support, supervision and reflective practice—not just more kit." 1/3

"There’s so much to agree with here. I didn’t join probation to search people either. The £700 million could be used for much more than being wasted on tagging and IT contracts. I disagree about probation losing its rehabilitation ethos, we didn’t lose it, it was taken from us." #probation

"The real safety system in probation has always been people — experienced staff with the time and trust to use proper professional judgement. Strip that away and no amount of scanners, buzzers or barriers will save a service that’s been hollowed out." #probation

"I tell them it's basically a factory job with a human conveyor belt, transporting people from prison, to court, to the community then back to prison." 1/3

Guest Blog 107 #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/12/gues...

Clash of Cultures #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/10/clas...

Clash of Cultures #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/10/clas...

Decision Must be Reversed #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/10/deci...

"The fact the blog is still going, that contributions keep flowing & that there are impassioned posts means that the Probation ethos of "everyone has the capacity for change" will not rest, that making the effort to advise, assist & befriend is not a lost art."

13 Million #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/09/13-m...

A Reminder #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/09/a-re...

Dear Mr Jones #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/09/dear...

A Good Question #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/09/a-go...

"Reading the Rademaker report alongside recent HMIP findings is sobering. If probation cannot get a grip on racism, bullying, and harassment, and continues to be rated universally inadequate (while probation senior managers and leaders remain silent)..." 1/5

Guest Blog 103 #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/09/gues...

"The PI was regarded with great suspicion at its inception. Now might be a good time for probation staff to reconsider that."

Can we take a minute to recognise Angela Rayner has taken accountability by owning up to her mistake, correcting it, referring herself to ministerial standards & now resigning. Not one single Tory MP did this & was always backed by the prime minister especially Boris Johnson. #UkPolitics

"The Probation Service has more than a century of working with people with criminal convictions to enable them to reform, and to reintegrate into their communities." 1/3

"Any probation practitioner will be acutely aware that many of the people they are supervising have been victims of crime themselves, with consequences of trauma and diminution in opportunities to achieve, notably in education and work." 1/2

'Punitive, stigmatising and discriminatory' #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/09/puni...

I share your despair. It is almost as though there is a determination to prove all the evidence about effectiveness wrong with recent policy announcements.

I Despair #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/09/i-de...

A Scandal #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/09/a-sc...

A Technological Fix? #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/08/a-te...

"I once saw a District Judge quietly pass a bank note on to a homeless man who appeared before him in custody. This was in a court that prided itself on humiliating Defendants and staff alike through its abuse of position." 1/2

Ballot Result #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/08/ball...

Homeless and Hungry #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/08/home...

Not Just Befriending! #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/07/not-...

New Recruits #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/07/new-...

HMPPS Fit For Purpose? #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/07/hmpp...

Napo Pay Ballot Announced #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/07/napo...

Timpson Backtracks #probation #prison probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/07/timp...

"The probation role as-was, the probation task as-was & the probation identity as-was have been negated by politically motivated ideologues & eradicated by Whitehall's finest." 1/4

probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/07/outl... #probation #prison

probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/07/timp... #probation #prison

probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/07/comm... #probation #prison

probationmatters.blogspot.com/2025/07/high... #probation #prison