Written evidence submitted by the Ministry of Justice (PRI0022)

Executive Summary

1.             Prison staff are amongst our finest public servants and went above and beyond throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to carry out their duties in such uncertain times. We are committed to making sure staff are empowered within their roles, building an effective culture of leadership, and ensuring that the Prison Service is made up of an inclusive talent pool that meets the evolving needs of prisoners.

2.             Against a challenging labour market, the Prison Service is experiencing a critical recruitment and retention challenge at all grades, and in particular amongst prison officers and Operational Support Grade (OSG) staff. Ensuring prisons are sufficiently resourced and that we retain levels of experience are fundamental to delivering quality outcomes in prisons which is why we are targeting the drivers of staff attrition and taking steps to improve recruitment levels and processes, alongside a wider agenda to professionalise our workforce.

Why staff, particularly at the operational support grade (OSG) and prison officer grades, are leaving the prison service?

3.             Leaving rates in the Prison Service are continuing the upward trend seen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2016 to March 2020.

4.             The leaving rate amongst band 3-5 officers for the 12 months ending 30 September 2022 was 15.7%, a slight increase of 1.2 percentage points compared to the year ending 31 March 2022. The leaving rate for OSG staff was 19.2%, a slight increase of 0.9 percentage points.

5.             Research from the 2017/18 Prison Officer retention strategy and framework analysed why staff were voluntarily leaving the Prison Service, identifying that there were ten main drivers of attrition. These have been reviewed in 2022 and remain valid. For Band 3-5 prison officers and OSGs, they are:

• Leadership: All leaders impact the culture and behaviours that staff experience and therefore have a huge impact on increasing their motivation and understanding their sense of value.
• Career Progression: The opportunity to progress and develop is a motivating factor for many staff in any job. We need to ensure that we continue to invest and expand our offer so that it meets the aspirations of staff and that they do not view limited progression as a reason for leaving.
• Health & Wellbeing: Working in prisons presents challenges and without the right support, strains on physical and mental health can be a reason for staff choosing to leave.
• Ways of Working: Lack of flexibility can contribute to staff choosing to leave the service with competitors looking more attractive in their employment proposition, with shift patterns, work life balance and annual leave being particularly important.
• Pay and Reward: Pay and Reward can be a reason why an employee leaves and it is vitally important that staff are aware of their total pay and reward package and feel it reflects the strain of the job.
• Staffing: Staffing shortages and levels of new staff have an impact on all our staff and the wider working environment. These challenges are compounded by high ‘non-effective’ rates in some prison establishments, where staff are taken away from operational duties for reasons including training, leave and sickness.
• Retirement: Staff who retired from HMPPS and take part or all of their pension. This will normally be at or beyond minimum retirement age but could be earlier.
• Environment: Prisons can be a difficult working environment and this can be a reason why some staff choose to leave. Research has noted that environment can mean: the safety of the working environment, the culture locally and available facilities.
• Role and Responsibility: All staff should understand how their role contributes to wider HMPPS objectives whilst also demonstrating Civil Service behaviours and HMPPS values.
• Learning and Development: The opportunity to learn and develop skills is a motivating factor for any job. A lack of access to learning and development opportunities can therefore become a demotivator and reason to choose to leave.
• Induction: The way a new recruit is inducted into any job has a long-term impact on their perception of the role and organisation.

How effective is HMPPS at retaining of OSGs and prison officers, and what more could it do to improve job satisfaction and staff morale?

6.             The tables below contain the leaving rates for Band 3-5 Prison Officer and OSG staff in each of the past five years:

Band 3-5 Officers

OSGs

7.             Recognising that these rates are too high, we launched a retention toolkit into prisons in November 2021 which provides Governors with the support and tools to tackle the main drivers of attrition in their prison.

8.             In order to improve job satisfaction and morale amongst staff, we are targeting interventions to develop effective leadership across the estate and ensure that the mental and physical health of our staff is supported.

9.             In line with commitments made in the Prisons White Paper Strategy (PWPS), we have commenced delivery of our ‘Leadership Journey Route 1’ regional pilot in the North East in 7 Prisons, where participants receive a blended mix of learning opportunities, including sessions alongside colleagues in similar roles as well as establishment-specific workshops. Our ‘Leadership Journey Route 2’ began in May 2022 for the 20 establishments with the biggest staff retention challenges. Here, an initial session was delivered to cross-grade leadership teams in each establishment to identify the key leadership challenges where bespoke development interventions could be deployed to support. Over the next 12 months, we will continue to deliver the interventions and impact evaluation will take place.

10.         We have also implemented Structured Supervision in two sites to increase support for Band 3 prison officers from more experienced colleagues to deal with operational complexities, provide coaching on solutions and building resilience, and improve capability and confidence.

11.         Mental ill health and musculoskeletal ill health account for the first and second highest causes of occupational health (OH) referrals within HMPPS. In OH service delivery, we fast-track referrals for trauma cases and our provider employs Mental Health Advisors to solely address mental ill health referrals. HMPPS' OH provider is also piloting a new self-service technology-based musculoskeletal health intervention which went live in June 2022, with a view for expansion following evaluation of 500 cases.

12.         In addition to formal health referrals, we seek to provide informal support, particularly for our new staff, who are most likely to leave. For the 12 months ending September 2022, 59.4% of band 3-5 officer leavers and 61.6% of OSG leavers left with 3 or less years of service. Since April 2022, we have invested in several initiatives, including New Colleague Mentors (NCMs) (discussed further in paragraph 18) and Buddying schemes, launched across establishments to provide informal support and bolster strong relationships between colleagues. Over the next 12 months, we will seek to embed buddying and NCMs as business as usual and conduct evaluation of the impact they have had both on the experience of new joiners and on retention. We are also launching our Supporting Each Other Network in January 2023, which will provide a reflective space to enable peer-to-peer support amongst members of the network.

How effective is the initial training, professional supervision, and continuous professional development provided to prison staff?

13.         All new officers who join the service are enrolled on the Custody and Detention apprenticeship. This involves two weeks of initial training, comprised of face-to-face learning within their establishment and digitalised knowledge-based learning which can be accessed remotely. Following initial training, an Officer Apprentice will complete a further eight weeks of learning at one of our learning venues, in which they undertake a security first aid and use of force training. The apprenticeship offers standardised training alongside individualised levels of support from Apprenticeship Coaches and learning support managers.

14.         We know that continuous professional development is a motivating factor for many staff in any job. We are therefore seeking to develop opportunities for transfer, through our proposed Prison Officer Level Transfer programme, which will allow Band 3 officers to gain experience in other establishments. We will also be launching a Career Pathways Framework in 2023 which will allow staff to see the career options available to them across HMPPS.

15.         We recognise staff are interested in opportunities for regular promotion, which is why we will be piloting an increase in the frequency of promotional assessments to twice a year for Custodial Manager assessments, starting from Summer 2023.

Whether prison officers have the tools and support they need to carry out their roles effectively?

16.         Working in the Prison Service is one of the most challenging jobs there is and we are committed to ensuring that staff have the necessary tools to perform effectively.

17.         We offer a range of services to support wellbeing, which include Care Teams, who are trained to provide support to any member of staff involved in an incident within the prison or when conducting official duties. Other services available include access to a 24-hour assistance counselling through the PAM Assist helpline and TRiM (Trauma Risk Management), a trauma-focused peer support system designed to help staff who have experienced a traumatic event.

18.         Alongside occupational health services, our NCM scheme aims to provide support to our new and existing colleagues. NCMs support new colleagues to settle into their work environment, and work with new colleagues to help build confidence and resilience.

19.         Additionally, we want to ensure our staff have the right equipment so that prisons are safer for both prisoners and staff. We are introducing specialist support, developing bespoke interventions and testing new technology to support this. This includes piloting safer alternative options to prison issue razors, providing Body Worn Video Cameras access for all officers and rolling out PAVA – a synthetic pepper spray – for use where there is serious violence or an imminent risk of it.

20.         There are also number of specialist roles which prison officers can move into to support their development. There are opportunities across a range of functions including care in custody and teamwork (suicide prevention) or in dog handling as a Band 4 Supervising Officer in the adult estate. Additionally, our Standards Coaching Team, which is a national programme, deploys teams of experienced officers to coach, support and develop the confidence and competence of operational staff in prisons for 16 weeks.

What is required to improve recruitment levels, both in terms of the number and quality of candidates?

21.         Recruitment remains a challenge for HMPPS, with it being particularly difficult to attract candidates in some parts of the country. However, we currently have recruitment activity underway for all sites with a current or future need.  

22.         We operate a centralised recruitment model for prison officers, which is streamlined to accommodate the very high numbers of applicants required to cover current vacancies and future target staffing increases in line with estate expansion. The current model also ensures a consistent standard is applied in assessment, which helps to combat unconscious bias in recruitment process and facilitates free movement of staff across the service.  

23.         To ensure that we bolster current recruitment numbers and recruit quality candidates, we focus on: 

• The recruitment process:  

• During the COVID-19 pandemic, all operational recruitment was suspended whilst we redesigned face-to-face assessment into a digital online process, which allowed us to rapidly upscale our assessment delivery and increase capacity.  
• Using a series of selection events which include online tests covering functional skills and core behaviours, followed by an integrated assessment centre which includes role plays, strength-based interview, and behaviour-based assessment. Successful candidates are then invited to a face to face medical and fitness test.  
• Improving the efficiency of our recruitment processes by running vetting and medical fitness checks concurrently. We have seen positive trends in prison officer conversion rates from application submitted through to formal offer accepted. 

• Raising awareness of our roles: 

• We have targeted initiatives to raise awareness of prison officer and OSG roles and continue to reach beyond job boards by using local PR and social media to target wider audiences.  
• We launched ‘Advance into Justice’ in January 2022, supporting armed forces service leavers and veterans into prison officer roles.

• Offering financial incentives where possible 

• To ensure that the prison officer roles are competitive within hard to recruit establishments, we continue to use market supplements alongside a tailored approach to recruitment advertising.
• Additionally, we hope that the 2022 Prison Service Pay Award, announced in July by the Deputy Prime Minister, will have a positive impact on recruitment and retention of staff. This significant investment delivered at least a 4% award to all staff in prisons with additional investment of £3,000 increase in Band 3 prison officer pay. Following the pay award announcement, we reached-back to candidates who had previously withdrawn and saw a positive response in re-applications.  

• Supporting localised initiatives where applicable 

• We are supportive of prisons bolstering the recruitment process locally with outreach activity to build awareness, whilst also proactively engaging with candidates before they begin work to help the onboarding process.
• HMP Berwyn began a localised recruitment initiative in August 2022 with the purpose of testing the hypothesis that increased engagement locally will deliver better results both in respect of the quality of candidates recruited and on retention. We currently have no plans to extend local recruitment further, but we will draw lessons and strategies from the HMP Berwyn Pilot.

What is required to improve diversity and inclusion in the prison workforce?

24.         We recognise the importance of having a diverse and inclusive workforce. In accordance with recommendation 28 of the 2017 Lammy Review, we remain committed to achieving a target of 14% of all staff recruited being from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background. As of 30 September 2022, 12.2% of HMPPS staff who declared their ethnicity were from an ethnic minority background. 9.4% of all Public Sector Prisons staff and 17.5% of all Youth Custody Service staff were from an ethnic minority background.

25.         We recognise that in order to improve diversity in the prison workforce, we must ensure fairness and efficacy within our processes and increase awareness of careers within HMPPS within wider communities. We regularly evaluate candidate performance during the recruitment process to ensure no adverse impact has been found against any group participating in recruitment process, including BAME candidates. We are also using an enhanced recruitment approach to increase knowledge within diverse communities of careers within HMPPS.

26.         We want the Prison Service to be an inclusive environment for all staff. We have several staff networks which all staff are encouraged to join, including those which support those with disabilities and LGBTI+ staff members. We also take the welfare of staff extremely seriously, which is why we established the Tackling Unacceptable Behaviour Unit in August 2020 to help combat exclusion. This unit provides support staff through a confidential helpline, mediation service and programme of climate assessments to address unacceptable behaviour.

27.         On 13 December 2022, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons published a thematic review of “The Experiences of Black Male Prisoners and Black Prison Staff”. Black staff gave accounts of their own experiences of racism in the prison service, with many reporting negative experiences of unconscious bias and high levels of stress. We take these findings very seriously, and work is underway to develop a response and action plan.

What implications do difficulties in recruiting and retaining OSGs and prison officers have for the ability to provide effective regimes for prisoners?

28.         Against the backdrop of an extremely challenging labour market, current recruitment and retention challenges are impacting the ability of some establishments to provide optimum regimes to prisoners. The level of impact varies by establishment, dependent on function, local infrastructure, staffing levels and work profiles.

29.         Prisons use Regime Management Plans to manage day-to-day operational pressures resulting from staff absences, vacancies or operational incidents. Local plans are designed to minimise the impact of staff shortages and safely deliver regimes and services.

30.         If establishments feel that their staffing levels will impact on stability or regime, there are a number of ways they can maximise the use of their own resource and seek support from other establishments, through processes managed nationally at Department level. For example, Payment Plus (an overtime payment) can be used to backfill for vacancies and staff on detached duty, where staff are deployed to other prisons to manage temporary staffing shortfalls. There is also an Operational Stability Payment, an incentivised Payment Plus which acts as a bonus for signing up to Payment Plus and increases as more is signed up for, which can be used for a specified timeframe.

Whether projected staffing levels are sufficient to deal with the forecast prison population in the coming years?

31.         An increasing prison population creates an increased demand for staff and higher target staffing figures across the country. We do not publish projected staffing levels but are carefully monitoring changes in the prison population whilst noting that external factors, including economic shocks, will continue to make staffing and prison population projections uncertain. We recognise the current strains on prison resourcing are influenced by an uncertain labour market and continue to direct initiatives for both recruitment and retentions at sites which have or are projected to have high numbers of vacancies.

32.         Staffing requirements for new establishments continue to be assessed and factored into vacancies up to 18 months in advance to ensure we recruit on time and build up the experience needed to continue to deliver safe and secure regimes. 

What lessons can public sector prisons learn from those run by the private sector, and vice versa; and what lessons can be learnt from other countries?

33.         Privately managed prisons (PMPs) are facing the same challenges as public sector prisons in recruiting and retaining staff in the current labour market and prison custody officers are trained to the same level as public sector prison officers. There are potentially lessons public sector prisons can take from PMPs, which relate largely to flexibility within recruitment. PMPs do not mandate fitness testing and applicants are subject to an interview panel at establishment level, which can contribute to commencing a candidate’s training quickly.

34.         Through international engagement work alongside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, we will scope the lessons we can learn from other jurisdictions, including France, so we can best support our prison workforce. From Departmental research, we know that French prison officers are trained for two years, rotating between learning on a specialist site in the South and being based in a prison.

What progress has the Government made on the commitments made in the Prison White Paper Strategy in respect of prison’s operational workforce?

35.         Progress on the commitments made in the PWPS is detailed in the table below:

January 2023