Ministry of Justice Downgrading of Sex Offender Rehabilitation Will Have ‘Catastrophic Effect’ on Public Safety, Union Warns

New plans to cut the salaries of specialist probation officers who manage the risk of sex offenders could have a “catastrophic” effect on public safety, unions warn. 

Sex offenders in England and Wales are often required to take part in Horizon, a programme designed to reduce their risk of reoffending. Around 1 in 10 sex offenders go on to commit a similar crime. 

The programme is facilitated by specialised officers, many of whom have decades of experience working with sex offenders, but the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has decided the role will drop from band 4 to band 3 for new recruits from 1 August 2024, which will result in a pay cut of up to £10,000. 

Facilitators will no longer be required to be qualified probation officers, which comes with two years’ training, including risk management and risk assessment.  

Around 93% of Horizon facilitators think the public will be at increased risk following these changes, according to an internal survey of members of the union Napo seen by Byline Times.

These changes are like “putting the teaching assistants in charge of the school,” says Laura, a specialist probation officer with experience facilitating and managing these programmes. Laura, (not her real name) added that it takes a lot of experience to be able to idenitfy the signs that someone may reoffend. 

“People with 10 to 20 years’ experience are really good at picking up on the signs when someone is becoming risky,” the specialist probation officer says. “And we have a degree-level qualification in managing risk.

“My concern is that we’ll lose these experienced staff who are good at identifying risk, and I can think of a number of situations where staff running these programmes have identified risk that has led to us finding out that men have been having contact with children they shouldn’t have been, which has led to them being recalled to prison.”

Facilitators who are currently at band 4 will have their pay frozen for three years, then it will drop to band 3, and their job roles will encompass a broader range of programmes.

The decision has caused a “serious loss of trust” among facilitators, says Max (not his real name), a probation officer with over a decade’s experience of facilitating sex offender programmes.

“A lot of people around me, with a lot of experience, are thinking about leaving the service,” he says. 

According to NAPO’s survey, 77% of specialist probation officers say they will leave their team. This will leave inexperienced staff to do the work, says Napo’s Tania Bassett. 

“Inexperienced staff will need to be trained in Horizon, which will take time, and in some cases there is no training provision,” she told Byline Times. 

As a result, we expect large parts of the country to be left unable to deliver any sex offender work for quite a few months

Tania Bassett, Napo

“Existing groups are likely to be withdrawn as there won’t be any staff left to complete them. Evidence shows that, where a programme is only partially completed, risk of offenders increases.”

Probation officers that manage people on probation are supported by divisional sex offender units, which consist of specialist probation staff that deliver Horizon. They’re trained to conduct thorough risk assessments and sentence management plans for sex offenders, and provide tailored interventions.  

“A lot of probation officers with caseloads lack the confidence of how to work with people with sexual convictions, and look to us for advice,” says Max. 

The new plans will eliminate this oversight across the country, says Rebecca (not her real name), a senior probation officer, who declined to provide her name.

“There will be a two-tier workforce that will be watered down over time because experienced staff have left and continue to do so. They don’t want to go back into the field doing case management and overseeing an extremely high caseload, which holds a significant level of accountability. We’re walking into a furnace.”

This move could have a “catastrophic” effect on public safety, says Unison, one of the UK’s largest trade unions.  

“With the probation service suffering from an acute workload and staffing crisis, it’s all the more important to hold on to experienced employees to supervise complex cases effectively,” says Ben Priestley, the union’s national officer for police and probation.

Doing away with specialist units with expertise in dealing with sex offenders will lead to a significant loss of skilled staff with the necessary experience. Communities will be left without the protection they deserve and require

Ben Priestley, Unison

The agenda around punishing sex offenders seems to focus on increasing sentences, rather than protecting those at risk of being targeted by sex offenders, says Harriet Wistrich, founder and director of the Centre for Women’s Justice.

Wistrich, a solicitor who acted for some of the victims of John Worboys, known as the ‘black cab rapist’, told Byline Times: “Unless you lock everyone up forever, people will come up of prison, usually on license, and this is a critical time. If they’re regarded low enough in risk, that risk should be very carefully monitored by probation, which requires particular skills and experience.

“Sex offending is a specific type offending. It’s quite different from a lot of other offending because it seems many sex offenders are quite able to present themselves in ways that won’t necessarily make them appear to be a risk to those who aren’t very skilled at identifying and understanding that risk and manipulation,” she says. 

There are also plans to replace Horizon, which is designed specifically for those with sexual convictions, with a ‘one-size-fits-all’ course, Next Generation of Accredited Programmes.

Simon (not his real name) completed Horizon while on probation after serving time for a sexual offence and credits it with changing his life.

“Getting caught helped me see there were things I needed to address to understand why I did what I did, and I’m a better person now,” he says. 

“Horizon provides an understanding that we’re all built differently, and it takes a trigger to send you over the edge.”

Simon praises the facilitators, saying they were “excellent” and know how to “treat people”. 

“If one of us stepped out of line, they were soon told,” he told Byline Times. “You could see their experience in how they spoke to you. Having that experience was vital.”

The move should be a concern to the public, says George Georgiou, GMB’s national officer.

“The work undertaken with people who have committed sexual offences is – and has been for decades – specialised,” he says. 

“The way people offend and the theories and approaches to addressing this behaviour varies by offence type. 

“Evidence shows the effective treatment of people who have committed offences of a sexual nature does reduce the risk of their reoffending. GMB is concerned removing specialist workers leaves the public at risk of increased reoffending.”

Daniel, (not his real name) was sexually abused by a teacher when he was 13.

The 55-year-old says he’s struggled with feelings of guilt for not going to the police about his abuser, who went on to sexually abuse other children.  

“It’s so vital that the right infrastructure is in place to support and rehabilitate people so they don’t reoffend,” he says.

A Probation Service spokesperson told Byline Times that sex offenders are “supervised by qualified probation officers and the Horizon behaviour change programme they undertake will continue to be delivered by appropriately trained staff. These changes will ensure these programmes are delivered consistently across the country to reduce the risk of reoffending.”