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“Challenging caseload” at County Durham and Darlington Probation Delivery Unit – rated ‘Inadequate’ following inspection

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County Durham and Darlington Probation Delivery Unit (PDU) has received an overall rating of ‘Inadequate’ following an inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

Martin Jones, Chief Inspector of Probation, said: “Despite collaborative partnership engagements and a strong commitment to engaging people on probation, the quantity and quality of work to reduce reoffending and to keep people safe at County Durham and Darlington PDU was insufficient.”

Inspectors noted that reoffending rates within County Durham and Darlington PDU’s caseload were notably higher than the national average. This, coupled with a disproportionately large number of cases assessed as high, or very high, risk of serious harm contributed to very high workloads for probation practitioners. This excessive workload was exacerbated by elevated sickness levels and difficulty recruiting new probation practitioners to some parts of the PDU. Despite the low attrition rate at the PDU, practitioner workloads were the highest in the region and this was impacting its ability to deliver a quality service.

Deficits were across areas of service delivery at Durham and Darlington PDU, with insufficient attention being paid to protecting actual and potential victims from harm. Reviews [see notes to editor] did not consistently capture and respond to potential changes in risk of harm, including the disclosure of new relationships or changes in contact with children.  

Mr Jones continued: “There is no doubt that practitioners at Durham and Darlington PDU have a challenging caseload in what is already a challenging period for the Probation Service. I hope the findings from this inspection will help the PDU receive the resources and support they need to improve service delivery and outcomes for people on probation.”

The report makes five recommendations including to provide all staff with the necessary training to undertake their roles, and to ensure domestic abuse and child safeguarding information is complete and analysed sufficiently.

ENDS


Notes to editor

  1. Probation Delivery Units (PDUs) replaced Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and the National Probation Service (NPS), which merged into a unified Probation Service in June 2021.
  2. The report is available at https://hmiprobation.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/ on 29 August 2025
  3. Reviewing is the process of reviewing people on probation’s engagement and compliance with their sentence, their progress against their sentence requirements, and any changes related to their risk of harm and offending-related factors.
  4. HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of youth justice and probation services across England and Wales. 
  5. The Inspectorate uses a four-point scale: ‘Outstanding’, ‘Good’, ‘Requires improvement’ and ‘Inadequate’. The Inspectorate rates specific aspects of each service and also gives an overall rating.
  6. Fieldwork for this inspection took place in July 2025.
  7. For media enquiries, please contact Louise Cordell, Head of Communications 07523 805224 / media@hmiprobation.gov.uk