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“Fairness and flexibility” at Dyfed Powys Probation Delivery Unit, rated ‘Requires improvement’

Published:

Dyfed Powys Probation Delivery Unit (PDU) has received an overall rating of ‘Requires improvement’ following an inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

Martin Jones, Chief Inspector of Probation, said: “Practitioners at Dyfed Powys showed fairness and flexibility in their work, and their engagement of people on probation was a real strength. However, the quality of public protection work was insufficient in all areas, echoing findings from across our inspection programme, which resulted in their overall rating of ‘Requires improvement’. as I have seen in every PDU since becoming Chief Inspector of Probation in March 2024, the quality of public protection work was insufficient in all areas, which resulted in their overall rating of ‘Requires improvement’.”

Given consistent deficiencies found in public protection work across the Service, from October 2025, HM Inspectorate of Probation will be undertaking a new, six-month Dynamic Inspection of Public Protection of all twelve probation regions [see notes to editor].

At Dyfed Powys PDU, inspectors were impressed with the visibility of the leadership across the wide geographical area it covers. The human factors grounding [see notes to editor] underpinned daily operations which meant most teams felt cohesive and supportive. Staffing levels also appeared healthy on paper; however not all staff felt the benefit of this during their working week.

Mr Jones continued: “Dyfed Powys has the culture to address these issues. Leaders were experienced, knowledgeable, and we wish them well in their plans to drive improvement.”

The report makes five recommendations to Dyfed Powys PDU. These include to make arrangements with Dyfed Powys Police to enable swift and unhindered access to intelligence about domestic abuse perpetrated by people on probation, and to ensure facilities to interview people on probation are safe, private and conducive to engagement. 

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 30 October 2025
  3. HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of youth justice and probation services across England and Wales. 
  4. The human factors approach recognises human limitations and aims to create a culture of psychological safety for probation practitioners. Each team in the PDU has a 15 minute daily check in to explore issues, challenges, and failures.
  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 August 2025
  7. HM Inspectorate’s Dynamic Inspection of Public Protection is a new programme, starting in October 2025. The Inspectorate will be pausing its core adult programme to undertake six months of dynamic inspection activity, focusing solely on the Service’s delivery of public protection. It will inspect all twelve regions and inspections, then deliver follow-up activity with strategic leaders and managers to identify what can be done to support and guide regional leaders into improving work, increasing knowledge and confidence and providing a solid foundation for further improvement. 
  8. For media enquiries, please contact Louise Cordell, Head of Communications 07523 805224 / media@hmiprobation.gov.uk