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“Welcoming environment” found at Howard House Approved Premises

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Howard House Approved Premises (AP) in Leicester, East Midlands has received an overall rating of ‘Good’ following an inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

Chief Inspector of Probation, Martin Jones, said: “The recent refurbishment of Howard House has created a welcoming environment for both staff and residents. We found a committed staffing group and dedicated leaders who placed a strong emphasis on safety for their residents. Unfortunately, we found resourcing challenges within the AP and, while management was committed to filling gaps when needed, this inevitably had a significant impact on other key areas of work and is unsustainable.”

Inspectors also found there were limited rehabilitative opportunities with the AP, which meant residents were unable to engage in the national expectations of six activities per week. This report found no evidence of pre-arrival contact with residents prior to their admission, which is a critical area of practice in reducing the risk of conflict or distress upon arrival.

The report praises timely and proportionate decisions made in response to escalating risks which were then recorded clearly and consistently in case records. In addition, staff demonstrated high levels of attentiveness to residents’ wellbeing and responded appropriately to individuals at heightened risk through additional welfare checks and meaningful conversations.

The Inspectorate’s report makes eight recommendations. Five are for the Howard House leadership team, including to improve pre-arrival planning to ensure residents have a realistic understanding of what to expect, and to ensure there is a timetable of structured and planned rehabilitative activities to support residents’ reintegration into the community. Three recommendations are for HM Prison and Probation Service, including to ensure the AP manager has sufficient capacity and resources to provide effective oversight and drive improvements in casework.

ENDS 

Notes to editor 

  1. Approved Premises (APs) are residential units which provide temporary placements in the community for high-risk and complex people on probation. They offer enhanced supervision and rehabilitative support to individuals following release from prison.
  2. Howard House is a public sector AP.
  3. At the time of our inspection in August 2025, Howard House had 10 residents in placement.
  4. The Inspectorate uses a four-point scale: ‘Outstanding’, ‘Good’, ‘Requires improvement’ and ‘Inadequate’, rating specific aspects of each service (for APs – leadership, staffing, safety, public protection, and rehabilitation) and giving an overall rating.
  5. The report is available on the HM Inspectorate of Probation website on 29 October 2025 at 00.01.
  6. HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of youth justice and probation services across England and Wales.
  7. Fieldwork for this inspection took place in August 2025.
  8. For media enquiries, please contact Head of Communications: media@hmiprobation.gov.uk