The Probation Service in England and Wales

The Probation Service works within England and Wales to provide supervision of offenders, primarily in the community. It also assists in compiling reports for the courts which aid in the sentencing of individuals. Its number one priority is the protection of the public by reducing re-offending.

Now divided into 35 Probation Trusts, Probation comes under the management of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), which is part of the Ministry of Justice. Northern Ireland and Scotland have their own Probation Services.

PROBATION ACHIEVES SUPREME BUSINESS AWARD

The Probation Service in England and Wales has been awarded the British Quality Foundation's highest honour - the 2011 Gold Medal for Excellence, which is given for outstanding, continued commitment to sustained excellence over a number of years.

Five Probation Trusts achieved five star status, including Leicestershire and Rutland, and a further 13 trusts gained 4 and 3 star ratings.

Joe Goasdouce, Chief Executive of the BQF said: "Our gold medal is awarded every year to an organisation which stands out as a shining example of excellence to others. It has been a particular pleasure for the BQF to give such a prestigious award to a public sector organisation for the first time and it was thoroughly deserved. I congratulate the Probation Service."

Minister for Prisons and Probation, Crispin Blunt, commented that the gold medal was a very public acknowledgement of the professionalism of a too often unsung service.

The Minister added: "This prestigious award recognises not just what probation staff do but perhaps, more importantly, how well they do it and this will be a source of pride to them."

The BQF Gold Medal Award for Excellence is presented annually by the BQF Board of Directors to an organisation that has shown outstanding and continued commitment over a number of years. Previous winners include Ricoh UK Products and Siemens UK.

HELD TO ACCOUNT

All Probation Trusts are inspected by HM Inspectorate of Probation. This is an independent committee which will feeds back its findings directly to Government Ministers,

PROBATION'S HISTORY

The Probation Service has its roots in religion. The Church of England Temperance Society, as well as a few other voluntary organisations, appointed a selection of missionaries to the London Police Courts in the latter part of the 18th Century. It was around this time that offenders began to be released into the community, but on the understanding that they kept in touch with an appointed missionary and accepted their guidance.

In 1907 this practice became a matter of statute and the courts were able to employ ' probation officers' to fulfil this role.