Community service recruitment 'more difficult'

Staff shortages within community service operations risk increasing the numbers of offenders being sent to prison, a new report warns.

The Jersey Probation and After‑Care Service said recruiting enough supervisors for community service projects had become "increasingly difficult".

Chief probation officer Mike Cutland said "demands on the scheme continue to rise", and that recruitment was an "ongoing concern".

Work is said to be under way to to improve the attractiveness of the role, with Cutland saying increasing the capacity of community service was a priority.

The service provided more than 15,000 hours of unpaid work annually, which staff said "equates to £195,000 of value for the island's charities".

Last year, 164 community service orders were imposed. That was an increase of 22%, taking them to the highest level in five years.

Of those, 85% of community service orders were completed, surpassing annual targets.

However, in the service's annual report, Cutland called recruitment to the service an area of "ongoing concern".

"The demands on the scheme continue to rise and the department requires consistent staffing" to ensure it was delivered properly, he said.

The report listed "rates of pay, working hours and the challenging clientele" as challenges to recruitment.

The role involves significant weekend working.

The report also warned also warns of knock-on impacts if the service could not be "delivered effectively".

It said: "Without adequate staffing, the scheme will experience delays, which is likely to have an adverse effect on client compliance and the confidence of the courts.

"As community service is a direct alternative to custody, there is a risk that an ineffective service will lead to increased numbers of offenders going to prison."

Efforts were being made to improve the situation, the BBC understands, with one role repurposed to support the scheme, and work said to be "ongoing" to improve the offer to prospective employees.

Despite staffing challenges, Cutland said increasing the capacity of community service was a priority, which he said "offers a direct alternative to custody at a time when the prison is experiencing a particularly high population".

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