The information requested is shown in the following table for the years 2004 to 2007 inclusive. A data validation exercise is currently taking place on the probation officer information for 2008 to be completed during the summer of 2009.
There are a number of factors which could affect average caseloads over time, resulting in regional variations shown in the table. These include:
Fluctuations in caseload according to changing sentencing patterns
Improving accurate workforce planning
Variations in the nature of cases will call for a different workforce. High risk cases will call for resource intensive supervision by more senior practitioners. For lower risk cases (e.g. unpaid work supervision), a high caseload can be managed safely by a small number of practitioners. Comparing these cases under a single “average caseload” calculation is therefore misleading.
Area 2004 2005 2006 2007 Avon and Somerset 26.0 24.8 23.0 25.7 Bedfordshire 41.1 35.3 32.7 32.1 Cambridgeshire 29.0 33.2 32.5 35.3 Cheshire 24.3 26.2 29.2 32.5 Cumbria 33.5 29.7 26.3 29.5 Derbyshire 34.0 32.3 30.9 32.1 Devon and Cornwall 25.3 23.6 23.9 22.7 Dorset 24.7 23.6 27.1 29.9 Durham 23.3 23.8 24.7 27.3 Dyfed Powys 26.3 24.1 26.7 29.5 Essex 39.1 42.2 48.8 54.9 Gloucestershire 26.9 28.8 32.9 37.6 Gwent 36.9 37.4 29.2 27.5 Hampshire 28.7 29.9 32.0 33.6 Hertfordshire 39.6 40.8 47.6 40.2 Humberside 25.6 24.6 24.0 27.0 Kent 31.6 30.4 34.2 35.5 Lancashire 24.0 25.3 27.9 31.1 Leicestershire 25.1 24.2 25.6 26.4 Lincolnshire 31.9 28.0 27.1 26.8 London 40.7 50.7 47.6 48.2 Greater Manchester 35.6 38.8 33.8 37.0 Merseyside 34.5 36.6 38.3 33.7 Norfolk 28.7 28.1 31.3 30.3 North Wales 26.6 27.5 31.4 34.7 North Yorkshire 22.4 25.0 26.3 28.2 Northamptonshire 33.1 33.7 26.3 29.5 Northumbria 21.4 21.0 23.1 26.1 Nottinghamshire 33.4 33.2 30.1 33.3 South Wales 31.6 29.7 30.1 30.5 South Yorkshire 29.6 28.2 29.3 29.6 Staffordshire 24.6 24.1 24.9 26.2 Suffolk 20.3 21.8 23.7 23.3 Surrey 25.3 25.7 28.2 24.7 Sussex 37.3 30.7 33.2 40.5 Teesside 39.8 32.7 33.9 32.5 Thames Valley 30.6 32.6 35.3 35.1 Warwickshire 27.8 23.8 29.2 33.1 West Mercia 23.8 25.9 25.2 27.3 West Midlands 41.0 36.7 37.0 40.4 West Yorkshire 31.4 30.6 29.4 30.1 Wiltshire 34.1 27.7 28.3 33.2 National Average 31.8 32.5 32.6 34.1 Note: Figures provided are Full Time Equivalent and include Senior Probation Officers, Probation Officers, Senior Practitioners and Practice Development Assessors