Probation Officers Fear ‘Stitch-Up’ Over Workload Changes

By the Editorial Team · Monday, August 31, 2026

The government will discontinue the Workload Measurement Tool in September, shifting responsibility for managing probation officers' caseloads to individual officers and managers as new digital resources are introduced. This change comes just before a revised early-release scheme increases demands on probation services, raising concerns among staff about increased workloads and the loss of a centralized system for monitoring safety and capacity.

The government will discontinue the Workload Measurement Tool (WMT), used since 2018 to assess probation officers' caseloads, starting in September. This decision comes just weeks before the implementation of Andy Burnham’s revised early-release scheme, which is expected to increase demands on probation services by freeing up space in prisons.

The WMT has served as a standard method to ensure probation staff do not carry unsafe or unmanageable workloads. However, the Ministry of Justice announced that the tool, described as a 15-year-old system, would be retired in favor of new digital resources aimed at modernizing and simplifying probation work. The ministry emphasized its intent to equip probation officers with improved tools that facilitate their responsibilities.

The change has drawn criticism from probation staff and their union. Ben Cockburn, national chair of the National Association of Probation Officers (Napo), described the decision as an "incredible abdication of responsibility." He expressed concerns that scrapping the WMT without a clear replacement would leave frontline staff vulnerable to increased pressures while eliminating a centralized data source that monitored service capacity and workload safety. According to Cockburn, many probation workers perceive the move as a "stitch-up," fearing it will exacerbate existing strains on the system.

Under the new arrangement, responsibility for determining acceptable caseloads will shift to individual probation officers and their managers. This change raises questions about consistency and oversight in managing workloads across the service.

Martin Jones, the probation watchdog, acknowledged the challenges ahead but suggested the service would likely cope by increasing working hours and effort. He noted that probation officers might have to "burn the midnight oil" and work into weekends to manage the expected rise in demand.

The government’s decision occurs amid broader efforts to reform criminal justice processes, including the early-release scheme designed to ease prison overcrowding. While officials promote the move as part of a modernization initiative, probation staff and their representatives remain concerned about the practical implications for workload management and service quality during a period of increased operational pressure.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.