19985 - Senior Probation Officer - Intensive Supervision Court: London Probation Service

The ISC is an innovative approach to delivering the sentence of the Court through a multi-disciplinary partnership approach. It is a unique opportunity to work intensively with a small caseload of people under supervision in collaboration with ISC Crown Court Judges.

The Government committed in the Sentencing White Paper (2020) to pilot problem-solving approaches in up to five courts in England and Wales. This was extended as part of the Sentencing Act 2026 to include Inner London Crown Court focused on a prolific cohort of offenders.

ISCs differ from traditional courts in that they extend the authority of the court beyond case processing. They put the judge at the centre of rehabilitation and compliance, alongside a multi-disciplinary team ranging from probation and police to health professionals and broader service providers. ISCs encompass a range of supportive interventions tailored to address the individual’s criminogenic needs, with the aim of reducing offending behaviour.

The Prolific ISC pilot is intended to provide an intensive community order or suspended sentence order as a robust and rehabilitative alternative to custodial sentences. It will combine intensive supervision and interventions to address underlying issues linked to offending, delivered by a multi-agency team.

The post holder will lead a team to deliver the full range of offender management tasks with offenders under supervision including assessment, sentence implementation and producing reports; utilising service procedures and practice directions to underpin professional judgement. They will be required to work in collaboration with a range of partnership agencies, Chair/Co Chair partnership meetings and attend the ISC Board. The role is a unique and exciting opportunity for the post holder to showcase their skills in leading, developing and delivering positive outcomes for a cohort of People on Probation with a robust, intense and innovative community alternative. It will require excellent skills in working in partnership with a variety of stakeholders as well as forging strong links with SPO colleagues within the London PDUs and Courts. The successful applicant will also work closely with the judiciary, the MOJ ISC Probation Policy Team and will represent the London Probation ISC Pilot at training/learning events.

Summary

The Prolific ISC pilot has a broad range of aims covering justice, health and wellbeing, including

i. to reduce the frequency and harm of re-offending

ii. to increase offender engagement and compliance with their community sentence

iii. to reduce the use of short-term custody, and

iv. to increase judicial confidence in more robust community options, compared to standard court processes and disposals, particularly (though not exclusively) for repeat and prolific offenders.

The Probation Service is responsible for the overall supervision and management of people on probation through the ISC pilot. Probation will be responsible for preparing the Pre-Sentence Report (PSR) which will include collaborative assessments with substance misuse services and other relevant service providers, ensuring timely progress reports are provided to the court and maintaining a close relationship with both people on probation and partners.