Public could be put at risk as sex offenders to be treated by ‘under-qualified’ probation officers

The public could be put at risk as sex offenders will be treated by “under-qualified” probation officers under a shake-up, say whistleblowers.

They have raised concerns over changes to treatment programmes that are used to rehabilitate offenders such as the disgraced former BBC presenter Huw Edwards who have accessed or in other cases supplied child abuse images, or both.

Edwards would have been placed on one of the so-called iHorizon schemes as part of his suspended two-year sentence if he had not satisfied the court that his private treatment by a psychosexual therapist provided an effective alternative.

The whistleblowers said that under the changes, the treatment courses were to be led by less qualified staff rather than specialist fully qualified “band four” probation officers who are paid up to £10,000 more.

“It has been downgraded and the course is starting to be delivered by facilitators, who earn around £29,000, £10,000 less than probation officers. Facilitators are on band three and don’t have to have had probation experience,” said one whistleblower.

It means that the more senior officer band four probation officers are either switching to other equivalent jobs elsewhere in the service, quitting the profession or doing work at the band three level.

‘Rocketing amount of internet offending’

“To disband a very experienced team and hand it over when there’s a rocketing amount of internet offending seems quite dangerous and risky – and not in the interests of people, if you’re trying to rehabilitate them,” said one band four probation whistleblower.

“If you have someone who is not experienced in working with sexual offenders, there is a danger of them not seeing the risk factors,” said another probation officer.

“If someone suddenly turns up looking neat and tidy, what is he doing? Has he got a new relationship? If someone suddenly changes their appearance, you need to check them out.”

One probation officer whose team is being disbanded said they had met a facilitator recruited from outside probation who had no idea that she would have to deliver a course for sex offenders. She thought it would be for other types of offenders.

The whistleblowers also claimed there were delays in getting offenders onto courses. “There are waiting lists, it could take months or even a year,” they said.

The iHorizon courses consist of 25 to 28 sessions, usually over around six months. The first three are one-to-one, followed by group sessions of eight to 10 offenders. All will have sent, received or downloaded indecent images.

They may include ex-prisoners on licence as well as people doing community sentences or suspended sentences, such as Edwards. They range from age 20 to 70 and can include “high-risk” offenders.

The iHorizon courses have seven modules looking at an offender’s offences and what was going on in their lives. They examine a “success wheel” with five domains: positive relationships, healthy thinking, healthy sexual interests, managing life’s problems and sense of purpose.

Offenders do not have to disclose what their offence is, but some do. Men who deny their offending are still required to do the course. Offenders are allowed to miss three sessions but if they miss a fourth, even for illness, they have to start again from the beginning.

The Ministry of Justice confirmed the restructuring but said staff had been offered three years of pay protection if they stayed in their existing roles. They could also choose to be redeployed to a different probation role at their previous band.

A probation service spokesman said: “Sex offenders are supervised by qualified probation officers and the Horizon behaviour change programme they undertake is delivered by appropriately trained staff. The changes have ensured these programmes are delivered consistently across the country to reduce the risk of reoffending.”