Kindred – Probation in Verse

Findings

Q1: How much do you think you know about what it’s like to work in the following sectors? (Probation, teaching, social services, policing, fire service, ambulance service)

• 74% of those surveyed know ‘not very much’ or ‘nothing at all’ about what it’s like to work in the Probation Service¹
  • Regional data: East Midlands (76%), East of England (75%), Greater London (60%), North East (72%), North West (73%), South East (83%), South West (76%), Wales (74%), West Midlands (70%), Yorkshire and The Humber (80%)
  • City data: Birmingham (69%), Brighton (82%), Bristol (77%), Cardiff (73%), Leeds (81%), Liverpool (80%), London (70%), Manchester (70%), Newcastle (74%), Norwich (71%), Nottingham (77%), Plymouth (77%), Sheffield (78%), Southampton (85%)

• 35% of those surveyed say they know ‘nothing at all’ about what it’s like to work in the Probation Service
  • Regional data: East Midlands (35%), East of England (32%), Greater London (31%), North East (36%), North West (37%), South East (39%), South West (36%), Wales (34%), West Midlands (33%), Yorkshire and The Humber (41%)
  • City data: Birmingham (32%), Brighton (38%), Bristol (33%), Cardiff (32%), Leeds (40%), Liverpool (49%), London (33%), Manchester (31%), Newcastle (39%), Norwich (33%), Nottingham (38%), Plymouth (41%), Sheffield (38%), Southampton (39%)

• 42% said they know ‘not very much’ or ‘nothing at all’ about what it’s like to work in teaching¹
  • Regional data: East Midlands (43%), East of England (43%), Greater London (34%), North East (37%), North West (47%), South East (46%), South West (43%), Wales (46%), West Midlands (38%), Yorkshire and The Humber (46%)
  • City data: Birmingham (38%), Brighton (47%), Bristol (43%), Cardiff (46%), Leeds (47%), Liverpool (45%), London (41%), Manchester (46%), Newcastle (39%), Norwich (33%), Nottingham (46%), Plymouth (48%), Sheffield (44%), Southampton (41%)

• 15% of those surveyed say they know ‘nothing at all’ about what it’s like to work in teaching.
  • Regional data: East Midlands (10%), East of England (13%), Greater London (13%), North East (17%), North West (19%), South East (16%), South West (11%), Wales (14%), West Midlands (15%), Yorkshire and The Humber (18%)
  • City data: Birmingham (15%), Brighton (18%), Bristol (11%), Cardiff (14%), Leeds (18%), Liverpool (17%), London (14%), Manchester (16%), Newcastle (19%), Norwich (11%), Nottingham (11%), Plymouth (17%), Sheffield (17%), Southampton (13%)

• 61% said they know ‘not very much’ or ‘nothing at all’ about what it’s like to work in social services¹
  • Regional data: East Midlands (65%), East of England (67%) Greater London (51%), North East (58%), North West (61%), South East (66%), South West (59%), Wales (58%), West Midlands (57%), Yorkshire and The Humber (68%)
  • City data: Birmingham (55%), Brighton (72%), Bristol (56%), Cardiff (61%), Leeds (63%), Liverpool (62%), London (59%), Manchester (60%), Newcastle (63%), Norwich (67%), Nottingham (67%), Plymouth (71%), Sheffield (69%), Southampton (63%)

• 22% of those surveyed say they know ‘nothing at all’ about what it’s like to work in social services
  • Regional data: East Midlands (20%), East of England (23%), Greater London (17%), North East (21%), North West (25%), South East (23%), South West (21%), Wales (21%), West Midlands (20%), Yorkshire and The Humber (27%)
  • City data: Birmingham (20%), Brighton (17%), Bristol (20%), Cardiff (21%), Leeds (25%), Liverpool (25%), London (20%), Manchester (23%), Newcastle (25%), Norwich (26%), Nottingham (18%), Plymouth (30%), Sheffield (27%), Southampton (19%)

• 60% said they know ‘not very much’ or ‘nothing at all’ about what it’s like to work in policing¹
  • Regional data: East Midlands (60%), East of England (57%), Greater London (52%), North East (56%), North West (63%), South East (66%), South West (66%), Wales (60%), West Midlands (56%), Yorkshire and The Humber (65%)
  • City data: Birmingham (56%), Brighton (73%), Bristol (65%), Cardiff (58%), Leeds (63%), Liverpool (62%), London (57%), Manchester (63%), Newcastle (60%), Norwich (53%), Nottingham (60%), Plymouth (66%), Sheffield (63%), Southampton (68%)

• 22% of those surveyed say they know ‘nothing at all’ about what it’s like to work in policing
  • Regional data: East Midlands (20%), East of England (21%), Greater London (20%), North East (24%), North West (24%), South East (26%), South West (21%), Wales (19%), West Midlands (21%), Yorkshire and The Humber (27%)
  • City data: Birmingham (22%), Brighton (19%), Bristol (20%), Cardiff (17%), Leeds (27%), Liverpool (28%), London (23%), Manchester (20%), Newcastle (29%), Norwich (21%), Nottingham (18%), Plymouth (29%), Sheffield (26%), Southampton (21%)

• 64% said they know ‘not very much’ or ‘nothing at all’ about what it’s like to work in the fire service¹
  • Regional data: East Midlands (64%), East of England (59%), Greater London (53%), North East (61%), North West (67%), South East (70%), South West (70%), Wales (67%), West Midlands (60%), Yorkshire and The Humber (72%)
  • City data: Birmingham (61%), Brighton (75%), Bristol (72%), Cardiff (64%), Leeds (71%), Liverpool (66%), London (59%), Manchester (67%), Newcastle (65%), Norwich (57%), Nottingham (64%), Plymouth (68%), Sheffield (66%), Southampton (67%)

• 24% of those surveyed say they know ‘nothing at all’ about what it’s like to work in the fire services
  • Regional data: East Midlands (19%), East of England (21%), Greater London (22%), North East (24%), North West (26%), South East (28%), South West (23%), Wales (24%), West Midlands (22%), Yorkshire and The Humber (26%)
  • City data: Birmingham (22%), Brighton (22%), Bristol (22%), Cardiff (21%), Leeds (28%), Liverpool (30%), London (24%), Manchester (23%), Newcastle (28%), Norwich (22%), Nottingham (19%), Plymouth (29%), Sheffield (22%), Southampton (24%)

• 60% said they know ‘not very much’ or ‘nothing at all’ about what it’s like to work in the ambulance service¹
  • Regional data: East Midlands (58%), East of England (57%), Greater London (51%), North East (57%), North West (62%), South East (69%), South West (61%), Wales (60%), West Midlands (52%), Yorkshire and The Humber (66%)
  • City data: Birmingham (52%), Brighton (77%), Bristol (62%), Cardiff (54%), Leeds (66%), Liverpool (63%), London (56%), Manchester (60%), Newcastle (61%), Norwich (58%), Nottingham (62%), Plymouth (69%), Sheffield (60%), Southampton (65%)

• 22% of those surveyed say they know ‘nothing at all’ about what it’s like to work in the ambulance service
  • Regional data: East Midlands (15%), East of England (20%), Greater London (21%), North East (22%), North West (24%), South East (25%), South West (23%), Wales (24%), West Midlands (19%), Yorkshire and The Humber (27%)
  • City data: Birmingham (18%), Brighton (24%), Bristol (22%), Cardiff (22%), Leeds (29%), Liverpool (26%), London (22%), Manchester (20%), Newcastle (25%), Norwich (22%), Nottingham (15%), Plymouth (31%), Sheffield (23%), Southampton (19%)

¹ ‘Not very much’ and ‘nothing at all’ responses combined

Q2: What public service roles do you think being a probation officer is similar to?

• When asked what public service role people thought being a probation officer was similar to out of social worker, prison officer, police officer and teacher:
  • 55% said they thought it was similar to being a social worker
    • Regional data: East Midlands (54%), East of England (54%), Greater London (48%), North East (55%), North West (58%), South East (60%), South West (52%), Wales (55%), West Midlands (48%), Yorkshire and The Humber (62%)
    • City data: Birmingham (48%), Brighton (56%), Bristol (54%), Cardiff (54%) Leeds (59%), Liverpool (69%), London (52%), Manchester (56%), Newcastle (55%), Norwich (58%), Nottingham (50%), Plymouth (50%), Sheffield (63%), Southampton (60%)
  • 41% said they thought it was similar to being a prison officer
    • Regional data: East Midlands (46%), East of England (39%), Greater London (41%), North East (40%), North West (40%), South East (41%), South West (42%), Wales (38%), West Midlands (44%), Yorkshire and The Humber (36%)
    • City data: Birmingham (46%), Brighton (50%), Bristol (43%), Cardiff (38%) Leeds (38%), Liverpool (36%), London (40%), Manchester (39%), Newcastle (41%), Norwich (42%), Nottingham (50%), Plymouth (37%), Sheffield (33%), Southampton (33%)
  • 30% said they thought it was similar to being a police officer
    • Regional data: East Midlands (31%), East of England (28%), Greater London (34%), North East (28%), North West (30%), South East (26%), South West (32%), Wales (25%), West Midlands (35%), Yorkshire and The Humber (24%)
    • City data: Birmingham (36%), Brighton (27%), Bristol (33%), Cardiff (26%), Leeds (25%), Liverpool (26%), London (29%), Manchester (30%), Newcastle (27%), Norwich (32%), Nottingham (32%), Plymouth (38%), Sheffield (22%), Southampton (26%)

Q3: Where do you think a probation officer spends the majority of their working day?

• 45% of those surveyed said they think probation officers spend the majority of their working day in an office
  • Regional data: East Midlands (48%), East of England (45%), Greater London (44%), North East (40%), North West (44%), South East (44%), South West (42%), Wales (46%), West Midlands (51%), Yorkshire and The Humber (47%)
  • City data: Birmingham (50%), Brighton (56%), Bristol (43%), Cardiff (48%), Leeds (47%), Liverpool (41%), London (43%), Manchester (46%), Newcastle (39%), Norwich (53%), Nottingham (44%), Plymouth (46%), Sheffield (53%), Southampton (39%)

• 28% of those surveyed said they think probation officers spend the majority of their working day in a community setting (such as a job centre)
  • Regional data: East Midlands (27%), East of England (27%), Greater London (24%), North East (26%), North West (33%), South East (32%), South West (32%), Wales (24%), West Midlands (23%), Yorkshire and The Humber (28%)
  • City data: Birmingham (23%), Brighton (24%), Bristol (34%), Cardiff (25%), Leeds (28%), Liverpool (30%), London (28%), Manchester (33%), Newcastle (28%), Norwich (25%), Nottingham (33%), Plymouth (23%), Sheffield (22%), Southampton (36%)

• 15% of those surveyed said they think probation officers spend the majority of their working day in a prison
  • Regional data: East Midlands (15%), East of England (19%), Greater London (21%), North East (19%), North West (10%), South East (9%), South West (14%), Wales (18%), West Midlands (15%), Yorkshire and The Humber (14%)
  • City data: Birmingham (16%), Brighton (12%), Bristol (14%), Cardiff (16%), Leeds (17%), Liverpool (10%), London (17%), Manchester (11%), Newcastle (18%), Norwich (17%), Nottingham (13%), Plymouth (12%), Sheffield (9%), Southampton (8%)

• 11% admitted that they didn’t know where probation officers spend the majority of their working day
  • Regional data: East Midlands (11%), East of England (9%) Greater London (10%), North East (13%), North West (12%), South East (14%), South West (11%) Wales (12%), West Midlands (11%), Yorkshire and The Humber (10%)
  • City data: Birmingham (11%), Brighton (8%), Bristol (9%), Cardiff (12%), Leeds (7%), Liverpool (17%), London (12%), Manchester (10%), Newcastle (14%), Norwich (5%), Nottingham (11%), Plymouth (19%), Sheffield (16%), Southampton (16%)

Q4: Do you think you need a degree to become a probation officer?

• 31% of those surveyed think you need a degree to become a probation officer
  • Regional data: East Midlands (35%), East of England (31%), Greater London (37%), North East (30%), North West (27%), South East (27%), South West (30%), Wales (32%), West Midlands (32%), Yorkshire and The Humber (34%)
  • City data: Birmingham (34%), Brighton (41%), Bristol (31%), Cardiff (27%), Leeds (33%), Liverpool (29%), London (32%), Manchester (28%), Newcastle (28%), Norwich (29%), Nottingham (35%), Plymouth (33%), Sheffield (36%), Southampton (26%)

• 29% said they didn’t know if you need a degree to become a probation officer
  • Regional data: East Midlands (25%), East of England (34%), Greater London (25%), North East (22%), North West (32%), South East (32%), South West (28%), Wales (27%), West Midlands (27%), Yorkshire and The Humber (28%)
  • City data: Birmingham (24%), Brighton (19%), Bristol (27%), Cardiff (33%), Leeds (29%), Liverpool (29%), London (30%), Manchester (30%), Newcastle (26%), Norwich (31%), Nottingham (27%), Plymouth (25%), Sheffield (24%), Southampton (36%)

Q5: Where, if anywhere, have you heard or seen something that most influences what you think working as a probation officer is like? (NB. Sample size 1,498 – excluded those who said they didn’t know anything about working in the Probation Service in Q1)

• When asked where (if anywhere) they’ve seen something that most influences what they think working as a probation officer is like:
• 39% cited TV
  • Regional data: East Midlands (29%), East of England (43%), Greater London (43%), North East (40%), North West (42%), South East (38%), South West (32%), Wales (39%), West Midlands (37%), Yorkshire and The Humber (39%)
  • City data: Birmingham (39%), Bristol (29%), Cardiff (37%), Leeds (40%), Liverpool (44%), London (42%), Manchester (40%), Newcastle (43%), Norwich (41%), Nottingham (22%), Sheffield (33%), Southampton (37%)
• 25% cited films
  • Regional data: East Midlands (16%), East of England (25%), Greater London (36%), North East (22%), North West (21%), South East (22%), South West (24%), Wales (17%), West Midlands (30%), Yorkshire and The Humber (22%)
  • City data: Birmingham (29%), Bristol (24%), Cardiff (18%), Leeds (19%), Liverpool (18%), London (31%), Manchester (23%), Newcastle (21%), Norwich (20%), Nottingham (16%), Sheffield (18%), Southampton (23%)
• 20% cited social media
  • Regional data: East Midlands (17%), East of England (17%), Greater London (31%), North East (17%), North West (27%), South East (11%), South West (13%), Wales (19%), West Midlands (25%), Yorkshire and The Humber (18%)
  • City data: Birmingham (28%), Bristol (11%), Cardiff (21%), Leeds (16%), Liverpool (17%), London (22%), Manchester (28%), Newcastle (15%), Norwich (20%), Nottingham (16%), Sheffield (12%), Southampton (13%)

Q6: Which of the following, if any, do you think are the most important skills to be a successful probation officer?

• Those surveyed believe the top three most important skills that would make a successful probation officer are:
  • Good communication skills (72%)
  • Empathy (39%)
  • An ability to motivate others (34%)

• Regional data:
  • East Midlands: Communication (76%), Motivating others (39%), Empathy (35%)
  • East of England: Communication (71%), Empathy (46%), Motivating others (34%)
  • Greater London: Communication (66%), Empathy (37%), Motivating others (33%)
  • North East: Communication (72%), Motivating others (34%), Empathy (33%)
  • North West: Communication (71%), Empathy (36%), Motivating others (35%)
  • South East: Communication (77%), Empathy (38%), Motivating others (36%)
  • South West: Communication (72%), Empathy (42%), Motivating others (33%)
  • Wales: Communication (74%), Empathy (37%), Motivating others (36%)
  • West Midlands: Communication (69%), Empathy (36%), Resilience (31%)
  • Yorkshire and The Humber: Communication (71%), Empathy (43%), Motivating others (32%)
• City data:
  • Birmingham: Communication (70%), Empathy (36%), Motivating others (32%)
  • Brighton: Communication (73%), Empathy (44%), Motivating others (32%)
  • Bristol: Communication (74%), Empathy (43%), Motivating others (35%)
  • Cardiff: Communication (73%), Empathy (38%), Motivating others (35%)
  • Leeds: Communication (70%), Empathy (38%), Motivating others (34%)
  • Liverpool: Communication (71%), Motivating others (40%), Empathy (38%)
  • London: Communication (70%), Empathy (40%), Motivating others (35%)
  • Manchester: Communication (72%), Empathy (35%), Resilience (32%)
  • Newcastle: Communication (77%), Empathy (34%), Motivating others (31%)
  • Norwich: Communication (74%), Empathy (42%), Motivating others (36%)
  • Nottingham: Communication (75%), Empathy (41%), Motivating others (36%)
  • Plymouth: Communication (69%), Empathy (42%), Resilience (33%)
  • Sheffield: Communication (70%), Empathy (43%), Motivating others (37%)
  • Southampton: Communication (78%), Motivating others (36%), Empathy (32%)

Q7: Thinking about a role in the Probation Service, what do you think are the most challenging parts, if any? (NB. Sample size 1,498 – excluded those who said they didn’t know anything about working in the Probation Service in Q1)

• 27% believe one of the most challenging aspects of the role is the pressure from society to do the job well.
  • Regional data: East Midlands (25%), East of England (27%), Greater London (31%), North East (27%), North West (24%), South East (29%), South West (27%), Wales (26%), West Midlands (27%), Yorkshire and The Humber (26%)
  • City data: Birmingham (27%), Bristol (26%), Cardiff (29%), Leeds (23%), Liverpool (25%), London (30%), Manchester (21%), Newcastle (25%), Norwich (27%), Nottingham (35%), Sheffield (28%), Southampton (30%)

• 62% said it would be working with offenders who don’t want to be there
  • Regional data: East Midlands (69%), East of England (65%), Greater London (57%), North East (65%), North West (59%), South East (63%), South West (70%), Wales (69%), West Midlands (53%), Yorkshire and The Humber (61%)
  • City data: Birmingham (53%), Bristol (66%), Cardiff (67%), Leeds (57%), Liverpool (70%), London (61%), Manchester (56%), Newcastle (70%), Norwich (65%), Nottingham (75%), Sheffield (74%), Southampton (64%)

• 49% said it would be the pressure of having to make the right decisions relating to an offender
  • Regional data: East Midlands (58%), East of England (44%), Greater London (47%), North East (52%), North West (44%), South East (56%), South West (51%), Wales (46%), West Midlands (46%), Yorkshire and The Humber (55%)
  • City data: Birmingham (47%), Bristol (56%), Cardiff (44%), Leeds (52%), Liverpool (44%), London (50%), Manchester (46%), Newcastle (54%), Norwich (46%), Nottingham (57%), Sheffield (53%), Southampton (51%)

• 45% said it would be not having enough time to spend with each offender
  • Regional data: East Midlands (41%), East of England (47%), Greater London (35%), North East (46%), North West (46%), South East (47%), South West (56%), Wales (49%), West Midlands (39%), Yorkshire and The Humber (52%)
  • City data: Birmingham (38%), Bristol (54%), Cardiff (50%), Leeds (53%), Liverpool (54%), London (40%), Manchester (44%), Newcastle (51%), Norwich (54%), Nottingham (40%), Sheffield (45%), Southampton (59%)

• 29% said it would be not always seeing the difference you’re making
  • Regional data: East Midlands (32%), East of England (33%), Greater London (33%), North East (28%), North West (26%), South East (26%), South West (26%), Wales (28%), West Midlands (28%), Yorkshire and The Humber (35%)
  • City data: Birmingham (29%), Bristol (28%), Cardiff (26%), Leeds (38%), Liverpool (31%), London (32%), Manchester (25%), Newcastle (28%), Norwich (34%), Nottingham (33%), Sheffield (27%), Southampton (16%)

Q8: Aside from pay and benefits, what, if anything, would motivate you the most to apply for a job?

• When thinking about what would motivate them to apply for a job, pay and benefits aside, respondents said:
  • The opportunity to help make a difference to society (45%)
    • Regional data: East Midlands (47%), East of England (40%), Greater London (44%), North East (54%), North West (46%), South East (45%), South West (45%), Wales (45%), West Midlands (43%), Yorkshire and The Humber (43%)
    • City data: Birmingham (43%), Brighton (37%), Bristol (49%), Cardiff (41%), Leeds (49%), Liverpool (50%), London (43%), Manchester (45%), Newcastle (53%), Norwich (43%), Nottingham (46%), Plymouth (36%), Sheffield (39%), Southampton (50%)

• Whether a job would offer them a sense of personal reward (39%)
  • Regional data: East Midlands (40%), East of England (37%), Greater London (37%), North East (37%), North West (39%), South East (45%), South West (31%), Wales (44%), West Midlands (39%), Yorkshire and The Humber (41%)
  • City data: Birmingham (39%), Brighton (44%), Bristol (27%), Cardiff (44%), Leeds (37%), Liverpool (49%), London (39%), Manchester (36%), Newcastle (36%), Norwich (42%), Nottingham (46%), Plymouth (39%), Sheffield (40%), Southampton (38%)

• Whether it’s an interesting place to work (33%)
  • Regional data: East Midlands (35%), East of England (33%), Greater London (36%), North East (26%), North West (30%), South East (32%), South West (32%), Wales (33%), West Midlands (38%), Yorkshire and The Humber (29%)
  • City data: Birmingham (38%), Brighton (26%), Bristol (29%), Cardiff (34%), Leeds (29%), Liverpool (31%), London (35%), Manchester (32%), Newcastle (29%), Norwich (32%), Nottingham (35%), Plymouth (36%), Sheffield (27%), Southampton (29%)

• 30% say they would be motivated by career development opportunities
  • Regional data: East Midlands (35%), East of England (26%), Greater London (41%), North East (28%), North West (26%), South East (30%), South West (26%), Wales (25%), West Midlands (27%), Yorkshire and The Humber (30%)
  • City data: Birmingham (30%), Brighton (34%), Bristol (26%), Cardiff (22%), Leeds (33%), Liverpool (27%), London (34%), Manchester (26%), Newcastle (29%), Norwich (31%), Nottingham (34%), Plymouth (23%), Sheffield (28%), Southampton (24%)

Q9:  What, if anything, helps you the most to feel confident in a job or workplace?

• 57% said good training
  • Regional data: East Midlands (60%), East of England (58%), Greater London (60%), North East (51%), North West (59%), South East (54%), South West (54%), Wales (59%), West Midlands (58%), Yorkshire and The Humber (55%)
  • City data: Birmingham (61%), Brighton (55%), Bristol (53%), Cardiff (60%), Leeds (55%), Liverpool (57%), London (59%), Manchester (58%), Newcastle (51%), Norwich (52%), Nottingham (62%), Plymouth (57%), Sheffield (55%), Southampton (47%)

• 43% said being able to see the difference they’re making
  • Regional data: East Midlands (47%), East of England (44%), Greater London (42%), North East (59%), North West (42%), South East (42%), South West (46%), Wales (44%), West Midlands (35%), Yorkshire and The Humber (43%)
  • City data: Birmingham (36%), Brighton (30%), Bristol (47%), Cardiff (43%), Leeds (44%), Liverpool (47%), London (43%), Manchester (41%), Newcastle (57%), Norwich (41%), Nottingham (46%), Plymouth (42%), Sheffield (45%), Southampton (47%)

• The above is based on a list of:
  • Good training
  • Feeling appreciated by senior leaders
  • The ability to see the progress I’m making
  • The ability to see the difference I’m making
  • A sense of camaraderie
  • Nothing

[1] ‘Not very much’ and ‘nothing at all’ responses combined