Rademaker Review: no more excuses

The long awaited Rademaker Review confirms what Napo members have been saying for ages- that bullying, harassment and discrimination is rife in HMPPS, and the system protects the perpetrators over victims. HMPPS has promised change in the past, but Black, Disabled and women staff continue to suffer. This report must be a watershed moment for Probation: Napo is demanding urgent action, real accountability, and a voice in delivering change.

Key Findings from the Rademaker Review  

The Report by MoJ Non-executive Director Jennifer Rademaker exposes systemic failures in HMPPS’ handling of bullying, harassment, and discrimination (BHD):

• 12% of HMPPS staff report experiencing BHD—50% higher than the Civil Service average.
• 36% of staff fear retaliation for reporting incidents, and 43% of victims never report.
• Managers and senior staff are the most common perpetrators (42–44% of cases).
• Grievance procedures are broken: Complaints are handled by line managers, creating conflicts of interest and perpetuating a culture of impunity.
• Workplace adjustments are inconsistently applied, leaving disabled staff unsupported.
• Climate assessments lack impact, with no consequences for failing sites.

These findings reflect and justify what Napo and our members have been highlighting for some time to the employer.

The report makes 12 urgent recommendations, including:

• An independent complaints unit to investigate BHD outside the line management chain. (Recommendation 1)
• Transparent reporting of BHD cases and outcomes (Recommendation 9).
• Reform of workplace adjustments to prevent discrimination against disabled staff. (Recommendation 3)
• Mandatory action on sexual harassment, including investigations without requiring a formal grievance (Recommendation 4).

Why this is a Scandal

Although HMPPS has accepted all 12 recommendations in full, Napo is concerned that we have been here before.  There have been other reports highlighting discrimination within the service e.g. His Majesties Inspectorate of Probation undertook a Thematic Report into Race published in May 2021 which revealed:  many Black staff experiencing high levels of stress at work and discrimination that hindered their career progression.  At the time we were told by senior management that they never wanted to see a report like this again in Probation and while some progress has been made with the work of the Race Action Programme, progress as been far to slow and inconsistent – the Rademaker review, sadly shows that HMPPS has failed to protect staff from bullying harassment and discrimination.

HMPPS cannot claim to uphold justice while tolerating BHD in its own workforce.

The findings in these reports prove:

• Black staff are disproportionately targeted but denied fair recourse.
• The system is rigged—complaints are buried, not resolved.
• HMPPS is failing its own “zero-tolerance” pledge on discrimination.

It is a scandal that we have yet another report which shows the extent of BHD and no-one has been held accountable for the failings.  Yet the lives of Disabled staff, Women and ethnic minorities working within HMPPS have been damaged and in some cases irreparably. This must stop and senior management held accountable.

Napo welcomes the following positive steps:

• to create a new independent BHD complaints unit (though timelines are vague).
• Sexual harassment guidance will include assault and rape (but implementation is delayed until 2026).
• Workplace adjustments process will be reviewed (but no firm commitments to enforce OH recommendations).

But Napo also identifies major gaps:

• No clear deadlines for key reforms (e.g., the independent unit lacks a concrete rollout plan).
• No commitment to consequences for managers who ignore BHD complaints.
• Climate assessments remain toothless—no accountability for leaders who fail to act.
• Vague promises on transparency—no guarantee that data on BHD cases will be published in full.

Why This Is a Watershed Moment

This report is another damning indictment of HMPPS’ failure to uphold not only the Probation Service values but also Civil Service values:

• Integrity: Allowing BHD to persist unchecked undermines trust in the justice system.
• Fairness: Victims are silenced, while perpetrators face no consequences.
• Respect: Black and Disabled Staff and women, are disproportionately affected.

This must be a turning point. The employer’s response cannot be another box-ticking exercise. Napo Members demand:

1. Urgent implementation of the independent complaints unit—no delays.
2. Full transparency: Regular public reporting on BHD cases and outcomes.
3. Trade Union oversight in designing the new system to ensure it is truly independent.

Next Steps – Stand Together

Napo will work with our sister Trade unions UNISON and GMB SCOOP to:

• Challenge HMPPS at every level to deliver real change, not empty promises.
• Mobilise members to share experiences and hold management accountable. Therefore, we ask members to:
  • Attend union meetings to discuss the report.
  • Report BHD incidents confidentially to your union rep.

This is our moment to force change. HMPPS must live up to its values- we will accept nothing less.