A group that helps former prisoners rebuild their lives has won praise from inspectors – but they say it still needs improvement in some areas.

A routine inspection by the HM Inspectorate of Probation looked at 10 aspects of the London Community Rehabilitation Company's (CRC) work, and rated half ‘good’ and the other aspects ‘requiring improvement’.

However, the Inspectorate did say the service had made “considerable efforts” to improve.

Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell said: “London CRC continues to improve and has taken on board many of the recommendations from last year’s inspection. Now, the CRC offers good support for people leaving prison and better supervision for people who complete unpaid work in the community. The CRC has also developed effective relationships with partners and stakeholders.

“There is a strong leadership team, and staff are empowered to deliver services that will bring about lasting changes in the lives of vulnerable people. The staff we interviewed were well motivated and positive about their work and the organisation.”

However, the inspectors did highlight other aspects of the service that they though needed to be worked on, leading to an overall rating of 'requires improvement’.

The inspectors found that although a wide range of services were available to support individuals from reoffending, these were not being delivered consistently.

Other areas needing improvement include assessing risks that offenders pose to the community, and recruiting and retaining staff, with high caseloads being a problem.

Better organisation office accommodation was called for, and better safety for staff on duty was recommended.

Mr Russell said: “Systems and processes that are supposed to protect staff require improvement. Staff often work on a one-to-one basis with people under supervision and have been given safety devices for their protection. Inspectors found some devices did not work; staff also reported that some offices had a very limited number of devices, which could prevent them from carrying out home visits as and when needed.”