We increase capability across the Crown Prosecution Service
We want everyone at the CPS to thrive and to be at their best. We invest in our people to ensure they feel supported, respected and valued for the work they do.
Our ambition is to build the capability needed to deliver faster, higher‑quality justice for the public. By strengthening advocacy capacity, enabling our people to work more efficiently and reducing delays, we ensure victims and witnesses experience a more timely and effective service. Modernising the ways we work directly supports improvements in performance, consistency and value for money.
| We will measure success through our Key Performance Indicators: | Target |
|---|---|
| We will grow our Government Digital and Data (GDAD) Profession to 3.5% of the workforce by 31st March 2027, so we have the capacity and capability to drive efficiencies and improvements through digital transformation. | 3.5% |
| For the people joining us we will make sure the period from acceptance of an employment offer to a signed contract does not exceed an average of 32 working days, to ensure we are driving our growth so we can tackle demand and reduce delays. | ≤32 days |
| The rate at which our people leave CPS and are replaced (our employee turnover) is 7% or less, to maintain our capacity to tackle demand, ensure our people feel valued and supported, and we minimise time and effort spent on additional recruitment. | ≤7% |
| The average number of working days employees are absent due to sickness is 8 days or less, to ensure our people are supported and we maintain our capacity to tackle demand and thereby reduce delays. | ≤8days |
This year we will increase our capability through:
- Strengthening skills and leadership
- Equipping our people to work effectively
- Building an inclusive and supportive culture
| Programme | This year we will: | By: |
|---|---|---|
| Advocacy Strategy | Increase the number of our in-house Crown Advocates by 25% to grow our capacity to undertake Crown Court work and tackle demand and provide a better service to the public. | 31 March 2027 |
| Deliver the Higher Rights of Audience Bursary Scheme to invest in our people and their development | 31 March 2027 | |
| Continuous Improvement | Complete a full review of our operational processes and replace the old Standard Operating Procedures with new National Operating Models to improve consistency and efficiency, reducing delays and duplication across the system and delivering better value. | 30 September 2026 |
| Provide dedicated training and support to 11 Areas so they can embed Continuous Improvement principles to empower our leaders and their teams to improve efficiency, reduce delays and deliver better value for taxpayers. | 31 March 2027 | |
| Workforce Transformation | Implement improvements to training, supervision and line management support to ensure our new prosecutors are fully productive faster and can progress into roles where our workforce demand is greatest | 31 October 2026 |
| Replace the system we use to track job applications and bring new starters into the CPS with a new platform that is easier to use and gives more accurate information so it is easier and faster to onboard new starters, and we can more quickly increase our capacity. | 31 December 2026 | |
| We will refine the utilisation and deployment of our Crown Prosecutors and Senior Crown Prosecutors to ensure their work remains fulfilling, facilitate ongoing professional development, and enhance our capability and capacity. These improvements will enable us to address demand more effectively and minimise delays. | 30 September 2026 |