The administrators of an outsourcer that runs probation and employment services have instructed CAPA to conduct audits across the business.

CAPA will be auditing business rates paid out at nearly 50 sites run by Working Links (Employment) Ltd, a government outsourcer with over 1,000 staff that operates probation companies and helps people back into work after long periods of unemployment.

Working Links had previously posted a £25m drop in turnover and a loss of £8.6m in its accounts for 2017. More recently, the business had experienced difficulties in delivering a rehabilitation programme for offenders on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Martin Armstrong and James Patchett, of the business advisory and restructuring firm Turpin Barker Armstrong, were appointed joint administrators of Working Links on February 14 2019.

The administrators have now appointed CAPA to undertake the audits on Working Links itself, plus the three rehabilitation companies it operated, which ran probation services in three regions. These services have been transferred to another outsourcer, Seetec.

After their appointment CAPA’s Audit team will use bespoke software to inspect business rates paid out at:

  • The Wales Community Rehabilitation Company (19 properties);
  • The Dorset, Devon and Cornwall Community Rehabilitation Company (three properties)
  • The Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire Community Rehabilitation Company (five properties)
  • Working Links (Employment) (19 properties).

The team will inspect the data to identify any errors or ‘overspend’, before recovering sums for the creditors of Working Links.