Good or Bad News?

It's a strange world we live in. When I posted a piece about my prescription for an improved probation service, I included this at number 2 of a list of priorities:-  

'There must be a move towards returning discretion and judgement to probation staff in how they manage cases. Basically we need to roll back on rigid standards and performance targets in order to encourage innovation once more.' 

What I didn't know was that at about the same time the probation minister Crispin Blunt had been speaking to the Criminal Justice Alliance and made a significant announcement about "Reduced targets to give frontline flexibility".

"I have often heard from frontline professionals that we need to make changes to our performance system, reducing the many targets that they have to meet and report on. I have been keen to address their concerns. I am therefore pleased to announce that we are able to reduce the number of targets for both prison and probation by around 40 per cent from 2011-12. These changes will allow frontline professionals to focus more of their time on key priorities, and allow them to respond to the challenges that face them locally."  

NOMS Chief Executive Michael Spurr said "This is a significant step towards a more outcome focused approach with more local flexibility for professionals to determine how best to allocate resources to achieve results."

To be fair I think this was trailed at the Scarborough NAPO AGM when Crispin was given the 'ironic' standing ovation, but now it seems it's definite and he is going to deliver. We can all breath a sigh of relief that at long last the government has seen the light and is going to start lifting the shackles of bureaucracy and allow us greater discretion. There is light at the end of the tunnel after all and things are going to get better. Possibly we could even claim a bit of a  victory for common sense even?

Unfortunately not I'm afraid. Just when it looked like we had been given reason to cheer up, realisation dawns that this is merely a prelude, a pre-condition even for significant parts of the service to be tendered out. It looks as if the big boys like SERCO and G4S have made it plain to government that all that performance target nonsense will have to be slimmed down in order for them to be interested in bidding for the work at all. This has all been the subject of some lively discussion on the re-vitalised NAPO discussion board and I would urge members and others even with an interest in the subject to take a look here.