Wednesday 16 October 2013

We're all Doomed!

Just when you think things can't get much worse for probation, blimey they do! No job advert. No extensive trawl for the best talent available. No inspiring leader for the new National Probation Service in the wake of Mike Maiden's speedy departure. No. Instead, the Ministry of Justice have shuffled over Colin Allars, the current civil servant with the title director of probation at MoJ/Noms HQ. According to the minister Jeremy Wright in the official press release:- 

“I am delighted that Colin Allars has accepted the challenge to lead the NPS in England. His experience and passion for the service make him well qualified to lead this new and critical body.”

We are told that:-

Colin Allars is currently the board director responsible for probation trusts and contracted services. He has experience of probation both as a former director of offender management in the South West and as an agency board member responsible for probation for the last two and a half years.

He seems a particularly uninspiring choice, judging by this potted CV from back when he was the DOM for the South West:-

Colin started work as a mechanical engineer at Rolls Royce, then moved to the Prison Service and undertook roles in technical, design and production management. Retrained as a food hygiene and safety officer and undertook policy work on market testing. Later became the Prison Service’s Head of Pay Policy then Head of Pay and Industrial Relations. Moved to the Home Office as Secretary to the Management Board and headed up the Performance and Strategy Unit. Switching across to a policy role in IND, Led preparation of a White Paper and then delivery of the 2002 immigration legislation before becoming Head of Enforcement in IND. After undertaking the EU delivery role, Became a director in pre-agency NOMS then undertook various corporate service roles until becoming interim Director of Capacity in the new agency, his most recent role.

His comment upon accepting his new position is hardly going to help enthuse a dispirited potential workforce in the brave new world being ushered in as part of the TR omnishambles:-

“Probation has a critical part to play in protecting the public and reducing reoffending. I look forward to taking on this important role, keeping communities safe from serious offenders.”


We're all doomed!

24 comments:

  1. That's an awful lot of job changes... wasn't he any good at anything particular?

    I'm not someone who would say that the head of the NPS has to have been a PO/PSO - running a big organisation surely involves different skills to writing PSRs, supervision etc. - but it would be nice if there was some sense of relevant experience. Even in the Prison Service he was head of pay policy rather than anything operational, for heaven's sake. Just another in the long line of NOMS functionaries who have no understanding of what Probation means.

    ReplyDelete
  2. And the corruption keeps on trucking, thanks MOJ,

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think the real bitter pill for probation to swallow will be when its realised just how many very senior possitions have defected and taken high ranking roles in the private sector with the likes of Serco and G4S.

    ReplyDelete
  4. becoming increasingly difficult to know what to believe - don't want to be disrespectful of Maiden (or anyone) if there's a truly difficult personal/family crisis, but a mischievous demon in my head is wondering whether the revelations & questions about 'pam', Darby & the extent of the connection with Maiden has led to a MoJ reflex resulting in Maiden being pushed under the wheels of the TR charabanc?

    Might explain the "indecent haste" and the expeditious use of a pre-prepared beancounter who's focus will undoubtedly be statistics; & given his employment policy background maybe places Allarse & NOMS in a stronger place when it comes to the tricky issues of staff redeployment/ TUPE, etc.?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I was confidentially contacted by a senior person at one of the prospective outsourcing companies - who stated - to the effect - that there are genuine reasons of a personal nature which led to Mike Maiden's resignation and adding "Best to not stir on this one!" - I responded "I am sorry for him - no need for minister to prevaricate then" and have since heard nothing further.

    I wonder if anyone else has had such a communication. The more I reflect on it the less I understand - but think openness might be better than being part of some select group who are 'in the know'.

    It maybe that the contact with me was out of a genuine concern and there is nothing untoward - I certainly do not want to imply there is a conspiracy..

    When I worked as a probation officer, I made it my personal policy, never to leave work as the holder of some significant confidential information -that was unknown to no one else in the employ of which ever probation/social service employer I worked for at that time. What I have reported maybe of no significance - but at least I have shared it though not as much of the nature of the "reasons of a personal nature" as was shared with me.

    I regret any melodrama

    Andrew Hatton

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is of course lack of information and being open that places suspicious thoughts in peoples minds in the first place. Somebody, somewhere, will always voice a thought thats on everyones mind wheather that thought is justified or not.

      Delete
  6. Question:
    Why would a a person in a 'senior possition of a prospective outsourcing company' appear to be more informed about the resignation of Mike Maiden then probation staff?
    I don't suggest any devious underhand going ons, but I am curious enough to ask the question.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do not know - but no one else contacted me -

      I actually did not expect it from anyone and am surprised that the employee of a privateer did. It does suggest that such an employee was them-self 'in the know' which seems inappropriate unless they have a personal relationship with someone who was rightly 'in the know' who shared the information.

      This is how conspiracy theories grow and spread.

      Andrew Hatton

      Delete
  7. Wow that cv puts Indiana Jones to shame. I was quite breathless after reading it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Unrelated but interesting article from the Austrailian press who are clearly focused on Sercos British problems. Serco are not very popular 'down under' either.

    http://m.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/serco-threatened-in-british-brawl/story-fnb64oi6-1226741272382

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh dear - it's that pesky Murdoch paywall in the way! I guess it's about the crap court interpreting service.

      Delete
  9. http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/oct/16/jail-population-spike-threatens-system

    At some point Chris Grayling will have to listen to someone and stop forging along with his ideological and ill thought out ideas. If you want to know something about a particular area- ask a local, their usually best equiped to know whats needed.

    ReplyDelete
  10. "But A4e (or their lobbyist) took advantage of the Lib Dem conference to get at Lord McNally, another minister, who agreed to a meeting. The civil servants were in a bit of a panic, and wanted to ensure that McNally was told exactly why it was a bad idea."

    http://watchinga4e.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/getting-ahead-of-game.html

    Andrew Hatton

    ReplyDelete
  11. On Now - Live Video - House of Lords debate

    QSD: Supervision of offenders by private & voluntary sectors Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames

    http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=13883

    Andrew Hatton

    ReplyDelete
  12. "Serial offenders

    Jeremy Beecham on the government’s ill-thought through plans for the probation service"

    - - - - - - - -

    "If Ministers press on with their ill-thought out plans it will be because they have decided to put ideology before criminology in an area where public safety should be paramount.

    Lord Jeremy Beecham is Shadow Justice Minister in the House of Lords

    Published 16th October 2013"

    http://www.labourlords.org.uk/serial-offenders

    Andrew Hatton

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chris-grayling-accused-of-having-no-regard-for-expert-views-after-uks-most-senior-judge-warns-against-proposed-legal-aid-cuts-8884091.html

      Delete
  13. Probation reforms 'unsuccessful if voluntry sector doesn't win bids'.

    http://m.thirdsector.co.uk/article/1216463/probation-reforms-will-unsuccessful-no-voluntary-organisations-win-contracts

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can't read the full article regarding probation and the voluntary sector, but it would appear that the third sector have realised that they have some power to weild in the TR fiasco. If we don't get contracts we wont engage. If we're so essential to your plans Mr Grayling then this is what we want....
      I guess they do have considerable leverage in all of this, perhaps a lot more then I've previously thought.

      Delete
  14. I felt so sorry for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - looked like his genitals were somehow at risk off screen, just in case he said "I can't read out any more of this crap" and left the House. Key messages from his script:
    1. probation will no longer be the poor relation to prison service
    2. er, but we're still going to demolish the existing system
    3. The much smaller than existing NPS will risk assess ALL cases in advance of allocation, despite the additonal workload of u.12 months cases
    4. er, but the slaughter is still going ahead
    5. if a case is sent back to NPS because of increase in risk, it stays with NPS - it does NOT get reallocated again
    6. er, its still going to happen & the CRCs will get paid
    7. staff terms & conditions will remain at the point of transfer on 31 March 2014; but no comment about 1 April 2014 onwards
    8. er, we're still going to do it, honest
    9. the 80/20 split isn't fixed and hasn't yet been thought out at all
    10. er, but we're still going to split you up somehow
    11. I agree with the concerns of my noble friends
    12. but, er, Mr Grayling's got my bits in vice under the desk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not quite the terms I would use but the sense of what he said is accurately described above by Anonymous on 16 October 2013 at 20:54

      As he sat down I Tweeted "Very poor from #Probation spokesman 4 Government - his answers frighten me at the level of ignorance in MOJ-keep campaigning"

      We will be able to watch it again on the link I gave above probably from tomorrow - the debate began just after 7.30 pm - which I estimate will be about 4 and a half hours in (If there are no breaks from the start at 3.05 pm.) Last time I tried to view again a debate, I was unable to fast forward so had to leave the ting running for quite some time.

      Probably better to read the transcript from Hansard tomorrow onwards - when I hope that this link will work or at least it takes you to the right web page from where the write up can be found on another link/tab

      I think the first or second speaker was: -

      Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames

      http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/hansard/lords/todays-lords-debates/#s1

      Andrew Hatton

      Delete
    2. As an old lag who remembers how the rules worked when your bits were in a vice operated by someone else, anon @ 20:54 sounds like he (or she) has got a real grasp of the situation - pardon the pun. Where do i sign up for some of this luvverly public dosh for old lags?

      Delete
    3. No dosh I'm affraid! Just Grayling offering you the oppertunity to step up and do your bit. Oh! It might help him out of a bit of a hole aswell.

      Delete
    4. not sure i want to go too near Grayling's hole - pardon the pun (is this becoming a catchphrase?). So its more about moral stuff than folding stuff? Maybe Grayling could apply that principle to his mates in the private sector - listen guys, you've made some big bucks, now its time to step up & do your bit. Think longer term guys - be cool, let the elctorate forget about your greedy fuck-ups, win us the next election, then you can have whatever you ask for. Like it - who do I invoice?

      anon@ 22:37

      Delete
  15. So (never a good way of opening a conversation unless you're a boffin on a R4 science programme) approx 60 mins or so debate in the Lords for the probation service; maybe 6 contributors at most?

    In many ways there was no point as the 2007 Bill is being used in any event; so (?!?) how much might it have cost to air a few bitchy comments & see the Noble Lord squirm?

    According to the HMG website:

    "Members of the House of Lords, who are not paid a salary, may claim a daily allowance of £300 (or may elect to claim a reduced daily allowance of £150) per sitting day - but only if they attend a sitting of the House and/or committee proceedings.
    Members of the Lords do not pay tax on their allowances.
    Some Members of the Lords receive a salary because of the offices they hold:
    * The Lord Speaker, the Chairman of Committees, and the Principal Deputy Chairman - paid from the House of Lords budget.
    • Government ministers - paid by the relevant Government departments.

    The reduced daily allowance of £150 may be claimed for each day of the formal programme of the visit. This may also be claimed when travelling to or from the meeting, up to a maximum of two additional days providing that the days claimed match the days covered by the travel arrangements recommended by the Committee Office."

    It could be 6 x £300 = £1800 ?

    Or perhaps 6 x £450 = £2700 ?

    Maybe it was worth £3K just to hear the reference to (uppercase) TOM being perhaps named in honour of Lord McNally? Sadly no mention of (lowercase) pam - perhaps that will happen in "another place"?

    ReplyDelete