The decision not to extend Harry Fletcher's temporary contract so that he can continue with the parliamentary campaign against TR must rank amongst the most astonishing decisions by Napo, and boy there have been plenty over the last few years.
I guess we will never find out what was in his 50 point 'Action Plan' effectively stifled at birth I'm led to believe by new Assistant General Secretary Dean Rogers. Anyway, I understand he's glad to be out of it, and I can't blame him given the shabby way he's been treated. What particularly astounds me in all this sad, sad affair is the seeming inability of the Chair and NEC to actually take cohesive decisions, direct policy and hold to account senior officials.
I've said it before and I say it again, things are utterly dysfunctional at the top in Napo, not quite as bad as the Co-op group or Police Federation, but not far off in my opinion. I've actually been biting my tongue on many matters for quite some time in the naive hope that the Chair would exercise some effective leadership, supported by an informed and effective NEC, but sadly it's beginning to look like an utterly forlorn hope.
Readers will be aware that I have consistently tried to offer support to the current Chair, arguing strongly that a vacuum at the top right now would not be wise, send completely the wrong message to the MoJ and hinder the fight against TR. However, there eventually comes a point when the inevitable has to be acknowledged and I can no longer see any earthly reason to have confidence in the current Chair. I understand they are at their wits end in any event and feel completely unable to exercise control. Lets just hope that who ever eventually picks up the reigns will have the bottle to take firm control of things and that they will be supported 100% by a strong NEC.
Meanwhile, this is the latest email from Napo HQ sent earlier today to all members:-
Dear Colleague
Campaigns and the importance of your contribution
There is less than a month until the split of Probation into the CRCs and the NPS. The government will be hoping that you will be too demoralised to keep fighting. What they want is a really easy ride in Parliament, because the government has had its fingers burned by various privatisations gone wrong. The bidding process nearly ground to a halt in Defence outsourcing and Court bailiffs because of successful parliament campaigns. The government has confirmed that it will not sell-off Probation unless it is ‘safe’ to do so. We know it is not safe and your emails to campaigns@napo.org.uk are providing us with the evidence we need to stop the sell-off.
MPs are asking for evidence that they can raise in parliament and we have had a lot of media interest. This relies on the information you have sent in. We are in the process of contacting members who have submitted information and we will use these to form individualised letters to MPs which can be sent on behalf of the branch.
We have a lot of supporters in parliament and they are essential to our campaign. Our job is to provide the information to them to be able to challenge the government and we have to detail every time TR causes a problem.
Your information enables us to
- Inform your local MP of what is happening in their area
- Draft parliamentary questions for MPs to raise in the House.
- Write detailed parliamentary briefings to go to all parliamentarians
- Produce weekly parliamentary bulletins detailing evidence of the TR process and its flaws
- Provide the media with direct examples of what is happening on the ground.
I will be reporting back to you each week by way of the campaign bulletins on Tuesdays and there will be a copy of the weekly parliamentary bulletin each Wednesday on the website that can be used in local campaigning - www.napo.org.uk
Tania Bassett, National Official Press, Parliament and Campaigns
Stop Press! - This has been posted a short time ago:-
I had a contract for 6 months that has not been renewed. The last 6 months have been frustrating. I devised a number of ways forward by and large they were not acted upon which is napos right. Napo is at a crisis point and the strategy of waiting or hoping that something will turn up will not work. I did not want a new contract unless there was support and real fight and action so I have moved on into other areas. Good luck to the rank and file it is you who must fight until the service is sold off!
Harry Fletcher
Stop Press! - This has been posted a short time ago:-
I had a contract for 6 months that has not been renewed. The last 6 months have been frustrating. I devised a number of ways forward by and large they were not acted upon which is napos right. Napo is at a crisis point and the strategy of waiting or hoping that something will turn up will not work. I did not want a new contract unless there was support and real fight and action so I have moved on into other areas. Good luck to the rank and file it is you who must fight until the service is sold off!
Harry Fletcher
Unbeliveable really. Confirms the reason I withheld my subs years ago. NAPO sadly are all but finished!
ReplyDeleteIn the midlands area we are already getting nauseating messages from upper management. All supposed to be on-boarding staff however it is smoke and mirrors until share sale which new companies can do what they want. Very Neville Chamberlain and paper in hand guarantees.
ReplyDeleteMore like waterboarding staff if the Coventry office is anything to go by.
DeleteTempted today to walk into the managers office, hand him my diary and tell him to sort things out as I was sodding off home and would bring my sick note in next week. Each and every night I cry at the sheer frustration and helplessness.
Ii know how you feel. I feel so physically sick every morning I can barely leave my house these days. I have so much to do, I can't bring myself to think about it or even write a to do list - I think I'd cry if I did! I also get the feeling that upper management either a) have no clue or b) don't care about the impact of TR on front line staff (and SPO's) as long as the work gets done no matter what.
DeleteMy GP has been brilliant and I'm not ashamed to say that the anti-depressants she prescribed are really helping. I've stopped crying, I'm sleeping better and I'm a bit less anxious. I'm still at work but only just. Stressed to pieces and just doing the very urgent life and limb stuff. It's truly awful.
DeleteGlad that yr GP has been supportive hope there are others who help.have you a local union rep you can talk to? hopefully your line manager is supportive too?
DeleteMy SPO is so demoralised that she offers no support. The office is drowning in despair and no one cares. The most exciting part of today was the SPO reading out the news that voluntary redundancies would be discussed soon. The room lit up, colleagues sat to attention, good news at last but sadly not for west Midlands where there will be no redundancies, YET! These are officers who are experienced and dedicated but now disheartened by a leadership that saw TR and saw promotion!
Deleteplease could you clarify this? Voluntary redundancies discussed soon? Exactly what was said to you please?
DeleteWhat a sorry state of affairs and it may be that we look back at this being the point we 'crossed the Rubicon'. I agree with much of what Jim says, their is now no confidence in the leadership of NAPO (but plenty in those at the coal face so to speak). Tom Rendon's actions speak louder than words, and I fear we have been sacrificed on a bonfire of another persons career.
ReplyDeleteWhat I have done, and encouraged at ;east one other person in my office to do, was to report my Trust to the HSE for the on going stress, failure to address it and failure to manage it. Others may wish to do the same, if not for their benefit then for their colleagues! The website is http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/concerns-faq.htm#raise.
Only by OFFICIALLY raising concerns about what is going on, to a statutory body, can we both expose the risks whilst firing a broadside against TR as well as showing future employers that we will not just take things lying down.
I leave it to your conscience to decide what to do.
Yes. The chair may not have got his p o to a c o promotion in a crc. But at least he secured his directorship of the p i. This guy is pretty shameless and quite nauseating.
ReplyDeleteI remember saying sometime ago that supporting the leadership of NAPO will not achieve anything. Neither will sending in emails to emails to campaigns@napo.org.uk do anything. we need to get to basics & that means sacking the flipin leadership.
ReplyDeleteTo replace with whom?! "sacking" the leadership is not as easy as you imply in the same way as it would not be easy to sack you unless you were found culpable of breaches of policy etc. To repudiate collection of evidence of where practice is going wrong is not helpful (even Harry advocates that).I am not ecstatic about all current Napo national leadership but the core problems for me arise from implementation of TR and highlighting those more important than the PI and who is a director right now.
DeleteSimply put, NAPO is useless and has been for some time. Jim, I'm glad you're helping all to see the wood through the trees. NAPO's primary battle has always been to save itself, rather than to beat TR. If has failed to protect and promote the interests of all members in the Probation Service. There is little point in remaining a member.
ReplyDeleteTom's position as a Director is tied to his being Napo Chair though as is the same for Ben Priestley of Unison. I understood that when either no longer hold their Union role they'd stand down as directors- it's a figurehead position.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous14 May 2014 21:53 - while you and NAPO work on these little things i.e. send in your emails as evidence!! Evidence for what exactly. Mark my words... Nothing will come of this because we have a sell out leadership. The strategy has failed miserably.
ReplyDeleteaw c'mon people... we got a shiny new Napo web page ;-)
ReplyDelete:-)
DeleteCan we please at the very least instigate a Vote of No Confidence petition in relation to Rendon & Co... Because it would at least make the memberships displeasure at the leadership clear to them. Obviously, I am not advocating removing the incumbent leadership because it would be counterproductive at this point in time. We must take action, and we must take it now. United we stand, divided we fall.
ReplyDeleteSaw first sentence recently under the new innovative process - significant MH, significant childhood abuse, current dv, NFA... the list goes on. Sentenced to a number of sessions of something or another... oh, and a mentor to help him 'with his plans'. No induction, no supervision, he forlornly asked me whether he was able to know my name... after all these years I wanted to cry because I know what he is going to miss out on.
ReplyDeleteSomething not quite right about this post ! Don't believe it to be true. Made up rubbish. if I'm wrong then please elaborate.
DeleteI did not post the above but yes it is true they have piloted this in West Yorks for 12 months and it is really dreadful and just masses people together as being cheaper to manage this way.
DeleteThank you 05:01. It is true and this man is still on my mind. Of course it sounds not quite right - it is wrong for many reasons but this is the shocking reality of what we have been trying to fight against.
DeleteThis is exactly what the Rehabilitation Activity Requirement provides for. The court sets the number of days activity; the provider later decides what's "necessary" (i.e. what they have available). The gap between sentencing and delivery of justice is getting ever wider, and more and more people are just becoming units to be processed, with little or no oversight.
DeleteMembers of Napo can propose a motion at their branch meetings. There are loads of rules about what members (retired, associate etc) can do what but basically you need a proposer and a seconder. It is not something that their officers can do for them so dont expect them to. Napo members can even bring an emergency motion if they have missed the deadline if it satisfies emergency motion criteria and simply hand this or email this to the chair before the meeting. Motions dont have to be long or eloquent but just ask the branch officers to do something realistic and legal. Be prepared to say a few words to support your motion again it doesnt have to be a long speech but you may want people to understand why you are bringing a motion and why they should support you. There is a vote and its either carried or not - simple. Surprisingly many union members spend a lot of time moaning about their union but never bring a motion to attempt to do something about it waiting no doubt for someone else to do it. Unions belong to members not leaders and officers etc
ReplyDeleteThis is not a negative process but all about accountability and transparency.
Support your local Napo branch as they are far closer to the membership. Many leaders at the centre have either little actual practice experience (or it was a long time ago) or have never worked in probation. They are usually career trade unionists who go from one union to another. Your local leadership are however likely to be probation practitioners who know whats what and what their members want. The centre need to listen to them rather than acting as some kind of elite executive.
ReplyDeleteBranches also need to invite Officers & Officisls to their areas- the O n O can't just swan in. Holding them to account and keeping staff up to date with current concerns can be much more meaningful than it is if members used their collective muscle.
ReplyDeleteI see from the Probation Staff Against Privatisation Facebook page that Napo GS Ian Lawrence will be attending Napo Greater London Branch meeting tomorrow - basically the biggest Napo meeting outside the annual AGM. I think they also have Sara Robinson, Deputy Director - London National Probation Service, and Nick Smart, Chief Executive of the London Community Rehabilitation Company attending to answer any questions. I guess if you are a Napo member in London you would be ill-advised not to attend if you want to hold others to account and want the heads upon what the future might hold from the horses mouth.
DeleteI understand numerous Trusts are gathering tomorrow to feast on the lukewarm, twitching remains of the Probation Service. Lets hope they choke as they gorge themselves.
ReplyDeleteIs there any news/leaks on the bidding process?
ReplyDeleteI heard yesterday that the MoJ position on bidders is, if there is only one bidder per area, that is a competition! I say bullshit.
DeleteAnother 2 bidders have dropped out in my area and one more looks shaky.
DeleteSuprise suprise there are only the big companies in most areas now, with a token representation of mutuals. It is these companies who will now submit multiple bids at lower cost and sweep up the services.There must have been some high level inducement to encourage them to bid in other areas but how do you prove it?
ReplyDeleteHow do you know who's left in the competition..is there a (new) published list somewhere, or is this just conjecture? There were only ever going to be big companies in this process because they need to stash away half the total contract value as cash as a contingency against failure...aint many little 'uns with £15M just laying about.
DeleteI'm NPS consequently, all court reports coming our way - well, with the exception of those out as flat rates to just about anyone who can use a telephone/video conferencing to interview for remanded reports, and who accepts the challenge and the fee. I am noticing even more issues with court teams and I know it is no their fault. Clients arriving before the paperwork, causing for them to be offerred a further appointment and causing a concertina effect in terms of the 2 a week, we are expected to do..and this number will rise once all the temps etc have gone - I get the impression the Trusts are spending all their residual revenue on this and in covering at Hostels and the like.
ReplyDeleteOur local Crown Court adjourned a group of men convicted of Affray for 3 weeks; and the paperwork sent to our local team for allocation; which they did. However, a small matter of one of them, being a serving soldier and after Court was sent to Kenya, where he'll remain until late June 2014. His mum rang to ask why a letter had gone out, in my name asking him to attend for interview next Wed? I suggested on this occasion, maybe a Home Visit (to Kenya) might be necessary - which she did find funny. Seems the Solicitor and his staff Sgt were in court and advised the Judge of this - seems we were not there and so, missed all the important stuff - like its not a 3 week adjournment. Oh I do worry about things- and this new term to me, which escapes me but is referred to in numerous e-mails about not having access to Delius from 28/5 - 2/6 (if it is restored - don't hold your breath) - this is to warn everyone that all reports needed in that period will have to be done, in advance, so as to give the impression to sentencers and MoJ (in case of recalls) that we actually know what we're doing and have sensible contingency plans in place....what a crock of shite!
Bidders, I fear the big boys will be calling the shots and funding the mutuals...or am I just being too sensitive to the issue?
Anyone else seen the new breach pack? So much more work... so little time.
ReplyDeleteNo but dreading this. Everything about more process, more forms, more bureaucracy, being treated like robots who will be dealing with robots. We are HUMAN for fucks sake. This is a fucking disgrace and doing my head in how being told it's all going so well, business as usual... please excuse my language am furious.
DeleteYes, its a complete mess. Going to be interesting on the 2nd of june.
ReplyDeleteJust about to experience Legacy Event - whole Trust in attendance, many guest speakers followed by buffet. Clearly there's nowt else to do - MPs get 18 days additional holiday, we get sandwiches.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why many people think that things will melt down post 31/05 as the NPS will use CRC reources to bolster themselves and people in the CRC will simply do sessional work and help their former colleagues out in any way they can. Every member of staff that goes the extra mile now is hammering a nail into the creaking coffin that is probation. Unfortunately the majority of staff just dont get industrial action at all and feel that loyalty to the offenders takes precedence over everything else including their future livelihood. The fact is everyone should work 9-5 and question every bit of work and start saying 'no' when asked to do work they are not contracted to do. The reality is people working long hours in a desperate bid to keep their jobs -it doesnt work and has never worked like that. I would like to spell out that if we play hard ball now and worry the bidders sufficiently then the chances of us remaining in the public sector (albeit split for a while) remain good. At present the bidders are only worried by a few activists that campaign against them and are surprised how passively accepting most staff in probation are. I heard one manager from Serco say recently that probation staff are more passive than their own staff when it comes to accepting anything that is done to them. So wake up before it is too late and we sleep walk into a nightmare. If we comply and go along with everything and bust our guts trying to make it work then we are kissing goodbye to our jobs 18 months to two years down the line and no doudt blaming the union for doing nothing etc The point is if you are in a union you are the union so get on and do something. Make a fuss, get a bit cross, refuse to be used and tossed in the bin. Some of those currently retiring from the senior management teams in Trusts know this and are getting out whilst the going is good and no doubt thinking 'so long suckers'. Bosses in the multinationals poised on the sidelines know this too and are watching with bemused interest how much resistance there is (not) and whether it is worth proceeding (in terms of potential reputational damage and coming under the spotlight) or not. Our job should therefore be to go to work and work our proper hours and then things really will fall apart because as we all know the service runs on 80% good will 18% making it up as we go and 2% being well led (as much as 2% you say). Start withdrawing the good will and working to your actual contract and then we might actually save the service carry on working crazy hours and wasting your life typing reams of pointless information that no one reads into soon to be scrapped computer programs and you will save nothing. START TODAY JOIN THE RESISTANCE
ReplyDeleteIt was a spirited post and in the present situation the notion of resistance resonates. The withdrawal of goodwill and working to contracted hour is part of Napo's current resistance – those T-shirts will be collector's items. But what we never get from from Napo is an evaluation of the impact of the actions it encourages. Is there evidence that working to hours is impacting? It is suggested that the majority of members shy away from any industrial action because they are devoted to service delivery, but I think the poor engagement is more about individuals not feeling themselves as part of a wider collective struggle that could make a difference. It is unsurprising to hear that bidders see probation staff as pliable and compliant – they are. And then there are others hoping and praying they can get a decent redundancy settlement. I think talk of resistance is howling at the moon. There isn't any and there won't be any.
DeleteYesterday, Harry Fletcher said: 'Napo is at a crisis point and the strategy of waiting or hoping that something will turn up will not work.' Maybe at some point in addition to writing to MPs, members will be asked to hold hands and wish really hard...
There is no plan at the national level. Napo has run out of ideas on resistance and in fact resistance was actually undermined when the chair sought a post with a CRC and they signed up to the probation institute. These examples of national 'resistance' feed into member's thoughts about the TR fight and this cynicism weakens what collective will there was to fight. Resistance is futile is not just opinion, it is evidenced by the facts on the ground. This blog post is entitled Turning Point, next stop Vanishing Point!
Which serco manager said this?
DeleteI heard one manager from Serco say recently that probation staff are more passive than their own staff when it comes to accepting anything that is done to them.
Anon 09:22
ReplyDeleteFantastic post I agree with every word. Are you connected with the "Action Group"
papa
Well said CRC staff are toast in 18 months time no matter what they do, you might as well fight rather than cover up the mess that is TR. Civil servants all know what a disaster it is and the only thing that is keeping it going is the staff. Its your call
ReplyDeleteanon 12:09
ReplyDeleteCRC will not be toast - the incoming companies need staff to keep things going, its not the type of job where anyone at the job centre will do. I would say NPS colleagues are more at risk - there are now 2 people doing the equivalent caseload of one person. PSOs are gravely in danger - in my LDU they are only doing Inductions; drr review courts and managing cases when their risk drops - I've worked in the same office for 5yrs and ive never received a case from a PO when the risk has dropped as they keep tighthold of them. Yes NPS PSOs are the ones to fear before CRC.
Erm, in my office pso's will be covering duty, delivering workbooks in groups, recalls (even tier 4s), breachs and seeing po's punters as the po's wont even be able to leave their computers to take a piss!
ReplyDeleteIn one Midlands Trust PSOs weren't even part of the sifting process. Even though they held large numbers of MAPPA cases, they were excluded entirely from the process. What's that all about?
DeleteYep,the scenario i have detailed is west mids.
DeleteI think I am in shock as I cannot believe this is really happening, it has been a horrific week with several staff members having meltdowns and 2 sick notes submitted for 4 weeks "work place stress"......
ReplyDeleteWe have been told that when the computer split happens all CRC cases will be unallocated on the system when we go in to work on 02 June, so all offender managers have to allocate their cases back to themselves on the system "it takes 6-9 minutes". Four colleagues (PSO grade) have over 90 cases each and one colleague who will be on leave has been told to do it when she gets back (12 June!). No admin support to do this, no financial help eg overtime for others to assist.
Meanwhile, case allocation is really problematic with cases rarely going to NPS. NPS LDUs are now swamped with full report requests and cases in parole process being transferred across. Staff working 10/11 hour days and going in at weekends and managers turning a blind eye "if we don't know, we are not responsible". Although to be fair some managers are talking about the strain of having to make staff take extra workloads because the reports/cases have to be allocated to someone.....
We really are at breaking point and I urge colleagues at all levels to remember that we all have a responsibility for our own health and well-being.
Your employer is LEGALLY AT THIS POINT THE PROBATION TRUST YOU WORK FOR and you have a duty to advise them if work is making you unwell, physically or mentally. DO NOT LET THEM CLAIM THEY DID NOT KNOW and REGISTER YOUR WELL-BEING AND SAFETY CONCERNS.
I got my new ID badge today. Just my name and photo. I could be the cleaner and who would know? Very telling in terms of future job descriptions in my view. At least whatever they decide to call me, I won't need a new ID badge.
ReplyDeletethat is because you are now a number. Destroying the word probation one step at a time. All the same makes it easy to justify getting rid.
Deletestep by step degrading of everything we are - is that we are desperate for our jobs - care for our offenders - or are just plain terrified of our management...
ReplyDeletehow did this happen to us?
I think that many of us cannot carry on, we will move onto pastures new, to be replaced by kids barely out of school on a fraction of our salary, and way out of their depth not too disimalar to hmp jokewood, where most of my colleagues refuse to visit as it is simply not a safe environment.
DeleteAnd it will continue at some point we will have to fight or become low paid work slaves. The logic of profit making in large corporations is a race to the bottom until one giant company has it all, this is modern fascism. Politics is about helping the corporations it aint democratic and it aint about helping the people. Look at Blair he earns millions form his mates in Wall Street. I was reading Tony Benn's last book today and he said that the American CIA had a contract out on him should he ever look like becoming leader of the Labour Party. We are victims of a very dirty political/economic game. This is why I disagree with the excellent NetNipper, we will be forced to fight in the end and history shows that we do. The gap between the rich and the rest of us is similar to that of the French Sun King and the French people prior to 1789.
ReplyDeleteRise up
I don't make the rules but if I did they'd favour me.
DeleteSeriously Ladies and Gents, take up corporate Zen and convince yourselves that what you are doing is for the greater good.
You know it makes sense.
This is beginning to get surreal, yes it is appalling but equating current society to pre revolutionary France!....seriously!
DeleteI see the management takeover of London Branch is in full swing.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe Guardian -
DeleteA letter signed by 37 senior social services figures and published in the Guardian says child protection is too important to be left to the 'fickleness and failings of the market.
The power to take children away from their families could be privatised along with other child protection services under controversial plans the government has quietly announced.
The proposal from Michael Gove's Department for Education (DfE) to permit the outsourcing of children's social services in England to companies such as G4S and Serco has alarmed experts. They say profit-making companies should not be in charge of such sensitive family matters, and warn that the introduction of the profit motive into child protection may distort the decision-making process.
A DfE consultation paper published last month argues that enabling local authorities to outsource children's social services will encourage innovation and improve outcomes for at-risk youngsters.
Private providers will allow authorities to "harness third-party expertise" and "stimulate new approaches to securing improvements" for safeguarding services outside "traditional hierarchies", the document says.
Professor Eileen Munro, whom Gove commissioned to carry out an independent review of child protection published in 2011, said establishing a market in child protection would create perverse incentives for private companies to either take more children into care or leave too many languishing with dangerous families.
"It's a bad idea," she told the Guardian. "It's the state's responsibility to protect people from maltreatment. It should not be delegated to a profit-making organisation."
Some 10,600 youngsters were subject to care applications to the family courts in 2013. Another 43,000 were on English council child protection registers in 2013, meaning they were monitored by social workers because they were considered to be at risk of neglect, or sexual, emotional or physical abuse. About 68,000 children were in the care system in England in 2013.
DeleteSeparately, a letter published in the Guardian today and signed by 37 senior social services academics led by professor Ray Jones, of Kingston University, warns that child protection is too important to be left to the "fickleness and failings" of the market.
They say: "England has one of the most successful child protection systems in the world. This is based on strong accountability, stability, continuity, good local partnership working across professionals and agencies, and with experienced and committed professionals and leadership. The intention that private sector organisations such as G4S, Serco, Atos and others should be able to run child protection services causes considerable concern."
The critics say the track record of big outsourcing companies such as G4S, which was fined for overcharging on a contract to tag offenders, and Serco, which manipulated results to meet targets on outsourced NHS family doctor services, shows the dangers of introducing the profit element into vital public services.
Kathy Evans, chief executive of Children England, which represents more than 100 children's charities, said although there was a need to explore new ways of improving child safeguarding services, profit-making firms were not the answer:
"Michael Gove must ensure that no commercial company and its shareholders should ever be able to make profit from public spending on child protection. Such an important public function must never be open to the real, or even perceived, risk of being done in the pursuit of profit."
Only adoption services – a personal priority for Gove, who was himself adopted – remain exempt from the proposals to introduce market forces into children's services. By law, councils can only delegate adoption services to non-profit-making registered adoption charities.
The consultation document suggests that private providers may not be required to register with Ofsted, although it is understood that all aspects of children's services in an area will be Ofsted-inspected no matter who delivers them. Local authorities will retain political accountability for the safety of children in their area.
Britain's biggest child protection charity, the NSPCC, said it was agnostic about who provided safeguarding services, saying the question was about "how good a service is at turning children's lives around". But Lisa Harker, its director of strategy, said it was "still looking at the detail to see if there are sufficient checks and balances around service quality".
At present, new child protection providers can only be drafted in at the direction of the secretary of state in the context of a major safeguarding failure, such as seen in Doncaster and Birmingham in recent years. This, the DfE argues, is illogical and prevents local authorities from adopting innovative new approaches.
But Munro, one of the most respected voices in the child protection world, said there were already many examples of local authority services delivering innovative improvements to services. There was a danger that outsourcing to companies with no experience in delivering child protection would undermine existing local partnership arrangements.
She said: "A private sector company with an eye on the money will not pull its weight in the 'working together between agencies' aspect. That rests on goodwill."
This will happen both the Tories and and labour are committed to neo-liberal policies; privatisation of the state and a rampant free market.
ReplyDeleteCorporations rule they are in and out of number 10 each and every day. The big corporations are writing government policy. Earnst and Young, Capita etc. are at the heart of government. This is not a democratic society, its an oligopoly and as I have said before Probation it just one of the victims of this system. Thomas Pikertty has written a book setting out 300 years of who owns the wealth in society. We are now at 1900 levels of inequality and going down fast. We will understand better when our wages are cut by a third a couple of years down the line. Serco, G4S and the like are becoming a Shadow State.
Thomas Piketty " Capital in the 21st century"
papa
I wonder if the decision to privatise the security at the Palace of Westminster, is the final straw....as I am sure a modern day Guy Fawkes, if he rolled up in panto attire, might just get through private security, to put an end to all this misery! This is not to encourage such behaviour - obviously.
ReplyDeleteNot going to look quite the same is it? Instead of a constable in dress uniform and white gloves walking the hallowed corridors and shouting 'hats off strangers' as the Speaker processes - are we really going to have G4S uniforms for tourists to gawp at? Surely not?
DeleteAusterity - the perfect storm. Reduce funding for public services, rubbish and vilify them for poor performance, bring in privatisation to 'save the day'. Oh, and by the by lets make a few £squillion while we're at it. The true extent of share ownership is safely hidden from public view so no-one will know how much profiteering goes on. And by the time the real shit hits the big fan, the architects of the new circles of hell will be sitting smug in their castles, drawbridge raised, blissfully unaware of the carnage outside.
ReplyDeleteGuido, where are you now?
Marvelous post on NAPO site at present which I lack the skills and temerity to reproduce,Structures are resulting in conflict. Remember Zimbardo- However close we may be to friends we have worked with for years the structures produce he conflict, Can we challenge this?
ReplyDeleteby tutudesigner » Sat May 17, 2014 1:47 pm
DeleteAs a manager assigned to NPS and covering CRC in the absence of any CRC Managers until 31/05/14, I have seen first hand the impact of TR on both sides of the fence. In CRC Offender Managers are worn out with high caseloads increasing by the day, multiple duties, covering staff who are off sick with stress and cases coming through at a rate of knots not previously seen, as well as dealing with those ‘on the cusp’ serious domestic violence perpetrators. Administration staff appear as stressed in CRC however with less contact with Offenders for Prem1 Screening, Basic Skills Screening, contact with Court allocating PSRs/FDRs, breach etc it’s less clear why?
By contrast in NPS we have Trainees being assigned to the Court, receiving less learning opportunities to fully capitalise on their training and being treated differently to other Trainees across the county and the region, when they are in the office they are having to complete out of area FDRs. Qualified Offender Managers appear to be taking the transition slightly better, apart from those that have been moved backwards and forwards through the uncertainty before being confirmed in NPS. There is an increase in reports however there is a loss in those DV perpetrators previously mentioned, overall there appears to be more resilience in this area, however hindered by the lack of NPS admin staff to support them.
Personally I find the TR process a ‘tragedy of errors’, the ‘artificial split’ as well as ‘physical split’ within the building has brought nothing but division and it is heart breaking to see the impact it is having on personal relations. Covering for both sides, I have had to approach Admin Staff in CRC to assist with Recall process, as I approached colleagues I have worked with for up to 15 years and highly respected, some dare not look me in the eye, their Manager Support Services has told them not to assist. They are caught in the middle, fearing for their jobs. Having personally experienced this exclusion and segregation in a service that has been proud of its values around respect, dignity and integrity, this has now gone out of the window. I felt like I had scabies in terms of the avoidance tactics used by some staff. I had to instruct a Manager and staff to do the task in hand and was prepared to go to a Grievance/Disciplinary over the issue of keeping our community safe due to the impact this enforced ‘artificial split’ has caused. I don’t blame my colleagues; I am just saddened by it all. In terms of the grief process I can see I am moving to acceptance as 01/06/14 can’t come quick enough. I still continue to blog, lobby and raise the issue to whoever will listen, however have personally experienced this exclusion and segregation I have now moved to survival mode.
Grayling will go down in political history as an expenses cheat, someone who failed at the Work Programme and as the Tory ‘attack dog’ who came up to Thatcher’s expectations. Thatcher destroyed the Mining Industry, Grayling destroyed the Justice System. I recall the days of the Miner’s strike, daily broadcasts, this was recently reflected on in a TV documentary at the 30 year anniversary; communities, families and friends torn apart. I could never have imagined a ‘quintessential’ musical of the decade; ‘Billy Elliot’ could have been such a success out of something so horrendous. The mining industry may have had its day (I’m not qualified to comment on this) however the Justice system is pivotal to community cohesion.
Another musical could be in the making, ‘don’t get carried away’ I hear you say, Grayling could be portrayed as Mr Bumble from ‘Oliver’, although ‘preaching morality, he behaves without compassion’. In addition, Fagan’s culpable behaviour training up his apprentices, the Artful Dodger and his friends, reminds me how G4S, Serco, Sedexo, Capital, Amey are recruiting ready to pounce on every opportunity, in the way that ‘Oliver’ highlighted the ineffective social policy of Dicken’s day, Grayling is highlighting how social policy can be exploited to benefit the ‘fat cats’ of these multi national empires. The increase in zero hours contracts with these companies, leave me thinking the days of the Workhouse may returning.
DeleteI recall up to 3 years ago voicing my concerns around the tactics of some of our supposed ‘partners’, bidding for drug and alcohol work and not having a building to carry out their work. Squatting in Probation to see our clients, almost abducting them at court and then hijacking our induction appointments, staff at times were confused wondering if this was how it should be? Our clients had £ notes on their heads and this was happening in front of us and was being encouraged. I raised this a number of times to be viewed as either hysterical or paranoid, I remain firm the ‘vultures were circling overhead’. Probation was their prey and they are now sitting back waiting to see what the ‘pickings’ are going to be worth? NAPO on the other hand have allowed this to happen, distractions with employment issues previously discussed, lack of presence by Press Officer (recent note about Sky a little too late) and the recent decision around Harry Fletcher indicates General secretary and Chair running scared. The AGM could prove interesting, if the last Special Meeting at Birmingham is anything to go by. NAPO and Unison have effectively colluded with Grayling’s new world in the form of the Probation Institute which is highlighted in this Forum ie ‘The Probation Institute - Why I wont be joining!’ need I say more? When will there by full accountability by the Secretary and Chair for the catastrophic outcome of the Probation Service on all our paid up members, you never know we may be due a refund? I now wonder if the lack of Press presence was a tactic used by Napo to avoid any scrutiny at a time when Employment relations/payoffs etc could have come to light, in the way the culture of the Police Federation/Co-Operative is now coming under the spotlight. With 14 days to go to the end of Probation and with parliament closed a week early as they have nothing further to discuss, the future ‘shadow state’ is well and truly mapped out and sadly Social Care and NHS are next.
tutudesigner
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2012 7:51 pm
Top
There is a perverse ideological agenda at play. Does this story sound familiar?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/may/16/privatise-child-protection-services-department-for-education-proposes
Anon at 17 May 2014 08:23 has already raised the above point so thank you.
DeleteIt is my heartfelt view that the Tory party will privatise the public sector completely, all but in name and all they need to achieve this objective is another term in office. Please do not let that happen! The state of current affairs has led to me being prescribed anti-depressants!
ReplyDeleteIf Scotland achieves independence, then sadly the Conservatives will have free reign at Westminster! We need to turn the electoral map red and not blue.
Just remember comrades that all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for a few good men to do nothing...
Artificial property prices, extortionate rents, zero hours contracts, pay freezes, the breaking up of cohesive professions into 'us' and 'them', soaring food and energy bills, the destitution of those thrown off benifit support, the dumbing down of news, (Gary Barlow eg) these fascists have ensured the creation of conditions whereby good men and women are exhausted and fearful and simply do not know where they can turn - least of all self-serving unions who have been quite happy to feed off their hard earned cash.
ReplyDeleteLabour call for inquiry after 'shocking' Serco allegations
DeleteYvette Cooper, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, asked the Government to instigate a joint inquiry of Serco operations following claims in the Guardian that abuse had not been taken seriously at the Yarl's Wood Immigration removal centre.These are shocking allegations of a despicable nature.We asked the Government to instigate a joint inquiry of Serco operations by the prisons and borders inspectors over 2 months ago. That action is now unavoidable and the Government must accept our case and hold that inquiry.The Home Secretary has refused access to Yarl's Wood by international inspectors from the UN and has so far refused to properly investigate a series of allegations at Yarl's Wood. That isn't right.Immigration rules must be enforced, but they must be enforced in a humane way that upholds the values of our society. These allegations raise serious concerns that our system is failing to uphold those values.
Take note of serco's non existent victim empathy and judgemental assumption of alleged perpetrator's innocence - bodes well for future of probation.
DeleteStatistics obtained by the Daily Star Sunday showed there were 169 sexual assaults in 2013 compared to 113 in 2012.Prison officers’ leaders warned that inmates believed they could get away with such crimes behind bars.There were 136 prisoner-on-prisoner sex attacks last year and 12 warders were targeted in vile assaults.Female teachers working in jails were also attacked, with figures detailing 11 “prisoner on other” incidents.Glyn Travis, assistant secretary of the Prison Officers Association (POA), said the statistics reflected the attackers’ lack of fear.He said: “The POA is concerned but not surprised that there was a 50% increase in sexual assaults during 2013.“The rise in violent incidents is as a result of staff cuts and the failure of management, the police and Crown Prosecution Service to prosecute prisoners through the courts.“Prisoners no longer fear the consequences of their actions.”At Rye Hill jail in Warwickshire, run by private firm G4S, police were called after an inmate was targeted.A security document stated: “A prisoner reported to staff that he had been touched during the night by another one. The other prisoner admitted to staff that the incident had taken place and was relocated to the care and separation unit.”“Prisoners no longer fear the consequences of their actions”Glyn TravisAt Peterborough jail, a category B prison run by Sodexo, a female teacher was attacked.A document stated: “The police were called and will investigate.”And a prisoner claimed three men assaulted him in his cell at Wakefield jail – dubbed Monster Mansion.The category A prison in West Yorkshire is home to beasts such as Levi Bellfield, who killed schoolgirl Milly Dowler.A report stated: “A prisoner alleged to staff that he had been sexually assaulted by three prisoners in his single cell.”The figures also included ten sex attacks classified as “other” with no further details.A Prison Service spokesman said: “We do not tolerate assaults of any kind in prison and take any instance extremely seriously.“Swift and robust action is taken against perpetrators of sexual assaults, including referring to the police for prosecution.“Overall assaults in prison have reduced but we are not complacent. We are comprehensively reviewing how we manage assaults in prisons to introduce further improvements to ensure prisons are safer places for everyone.”"" style="-webkit-box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; vertical-align: bottom; ">Facebook1Twitter2Google+MORE STORIES
DeleteThis Government and it's complicit civil servants are guilty of the most appalling negligence in not only addressing these issues but in knowingly allowing the conditions in which they occur to develop. Like Probation, they were warned and continued nevertheless.
ReplyDeleteIt not as simple as "this Government" all governments in the West have accepted the logic of privatisation. The mantra is open all to the market the market knows best but the reality is that with late capitalism in each sector you have fewer but bigger corporations. The corporations have immense power, they control the media, the unions and the politicians they control what we think. Probation is waking up because we have been "done over" we are direct victims of the scam. We know know what's going on but we are powerless to stop it. Youtube Serco and see how powerful and corrupt they are, there is a club of the 1% and we aint in it; really we are in a similar place to those we work with.
ReplyDeletepapa
Sad but true. We are completely powerless. One by one all areas will be outsourced and de-professionalized. We are not alone and there are many others on the 'hit' list praying it doesn't happen to them. I strongly believe the government and the general public will live to regret this obsession with outsourcing but only after a great deal of misery and pain. You cannot argue against the fact that it is fundamentally wrong to make a 'profit' out of this kind of work and opens the door to all sorts of corruption and bribery from the bottom up to the very top. Queue scandal after scandal....
DeleteAnyone heard anything from NAPO - or are they all on holiday?
ReplyDeleteThey are focusing on very important matters like the new website.
ReplyDeleteWhere is Jim? Never mind bloody NAPO.
ReplyDeleteJim has been working his socks off, if he needs a breather, its ok. The comments can step in for a bit with any news heard. I think the current one is the tories/libdems selling off social services. All public services must be sold off. Talk about a mass corruption and the general public doesnt really care despite all the dangerous f**k ups and fraud.
ReplyDeleteI'm here reading, thinking and plotting, but sadly there's not a lot to be said right now that hasn't been covered many times already. I'll post just as soon as I hear something - meanwhile keep trawling the airwaves for news everyone.
ReplyDeleteI can see child protection services holding the line firmly with any suggestion of privatisation. I suspect the Gov are simply testing out the water.
ReplyDeleteWith the creation of Family Solutions brought through the Troubled Families agenda, this is privatisation through the back door, PbR is already in place for this Tier 3 agency.
ReplyDeleteFamily Solutions (UK) was set up in April 2008 in association with Freelance Social Work Services Ltd (est. 2000).
DeleteFamily Solutions (UK) offers a range of high quality services to promote the welfare and development of families, children and young people in need or at risk.
By providing a reliable and flexible service, we assist with the requirements of local authorities and other referring agencies or individuals.
All of our staff hold Enhanced CRB checks, participate in regular supervision and have the necessary training, experience and skills to deliver our services to the highest standard.
Family Solutions (UK) works to promote an environment of fairness and diversity for customers, employees and professionals.
Supervised Contact
DeleteProviding children with safe and beneficial contact with parents, siblings and other family members in accordance with the requirements of a court order or care plan.
Outreach & Short Breaks
Providing support to parents and carers who are finding it difficult to manage on their own.
Escorting
A service to transport children to and from appointments, collecting them from their carer or school, as appropriate. We provide cars and drivers that are fully insured and equipped with appropriate safety seating for children.
Play Therapy
Play Therapy helps children understand muddled feelings and upsetting events they haven't resolved across a 12-week programme.
Youth Offending Support Services
We have staff available to provide professional services (such as Pre-Sentence Reports or court attendance) and administrative support to Youth Offending Teams.
Semi-Independent Living
Aimed at young people aged 16-18 who may be in need or at risk. A key-worker is assigned and the young person is supported to work through a programme to develop their independent living skills.
Child Protection
We have staff available to make announced or unannounced home visits at any time, reporting on any concerns/issues as required.
Room Hire
We have a selection of fully furnished and equipped rooms available for hire; ideal for professionals meetings and case reviews.
Filial Play Coaching
A new approach for improving relationships between parents/carers and their children. Suitable for children aged 18 months to 15 years with mild emotional or behavioural problems.
Parenting Programme
The service takes a preventative approach to developing the skills of parents/carers to empower them to deal with the difficult and challenging behaviour of children of all ages.
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/a-civilised-country-doesnt-bang-up-asylumseekers-9392699.html
ReplyDeleteFor me, the most upsetting domestic news this weekend was the alleged sexual assault of a female inmate in Yarl’s Wood immigration detention centre. A 29-year-old Pakistani woman claims she was molested three times by a member of staff.
DeleteThe place is run by Serco, a giant private conglomerate that builds and runs penal complexes which hold those who say they fear victimisation in their own countries.
A high number of applicants fail to get the right to stay and are returned by the authorities to unknown futures in their homelands. Now a confidential internal report by Serco, made public after months of legal wrangles, shows that inmates have been disbelieved when they complained about unacceptable treatment and that transgressions were effectively kept from the media.
Keith Vaz, chair of the home affairs select committee, says the committee will summon and question the senior Serco management. Why now and not before?
There have been serious complaints about racism, violence and abuse by staff at other such human warehouses. This has been going on for years and the inmates now have to be heard. Currently, around 3,000 people are held and most Britons don’t know who they are or how they are kept. And don’t want to either.
I have seen children in similar centres, and heard creditable reports of self-harming and hunger strikes. In March this year, on Mothering Sunday, 40-year-old Christine Case from Jamaica died of a heart attack in Yarl’s Wood.
An inquest is looking into the causes. Her friend, another detainee, said: “We feel very unsafe and frightened, as if no one cares about what happens.”
Men and women who flee to us for help, trying to find a way to live and not die or be tortured or raped, end up being held and further brutalised in our civilised country. And no one cares because, well, they are “lying bloody foreigners”, the three words most used by readers who write in when I defend incomers and refuge seekers.
OK, so what of true British prisoners? Do those on the outside empathise with them, mostly kith and kin, after all? Alas, no. The country seems to have become more punitive and spiteful, possibly irreversibly right-wing.
I recently went to the Clink, a restaurant in Brixton Prison where convicts make and serve fine food. One of the backers, Kevin McGrath, a successful entrepreneur, said re-offending rates for those who got this experience was around eight per cent, compared with the national rate of 48 per cent.
The International Centre for Prison Studies publishes figures of prisoners per 100,000 people in the population. Britain bangs up more people than do China, Kenya and Nigeria. Maybe in those countries they have other forms of savage punishments but, even so, our figures – now nearly 85,000 – reveal a proclivity and an appetite for retribution and little mercy.
We've been well & truly fucked over by those who subscribe to or who have otherwise facilitated the neo-liberal, con-dem view of the world. Its hard to maintain a sense of propriety or integrity when confronted by smug scumbags who have lied, cheated and demonstrably profited from their deceitful behaviours. Its tempting to join in the game, to grab a share of the loot, to say "fuck it, why not?".
ReplyDeleteAnd then something nibbles at the root of my brain - conscience. It reminds me of past misdemeanours, of past mistakes, of a previous life when I tried to capitalise on capitalism, tried to run with the pack. I'm not built like that.
I thought I'd escaped that bullshit, but now they're determined to spread it far and wide, silage for the people. I think its time they were made to realise they're out of order. People need high quality professional services to ensure they are safe and well and secure and have opportunity to effect change for themselves and those around them. Such provision cannot come from providers who are inherently abusive by design, e.g. Greedy shareholders, egomaniacal management, psychopathic enablers (MPs).
The disaster is yet to come... Perhaps if the victim/s is/are directly linked to those promoting this bullshit, and the paucity of service provision is evident because G4S or Serco or Atoz or Sodexo had cut corners... perhaps that is the point when views will change?
Ooops...
ReplyDeleteA search is under way after a convicted murderer and a robber absconded while out on day release from prison.
It is the third time Arnold Pickering, 44, from Greater Manchester, has gone on the run. He was jailed for life in 1991 after killing a man in Oldham.
He and another inmate, Thomas Moffett, 51, from Blackburn, convicted of a number of robberies, failed to return to HMP Kennet on Saturday afternoon.
People are urged not to approach them.
Pickering last absconded in December 2009 when he was let out on day release from HMP Kirkham to take part in a Prison Service project in which prisoners emptied bins for Manchester City Council.
In that case he handed himself in four days later in Motherwell, Scotland.
Pickering also previously escaped from Strangeways in Manchester before he went on to stab a man to death in Oldham in 1990. He was given a life sentence and ordered to serve a minimum of 18 years.
Merseyside Police said they believed both men could be in the Southport area.
Swastika tattoos
The force said both men left the Category C prison in Maghull at about 09:00 BST on Saturday on day release and had been due back at 16:30 BST.
It said the men's disappearance was reported to Merseyside Police at about 19:00 BST the same day and officers had since been "carrying out extensive inquiries" to find them.
A police spokesman said the two men had been deemed suitable for temporary release on licence by the Home Office, but urged anyone who saw them to call officers.
Police are also appealing to anyone with any information on either of the prisoners' whereabouts to call Merseyside Police on 0151 777 3803 or 0151 777 3891, or via 101.
Moffett, who is serving an indeterminate sentence for the robberies, is described as being about 5ft 10in tall, of medium build and with blue eyes. He has a scar on his right knee and tattoos of swastikas on his arms.
Pickering, originally from Chadderton, is described as being about 5ft 11in tall, also of medium build and with blue eyes. He has tattoos on his arms and chest.
The disappearances come weeks after Michael Wheatley, 55, known as the "Skull Cracker" was charged with carrying out an armed robbery after allegedly going on the run from an open prison in Kent.
My reference #Privatisation by the back door can be researched to Family Solutions and PbR can be explained 'Essex Partners support the Payment By Results (PbR) ........In contrast to the ethos of Family Solutions programme ...' http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmcomloc/163/163we07.htm
ReplyDeleteI think its time for the monopoly commission to start making some noise about this outsourcing . Its all getting far too incestuous.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thelawyer.com/capita-cashes-in-as-treasury-solicitor-spends-23m-on-interim-lawyers-during-overhaul/3020622.article
The Treasury Solicitor’s department (TSol) spent £2.3m on outsourcing provider Capita between January and March 2014, figures disclosed to The Lawyer reveal.
ReplyDeleteThe Government’s in-house legal arm, which handles around 36,400 disputes a year, spent £872,000 on temporary legal staff with Capita Resourcing in January, a figure that dropped to £858,000 in February and £596,000 in March.
Nearly all of the agency staff were 'grade 7' lawyers - those with three or more years of post-qualification experience (PQE) - and on a pro rata salary of between £47,557 to £57,018.
Of the 86 temporary lawyers working for TSoL in March 2014, 74 worked in TSoL's litigation group, of which 52 were dealing with immigration casework. A further eight were advising on employment issues, while three were posted in TSol's advisory teams.
A spokesperson for TSol said that the merging of Government legal departments had led to an increased demand for temporary staff as they looked to fill 70 vacancies. By October 2014, TSol will have absorbed legal teams for most of Whitehall, expanding its organisation to over 1,700 employees and 1,300 lawyers.
In the last 12 months, this process has included the transfer of 345 lawyers - including 165 from HMRC's employment division, the Department for Work & Pensions and the Department of Health. In April, 180 moved over from the Ministry of Justice, Home Office and the Department of Communities & Local Government.
Further mergers are expected in the summer, with TSol likely to swallow another 140 lawyers from the Department for Transport and the Department for Work & Pensions.
A TSol spokesperson said: "We have increased our legal staff as a result of increased demand for our litigation and employment services and the sharing legal services programme which has resulted in a transfer of in-house legal teams to TSol from other Government departments."
As well as the £2.3m billed on temporary staff during January to March, TSol also spent £2.4m on external legal advisers and other professional services during this period. Public records show that these include a total spend of £549,960 on external legal fees during the month of January, with a bill of £77,665 to Field Fisher Waterhouse and £43,259 to Allen & Overy.
DeleteIt is not known if Capita Resourcing, the recruitment arm of FTSE 100 giant Capita, will have to rebid for work following the merging of the Government legal departments. It is one of the Government's four main outsourcing suppliers, most recently winning a lucrative £400m contract to manage the Ministry of Defence's (MoD) estate.
Outsourcing giants have been running much of Britain since the Thatcherite privatisations of the 1980s. The London Fire Brigade now outsources its 999 calls to Capita, while Serco has contracts involving British prisons, speed cameras, Ofsted, the armed forces, the UK Border Agency, the Docklands Light Railway and even London’s ‘Boris bikes’ scheme.
Capita is now also entering the legal market, after the SRA granted volume outfit Optima Legal Services an ABS licence ahead of its takeover by the UK outsourcer (7 May 2014). The move could see the business on a collision course with cash-strapped local authority legal teams being pushed towards privatisation (24 March 2014).
Figures disclosed to The Lawyer show that the MoD increased its spend on external lawyers to £10m in 2012/13, from £3m a year earlier (6 May 2014). The figures also reveal that total legal spend for the government department rose 12 per cent, from £25m to £28m, during the last year, although that includes expenditure with TSol.
I hear Grayling will be on BBC this morning. I expect Napo will be there too...
ReplyDeleteThis is going to be a bad week for Grayling. Maybe his last at the MoJ.
DeleteHopefully, but im sure the condems will put someone just as bad in post.
ReplyDeleteWhy the hell aren't Napo on the airwaves with Grayling? You need to be contactable as press officer and in London more than 3 days a week at most. Unfortunately, Grayling sounded eminently reasonable as usual, but Erwin James did well.
ReplyDeleteWe need you on the tv and airwaves Joanna - I feel another freelance press release is becoming necessary........
Deletehttps://uk.finance.yahoo.com/video/justice-secretary-chris-grayling-pickering-072503092.html
DeleteWell said Joanna.
DeleteBrian.
Politics is a cesspit, outsource companies and the four big accountancy firms are part of government they advise it on a daily basis and help write legislation they will benefit from. All of the main political parties are part of this dirty game. From what I can see only the Greens and Left Unity would take on the the likes of Serco and G4S.
ReplyDeleteI'm a boomer like Jim I can leave tomorrow go rambling and bird watching.Yes I'm one of the lucky ones and until last year I have never been a member of a political party but that's all changed now I have been radicalised by this omnishambles and the way the rich and powerful treat the rest of us. I staying put for the moment working from within with the phone number of wikileaks by my side.
We can organise on the net look at the rise of 38 Degrees and the fine work they do. I have little faith in unions they need to be democratised and power given to an active membership. When we join a union in the future we should be prepared to work for it in the workplace and not simply see it as a form of insurance to fall back on during hard times. We should manage our work too because we can now see that most manager are lackeys or in it for themselves. I like the cooperative model were leadership and power is rotated so that it cannot corrupt but this means we all get stuck in and pull our weight. The people at the top and can not stay there for more than three years then others have their turn and we all get paid within a close range. Yes we need to democratise the workplace as well as society. You might say its pie in the sky but what's the alternative?
papa
More evidence of Graylings reforms and cut backs destroying the CJS.
DeleteI think this case is one that will be difficult to arguee against.
Won't be released until you're rehabilitated? Then provide the methods and processes of rehabilitation surely?
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/may/19/prisoners-challenge-indeterminate-sentences-supreme-court
Looking at the NPS website the 'LIE' sits there bold as brass.....the govt undertook TR because reoffending rates were too high. .....this is the measure of in effectiveness of our opposition. In 18 months we haven't nailed this one untruth, the basis of the whole TR shambles. We should concentrate on the 'LIE' repeat it until we are blue in the face, Facebook it twitter it and repeat it ad naseum..........one message, one thing to say, And point at the LIAR......
ReplyDeleteOutsourcers win high-value deals
DeleteBy Gill PlimmerThe largest UK government contract awarded so far this year went to Serco, even though the outsourcer is still under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office for alleged overcharging, according to a study by Arvato, a business processing company.The £520m deal to continue operating the Northern Rail franchise, which runs throughout the north of England and Midlands until 2016, was awarded in March to Serco in partnership with Dutch rail operator Abellio.Capita also emerged as a winner of high-value government contracts, picking up the second, third and fourth biggest deals by value. It won the £400m contract to run military bases across the country, as well as the London congestion charge scheme and a deal to improve broadband services in Scotland.The deals underline both the speed at which the coalition is pressing ahead with plans to outsource more services and the government’s reliance on a small number of big companies.The overall value of public sector outsourcing contracts increased 168 per cent in the first three months of the year, compared with the same period in 2013, the quarterly index by Arvato found.In almost a third – 30 per cent – of the deals, the services were being outsourced for the first time, representing new work for businesses, rather than contract renewals or work transferring between private sector providers.Debra Maxwell, managing director of Arvato, said the growth in public sector work – from probation services worth £500m a year, to defence, prison and health contracts – “suggests that outsourcing remains a key strategy to reduce costs while protecting front-line services”.However, some question the government’s ability to manage complex, sensitive contracts after a number of high profile failures. These include the scrapping of the West Coast railway franchise because of numerical errors, and the referral of G4S and Serco to the Serious Fraud Office over alleged overcharging on electronic monitoring contracts.Both Serco and G4S were temporarily banned from winning new government work in the wake of the tagging scandal, but the government continues to rely on these companies, as well as two other big outsourcers Atos and Capita.According to a National Audit Office report, the four big companies are the public sector’s biggest suppliers, holding contracts worth £6.6bn last year, ranging from running prisons to training RAF pilots.Although the public accounts committee has urged the government to use a wider range of companies, the latest deals suggest the ‘big four’ are not facing any threat to their position.G4S, recently won the largest number of contracts to supply community service work for the long-term unemployed for the Department of Work and Pensions. Atos is delivering the new assessment tests for the disabled.Aggressive outsourcing began under the Labour government of Tony Blair from the late 1990s. But handing more government services to the private sector has also been at the heart of the coalition’s plans since it came to power in 2010.David Cameron, prime minister, has declared that he wants to “release the grip of state control” on public services and open them to the private and voluntary sector.Arvato is a global business processing outsourcing employing 63,000 people in almost 40 countries worldwide. It has annual revenues of €4.4bn contributing over a quarter of the Bertelsmann group annual revenues of over €16.4bn. It won a seven-year contract providing back-office services to government departments including the Department for Transport last year.
Related companies
Serco Group PLCBack to United Kingdom
.redpepper.org.uk/interview-with-former-yarls-wood-detainee-and-asylum-seeker-aderonke-apata/
DeleteThe link above is about YARL'S WOOD detainee Aderouke Apata. She is a gay human rights activist she talks about her brutal dehumanising treatment in this video.
People are treated as commodities to be processed, this is probations future. There is a petition to be signed to keep Apata in the UK.
papa