Bleak Futures Week 3

The CRC primes will, if they can, push the accommodation issue down the line to their voluntary and CIC 'partners'. It's going to be a huge headache for them, though it may prove advantageous to some dodgy letting agent that has a number of 'hard to let' properties to rent on their books. I really do think accommodation is a massive issue that probation's new 'private landlords' have paid little attention to. They are are soon to discover it's going to cost them a lot more then they catered for when submitting their original bid.

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A factor not mentioned much is that most will not be eligible for full housing benefit and will have to pay top up rent from their £46. And the fine that the Courts now have to impose even on custodial cases. Purple Futures et al have one massive shock for them come the latter part of this year and I just hope they have deep pockets because if anyone thinks there is money to be made they are in for a huge shock.

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That's a very good point, many wont get full housing benefit. Universal Credit is also becoming a big barrier, with many private landlords refusing to let because benefits are being paid to the tenant and not straight to the landlord. I have much sympathy for all the 'victims' that TR has made and is going to make in the future. But I really can't wait for the day the penny drops for the privateers that are prepared to trade with human beings as commodities, when they realise just exactly what they've bought.

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Re accommodation expectations/targets, I was wondering if BASS Stonham would be stepping up for this target. They already have 200 properties and I would imagine the certainty of income for newly released offenders (remember they do not take high riskers so fit the CRC probation for profit model) and government need would persuade them to buy more. Look, if the target for Through The Gate is to accommodate upon release, perhaps all they would have to do is provide that first night and the target is met.

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200 properties would be enough for my area. However, there are 22 other CPA's and unless Wonga reduce their interest rates I cannot see the banks funding what would be a completely unknown and probably a high risk strategy. You might have something with your second point as Shelter have form for this. Sorry, that should read 'a business plan'. TBH I think the whole 'met at the gates' thing will go West. In my area we cannot even recruit people for TTG so from the very off this part of the 'Rehabilitation Revolution' is fucked into a cocked hat.

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We were notified last week of a new Complaints Procedure for CRC. All now have to be logged at HQ. I only scanned the document but it sounded like even small complaints dealt with inhouse by TM need to be referred. Must be another spreadsheet at HQ somewhere? As an OM I am very worried about this - I do not want my name associated with complaints and whilst we always use the spin 'complaining is positive because it's how things/processes change' I can't help thinking the information could be used against staff.

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There is an argument that CRCs are likely to become the A&E of the Criminal justice system. If there is poor practice pre-sentence and nothing to signpost anyone to, the CRC will be left holding the baby. It is going to be fascinating to watch the creeping chaos.

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I did some training on the Offender Rehabilitation Act last week. I think many of our offenders are going to run rings around this piece of legislation. Rushed legislation often has unforeseen consequences and I think the requirements relating to post sentence supervision are fairly flakey e.g. if the offender disappears, the licence keeps running. Police are never going to prioritise these warrants. It's going to leak like a sieve!

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It does not appear too dissimilar to what we have already and we know how quickly the Police respond to Licence recalls! There's going to be umpteen more and less Police! It might be worth noting signing-on times as many of mine make sure they attend and it makes it a bit easier for the Police to get them. That may sound a little harsh, but they are being recalled for a reason!

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At a recent CRC Roadshow in DTV I was told that 80% of the budget is staff wages and this needs to be reviewed. My table took the view that this meant job losses rather than wage restructuring, something alluded to by a Director who tends to be blunt in their views. Now even with the staff we have, I'm finding it difficult to accept that the anticipated caseloads can be safely managed, so I'm quite concerned as to how we can manage them with fewer staff? One option is possibly volunteers, but this raises concerns about the ability and professionalism of those brought in, especially when the focus will be on quantity rather than quality. 

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Anybody had any details re TTG yet? Are mentors being set on & are they employed or volunteers? If meeting someone at the gate, are their early morning travel & waiting times (it can be a several hour wait on occasions due to prison systems/roll re-counts) being allowed for/paid for? Are the mentors expected to provide their own transport? If so, has appropriate insurance been discussed? A proper risk assessment done? What about lone working - surely clients should be met by 2 staff members? What if the client is being met by (possibly unfriendly) family or friends? Does the client still have to go with the mentor? & probably lots more issues...

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Group work intervention coming to everyone. Someone will be making a killing at this. Wonder who the consultants are and how much they are being paid?

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E-mail to Sodexo/Nacro CRC staff 6th January 2015: 
Timeliness Of Recalls. Sending the paperwork to the PPCS is usually undertaken by an administrator. As part of this task, please check the timeliness as above. If it is beyond the 24 hours, please discuss with a manager to consider amending this. 

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OMG, they have actually said they do not understand the requirements of each CRC!!! This is dangerous beyond belief...

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They haven't got a fucking clue. An example of their complete mis-management will be demonstrated later this month when the inspection on HMP Northumberland is released. If this is how they manage people under lock and key, then we are completely screwed in Northumbria where this bunch of onanists have a contract.

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Relocation between August and November across the estate, it's madness on a grand scale!

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Watch out for them 'managing' people out by HR processes. After all they've been given an amount of cash for redundancies and modernisation and they will want to hang on to that. There is likely to be a dramatic increase in capability, sickness and disciplinary procedures.

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My concern is that if all new owners develop and implement their own casenotes and assessment tools, what happens if the offender moves areas and goes to another area owned by a different company with a different set of assessment tools? How is that going to work (or not). Also, what happens if there is a risk escalation and the case goes to NPS then how will NPS access documents?! Etc. It fills me with sheer panic.

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Don't ask! As yet there is no 'formal' process of transfer between CPA's and if the original CPA gets to keep the cash for the person being transferred, then I very much doubt those accepting a 'loss' are going to be accommodating. The question that needs to be asked is which area gets the PbR once the Order/Licence is completed? If the offender transfers for the last few months and the hard work has been done by the original CPA, can you see them being happy about spending money on rehabilitation and getting nothing back?

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Is this why offenders on community sentences will not be able to move accommodation if it impacts on their rehabilitation (Offender Rehabilitation Act) so that CRCs can refuse their move and keep their payments? These are people's lives we're talking about.

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A colleague friend - excellent PO in CRC - told me today that their client is moving to another area, and the officer has written to that area, transferring the case, giving required background info. The transfer details have been returned, unacceptable, as the officer has given too much info! They have to write a LESS detailed request for transfer! Can you believe it???

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Yes. I had a breach rejected by NPS for giving too much detail.

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Hey, talk about introducing a new 'case management system' (meaning from NDelius?) but elsewhere talk about changing assessment tools (from OASys?). Very ambitious if they are thinking of changing IT infrastructure around the same time.

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Wondering if all of the new IT systems are/will be designed to have compatibility to transfer the records back, in some cases to and fro to the NPS and the wonderful NDelius? Could it be that having spent millions on designing a National record base...actually quite a good idea...that it won't be long before it reverts back to where it used to be?

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Lots of alarm bells ringing regarding priorities. Loss of 107+ years of corporate experience allows new organisation to revisit past operating models without understanding why they were left behind e.g. over-reliance on vol. sector providers who are not there and not properly funded when they are, ex-offender/mentor rhetoric, over-reliance on group work when core provision inadequate etc etc.

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It beggars belief that these companies have risked their reputations and shareholders money on bidding for something they do not understand. Probation is far removed from prison. Clients have a choice in the community, they are intelligent and will see through this government charade. Please believe us Purple Futures, Working Links et al we are skilled in working in this industry (for that is what it is now) the Managers who are telling you all is rosy are either misinformed or deluded and too far from the reality. It really is a shambles everywhere, communication is a total joke. It will go wrong very quickly and there will be massive reputational damage and losses to incur. Any bets on first CRC to throw in the towel and hand back to the government and how long? Good Luck

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I doubt it will be a Prime but I can see many sub primes cutting their losses especially when they get the crap to deal with, but not the money to do it.

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They have been guaranteed the contracts for 10 years, they cannot be thrown out without being paid the expected profit for that period. Cut the service to the bone (and beyond) maximise gain for the next two years, when it all comes on top and the gov of the day is forced to intervene, take your windfall "Expected lifetime profit". Shareholder value maximised, job done KER-CHING. Any scandal will soon be lost in the media cycle, the only people you have to keep on board are the idiot politicians who signed the contract. A cheap 150k non executive directorship should do that. All makes perfect sense when you look at it from the money side. Screw any public service, it's about the cash.

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At my CRC Head Office we are now expected to ALL take turns to lock the building every night - this means a lone women (or man) going round a sprawling building checking windows etc, turning off lights (just don't forget the torch) and then setting the alarm and securing the building, which is down a lonely cul-de-sac!!! I don't remember that being part of my job description (I work in Corporate Services) but apparently I could be breaching my contract if I refuse to do it. I am totally disgusted with the lack of concern being shown regarding the safety and personal commitments of staff. It doesn't matter what your hours of work are, you have to take your turn even if you never work afternoons! Does this happen anywhere else?

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It's not worth betting on how many of these companies will put "desistance" in the sales patter to staff. It will be all of them. Very much the vogue word used by idiots who pretend to know what they are doing.

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Its clear, any CRC staff member dropping the ball more than once in the near future will be out on their ear. One way to bring in cheaper staff

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I believe - and I may be wrong - that Sodexo are going to use a tool put together by Dr Sam King of Leicester University to assess their readiness for change and then sort the 'offenders' accordingly. Trouble is, if their readiness to change changes or their risk/need changes, will they have to move from one tier/strand/set to another, replicating the most dangerous part of the split so far? Genius!

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There are all sorts of scenarios but I don't think anyone has any idea what is going to happen when these new operators come on line properly, when the RARs replace existing arrangements, when CRCs relocate away from NPS and when the TTG hordes descend!! Despite my decades of experience, the massive change in variables means that I have no idea whatsoever and nor does anyone else and there's the rub. It will be interesting to see the providers' reactions if things get ugly. Will they front it out or run a mile?

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Rumours today that most CRC's will be expected to lose their temp agency staff soon.

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Speaking of relocations, word has reached me that the NPS staffing situation in one office, in what used to be the Thames Valley, is so bad that custody cases are being transferred out wholesale - not just to other local offices, but to staff hundreds of miles away across the South West & South Central area!

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That sounds bonkers! Can you imagine the disruption for the service users having been reallocated at the TR split and now being reallocated again away from their home probation area?

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I've got 66 cases on a 4 day week, which includes about 6 custodial. My Manager has taken away a couple of other custody cases 'to help me out'. A predominantly community caseload definitely isn't do-able in its present format, however this is a shadow of things to come, compared with when all the TTG clients join our caseloads.....

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I've only got 42 community cases but they're all DV and child protection spread across a massive rural county. I did just under 400 miles (not including commuting) to see them all last month.

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Anyone who even begins to think that you can run a prison with 45% less staff than were previously on site is a fantasist. We all know the prison estate is on the verge of collapse and all the Sodexo and MoJ platitudes won't change that fact.

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An Update: If any Community Payback minibus driver has not completed the CPC training they are not driving legally! Possibly no insurance as well. NSCRC have now suspended all driving with minibuses.

Sorry, forgot to add, the CPC applies to minibuses MADE or adapted to carry 8 or more passengers. If you take seats out it makes no difference. In fact by taking seats out it changes the seat belt requirements. They would all have to meet the standard for motor cars, that is not seat mounted seat belts but floor and pillar fixings.

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Interesting the need for partnerships in the Thames Valley as MTC have terminated a number of current charity partnership in Thames Valley as of 31 March 2015. Left several small charities high and dry but as long as MTC make a profit, what does it matter.

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CRC staff are going to hardly be in the office - they seem to want us out circulating in the community - estates are going to be drastically cut back. There is going to be DOS (Directory of Services). I think this will contain a raft of voluntary or charity type agencies so with our £2k we can buy services off them.

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Lone working procedures? As a female I'm not at all happy about doing daily HV's with no one having much idea where I'm at or if I'm safe!!!

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Loads of responsibility being placed on individuals such as they're you're clients so you're responsible for your assessment, however you and I know that real life is not like that.

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Anyone else heard that the CRC workload management tool is now operational but only TMs have access to it and information will only be shared in supervision - absolutely outrageous. The fact that it was transparent has allowed members of teams on many occasions to use it as a gauge against their colleagues. I know in my office there's a clique and whilst I'd like to think the TM would not give anyone preferential treatment, I 100% believe it should be available for all to see. What do you all think?

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We haven't got a WMT yet; are still evaluating what everyone else is starting to use. The question remains tho', (and it is one I have asked) how can any CRC draw up a realistic WMT before Feb 1st when they don't actually know yet what the workload is going to be? - as the new employers havent told us in detail yet what they've agreed to provide under PbR and what we will need to do to achieve this? I would query your WMT on this ground alone for starters.

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I hear that Grayling is finally going to make a decision (or rather announce) the future of the HMI Probation CI ( aka the 70% inspector) next Tuesday! I'm not holding my breath!!! He normally only backs down when forced to by the courts!!