Tuesday 13 January 2015

Caterers Publish Recipe

Here it is folks! Hot off the press and many thanks to the newshound for forwarding:-

Welcome to Sodexo’s first mobilisation update/Q&A document which is published to keep you informed of our progress in the Transforming Rehabilitation contract award programme.

Alongside meeting with your Chief Executives, Senior Management Teams and key stakeholders, we are currently assembling our full Mobilisation, Transition and Transformation team so that we can adequately understand the requirements of each CRC, meet with you at an appropriate time and feedback key messages to you at the same time.

We have decided to issue this first update, which answers some of your initial questions, and also allows us to communicate our plans for meeting you face-to-face over the coming weeks.

We are currently working alongside your Chief Executive on a schedule to allow senior Sodexo colleagues and members of our MTT team, to meet with you to present some of our forthcoming plans and for you to ask questions. We expect to finalise this schedule in the next week, and anticipate being able to meet with you face-to-face by the end of February. The dates of these meetings will be communicated to you via your local communication methods.

We will continue to publish a weekly update to inform you of our progress and to answer your questions. We still welcome any questions you have to be sent to AskCRC@sodexojusticeservices.com.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT


What are the priorities for “MTT” (Mobilisation, Transition and Transformation)

The first priority is to get to know you and understand your issues. That has started with your Chief Executive and Senior Management Teams and will continue with events at which you can meet us and ask questions. We are putting small local teams together to support the work of transition over the next 12 months. But it is crucial to understand that the CRC continues to be led by your Chief Executive and management team.

There are some significant pieces of work in the short term associated with the change of ownership on 1 February. These include a good deal of “due diligence” inquiry, where we need to understand the CRC in detail, its people, its finance, its IT, estates and its operations. The creation of a larger network of partners to deliver some aspects of services – the “supply chain” – is also an early priority.

But the priority throughout all the change over the coming months will remain delivering a safe and effective service to the community.

Who will be in your mobilisation team? How do they plan to work?

Our central team structure is shown on the PowerPoint which can be accessed on the link below. Locally, there will be up to 6 people working with you, specialising in HR, Finance, ICT, Estates and Operations. These local teams are taking shape at the moment, and your Chief Executive has identified key people in the CRC for them to liaise with. They will be temporary teams, based in the CRC to support the work of transition over the next 12 months.

OPERATIONS 

What is the operating model?

We are currently planning events at which you can hear directly from us about our proposals and ask questions, so we will keep this response fairly brief for now.

Our model is based on desistance theory, putting both the quality of professional relationships and the offender’s own willingness to change at the centre of our approach. To make the step change in reoffending rates required of us, we need to spend a limited resource in the most effective way possible: that means not only identifying those who are likely to benefit from more intensive help, but also those who are best able to complete their sentence safely without it. There is no one intervention, or single group of offenders, that will generate the results on reoffending we have committed to deliver, so our operating model affects every aspect of the CRC’s work.

We have split our understanding of desistance theory into seven headings, all of which have operational and organisational consequences

A person-centred approach: fair, reasonable, individualised

We will use the freedom to innovate provided by the Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and the inclusion of the short term prisoner cohort to design plans with each offender that are uniquely tailored to their circumstances and ambitions. Within a strong data-driven framework for resource allocation, skilled face to face practitioners will have discretion to agree plans with individual offenders, with both parties held to account for meeting the commitments they make.

Motivation at its core – only the offender can choose to desist from crime

Our assessment and prioritisation tools will take account of the risk of serious harm and the likelihood of reoffending, but also a new factor, which we have called “closeness to change”. This is designed to reflect the crucial importance of the offender’s own motivation and commitment to change and this ensures that we can apply most resource to those offenders that both need it and are most likely to benefit from it. 


Founded on strong and meaningful relationships

We shall ensure that every case will have a responsible officer, directly employed by the CRC, accountable to the court for the delivery of the order or licence requirements. But for some offenders, their main interface may be with a mentor or a key worker in another organisation with who we are in partnership. We are clear that relationships can only be nurtured face to face, and we want staff to spend more time with offenders and within their communities rather than in an office. 

Providing practical help for a crime free life

We are committed to enabling and facilitating offenders to access a full range of support under the existing offending behaviour pathways. We will continue to identify criminogenic needs and achievement plans will reflect those that are most likely to promote desistance. 

Achieving and sustaining the development of a non-criminal identity

Our approach will focus on the offender’s potential and opportunities and we will use ex offenders in our delivery both to inspire hope and to provide personal motivation and support. 

Engaging the offender’s community

We will deliver some specific functions through a range of partnerships with other organisations in the voluntary and community sector. This stems from a desire to contribute to local delivery of services, reflecting local priorities. 

Delivered holistically

We believe that, for most offenders, committing crime is only one of the ways in which they come into contact with partner services. We will work with individual offenders on the basis of everything we know about their circumstances and history, working with them and with others (including their families) to shorten their journey to complete desistance.

None of this undermines the continuing and critical importance of effective public protection processes, nor the need to deliver all the sentences of the court required of us. We will continue the work underway in all CRCs to deliver Community Payback, for example, in the most efficient and effective way possible. Effective joint working with the NPS and the police, including in IOM schemes, will remain central to the CRC’s success, as will full engagement with a wide range of statutory and non-statutory stakeholders.

This is the basis on which our bid was successful and forms the core of our contract. But the next phase of this process involves working through the practical implications of these principles in your CRC, with you and with local partners. We know there will be good practice that needs preserving, and particular local issues that must be taken into account in planning change. That is why we are recruiting small local teams to work alongside you during this transition phase to ensure the best possible fit to your circumstances. We plan to use the staff briefings to say more about the practical implications so that you can hear about them at first hand.

How quickly do you propose to get from our current operating model to yours?

We have developed a detailed project plan to implement changes across the business and we will outline the high level milestones of these changes when we meet with staff. However, some changes will need to happen fairly quickly as part of our mobilisation plans in order to meet legislative requirements.

What will the CRC organisational structure be?

In each CRC, the precise structure will be developed in collaboration with the CRC Chief Executive during transition.

How much do you propose to streamline and run on a regional basis?

Each contract exists in its own right and is subject to discrete requirements and performance measures. Our transition plans do not include regional posts except a very small number within the temporary mobilisation team.

As part of continuous improvement across the life of the contract there may be scope to consider organising some tasks and functions across more than one CPA, and we will certainly want to disseminate best practice and learning between the 6 CRCs Sodexo will own. But any structural changes would be subject both to consultation within CRCs and with the Authority (NOMS).How will TTG be delivered? Will it join up with other provision?

Our Through The Gate service will be delivered with an emphasis on early assessment of individual needs, timely pre-release resettlement planning and continuity of both provision and provider upon release.

The majority of our in-custody resettlement services and community provision will be delivered by the same providers, which will be drawn from the voluntary and community sector.. This will allow for a continuity of level of service, type of provision and, most importantly, key relationships. It will also provide access to a wide range of local services that are best placed to understand the needs of local offenders.

The contract requires resettlement services in prisons to be operating from 1 May, with the additional TTG services in place by the autumn. So this is an early priority and we have done a good deal of work before contract signature to identify partners and draw up a detailed specification.

What assessment tools will be used?

Our assessment tools will be different from current CRC practice in some respects. Continuity of service is essential, however, so there will be no immediate change in approach on 1 February. But we will work with you to introduce new tools during the Spring and Summer both to reflect the requirements of the Offender Rehabilitation Act and to prepare the ground for new ICT in the Autumn.

Will you continue to provide in house treatment programmes for service users, e.g. idap/tsp/bsr?

We will continue to provide programmes with a mixture of in-house and contracted provision.

Can you please clarify driving licence requirements for provision of community payback travel?

We are looking at this issue urgently with CRC colleagues.

What will your approach and timeline be?

We will work closely with NOMS contract managers to deliver contractual requirements to a timetable set out in our original bid. In practice, this will mean weekly meetings with your CEO and local contract management team to ensure we are on track against detailed project plans. The change will be driven by your leadership team, with support from central and local Sodexo resource.

In very broad terms, the Spring and early Summer will see us planning the detail of how our model fits locally and its impact on current roles and structures. New resettlement services in prisons must be operating from 1 May, and the most obvious changes on the ground, with new ICT and accommodation, will take effect from October 2015.

PARTNERSHIP

How will partnership between Sodexo and NACRO work – who will do what?

At a strategic level, the partnership will ensure a strong independent perspective across the whole of Sodexo’s TR operation, and inform the continuous improvement objective that is central to realising our joint ambitions across the life of the contracts.

Nacro is a significant delivery partner in a number of CRCs and will contract with Sodexo on exactly the same terms as other providers in that role.

HR

Do you propose any reductions from current staffing levels, i.e. redundancies?

Your current position and role will continue unaffected at share sale on 1 February. However, changes to the number and nature of existing roles will become necessary. Sodexo will work closely with CRC Senior Managers to shape the delivery strategy in line with our bid proposals and forecasts. We also remain committed to working alongside your union representatives to consult fully and fairly with you about any organisational change proposals. 

Will staff be able to access the VR scheme or will redundancies be only compulsory?

Through the mobilisation period we will be working with CRC teams to understand the way that voluntary redundancy processes have been implemented during the Transforming Rehabilitation transition process. We will then review the information and assess the next steps.

Will there be shared resources between the 6 CPAs?

Sodexo operates a Business Shared Services (BSS) centre in the UK and Ireland business, based in Salford, and provides a number of key finance support activities as well as the People Centre HR team. During the transition period, the CRCs will be supported through some dedicated Sodexo resources and some shared resources that will provide functional subject matter expertise. In the longer term, we would also expect CRCs to benefit from the shared services that Sodexo operates.

Will terms and conditions be affected?

Your contractual terms and conditions will be unchanged. This includes pay, working hours, holiday entitlement, continuous service and sick pay.

What is the workforce plan?

Sodexo will conduct a due diligence exercise and will be working alongside senior management teams to understand the existing operations and the whole workforce within the CRC. Sodexo will work closely with the CRC to shape the delivery strategy in line with our bid proposals and forecasts. We remain committed to working alongside your union representatives to consult fully and fairly with you about any organisational change proposals affecting any staff within the CRC.

Will CRC staff be employed by the CRC, Sodexo or NACRO?

Owner ship of the CRC will transfer to Sodexo by means of share sale; the CRC will continue to be a company and employer in its own right. CRC staff will therefore continue to be employed by the CRC after share sale.

What will happen to pensions?

Under the New Fair Deal arrangement, you can choose to remain in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) or Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) (depending on which scheme you were eligible to join prior to share sale).

Will New training opportunities be available?

We will work with the CRC teams to develop a Learning and Development strategy according to the needs of the workforce and requirements of each CRC. We will ensure that all employees of the CRC will have appropriate L&D support commensurate to their level of responsibility to ensure that they are fully equipped to perform the key role each of them play in the organisation.

Are you able to clarify the position for staff employed on fixed term contracts?

We will be working with senior managers and HR departments in the CRCs to conduct a thorough due diligence exercise which will include investigation into the current staffing situation. As part of this exercise we will request information about any employees on fixed term contracts. Employment on a fixed-term contract can be for a number of reasons such as covering for a period of extended leave of another employee, maternity cover or the completion of a specific project. Where a decision needs to be made regarding the extension of a contract, the relevant managers will review the continuing requirement for the role and make an appropriate decision in that particular case. If your contract is not renewed this will be discussed with you and you will be given notice in accordance with your contract of employment.

How will the appraisal process be affected?

We will be working with colleagues in the CRC to understand the existing appraisal procedures. These will then be reviewed to assess whether they are the most appropriate for the business moving forwards or whether an alternative mechanism will be implemented.

I.T.

What will the approach to I.T. be?

We intend to introduce new technology and a new Case Management System. This technology will ultimately replace all of the existing Authority ICT that is currently in use. We have been working closely on this with our existing ICT provider in Sodexo prisons for many months and are excited that we will now have the opportunity to involve CRC staff directly in the testing of new tools.

ESTATES

What will the approach to estates be?


We plan to relocate from present property and use newly acquired property from August to November 2015. This will be one of the key changes on which we will involve CEOs and their senior teams closely from now. We want to create an estate that is fit for purpose and in the right places.

COMMUNICATION

How do you plan to communicate with staff?


To maintain consistency for staff, we plan to use local CRC methods to communicate a weekly MTT update/Q&A document. We plan to publish this every Tuesday from week commencing 12 January 2015.

We are in the process of planning a number of events in the coming weeks that will allow CRC staff to be introduced to members of Sodexo Justice Services’ Executive team and MTT team colleagues, and to give some detailed plans about our approach. We will be discussing these events with you locally over the coming weeks.

49 comments:

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

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    1. .... And this is their recipe for disaster, Mouton Catastrophe with a merde jous.

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  2. "Within a strong data-driven framework for resource allocation, skilled face to face practitioners will have discretion to agree plans with individual offenders, with both parties held to account for meeting the commitments they make. "
    If I were a "skilled face to face practitioner" I would be very cautious about what "commitment" I made 'cos clearly the catering firm will hold you "to account". NOW IN PLAIN SPEAK THERE IT IS, THE BLAME GAME AND PRESUMABLY CAPABILITY FOLLOWS.
    Clearly staff will have to learn to work the targets !

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  3. " To make the step change in reoffending rates required of us, we need to spend a limited resource in the most effective way possible: that means not only identifying those who are likely to benefit from more intensive help, but also those who are best able to complete their sentence safely without it. "

    Surely thats a statement saying that in order to meet our targets, we'll have to 'cherry pick' very carefully?

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  4. They haven't got a fucking clue. A 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 onanist have a contract.

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  5. re Pensions, are Serco correct in stating
    "Under the New Fair Deal arrangement, you can choose to remain in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) or Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) (depending on which scheme you were eligible to join prior to share sale)"
    I thought no-one was allowed into the PCSPS? Please can anyone clarify as I am NPS but was not allowed to join the Civil Service pension scheme?

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

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  7. At a recent DTV Road show it was mooted that UW could be used to generate income as a result of the work they do. As a UW supervisor I'm not sure if the lads (and ladies) who go out on the van would be happy that others are getting paid for the work they do. I was never the brightest at School but I can remember something about slavery being abolished. If they found out this was the case then I doubt many would even bother turning up each morning.

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    1. This is already quite common in lots of places. There is even noms guidance on it going back 5 years.

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  8. Hope of redundancy! Hooray!

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    1. 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 onto that.
      There is likely to be a dramatic increase in capability, sickness and disciplinary procedures.

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  9. 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 of there is a risk escalation and the case goes to nps then how will nps access documents!! Etc. It feels me with sheer panic

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    1. 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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    2. 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 mlives we're talking about.

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  10. Many problems anticipated over months on this blog are coming to pass. Clearly there will be redundancies, offenders will be differentially supported/managed ( parking and selection of who to work with to achieve targets/income) and utter confusion with systems not fully developed. Omnishambles doesn't come close!

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  11. That may be a reference to CEOs who, as former civil servants, would have been eligible.

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  12. Got in from work, had tea and went to NAPO website, noticed 7 guests on line but absolutely no update other than Andrew's esteemed effort. Is it too much to keep things updated?

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    1. Agree its very frustrating-I'd have thought they could have tweeted highlights of debate at least! Checked the Napo calendar (you can get it on members area via search box) and on 14th and 15th Jan there are Officers and Officials meetings plus on 20th Jan Negotiating Cttee meet so something surely should be sent out to update members.Failing that Branch meetings are scheduled for Jan 23rd with next NEC early Feb so I'll be asking my Branch to agree we raise our concern about poor communications via NEC rep if no improvements

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  13. makeminejack@hotmail.com13 January 2015 at 19:58

    Very interesting to read, still not much clarity on how recruitment and selection will pan out. As an unqualified yet voluntary experienced hopefully applicant, it would be interesting to see what individual CRC's entry requirements are at PSO level

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    1. Do you have a forelock, used to taking orders without question and if you can live on a very limited income- you'r in!

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  14. Gosh - that is horrible and seems an overwhelming muddle of reorganisation and moving over and over - possibly - I commiserate with all involved who meanwhile are required to maintain constructive relationships with clients and every other CJS organisation in each locality.

    I note they talk about being led by a desistance model yet they refer to 'clients' as offenders from first to last. I have not studied a formalised desistance model of supervision but surely at heart is to demonstrate to the client that you absolutely believe they can break out of a cycle of offending and reoffending and so therefore another style of description superior to 'offender' seems needed?

    I know 'offender' is in the title of NACRO but - the bidders have been preparing this stuff for two years already - I would have thought they would have found a better term than 'offender' by now, especially if they are staffed by experienced probation folk - but maybe I am missing something?

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  15. Violence in Prisons radio 4 now - links here: -

    http://www.napo2.org.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=915

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  16. Innovation, creative, think outside the box - yes indeed, you can do much with this email AskCRC@sodexojusticeservices.com.

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

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  18. They talk about introducing a new 'case management system' (meaning from NDelius?) under IT, 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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    1. They'd be foolish to change NDelius which is starting to work well, and does a very specialist job. But they will get rid of the burden that is OASYS, asap.

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  19. Lots of alarm bells ringing regarding priorities. Loss of 107+ years of corporate 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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  20. 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
    The Insider

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    1. 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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  21. What's happening & why? Private sector businesses are taking over previous public sector service delivery at the invitation of this Government. They are asset stripping, cost cutting & streamlining the service provision to make it cost effective & profitable. If they can kick you into touch, they will. If they can shave £££'s off any source of cost, they will.

    Why has the CEO of Lancs & Cumbria cut & run, leaving on the day before Sodexo assume control? He was in a priveleged position where he was able to see the reality of what's coming - and it can't be good, otherwise why walk away from £££'s & a key role? Those who crave power, who are hungry for status &/or money don't walk away from an incumbent role because it will be "tricky" - they walk away when they know they can't win the war, so they cut their losses & resurface elsewhere.

    For me, that decision speaks louder than anything else.

    God Bless Lancashire.

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    1. Moral Maze Part XXI: Captain on brIdge of ship sees iceberg ahead & radios for helicopter to take him back to shore, leaving passengers and crew to their fate. Discuss....

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  22. It was good to watch the BlairWeasel struggling today. As it should be, he looks a haunted man. He sold us & the country down the river, he's now selling Ed down the river, he has no shame whatsoever. What deal has he struck with IS to remain alive?

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  23. 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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  24. We are at the point in the TRain crash that the engine has left the rails and all of the carriages lie in disarray all over the place derailed and smashed. The crew and passengers are emerging completely dazed from the wreckage saying "what the hell happened" and then they realise there are bodies and others are injured.

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  25. Democracy in action, Tory-style. It seems Cumbria PCC was elected on 29% share of 15.6% Turnout. I just love his modesty in this recent news story:

    "Nearly £900,000 has been handed out to projects aimed at cutting crime in Cumbria.

    The office of Cumbria’s crime commissioner, Richard Rhodes, made the awards to schemes that tie in with his priorities for keeping people safe and cutting trouble in the county.

    The figures emerged as Mr Rhodes looked back on work to help other organisations in a recap of the last year and his two years in office.

    He has redrafted his crime plan for the start of the new financial year.

    Mr Rhodes said: “In 2014 I contributed funding to initiatives that deal with my police and crime plan priorities, in particular domestic abuse, youth offending and antisocial behaviour.”

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  26. Lets not forget troops why we came in to this job in the first place. Many of us have been around for years and are hanging on for our lives so jim heres a question. Lets keep hearing of whats happening around the country and formulating our own thoughts and theories but remember one thing, we are all in this together, yes we all agree none of us wanted this to happen but as previouly seen no-one is listening but that doesnt mean we can't support each other. Venting and ranting is one way of letting off steam but that gets us no where so on a wintry wednesday morning lets re group and think about surviving the derailment in the best way we can.

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  27. 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 sign 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 its about the cash.

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  28. From a Community Payback perspective it appears the majority of the Supervisors are currently driving the CRC's minibuses without the necessary training. 'NEW' regulations were introduced in 2008 regarding driving at work and the drivers all should have completed the CPC training. Will our new employers sort this out?

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    1. Oh yes, the mini bus qualification/certificate - if supervisors are driving with it, and carryjg clients, then they are breaking the law and the occupants of any such vehicle are therefore, uninsured. Please refer this issue to the Police, if Management are ignoring this.

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    2. I hope Jim features this in a round up post soon - if it is happening in more than exceptional and/or isolated places the national media SHOULD pick it up - though it reflects on the individual staff involved about as much as the employers.

      Surely it is the sort of thing that would be identified by a company seeking to buy out a CRC, as part of standard due diligence enquiries - are any vehicles owned? what are the arrangements for maintaining/insuring and overseeing the vehicle and driver regulations? Are there any outstanding or suspected infringements under investigation? How do the managers know all regulations are being satisfied? AND then if there is still doubt - are all vehicles and drivers fulfilling the legal requirements?

      Presumably there are similar questions about buildings/ health and safety/ employment contracts/ professional issues? After all even catering companies own vehicles and buildings!

      If such questions are not part of the due diligence investigations - why is such a company allowed to bid? Ultimately if this stuff is mishandled it ends up to be the Prime Minister's responsibility.

      Just imagine if the proper legal protections are not in place in South Oxfordshire District Council after the series of fires there today - not only are the councillors and their senior staff going to appear fools but so are the government inspectors who monitor local authority performance and ultimately the Civil Servants and Government Ministers and eventually Prime Minister who oversee it all.

      Accidents and arson does happen on a large scale sometimes - in such circumstances reputations are ruined if proper arrangements were not already in place!

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    3. Not sure how relevant to above but 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 settting 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 apparantly 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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  29. Interesting Anon 08:29, I wonder what the Community payback insurers will say about this? If this is accurate, you should contact your union Health and Safety rep urgently. If not a union member you have a duty to raise your concerns with your employer. Sorry but this is one of those issues that can not be left.

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    1. My CRC know about this but don't seem overly concerned we are breaking the law.

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    2. The law seems clear - if you were professionally carrying passengers before 10th Sept 2008, you can continue as long as by 9th Sept 2013, you have upgraded by doing 35 hours 'periodic' training, alternatively if you start after 10Sept 2008 you must qualify to hold a four part initial certificate of professional competence.

      Anyone, driving professionally a vehicle that can carry nine or more passengers without such a licence is committing an offence and obviously liable to prosecution whatever the situation is for the employer. The maximum fine is £1,000.

      https://www.gov.uk/driving-a-minibus

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    3. There is a list of exemptions shown in the Act but I cannot see anything to cover the Unpaid Work supervisors. Perhaps they should have done this a while back?

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    4. One of my colleagues had this from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency,

      Thank you for your email dated 05 January regarding Driver CPC.

      As minibus categories D1 (101) and D1E (101) now fall within the scope of Driver CPC (as of August 2013) then from the information provided it seems that you would NOT be exempt from Driver CPC.

      In terms of hire and reward please see the following document at 3.1 for definitions: www.gov.uk/government/publications/section-19-and-22-permits-not-for-profit-passenger-transport

      If you need to refer to the exemptions then please see the following link: www.gov.uk/driver-cpc-exemptions-examples


      As it states on the gov.uk website the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) can only tell you if they think you’d be exempt from Driver CPC. However, this doesn’t carry any legal weight.

      Only a court can make a decision on how the rules about Driver CPC are interpreted.
      You should seek legal advice if you want to rely on one of these exemptions.
      Regards

      Seems as though we are not setting a very good example!!

      Delete
  30. Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme vs LGPS? anyone know which is better?

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