Thursday 30 April 2015

Guest Blog 36

Dispensing With The Baby Boomers

For more than 30 years ‘Baby Boomers’ (those currently aged 51 to 69) have been a driving force at the ballot box. They are more likely than their younger counterparts to have an allegiance to a political part and they regularly turn up to vote. As a result, those canvasing for such votes have been careful not to upset Baby Boomers… that is until now.


In the lead up to the 2015 general election the ‘Millennials’ (aged 18-34) have finally come of age. Making up 23% of the UK population, Millennials are starting to be noticed by political parties who are realising that they need to begin shifting their attention towards the next generation of voters.

It is with this in mind that Baby Boomers working for the public sector who have previously been left alone are now being attacked: firefighters being told to work until they are older whilst at the same time meeting new fitness standards means that many will either leave with a reduced pension or face dismissal from the service


With forces in England and Wales now facing compulsory fitness tests (where in the event of failure formal steps may be taken) and the retirement age for police officers having already increased to 60, it won’t be long before Police Officers find themselves in the same predicament. And it is not just ‘Bobbies on the beat’ who face this test, it is for ‘all ranks, all roles’. 

For all you Millennials out there, imagine your 55 year old mother who has worked hard as a public servant for the last 25 years and who continues to do an important, professional, yet fairly sedentary job within the force, faces the stress and worry of having to achieve a pass in the bleep test in order to hang on in there for the next few years and finally reach retirement. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s a disgrace that our public servants are being treated this way.

So what does this have to do with Probation and Transforming Rehabilitation? An excellent service was split in two (effectively and in some cases literally by names out of a hat). Now those in Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) are facing redundancy, whilst hundreds of new learners are being rushed through their training to make up for staff shortages in the National Probation Service (NPS). 

If the Ministry of Justice were determined not to lose such dedicated and experienced staff they would find a way of moving them over to the NPS. Instead, centuries of knowledge and experience is being wilfully dispensed with to be replaced (IF the learners pass their training and decide to stick around) by new blood.

Why?

If the best predictor of future behaviour is indeed the past then the answer is clear: as with the Baby Boomers in the Fire and Police Services, the public sector pensions of the past are deemed by those in power to be too expensive and so the more people who can be dispensed with before achieving a full pension the better. 


What about the impact of this decision on the lives of those public servants who have worked their whole lives to protect the public? We will be told to believe it is their own fault for being part of the ‘selfish generation’ who put less in than they will be taking out. So that’s okay then… is it?

52 comments:

  1. No doubt there are many who hope this week's rare meteorite strike sees history repeat itself & that all the dinosaurs will be wiped out.

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  2. Lets not forget tho' that not every colleague shafted into the CRC is/was a baby boomer. At 55 I can poodle along for a while, will more than likely jump ship at some point and will actually be happy to take a job with B&Q or whoever else is willing to employ a 'mature' member of staff as I toddle towards retirement. I really feel for my younger colleagues with a lifetime of work/career still ahead of them; who will possibly need to completely retrain to maintain their financial position and meet their commitments. I marvel at the optimism of the trainee CRC PO's, joining at this point - what were they told in the advertising blurb that convinced them this was a career worth pursuing at this point?
    Deb

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    1. " the public sector pensions of the past are deemed by those in power to be too expensive and so the more people who can be dispensed with before achieving a full pension the better. "
      People are living longer, and the pension pot is stretched-although the banks just continue to prosper.
      When the NHS is gone in the next few years maybe many people wont be living as long as expected.
      Ecconomic euthenasia?
      Or just part of our long term ecconomic plan?

      'Getafix'

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    2. Pensions is a minefield me thinks and I've got a feeling there's no pension 'pot' where Civil Servants are concerned - it's a pay-as-you-go scheme funded directly out of taxation - unlike Local Government which is a 'pot' and invested.

      As an aside, I'm reliably informed that some public sector pension 'pots' get raided by the Government on a regular basis if they get too much into surplus - like the Mineworkers Pension Scheme:-

      "The amount of money in the Fund is maintained at the level necessary to provide the benefits promised in the Rules. If there are more than enough funds to pay the promised benefits, the difference is known as a surplus. Where a surplus is disclosed, it is divided equally between Scheme members and the Government. Scheme members’ share is used to provide benefit improvements."

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  3. We can be in no doubt the main stream media is not bringing us what matters to aid understanding of our society - I cannot imagine that if a bomb exploded at any public facility in Great Britain, the matter would lead the news - even in an election season, with international disasters such as in Nepal and matters of concern such as are occurring in Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    But if it happened at a Probation office near the border of Ireland - it just got local news coverage - even when the day following a PRIMARY school of 600 hundred pupils was evacuated elsewhere in Northern Ireland as a consequence of a credible bomb alert and did not reach the UK national news media reports that I heard - would that have happened for say a school in Glasgow or Tower Hamlets?

    Little wonder that probation is a mystery to most in the UK - it is time for probation folk to change that otherwise the deterioration seems certain to continue.

    Presumably those who have control of the UK public agencies and seek to maintain that control, have a plan to manage mass unrest that maximises maintaining public well-being, if they cannot keep us quiet with booze, drugs, computer games TV and other fripperies - I hope so and I hope the local government pension scheme is secure, because being selfish, I will be at risk without the public order and the pension!

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-32509728

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-32513592

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  4. I cannot stress how much sympathy I have for PQF learners. I have never seen entrants into probation treated this way. We all know how their salaries were messed up at the outset with many having no income until the mess was sorted,they have also been auto enrolled into a pension scheme without even basic information provided - a clear breach by NPS of pension regulations.
    But by far the worst part is their training, often hitched to over burdened PO "mentors" who can't keep up with their own case loads let alone training others, managers with no time to spare....and who cares???? I have tried to help a lovely person in our team to the detriment of my own workload and having to catch up out of hours. She tells me she is in despair because she was promised a rewarding career with decent training and she dare not speak out. Isn't that a shame?

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    1. It's shocking but the same right across England and Wales. I went to a conference the other month when a man from NOMS asked our opinion on new learners asking should their caseload be protected and if so for how long. We stared blankly at him for a long time. Of course they should be protected but we're so short staffed how can that be possible and with highly qualified staff being dismissed on the other side didn't know what to say! Speachless. We eventually let him know what we thought.

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    2. Apparently more Trainees are starting tomorrow:

      https://www.facebook.com/ProbationGraduateDiploma/posts/811007565603250

      I see Mike tailgunner has tried to summarise the coming training uncertainties

      http://naponewsonline.org/2015/04/30/review-of-probation-qualifications-framework-a-brief-update/

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    3. I also really feel for the new PQF trainers. Last week I reluctantly refused a request to act as mentor for a trainee due to start tomorrow. This decision came about owing to the failure of management to date to rectify my unmanageable caseload and bring it in line with comparable role PO's elsewhere in the 'business'. A number of us commenced grievance proceedings 6 months ago on this matter and yet again we hear today the hearing date has been delayed,so we have informed management we will not take any 'new' work for the foreseeable. It goes against the grain to refuse to help a colleague, especially a newly appointed trainee, but we are on our knees here with no end in sight.
      Day 3 of the HMI inspection and the inspector I saw today probably wasnt anticipating the response he got when he told me that our teams decision last July not to do any more Oasys or ISP's (after requesting direction on prioritisation of work and been told by Snr Mangement that 'everything was a priority') had been 'indefensible'. He spent the next 10 minutes heavily rowing back on that one, saying it wasnt personal and hopefully their report will make a difference in terms of resource allocation. Well, as I told him, I'm not holding my breath on that one.
      It couldnt get any worse here than it has been today...
      Deb

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    4. Commiserations - I cannot imagine how bad it is.

      To me it is shocking that Trainers andTtrainees are treated so badly.

      Back in the 1980s when I did one trial supervision of a 1st placement CQSWer - there was all sorts of prior preparation and meeting with tutors and such like to get a mix and to prepare student - obviously impossible if staff simply directed a few days in advance - I hope all join a Union on DAY ONE

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    5. @19.06. It's shocking you refused to do what is in your job role :-/ it's more shocking the manager allowed for no OASYS to happen for so long. That's gross misconduct.

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    6. Interesting that you focused on OASys as opposed to the 'unmanageable caseload'. I for one don't blame 19.06, I am so over allocated it's beyond a joke and have no clue how I'm supposed to do my job. But hey, as long as targets are met, who cares.

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    7. 21:35 ..makes you want to lose the will to live,,no doubt someone with numerous so called educational 'acheivements' zero humanity, going to vote Tory and loving the ability to have , and no doubt abuse, power. Probably makes statements such as the Oasys Risk Assessment and keep people in prison because they haven''t done any 'offence focused work..not that they have met the person of course. Oh and being past 30/40/50/60 does not make you a grumpy old git, a dinosaur or someone who wants to live in the past..ignorance, ignorance, dangerous dangerous ignorance, hitting the targets and missing the point, here we go again

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    8. To Shocking @21:35 - well thanks for the vote of confidence. However, rather than just throw a punitive solution at my dilemma, it would be more helpful if you could explain how YOU would have completed Oasys/ISP's on an inherited caseload of 66 post split on a 30 hour week - many of which hadnt had one done by the previous caseholder. Me, I chose to prioritise seeing the clients over duplicating text already available in one arena (Delius) to another (Oasys). That's how you manage risk, by getting to know people properly, not filling in forms...And by the way,the Inspector today had no issues with the way my case had been managed - only that I hadnt done the ISP.
      But hey, I'm a dinosaur so what do I know?
      Deb

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    9. 21:35 amazed that you are accusing Deb of gross misconduct ! This is the most serious level of allegation any member of staff could face yet you blurt it out like you know what your talking about.

      Doing this illustrates that you so patently do not ! Deb has not obviously disobeyed a direct order nor has she openly accepted that her conduct was a decision of wilful disobedience or a matter of dishonesty.

      21 35 you ought to think in reflection of the blurting and try to understand how a rational PO would carefully consider the workloads the tasks and prioritise their work based on the risk demands, coupled with their ability to get the best return of workload based on time.
      When overworked some things have to be parked and in this case Deb made her decisions clear to the inspectorate.

      Now the issues of reporting over work and asking for workload relief are no doubt recorded in the process of line manager discussion. Where no immediate action to assist an overworked officer is evident then the officer has every right to manage workload in a way that protects their own duty of self care.

      If you 21:35 still actually believe what you wrote then leave this organisation because your attitude belongs to a party popular last in 1939-45 mid Europe. If on the other hand you can rationalise and contextualise the reality over any belief of what you might expect then you might adjust to the realisation that Deb has committed no misconduct. The organisation cannot burn staff with over work and zero relief then expect to hold anyone to account if things go wrong.

      If any negligence is to be discussed it has to start with the dysfunctional leadership overworking staff and expecting the situation will be absorbed by those staff. They would be wrong and thank crikey den has a backbone and stands up for the rest of us.

      19:35 your comment reflects someone inexperienced young or of management aspiring in either case reflect , most readers might well see the idiocy of your post.

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    10. 23.32 - thank you for your comment. Today now feels a whole lot better for me after reading your post.
      Deb x

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    11. Sorry, meant 23.22.

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    12. It was late and I put n not b sorry. The poster might just be mischievous you dont have to defend your self. We have all sorts of views but that one shows a lack of real talent and exactly why reps are capable of challenge to these irrational perceptions.

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    13. @21.35. Get of your high horse. The gross misconduct was aimed at the manager and not at Deb

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    14. The above 11.56 is at 23.22.

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    15. AHA yes it could read as you claim. However Deb read and protested and I responded to that. Perhaps you might still reflect that it is just as foolish to allege Gross misconduct against the manager as many things similar will apply. There is no high horse here just sensible objective observation with appropriate knowledge. I get your redirection but the author could have been clearer. !

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  5. Not every TPO is new blood. HUGE assumption there.

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    1. A big generalisation agreed but the majority of new learners are new to the service so the argument holds.

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    2. They are still TPOs.

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    3. NO, not new blood but still TPOs ie trainees

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    4. TPOs are covering for St Giles Trust in Cardiff prison on TTG

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  6. Well it's an absolute certainty that no TPO is going to be failed...at least they know they will have a job

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  7. I am a TPO and worked for a significant period in AP's and programmes beforehand. I joined a Trust. I am thriving and absolutely adore being a TPO. Sorry to go against the grain of this post but I just feel I should share my experience.

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    1. I think there's a gulf between those who have grown up (professionally speaking) in recent times, and those who have loNger memories & experiences. Neither is right or wrong, but times and practice are significantly different. My DipSW Learning/training experience bears no relation to the current TPO experience. My time as an assessor didn't have any resonance with my practice teacher's efforts to knock me into shape. It shouldn't be a case of going against grain, it is just different for so many reasons. Grumpy old gits sometimes find it hard to be eclipsed by young pups, whilst fresh blood can be feisty and enthusiastic and blind to the priveleges that experience brings.

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  8. great good to hear...however not the experience I am hearing .....would you "absolutely adore being a TPO" if you joined as an external candidate I wonder?

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  9. I "absolutely adored" being a PO...and then along came TR...

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  10. I have been qualified 9 months was a PSO before. I had to fight for protected caseload and someone to support me with my first parole report before I even qualified. I now have a caseload of 47 mostly high risk. For the first time in my life I am now on anti-depressants.

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    1. You post reminds me to look after each other. I'll be making sure I do that more from now on xxx

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    2. 21:19 - I sympathise with your situation. I qualified in 2013 and as a new PO I reluctantly chose the CRC option at the point of expression of interest. Despite my absolute desire to embed my practice with high risk cases (having dedicated the previous 3 years to training, without a protected caseload) I felt an immediate immersion into such a caseload would subject me to too much pressure too soon. I miss the high risk work but I am grateful that as a result of my decision, I am now confident in my CRC PO role, which is geared towards working with the more complex medium risk cases such as DV and Safeguarding. For as long as I still have a job, that is!

      I also recall my first parole report. Only 2 months following appointment as a PO and having never been given the opportunity to experience this process whilst training.

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  11. Everyday in the crc gets worse. You can see the stress etched on colleagues faces. We were recently given a week to transfer cases. Today we got learning point from a recent sfo- when cases are transferred there must be a handover between staff. Staff being sent into prison without risk assessments or proper training. Message being sent out from management that we must divert from recall.

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    1. Divert from recall? Could be construed as divert from protecting the public.

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  12. There was a big performance metrics meting for NPS this week. Apparently a recall will count as an unsuccessful completion. Wonder if same for CRC and that's why being advised to divert. It's all about the targets and profits. I guess the instruction will be risk escalate before recall? Just had a SFO for murder - risk escalation.

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    1. A further offence counts as an unsuccessful completion too...

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    2. It's about time that Recall was viewed as a failure...it is

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  13. What's a handover, come to think of it what is a transfer, staff losses and neither happened.

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  14. Everything is rosy according to the Tories! Long winded but worth a read.

    http://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2015/04/reasons-to-be-tory-6-graylings-rehabilitation-reforms.html

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  15. If theres a message being sent out that states 'divert from recall', then that really needs to be published.
    Such an instruction, takes away the individual (and trained and experienced) judgement from the probation officer, and puts a management decision focused on meeting targets way above concerns for public safety.
    Recall should occur only when necessary, and being instructed to refrain from doing what is necessary when public protection is concerned is just frankly shocking.
    Print it off and send it to Sadiq Khan with your annonomous concerns about what risks such advice may have on public safety.
    They're just nose in the trough pig bastards.

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    1. Send it to me too, anonymously if preferred.

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  16. a simple response to divert from recall.....it is what we do every day in practice, but when we need to recall it should be done. SONNEX!

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  17. If there's another "dinosaur/old git" comment in our shared building today I won't be needing my redundancy, but I will need a PSR after I've given one of the smug NPS newly qualified POs a good slap. NPS manager isn't interested in addressing it. CRC manager says its not his staff member so he can't do anything about it. Looks like it'll have to be 2 falls and a submission a la Mick McManus, or a thick ear a la Frank Bruno. I haven't a fucking clue what happened to professional standards in the probation service. Where did they go?

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    1. If you feel that strongly go to Union or Human Resources... Simple.....

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    2. I am a new NPS Trainee and looking at this thread and the negative comments about trainees is quite offensive to be honest. I am not a 'young pup' and since I have started it has been assumed that I am fresh out of uni and have zero life experience possibly because I look younger. I have been very respectful to colleagues about the changes etc. but consistently met with rude comments. There is an us and them attitude prevalent and I find it quite vile coming from an organisation of people trained not to be judgemental. If this is what we are supposed to aspire to then of course we are going to come across as smug. We have already tolerated a huge amount of disorganisation in our recruitment. Managers are reluctant to fulfill their basic obligations and we are grilled publicly when we take the initiative. I think it would be useful if people on here are mindful of the fact that we are all human

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    3. I am also a new NPS trainee and have had the exact same experience with some colleagues (not all). Very demoralising and does nothing to help to build your confidence in a daunting new role. Hopefully it will get better...

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  18. A judicious 'grow-up' normally works for me.

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  19. Off topic, but interesting.

    http://m.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/12926193.Jailed_Bradford_burglar_among_first_handed_court_fine_under_new_law/

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    1. A PERSISTENT Bradford burglar, with no home and no income, was ordered to pay more than £1,000 in court charges under new rules, after admitting his latest offence.

      Nathan Simpson, 30, was jailed for four years by the Recorder of Bradford, Judge Roger Thomas QC.

      It is thought to be the first time the Courts Charge has been imposed in Yorkshire and one of the first cases in the country.

      Under new legislation, which came into force on April 13, Judge Thomas had to impose a £900 Criminal Courts Charge on Simpson, as well as a statutory £120 Victim Surcharge.

      He ordered the defendant to pay at £5 a week when he is released from his sentence.

      The Criminal Courts Charge was introduced by Justice Secretary Chris Grayling to make offenders contribute directly to court costs. It is in addition to fines, compensation orders and the defendant's own legal charges.

      His barrister David McGonigal, of Broadway Chambers in Bradford, said after the case that Simpson had no income whatsoever, but the judge had no discretion when making the Criminal Courts Charge.

      Mr McGonigal said: "I suggested the charge was wholly unjust, but the judge had no choice in the matter. Simpson does not have any means, no income, no benefits, and is of no fixed address. When he was asked how he was going to pay, he just laughed.

      "This is the first case of its type I have dealt with, but there will be plenty more to come. It doesn't seem right to impose a penalty without considering the financial or personal circumstances of the defendant, but that is the new law."

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    2. The cost of the 14 days he'll serve for non payment will far outway the original fine.
      I think Grayling may have to think about opening a 'debters prison' too, because in 12 months time how many people will be serving time for non payment?
      Another well thought out plan!

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