Wednesday 20 May 2015

Question Time

Missive received from Working Links chief about how pleased he is with the general election result. Meanwhile CRC leaders seem embarrassed their foot soldiers aren't dropping everything to complete a ridiculous staff survey.

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Increasingly desperate emails being received from senior managers about completing the WL survey, saying it "only" takes 30 minutes, and apparently we can minimise the length of time it takes by only answering questions about our "core tasks"... so do you want it filled out properly or not? Sounds like someone's bonus is at risk...

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I've heard that Deloitte is doing a business review of WL and the survey is part of that. They are looking to merge some job roles.

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That survey is a massive waste of time and there's something very sinister about it.

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The Staff survey it to assess all job roles, see where there are overlaps and act accordingly.

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Union advice is not to complete survey.

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The advice from Napo might be not to co-operate with this survey, and the cynical might be tempted to say they're hoping for a low response to the following:-   

BR 46/2015 TB/KF

To: Branch Chairs, Vice Chairs, Secretaries & Convenors, Family Court SEC Officers and Officials

18th May 2015

Dear Colleague

URGENT – CONSULTATION ON 2016 AGM

Napo has recently secured a venue for our 2016 AGM in Cardiff at the St David’s Hall. In line with our on going objective to reduce costs, and to run as a efficiently as possible, the AGM planning group has been discussing the future format of our AGM, which is currently the single most expensive event we run. As a democratic union that is member led it is vital that members have a say in how our AGM is organised and how members’ subscriptions are spent.


We currently run a two day conference over three days which adds significant costs to the venue booking fees. As such the AGM planning group has drawn up three options (see below) for members to discuss with a view to finding a more efficient, cheaper but still member led AGM for 2016.

Please circulate these to your Branch/Section members and ask them for feedback. It is a short turn around time for responses as we need to secure the exact dates for 2016 AGM and confirm the booking with them as soon as possible.

Please see the options below:

1. Stay the same – AGM starts currently on Thursday afternoon and runs until Saturday lunch time.

2. Two day conference – Starting on Thursday morning and ending on Friday afternoon.

3. Two day conference – starting Friday morning and ending Saturday afternoon (which reduces the time members need to take off work).

Please send responses to the consultation by MONDAY 1 JUNE.


Regular readers will be aware that I've not mentioned Napo of late, but many may feel the above has worrying hallmarks of some attempt to 'bounce' a decision without adequate discussion or consideration. To me it yet again demonstrates just how dysfunctional things are at the top. There appears to be no visible leadership and the vacuum created has allowed this sort of initiative to appear, seemingly out of nowhere, based on virtually no analysis or adequate explanation and with a completely unreasonable time frame attached. 

The 'top table' at Napo just don't seem to 'get it' and I predict some serious unrest within the ranks unless communication improves significantly and there is some sign that the General Secretary is being held to account. There is a rumour that the staff salaries budget has been raided in order to fund a recent bonus for staff, despite a wage increase being turned down last year. I assume the NEC has been fully involved in all key decisions, or is it time for them to be a tad more assertive?        

45 comments:

  1. It is a disgrace from Napo. Another way of trying not to spend Napo's money on its members. If Napo wants to choke itself from oxygen and life blood, all they have to do is to encourage far flung branches to travel all those distance for a day and to return again, without having any networking at all costs for professional exchanges. Another reason to ask why are we paying membership subs. Napo can't be shooting their foot on this one as they have already blown themselves off! Also, this is the first time I have seen Tania Bassett's signature as we have not seen anything from her lately . Does she actually work for Napo? It's like waiting an hour for a bus and when it comes round the corner, it has the 'Not in Service' sign above the door. How does this proposal fit in her job description?

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    1. I applied to go to another conference and was told that branches have had a budget cut from Central and if I go to the AGM then I have to pay for my place at any other NAPO conference. This was an instruction and not up for discussion. I thought this must have been nationally agreed so I'm interested to hear others opinions

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    2. 19:14 - love it!!

      "... as they have already blown themselves off!"

      Couldn't have put it better if you'd meant to. And if it was intentional, good on ya!!

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    3. Ho ho. Yep - that will go down as one of the more memorable typos on this blog. Fnarr fnarr.

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  2. Last NEC was due to decide whether Napo would cease the formal link with the PI. Not a dickie bird...

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  3. Napo HQ need to be held to account - veto proposals outlined above and advise membership cancellation if they attempt to push this through. I can't speak for other areas but I do feel that management are riding rough shod over NAPO in my area. Something tells me that after the last AGM, NAPO HQ are concerned about a revolt

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    1. And the more networking time allowed, the more likely a revolt is... real reason for above proposal to shorten the AGM?

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    2. Same wave length anon 19:44 that is what I think and feel

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  4. Well, children, if you hadn't demanded that we spend all your pocket money on JR, we might have been able to have a nice conference with jelly & ic-cream. As it is, you're left with bread & water & an early bed.

    And with what's left we'll treat ourselves to a bonus, because we were right!!!

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  5. Off topic but this from Civil Service Jobs:

    This is a Fixed Term appointment until 31st March 2016.

    The geographocal base can be flexible within the contract management area and will require some work in London and other locations.


    Band 8

    Accountable to a Senior Area Contract Manager (SACM) (and the DD as required) the Service Manager (SM) is accountable for supporting the operational management of nominated CRC contracts in relation to the delivery of community and through the gate offender services. This includes performance management, oversight of the interfaces between the CRC and the NPS, prisons and other Providers such as EM and BASS, and for local stakeholder engagement, service planning, development and commissioning activity.
    Estimated CRC contract values range from around £12.9 million to £72 million, and they involve complex stakeholder and delivery chain relationships. The post holder is responsible for the management of these complex, innovative contracts and for ensuring the delivery of services that carry high levels of risk, that have not previously been commissioned in this way...

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    1. Does this mean approved premises are next ?

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  6. High level risk, really! Gosh I would never of thought that. Perhaps it already too late, the balance of risk is verging the predictable Big bang, crash wollop, what a picture what a photograph. Casualties plentiful, only survivers profiteers and hidden away Grayling, smug face gang leader

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  7. With respect to the gainsayers, a two day conference full of business is the same 'air time' as a three day conference with two half days and one full one. Is it me, or is the amount of time available for AGM business pretty much the same on all of the proposed models? It is the travelling time that is compromised, not the business. As for networking, if management were on this kind of conference and asked for metworking time, we would be calling it a 'jolly'. I see no conspiracies here, just an idea to cut costs when membership income is falling.

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  8. Will the new Responsible Officer grade come under NAPO or Unison? Will we end up with only NPS in NAPO? Wales CRC are getting very worried after the survey which actually took approx 1 hr to do. Some are even talking about looking for other jobs. They see a big grading merge ahead with pay cuts and job losses.

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  9. Our area has 36 or so NAPO members in the CRC. Most are SPOs and POs. After redundancies, it could be as low as 12-15. UNISON are nearer 100.

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  10. VIA TWITTER: -

    " EMEU @EMintheEU

    Very fruitful discussions at the @ProbInstitute Electronic Monitoring Working group meeting yesterday.

    https://twitter.com/EMintheEU/status/600976955031330817 "

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  11. Stop moaning and just sign out of NAPO. Starve the union of your hard earned money which NAPO routinely wastes such as paying of a GS and a certain ministers legal fees. The leadership is poor and they make mistake after mistake for members. I ask not what you can do for your NAPO but what does NAPO so for you???

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  12. do es anyone know can we join PCS union?

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    1. I await an introduction to this all seeing and all knowing person called "anyone"!

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    2. Hi, anyone here?

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    3. Typical. I have seen Ian Lawrence criticised for NOT wanting to go for Judicial Review and now he is criticised for incurring costs for GOING for JR. He can't win.

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    4. 18:07 OK good point and well made. Leaving napo is not the way forward though for anyone. 20:06 Come on your having us on here with that line. Ian Lawrence has been well critiqued on here for his disastrous leadership if that's what you can call it.
      He ran like a greyhound into the power house to become involved in the development of the transfer arrangements. He was on the consultative SCCOG group and as incompetently supported in the venture by the then Joint chairs . Subsequently, the remaining one of the collapsible duo assisted him in the conflict of role as they were both new and inexperienced. We all know the inept judgement he showed by applying for role in CRC and then resigning more likely to afraid to face the voters than any disagreement with the General Secretary yet still we have no real detail on whether he was bullied out or not.

      JR should have gone ahead a long time before it actually was lodged when they finally went forward having been tackled at the AGM.

      Much call for JR was raised on here by JB. Sadly there was no forcing motion or full debate in the AGM for the JR . It was lodged on weak issues because all the best stuff had been run out of strict time.

      We have not seen the full details of the case because Napo has found a self defence clause. By claiming the Court ruled confidentiality. Yet none of us have seen the Court papers showing this ruling.

      Come on 20:06 are you a napo official then getting prickly.

      Use your memory if not your brain its not hard. Prior to the election there were was a real fear the cavalry were coming in the form of labour. There may have been a feeling for many we had hope. That has now gone yet we are stuck with the GS who has made some terrible mistakes. Shamefully he wont admit or concede any notion that he has not managed well ! It wont be long before what is left of this union calls for him to go and go quickly. This will not be likely until the NEC grow some milk teeth. Most of them do nothing meaningful and actually command the top table to do anything. Farcical ?

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    5. Thank you 22.28 very thorough analysis, many important points raised, what is the way forward to set new NAPO leadership in motion?

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    6. I think what I am reading is that because Napo was involved in the transfer arrangements, as they were being developed, Napo could hardly object via JR, having foolishly participated in it. They have done this through collaboration. Is this right? Am I just asking the wrong question?

      By the way 20 May at 19:52, I was the one who posted at 19:14. No, it wasn't deliberate. I was so angry that I could not get my words straight. Thank you for your comments.

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    7. I was thinking the same, but was it because IL was involved with the SCCOG group, and therefore nullifying any opposition to JR? Was that why he was reluctant?

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    8. I've joined PCS its £6.66 a month for a full time PO they don't have negotiating rights but that might change ? They have been very helpful though in helping me and other colleagues who are pursuing an equal pay claim!! Napo didn't want to know

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  13. If in doubt lock 'em up!
    Homeless man killed by schizophrenic man in overcrowded cell, neither should have been in prison.
    http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/family-homeless-man-murdered-prison-9298661#ICID=sharebar_twitter

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    1. But in her speech to Police this week Theresa May said "our country is safer than it has ever been."

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    2. "Police officers aren't social workers or mental health workers".

      Its all in her speech. Plus this CRC-style vision of the future:

      "And just as ambulances have transformed from little more than fast vans in the past that simply took patients to and from hospital, so too we must look at the role of police cars. Today ambulances can act as mobile critical incident rooms. I want to see police cars make the transition to mobile police stations – removing the need for officers to return to the station to type up their paperwork."

      It all sounds so easy.

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    3. So sad to read this. It makes me so angry to see stock responses such as '..blah blah..take safety very seriously etc.blah blah...' Someone evidently didn't. When the inevitable SFO happens due to the omnishambles we can bet someone will say '..we take the protection of the public/protection of staff/protection of children etc very very seriously ..and will be investigating ..blah blah blah..'

      Increasing risks everyday as (are people aware?) we in NPS no longer have access to the ELECTRONIC CASE RECORD ! years of child protection,parole reports,historical data all lost to us. I'm sure someone believes we take historical data (past behaviour informs present risk etc) '...very very seriously....'

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  14. FROM TWITTER: -

    "@Andrew_S_Hatton

    Does @russwebt have a spy in Michael Gove's office with his #GoveGossip #Probation Tweets? https://t.co/wJKZDRb4za "

    An image of the Tweets can be seen here, but you may need a Twitter Account to view them: -

    https://twitter.com/Andrew_S_Hatton/status/601683733876445184

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  15. From Unison website: -

    " Probation strike date set for 11 June 2015

    http://www.unison.org.uk/content/conNewsArticle/5918?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter "

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    1. UNISON has today confirmed that its members working in probation in England and Wales are to stage a 24-hour stoppage on Thursday 11 June.

      This will be followed by five weeks of action short of strike action from Friday 12 June.

      In the ballot – which closed this Wednesday – 73 per cent of members voted yes for industrial action and 88 per cent for action short of strike action.

      UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said: “Going on strike is never an easy decision but probation workers have been treated badly by this government. It is no wonder they are furious and ready to go on picket lines to fight for fair pay.

      “But there is still time for more negotiations and for the employers to come up with a real pay offer.”

      UNISON balloted its members because of the employers’ failure to improve their zero per cent pay offer to probation staff for 2014.

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    2. Pleased I'm on leave - would have chuckled passing picket line - just as Unison members did when I took strike action for more than just pay - but whole Probation future.

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    3. Good post ! They wont strike though ! We all went out for the future they are threatening for the value of a fiver or so. Classic well put 20:05 !

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    4. Strike over pay, how stupid. Well I am not striking this time. I was treated terrible over the last strike by so called work mates. Heckled at the door, disgusting in this day an age. Well I will continue to work to pay for my children to eat. This is the 2015 not 1980's.

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  16. Meanwhile Probation Institute are getting on with their Professional Development Project 2015, with ex Napo Chair and ASG and former boss (I think) of CCETSW, Helen Schofield organising the online reference group

    http://probation-institute.org/probation-institute-professional-development-project-2015/

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    1. How do you know who is on it ? Are NAPO officers group on it now with Stokeld and Mike McClelland giving the offensive credibility while drawing our subscriptions for the complicit business of undermining what is left of our once great service.

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    2. I cannot bring myself to interrogate the PI website which possibly Anon at 20:50 has done, but I noticed it is suggested further enquiries are emailed to Helen Schofield.

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    3. Isn't Helen Schofield ex-Napo?

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    4. Basically then your post has mislead People if you don't know who is on it and cannot indicate further than the website on PI your information to readers is wrong. Evidence based please or shut up ! You do people you indicate by title a disservice else.

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    5. It feels we have lost our way with the Probation Institute. Its creation was initially supported by a NAPO AGM. I'm not sure our policy position has changed.
      In the meantime NAPO, if not actuallyin melt-down, gives a fair impression of it not least in its role as a professional organisation. The post by Jim today notes the top table "just do not get it".
      When I joined NAPO I relied upon it to provide professional guidance ( informed and enlightened), on practice, I was unable when interrogating the NAPO website to find any guidance on anything. An understandable preoccupation with TR has sapped our energy but into that vaccuum the PI will step. There comes a point when we have to ask whether many of the participants, (Paul Senior, Helen Schofield and other highly respected contributors to Probation and supporters of NAPO - including former chiefs) can all be wrong.
      I fear, particularly with the dubious suggestion of a further reduction in conference time (remember the Thursday starts and the Sunday finish?) will diminish further AGM's relevance to the membership. AGMs had in any case contrived to reduce member participation by staged platform debates by invited guests (all friends of Harry?). Our own debates became increasingly perfunctory with formal proposals ,seconding and often passed nem con.
      We face the challenge of a trades union ill-structured to serve, with at least 22 employers in the criminal justice arena and with CAfcass also. Combined areas present a challenge for Branch organisation by virtue of their size alone (though Wales impresses).
      Bullet biting time I think. NAPO should focus if it can on union issues . Lets review and possibly embrace the PI. That way the influence lies.

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    6. Agreed on Trade union matters and NAPO learn what being a trade union is. Sadly this may well be beyond Mr Lawrence's limited abilities. Professional issues certainly are ! When sodexo bring their machines there will not be any call in CRCs to discuss professional issues.

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    7. Wondering if J.B next topic should be whether members have any confidence in the General Secretary and if, as I suspect will be the case, most have none, how we go about raising a vote of no confidence and bring in some new blood, professional who is capable of leadership, achieving results and who demands respect from the membership due to integrity. How do we begin this process, time for action as most have had enough of the current self serving, egotistical, ambition above ability character we reward with our hard earned subscriptions, otherwise known as the General Secretary.

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    8. Anon at 10.42- also remember the frustration of wanting to progress Napo agenda at conference but lacking quoracy due to excesses of previous evening many times! NAPO do need to develop more professional approach to AGM!

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