Monday 16 November 2015

Turning Purple

Purple Futures have started rolling out their 'Interchange' programme and the nominated cascade trainers have a 125 page manual to digest prior to delivery across the 6 CRCs. Here's a taster:-  

This document is provided to give you an overview of the core modules that are integral to the Interchange operating model. Reading this information prior to the Train the Trainer event will give background and context to the training. The information below is an extract of the key principles from the Interchange Delivery Handbook, which will be provided to staff when they attend the Core Module training.

Two key elements of the operating model, the Enablers of Change Assessment and the Interchange Plan, are predicated upon the implementation of the new Case Management System - Interlink, and this is referenced throughout the document. To enable staff to begin to work with the core modules, we have developed processes and templates to be used in the interim period, details of how these will work are contained within the Interchange Delivery Handbook.

There is some difference in language, key changes being:
  • Offender is now Service User 
  • Assessment becomes Enablers Of Change Assessment 
  • Sentence Plan becomes Interchange Plan 
The events have been designed to enable you to become involved in defining and designing the training you will be delivering and after the Train the Trainers event you will be provided with packs containing all the relevant materials required to deliver the staff training. We will also provide a contact group to provide ongoing support whilst you are delivering the training. We look forward to seeing you at the event. 

1.1 Background

Service Users will undergo their Interchange Induction Module at their first contact to prepare them for the full assessment meeting with their Case Manager and start preparing the plan.

All service users allocated to the CRC will receive a pre-assessment induction (the Interchange Induction Module) that explains how their sentence will be managed and how they will be expected to contribute towards their own rehabilitation. The Induction Module will introduce Service Users to the features of Interchange approach, build the motivation to change, develop planning skills and initial rehabilitative goals.

The where and when will be defined the CRC depending on numbers of attendees and location. The new approach to induction provides the opportunity to deliver service differently, to get Service Users and volunteers involved in delivering the induction and supporting inductees with the self-assessment. The induction will provide the opportunity to address any barriers to future compliance and clearly outline the expectations of the Service User and the CRC. Consideration should be given to the environment, refreshments and learning needs. CRCs will ensure that space and staff time is allowed at group inductions for service users whom may have pressing needs to be supported and be seen on a one to one basis.

1.2 Induction Session outline
The purpose of the induction session is to introduce Service Users to the Interchange Model, to ensure that they understand and adhere to their court order or licence and take responsibility for their behaviour and actions. It also begins the assessment and planning process with a self-assessment.

The desired outcome is that everyone experiences a collaborative and safe introduction to the CRC and gains a full understanding of what is expected of them and what they can gain from being on a community order or licence and working with their case manager. Therefore, it is important that particular attention is given to creating a safe environment for all. A motivational responsive facilitation style is linked intrinsically to inclusion and this should be promoted throughout the session. Where ever possible, facilitators need to be aware of any issues, which may affect individual participation and learning, prior to the session and ensure that they provide help and support as required. This session can also be delivered individually for service users identified as vulnerable for any reason.

It is recommended that peer mentors/volunteers will be available to support service users when they arrive, encourage compliance and wherever possible to co-facilitate the session.

Throughout, there should be an emphasis on recognising the skills and achievements that participants have, whilst encouraging them to access support and help, which will reduce the likelihood of re-offending.

The session is designed to last for 1.5 hours if delivered to a group. The suggested timings of the exercises are flexible. A short break may be taken at the discretion of the facilitator. This induction is suitable for both multi-requirement orders and standalone UPW. For standalone UPW cases this session should be followed by an UPW induction to include Health & Safety, UPW rules and requirements signed.

As recommended by HMIP report ‘where a group or duty induction is used, an appointment with the Service User manager should always be provided as part of the processes’.

The Interchange Induction can be delivered in a group or one to one setting. CRCs will define which dependant on numbers, and suitability. The Induction module has been tested in West Yorkshire; key recommendations arising from this are:
  • CRCs to provide information that can be given to the service user at court, prior to attending their induction, setting out duration, telephone numbers and what to expect when they arrive. 
  • Where group inductions are offered ensure prior to attendance that the service user is suitable and or is happy to undertake a group induction.
  • Be prepared to undertake one to one inductions with service users who do attend the group setting and are not comfortable or disruptive. 
  • Wherever practicably possible arrange for the allocated Case Manager to be present at the induction or immediately afterwards to meet the service user. 
  • Consideration to be given for ensuring Unpaid Work staff are involved to ensure correct allocation to work groups for service users with an UPW requirement 
  • Where ever possible use service users to support the delivery of induction and to talk about their own experience, either in person or a short video 
  • The setting for induction, either group or one to one should be as informal as possible and include refreshments.
Welcome and Introductions
Welcome the participants. Introduce yourself and ensure that they are familiar with housekeeping details. Facilitators can do a round of introductions if they feel it is appropriate. Give a brief overview of what is included in the induction session including timings to set the context.

Introduction of the Interchange Model
Briefly describe the interchange model, emphasising:
  • The importance of identifying where you are and where you want to be. 
  • The importance of planning, setting goals and reviewing progress. 
  • The availability of relevant interventions. Explain the director of services available to all service users and give examples of some of the interventions/services on offer.
  • Explain the ability to develop a record of achievement throughout the order and give examples e.g. CV, certificates, qualifications
  • Access to community resources.
  • The aim of achieving better outcomes in order to build a positive future.
Encourage a brief discussion with the aim of emphasising the advantages of engaging in the process and the opportunities available. Use the 6 Core Modules to describe the process explaining at they are at the first stage of the journey:
  • Induction 
  • Assessment 
  • Planning 
  • Networking 
  • Review 
  • Exit 
Understanding the Order or Licence
Ensure that they understand the requirements of their court order or licence and the consequences of non-compliance. The requirements of the order/licence should be made clear by emphasising the responsibilities of the service user rather than delivering a list of ‘rules’. Give a brief overview of RAR/SSO/Activity days and/or UPW activities.

Ensure that the Service Users are aware of the following:
  • The importance of attending as instructed. 
  • The name and contact details of their Case Manager. 
  • The consequence of not complying with their court order/licence. 
  • Emphasise the need to inform their Case Manager of a change of address 
Give everyone a copy of the ‘Code of Conduct’ and ensure they understand the expectations regarding their attendance and behaviour and sign it.

Exercise – Where am I now?
Explain that they will now move on to the first part of the assessment module with a self-assessment.

Highlight that it is useful to consider carefully where we are in different aspects in our lives in order to decide whether we want to make changes. Guide them to consider each section in turn and give themselves a score as to how satisfied they are with that aspect of their lives. On a scale of 0 – 5 with 0 indicating that they are not dissatisfied and 5 indicating that they feel they are very satisfied. The emphasis should be on whether these issues are likely to increase or decrease the likelihood of them re-offending. Have some pre-prepared examples and encourage them to think about the reasons for their score.

The following should be considered in each of the boxes:

Personal relationships and support networks:
Suggest that they ask themselves whether they have positive and supportive relationships.

Health and well-being:
This covers physical and mental health as well as any issues relating to problems resulting from their use of drugs or alcohol.

Home and money:
This covers accommodation and finances. Do you need help with housing? Do they have problems with your current housing? Are you claiming all benefits?

Education and work:
Relates to ETE - this should also include any voluntary work and any other contribution they are able to make.

Friends and support:
Relates to their social groups and networks and whether they feel these are positive and supportive. It also includes whether they feel they are in control of their lives and their own behaviour.

Motivation and Achievements:
As it suggests, this relates to whether they feel this is an area of concern for them. The more hope they feel of having a positive offending free future, the higher the score.

It is important to deliver the self-assessment in a positive and supportive way, whilst encouraging the participants to be honest and realistic. A useful question is to ask what score would be given by someone who knows them very well and has their interest at heart. Ensure volunteers/mentors are available to support where identified.

Where would I like to be?
Explain that we will now repeat the exercise and consider where they would like to be in 5 years’ time. Guide them to consider each box in turn and encourage them to score where they would like to be on a scale of 0 – 5 Again a score of 0 indicates that they are dissatisfied and 5 that they are completely satisfied with this area of their life. They should briefly describe or draw an image of the situation they would like to be experiencing in each area of their life. It is likely that they will indicate that they would like to be positive in each area. Next lead a discussion to highlight the differences from where they are now to where they would like to be.

Guide the contributions by asking questions such as:
  • How easy would it be to get to where they want to be?
  • Which area of their life would need most change to get to where they want to be?
  • Have they already made changes? If so, how did they achieve it?
  • How successful were they?
Discussion – Where do I go from here?
Explain that they have successfully completed first session of a series of 6 core sessions that everyone must attend. Praise their contribution and the fact that they have made that important first step.

Explain that there are also a range of activities that each person will be required to attend depending on their particular court order or licence and the assessment and goals that are set with their own case manager.

Explain that the next session will consist of a meeting with their own officer in order to plan a programme of activities. The idea is to work with them in a collaborative way and build on their own assessment and set goals.

Re-emphasise that there will be a ‘networking approach’ throughout in order to encourage them to identify ways in which they can build positive relationships and access support services, employment, training and education. Reinforce that all achievements will contribute towards their ‘Record of Achievement’. Re-assure them that help will be given when required.

Explain the arrangements for attending the next appointment with their Case Manager. Give out a copy of the evaluation sheet and ask them to complete it. 
 

39 comments:

  1. And not to long ago I was roundly chastised by some who read this blog for saying that probation provide a service and offenders are service users. Purple Futures has just proven me right. Not that I'm crowing or anything you understand . . . .

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    1. What a silly response. How does PF changing terminology "prove" anything one way or the other?

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    2. What has been demonstrated is that Purple Futures call people service users.
      I think that the only service they will provide is to make money for their shareholders.

      Roundly chastise me if you wish, I'll come back to crow when I'm proved right.

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    3. Purple Futures deciding to call probation clients "service users"is little more than them attempting to show that they're following the latest zeitgeist in trying to do something 'different'. All the CRCs are doing it (and in my area it was happening way before the winning bidders were announced, so don't get too smug) because it's a 'happier' and more 'wholesome' term than the dirty word "offender". Meanwhile those of us at the coalface were still calling the people we work with "clients" (personally, I like to use their names, but then I'm a bit of a softie).

      Nothing else is proved one way or the other, other than you and PF agreeing on terminology. However I do agree with you that the only people likely to see any benefits from the CRCs are shareholders and senior management.

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  2. I know realise that Purple Futures ARE the future. I've never seen anything that so explicitly lays out "what to do". Its amazing. Thank goodness for TR; without it we'd still be aimlessly floundering around not knowing what to do next. At last, I can sleep easy.

    "What's that you say? A what? A 'wheel'? Oh, I see! You've invented a 'wheel'. It'll never catch on."

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    1. "Nah mate, you don't want one of those round wheels. Not cost effective, you understand? Have a look at these lovely square ones that I've just reinvented. They're nearly as good as the round ones, but the best thing is those nice straight edges are much easier to mass produce. Easier on the old profits, you understand?

      "Oh, and you could always use them as a peg for a round hole."

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    2. Oh and we don't call them 'wheels' anymore, they are now 'vehicle facilitators' much more blue sky thinking don't you agree?

      ..Dont know what you did before TR came along...

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  3. Why use this meaningless depersonalising inaccurate gobbledygook?

    As Rickie Tomlinson's - Jim Royle - character might say - Service User - MY ARSE!

    It muddles status - most readers may not be interested in another justification of the term - client - but how about the alternative - depending on the actual status at any given time - Defendant - Prisoner or Supervisee?

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    1. They are not a defendant as they are not defend anything. They have either entered a guilty plea or been found guilty at trial.

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    2. Depending on the actual status at any given time, Andrew said. If someone has denied a breach, for example, they would be referred to as Defendant in court, albeit under supervision.

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  4. This blog fails to mention that Induction meetings are no longer called 'inductions' they are now known as 'Orientations' yep this is a well-known phrase with the locals in my inner-city patch.

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  5. I think it's a good thing to see the back of the designation 'offender'. It was a lousy, dehumanising term for a person who is always more than a fragment of behaviour.

    Refreshments went out of fashion for offenders and providing them is an inherently social act. Only a minor matter, but symbolic of a bit of respect for persons.

    The rest of the blurb is merely a rehash of the status quo ante, apart from the inter this and inter that nods to Interserve.

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  6. I got out but come back here to see what is happening. Do you guys realise how utterly ridiculous all of this sounds? There is nothing going on here other than cuts and then an attempt to justify them by polishing the turds and re-branding them.

    No regrets here/.

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  7. The guff from Working Links isn't much better

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  8. Anyone got any update on napo. Speak to me.

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  9. 'Service user' has been in use for the past few years in some places. PF jumped on the bandwagon. Problem is I've rarely heard 'service users' refer to themselves with the term. I doubt there are many that consider themselves 'users' of any 'service' since they're forced to comply.

    For the record I prefer 'client'.

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  10. New terminology, to protect them from copyright infringements, looks a lot like good lives wheel to me?

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  11. why use plain English when you can write important sounding gobbledegook which will surely impress the minions (not those currently taking over the world) eg ' a motivational response facilitation style is linked intrinsically to inclusion'.??

    And did these clever people mean to say, in a sentence that is grammatically NOT a sentence - 'On a scale of 0 - 5 with O indicating that they are not dissatisfied and 5 indicating that they feel very satisfied'.?? Where can people say they DO feel dissatisfied?

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  12. So what will YOT be called 'Young Service User Team'?

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    Replies
    1. Nah, that's ageist. Try "service user team: teenage years", aka SUTTY.

      "What's that Sweep? Breach of copyright?"

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  13. So now we have to learn another language before we can re-learn to do our jobs.. And another pile of silly-speak we will have to translate for our rehabilitatees ha

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  14. Well I for one am glad that this TR process has led to such wonderful innovation! A group induction (sorry, 'orientation')? Except for where a group induction isn't suitable and it's done 1:1? Why hasn't anyone come up with this before? And a "motivational responsive style"? Brilliant! That's what they pay the big bucks for.

    The idea that "CRCs to provide information that can be given to the service user at court, prior to attending their induction, setting out duration, telephone numbers and what to expect when they arrive" is also pretty revolutionary. The NPS in my area still can't even instruct people for the right day half the time (not always their fault, as the induction fashion changes frequently and because we're now two separate organisations, the message doesn't always get through quickly).

    And good luck on getting some of the clients to sit through this for an hour and a half, a few days after coming out of court or prison.

    Still, I agree with Netnipper that the offer of refreshments is at least a sign of civility. I do hope all PF staff insist on this criteria being adhered to.

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  15. No doubt in months to come the authors of such reinvention will win awards for their brilliance,,,these people need to be identified now as when these systems crash and burn staff need to be able to apportion blame in a fair and correct manner

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  16. I am just blown away by PFs understanding &approach to the work we do. I now realise how crap everything I have done for 33 years is & I will be rebranding & remodelling myself from now . Thank you PF for your innovation, vision & understanding. Why don't you go into business, I understand an organisation called NPS is in need of a make over ( it's got a bit of an E habit to overcome).

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    1. As someone who is well embedded into the PF family: NPS ; we are looking to bring you into the PF family in round 2 of TR...... it is coming, NOMs will be disbanded and a small, very small number of civil servants will be embedded into the prison estate, under Prison management., jackanory...... you decide!!!

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    2. Anon 19:36 don't think you're telling us anything us intelligent folks didn't see coming already. Doesn't mean its right or that it will work. See, I also foresee that the govt will expect you companies to run on less and less. However much you kid yourself, you are still needing government money. A shadow (very shadowy) state. A proxy public service just with less money. Who are the real mugs?

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  17. A colleague left yesterday 34 years in the service, a miserable bunch of flowers and bottle of wine was her parting gift. Not a manager in sight to say farewell and thank you. So don't just blame the new companies lack of understanding of what everyone has put into the service over the years, it is alot closer to home than that.

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    1. I left after 25 and specifically asked that NO leaving event be organised. A lot of us who have left are not inclined to 'celebrate' the fact, given the circumstances and are saying our goodbyes personally and privately. A 'thank you and goodbye' speech from the hierarchy is likely to result in a response that would be unseemly to say the least......

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  18. Human "Resources" - a thing to be used up

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    1. Yes - Staff Office or Personnel Department was definitely better - I recall how firstly, surprised & then confused I was to be dealt with by HR Department bods compared to the personnel folk of yesteryear - the name title changed without me even noticing it happening - but I certainly realised the difference by the time my career ended.

      AND how do they treat those retired staff?

      - at one time I thought it irrelevant -BUT it is perhaps an indicator of how current staff are really valued and appreciated. In my case, not so much as one Christmas card since 2003 - not that I expected it or need it - as I realised way, way back - the ultimate measure of probation employers I worked for after the 1980s was whether they paid you on time and in full and sorted out any mistakes in a generous manner, the rest of the guff was mostly just flannel as an alternative to complaints & recriminations, used in the manner of carrots and sticks are too donkeys.

      http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8b333e00-73e1-11e3-beeb-00144feabdc0.html?siteedition=uk#axzz3rkK8TEGL

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    2. 'paid you on time and in full and sorted out any mistakes' in my experience that cannont be said about NPS.

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  19. Sometime when you’re feeling important,
    Sometime when your ego’s in bloom,
    Sometime when you take it for granted,
    You’re the best qualified man in the room.
    Sometime when you think that your passing
    Will leave an un-fillable hole,
    Just remember this simple example,
    And see how it humbles your soul.
    Take a bucket and fill it with water,
    Put your hand in up to your wrists,
    The hole that you make when you leave it,
    Is the measure of how much you’ll be missed.
    You may thrash all you want when you enter,
    You may stir up the waters galore,
    But just wait for a moment
    And it is still the same as before.
    The moral of this is quite simple,
    Just do the best that you can.
    But please always remember
    There is no irreplaceable man.

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  20. My advice for anyone working longer than contracted hours for a private company? The graveyards are full of men who thought they were irreplaceable. Spend time with your family.

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  21. Off topic on a quiet night I wonder if I might express some anger? Your call, JB ... So, the now highly polished & confident Cameron has been handed his very own Falklands on a plate. His performances are increasingly smug & high-handed. The atrocities in Paris have now been cynically & enthusiastically converted into justifications for erosion of human rights, for use of lethal force in the UK & beyond, & for a terrifying bunch of lunatics braying & guffawing during today's PM questions. The violent criminals need to be dealt with but they are our Frankenstein, a creation of [and funded by] historical American (i.e Bush) foreign policy, namely removing Gadaafi & Hussein without any follow-up strategy. Sadly the Lapdog known as Blair blagged us free front row tickets for that Theatre of War.

    PMQs today was frightful, distressing & quite scary. We've been painted into a corner by arrogant, wealthy men who are only concerned about their own interests. I fear there are many more monstrous acts of criminal violence to come. The Russian Ambassador (C4 news) made a very important observation this evening, one that I have raised with my MP & others regarding the rogue criminals, which is to stop giving those criminals any form of status. To paraphrase: "They are not Islamic, and they are not a State, so do not refer to them as Islamic State, or IS."

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  22. From the Guardian, this about the HBOS whistleblower Paul Moore... maybe there'll be an inquiry into the TR omnishambles in years to come?

    "But the whistleblowing experience nearly killed him, he says. His book, published this month – Crash Bank Wallop – gives a no-holds-barred account of his private life, his struggle with alcoholism and depression, and describes a diagnosis of bipolar disorder in June this year. Having set up his own publisher – New Wilberforce – to produce the book, he has ambitions for it to become the go-to publisher for whistleblowers...

    Of the former HBOS bosses, he said: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions … They may have subjectively been thinking what they were doing was right, but they were completely and utterly wrong and they need to be held to account for it.”

    But his ire is not only aimed at HBOS officials and non-executive directors. John Griffith-Jones, the boss of the Financial Conduct Authority, the current City watchdog, should quit, he says, because he was formerly chairman of KPMG, auditor of HBOS, as well as a string of other banks.

    Moore is himself a former partner at KPMG and it was accountants and professional advisors that failed more than anyone else, he believes.

    The ink on his first book is barely dry, but Moore is already preparing his second, with the working title “Love Truth Justice”, in which he aims to lift the lid on the slow pace of the HBOS report.

    He has tried to mend fences with Stevenson, Crosby and Hornby (three of his former bosses) - to no avail – and would like a truth and reconciliation commission to be set up.

    The former bosses, he believes, should “face up to what they’ve done and have a revelatory moment, and then make amends”.

    Then, he says, “we could move on to a new form of caring, clean and collaborative capitalism”."

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  23. While hundreds of probation staff are forced into unemployment, tax credit cuts put tens of thousands into poverty & UK public services are decimated, the Tory Boys are now spending £10M of taxpayer monies on their own private ministerial jet.

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  24. I have heard a rumour that there is to be a major announcement at Greater London Napo Branches meeting this Friday 20th. Has anyone else heard anything? Maybe someone is quitting?

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    Replies
    1. The branch is broke apparently. We await further details.

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