Probation Voices 4

I am very sad to hear of colleagues round the country going through what can only be described as a daily nightmare - I'd have thought things would have settled down by now but if anything it's getting worse - in my area estates are high on the agenda, working environments are totally inappropriate and the bickering and sniping is wearing me down.

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Unfortunately the battle to keep admin staff in probation was lost a long time ago along with secretaries and paper files. The battle to keep/have our own little offices/consulting rooms was also lost in favour of open plan. Even open plan offices will soon be closed and admin work outsourced to the lowest cost bidder. The MoJ regard the privatisation of probation as a part completed project and an interim arrangement. The modern deprofessionalised probation officer is to be agile, badly paid, and know their place as lowly corporate worker who does what they are told to do or hand in their phone and laptop and make an appointment at the nearest jobcentre. 

The only reason the NPS exists at all is that outsourcing high risk work may have taken longer to complete and have been less commercially attractive to potential bidders. However, unless the NPS budget can be reduced by 25% then they are for the chop too. AP's would make a nice package for a housing provider. Prison based PO's can be absorbed into the prison. All those holding community cases will simply be transferred to their local CRC. Court and prison PO's will retain the right of audience and do the bulk of reports. Job done, privatisation completed.

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Open plan offices are totally inappropriate, we have banks of desks pushed together and we're literally on top of each other - various conversations are going on at once whilst you're trying to concentrate on recalls or breaches, you can't hear yourself think. We have colleagues who talk on the phone like they are talking to Australia and there's a couple who type extremely loudly and are a total distraction - the other day one had metal bangles on so as she was typing the flaming bangles were bang, bang, bang. It's really stressful and I'm at my wits end.

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That is true for all open plan or crammed offices.There has been a lot of work done on how stressful they are, hence employers favourite option of agile working instead. Saves getting more working space if you make use of someone else's office or kitchen table.

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I recently hot-desked at our Head Office in London and overheard a conversation by senior managers in the tearoom complaining that the new owners were strutting around basically blaming them for being unable to change rapidly enough and tolerating poor performance and complaining that they were not whipping the lazy good for nothing staff into shape. The phrase 'bastards in the grey lanyards' was used frequently. Too many over inflated egos and no one being on board with anything or just fighting their own corner and darned if they care about anyone else. 

They agreed the cohort model was sufficient to convince the MoJ, but completely impractical to implement operationally. They were saying that morale was at an all time low with some teams on the point of mutiny who had just been left to their own devices for fear of more key staff walking. They didn't blame staff for thinking everything was crap because that is what they thought too. They also agreed it was time for any sane person to get out as probation was finished. I was taken aback by how angry they sounded and how reckless they were to be having this kind of conversation in a tearoom where they might easily be overheard - perhaps this is how paranoid we've all become.

People are now quite openly describing the new Head of Probation Helga Swidenback as less than useless, apparently asking managers to put more staff on capability and more staff to be disciplined for insubordination with the real power being wielded from the Mormon Church-dominated MTC in the US. What a sorry state to be in. By the way I had to abandon hot-desking as the IT system kept breaking down and no one could find the IT guy - maybe he had enough and left too.

Napo are doing their best to engage with senior managers but are they talking to the puppet or the hand? From what I've heard they should be heading to the US if they want to talk to those supposedly running things.

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Our CRC on 90 - 110 cases. impossible to keep track of everyone. IOM cases, the PSS has had a big impact on me and they're regularly breaching - I've 3 on multiple licences all of which are in breach and for which I can only recommend custody. Out of an original 8 week sentence by the time the 12mth period is up he'll probably have done 9 months in custody as it's warrant after warrant due to being NFA. Every time he gets recalled he gets 28 days and now he's into PSS he gets 2 weeks as persistent DNA and no point asking for fines. Touch wood he's not offended for a few months so once the PSS starts to expire he may stay out of the CJS.

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I wonder if anyone is doing any research regarding the operating models of the CRC owners? It seems that as soon as they start trying to implement their MoJ approved plans, then the proverbial hits the fan. The MoJ has after all considerable expertise procuring the right companies to do the job such as the wonderful G4S and Serco. Grayling certainly did transform rehabilitation but not into anything better than was there before and as the weeks go by it is obvious that some of the new owners like MTCnovo are more interested in other projects.

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They did beat us because we didn't stick together because people did not believe that they would do this to the hard working drones that couldn't risk losing a day's pay whilst the rest spouted well meaning but ultimately naive statements.......the only way to proceed is to withdraw whatever scrap of goodwill is left, they fought dirty while we were still reading up on the Marquis of Queensbury rule book.....just because we're late understanding exactly how we've been royally shafted doesn't mean to say that we can't do something about it......two Northern areas are struggling financially, will they survive......time will tell.

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What's the latest on S Yorks CRC? All quiet on that front, probably still massaging the figures to come through with flying colours. What a bloody mess.

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The impact this is having - NPS office with staff off sick due to stress. People are walking because they've reached their limit. The way some long established staff are being treated. It's heart breaking to see. And in the CRC workloads are even higher with no streamlining of processes, I don't know how they're coping, I'm not sure I would.

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If the MoJ and Youth Justice Board are finding these companies suitable then we must surely question whether or not their 'rigorous' assessment processes are fit for purpose or is this in fact evidence of corruption? How many former MoJ employees are now advising MTCnovo? How many former NOMs employees do they now employ? Time for someone to start asking the MoJ some difficult questions. Where has Napo's press officer gone? I can't believe that if Harry Fletcher was still working for Napo that he wouldn't be on to this by now.

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I could submit a polished bid, doesn't mean it's accurate or true! MoJ too easily bedazzled and bamboozled by clever spin of people who know absolutely nothing about criminal justice or caring for the vulnerable!

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Does anybody have any advice for a mental health worker with a psychology background considering a career change to train as a Probation Officer? The career appears to tick all the boxes I am searching for in a job but after reading some of the reactions to recent privatisation, I am starting to wonder whether I want to pursue a career where so many people are so upset? Thank you in advance for any advice you may have..

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My advice is don't. Many of us would be happy to find a way into mental health careers right now.

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Before 2013 probation would have been an ideal career move for you, but not now. Anyone recommending probation as a career to you now would be doing you a great disservice. You would be entering a service in decline and unfortunately future employers may question your judgement.