Tuesday 29 March 2016

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.

16 comments:

  1. Your mental health experience would be more than utilised in Probation - practising on the staff. If the current situation continues we.will all be in straight jackets tearing our hair out. It's dire. Stay out of Probation.

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  2. I agree stay well away from probation most of us are desperate to get out and suffering with all the symptoms of stress ! I'm too near to retirement to easily find another job but am urging all my younger colleagues to retrain and go elsewhere ! I would also advocate staying well away from the public sector its toxic!

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  3. We all know it's shit be it CRC or NPS and doubtless will get shittier. Will the real Jim Brown please stand up. What JB hopes to achieve by regurgitating pessimism without tangible solutions that will engender change is a mystery. A masochistic self-flagellator? Or a NOMS plant? Who knows? Yea, I know I don't have to read it.

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  4. "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"

    Anyone who met Swidenbank when she was running HMP Bronzefield could have told you that she'd make this sort of boss at London CRC as this was exactly how she was running a prison. The woman is a nasty piece of work and incompetent

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  5. What an extraordinary statement Anon 16:33! This whole mess was deliberately created by HM Government and it's their responsibility to sort it out, not me.

    If I were to stop publishing the horror stories of probation staff the length and breadth of the country, the MoJ and NOMS might think things are getting better as TR 'beds in' - you know, it's just a few 'teething troubles'. I'm only providing a platform for people to say what's going on. Where are the 'good news' stories about TR?

    I repeat - this situation was created by the Government and whilst ever there is evidence that it's a mammoth omnishambles, the show carries on.

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    1. Good news about TR? Well I quit probation just over a year ago after applying for (and failing to get!) EVR because of it - the good news? I'm now on 8k a year more doing a job I can't wait to go to in the morning - does that count?:D

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    2. Do say more

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    3. Yes, please elaborate. What job are you doing now? Private or public sector, what area of the country. I can't see much out there to be honest.

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    4. That is good news ! From one still stuck in the TR Omnishambles I am very happy for you shame you didn't get EVR so I'm assuming you wernt management or back room ! Best wishes for a happy future hoping for mine soon

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    5. I am also actively looking for other jobs.

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    6. Well done jim brown..the banksy of probation! Everyone needs a platform to offload. If you don't like it don't look. Speaking to an ex chief probation officer the other day and she thinks you are doing a great job!

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  6. Private sector - sadly, I doubt my particular story is one not many will be able to replicate, as I was one of the IT bods, thus with a marketable skill (not to do down any of the front line staff, I'm sure there probably are chances out there for other jobs requiring those skills but it's out of my field so I couldn't start citing any, sorry!). Sure, I went from 32 days leave a year to 20, but the job is interesting, they want me to stay current with the state of the art, the money's great (with a substantial Xmas bonus on top) and best of all its in a hugely stable sector.

    I went from using kit that I was frankly embarrassed to be responsible for (and if you think probation's IT infrastructure is shit, you'd be quite right - the difference is I can tell you why it's shit on a technical level!), to the latest tech overnight.

    To those who are left, and want to get out, do something to at least get the ball rolling - write a list of the things you know how to do, knock it into a CV, find a reputable agency and submit it - what's to lose, and you might be surprised. I'm still in touch with a few friends there and am very aware that some of them are doing it through a sense of duty, so they'll have to tough it out until the wheel turns one again and they bin the crcs and widen the scope of the nps again (to make it pretty much how it was), but as for the rest, as I'm sure your well aware, it's a pretty indifferent world out there do you might add well try and make the best deals you can - and remember: you don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate.

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  7. It wasn't until one of our temps told me exactly how bad our IT systems are that I stopped blaming myself for not being able to understand it.

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  8. I moved to a local authority 18 months ago after over a decade as an SPO.The money is about the same but I have had the chance to look at what Probation used to do from the other side.I would echo what our former IT colleague has said above but from PO perspective think about the cases where you felt compelled to stick your neck out.IOM/PPO work?Think community safety.Work with learning disabled adults has strong overlaps with CJ work and adult social care work in urban areas is taking on the work Probation saw as its stock in trade. You won't make more money but you may feel better about going to work.

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  9. Have to agree with others who have bitten bullet and left. Probation gives us a lot of transferable skills. I got help with my cv and put it on the online job sites such as Reed. I get bombarded with messages from recruiters for all sorts of industries. The 'tell me about the time you dealt with a challenging situation' question at interviews always makes me chuckle. Our people skills and problem solving really makes us valuable in the job market.

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  10. I absolutely agree. Probation officers have a wealth of skills that can be transferred to other jobs. I also have a c.q.s.w so have condsidered social worker jobs but to be honest too much of ' out of the frying pan into the fire.' I did did leave for a while when my kids were young because it just got too stressful. Did yot for a while which was ok. Left that and helped my spouse with family business. Missed working with people and using my skills so worked in adult social care for a while. Conditions were apalling, no sick pay whatsoever, unsocial hours and very challenging, half what i earn now so thought i may as well bite the bullet and return. I don"t want to be a manager, i like working with real people! Will hang on for time being but if it becomes intolerable i will have to find domething else. I have managed it before and i can manage it again. No easy solution as everywhere else in the dsme boat. Crc's need to be very, very careful. An organisation is only as good as its staff and the knowledge and dkills they bring. In my view standards have dropped enormously. Managers are afraid to tackle the issues because they can't afford to lose staff who won't be replaced. Whole dituation does nothing to drive up standards. Getting supervision plans done on time to avoid financial penalty will not improve service!

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