What Will TR2 Look Like?

Seen on Facebook, including some particularly incisive thoughts regarding a possible future scenario for probation:-

The danger of course in probation is losing sight of our traditional approach and values that are being swamped by political ideology and machinations and having more confidence in what we know through experience and the findings from recent research that support the way we used to do things (until recently) and finding ways to communicate this to the accountants now calling the shots.

Here in the APs the new structure has been wheeled out and we are all going to lose financially, yet are expected to work at the same capacity with HRO. I will lose roughly £500 a month as I work permanent nights, I suspect this is the beginning towards full privatisation in the coming years. Still trying to be positive though which is a challenge:-S

*******
Yes it is hard to foresee how APs might continue in the public sector when it is believed to be OK to privatise prisons and over 70% of probation. Apparently the idea of doing away with the NPS (again) is gathering momentum in MoJ/NOMS and has been mentioned to certain CRC owners as a possibility although the official line is that this is not the case and the NPS will continue as an ideological anomaly (or beacon of hope and defiance) whilst all around it is privatised and allowed to become de-standardised. 

The recent announcements to give prison governors more autonomy should also be seen as a step towards further privatisation of prisons including higher security and more specialised prisons. My guess is that the intention was for the AP contract to be put out to tender once CRCs had settled down as part of TR phase 2 or TR2. As you are aware the CRCs have been negotiating and in some cases it looks likely that at least one owner is looking to withdraw upon the realisation that there is too little money to be made without the risk of reputational damage. TR2 sees NPS prison staff absorbed into prisons, NPS court staff into courts and NPS community staff into CRCs. The question for APs will no doubt be whether to look at them as a national or local contract. The name of this game is to reduce costs whilst appearing publicly not to reduce service effectiveness.

*******
Grayling put handcuffs on the government meaning they cannot take back the CRCs. Therefore the only thing to do given the enormous clusterfuck that is the NPS/CRC split is to fold the NPS into the private sector. The only positives I can see from that is we can get rid of the massively bureaucratic Case Allocation System and drop the pointless RSR down a big hole.

*******
I have heard on the grapevine that that is the thinking of a growing number of people in the MoJ and NOMS although rumours and speculation abound in these politically precarious times. It is sometimes forgotten though that Gove's neoliberal instincts would logically tend towards him favouring further privatisation (NSS) and to want to unfetter the CRCs from the current bureaucratic quagmire (who he must curse Grayling for creating and that amounts as we all agree to the exact opposite of smart thinking) so he will look to do this intelligently and hopefully with the benefit of advice from those who are at least knowledgeable. The continued existence of the NPS in its present form will make no sense to him but some form of regulatory framework and standardisation across the risk management organisations (as probation as we understand it will probably be referred to in future) does. 

Every time I write a comment like this I am aware it might be re-posted elsewhere without the caveat that I am only trying to think through and make sense of possible policy direction through somewhat hypothetical type discussions with third parties - who may of course have their own ideas and agenda. From what I gather from those-in-the-know there are political machinations, plots, power plays, and worse within the MoJ and NOMS that would put Game of Thrones to shame. It is a wonder that they ever produce anything approaching a coherent policy given the energies that are apparently wasted in internal wrangling petty interdepartmental squabbles.

--oo00oo--

In 20 years I've never experienced such low staff morale or sickness levels. My team has been at 50% staffing levels since December 2015. It will be under that level from next week. I remember a song that went 'How low can you go!'

This appears to be a familiar story and because of the nature of our work people need to be seen, deadlines need to be met and this situation translates to a substantial increase in workload. Inspections will be taking place soon and no doubt organisations will attempt to present a positive impression whilst the reality is very different. It makes sense to let inspectors know the truth and how TR is not working and the impact of the various proprietary operating systems (CRC or NPS) are having at the frontline on staff and service delivery.

*******

What Operating Systems? Are you referring to gloried calculator shadowing as a full blown computer system? The whole thing is making me lose my mind.

*******
No I was deliberately using a computing analogy to refer to the operating models that NPS and the CRCs are using Wunmi and we know just how compatible interoperable and reliable different computer operating systems are. No sane person/ethical organisation would design the current organisational systems the way they are if their aim was to deliver rehabilitation rather than merely make matters confusing enough to cream off surplus from government contracts whilst appearing to be innovative and do more for less.

******

And on top of staff shortages we find that IT is down on a daily basis and I often experience that I can't have deilus and Eoasys open at the same time! Now that's agile working in action: my laptop flying out of the window!

--oo00oo--

Are CRC's compensated if delius is down for the day nationally! This seems to be happening on a weekly basis and yet the MOJ expect us to hit targets! My office is paperless so I couldn't even compile an Eoasys ISP as I need to access delius. I'll continue to shout that computer systems are 'not fit for purpose' as I have done so for well over a decade.

*******
It's so frustrating!! A whole day! I've worked all evening as a result. It's still down.....

*******
I can understand why but I will only work my hours, no more! None of this is my fault and in this job you need to have some 'me' or 'family' time. I refuse to do any work inside my front door, I say this from experience from the last century (you'll not be thanked for it!) Don't let this Invade your home as it's not your fault.

*******
Totally agree..... keep to work times. I do work from home as I can get more done than in the office but rarely evenings.... just work hours.... it's a job... family time and chill time are more important....

*******
I have left work at 4pm. Not taking work home with me due to a service issue if an ISP is missed so be it. It's not my or your problem it's a service issue. Don't put yourself under that kind of pressure. Miss the target that's the only way the service learns. You are not culpable the service is in this respect :)

*******
I only managed to do anything because I have 500+ emails still unread from a month off sick.. Next week will be my 3rd week back and only got them down by 100 during those two weeks! I go to the loo and come back to another 50!

*******
Don't forget to keep recording in your diaries when the systems go down.