Saturday 10 December 2016

What You Told The Guardian

Here it is:-

'The job used to have integrity': readers on Britain's probation services

An official review into the failing performance of the government’s privatisation of the probation service, has been called for by justice secretary Liz Truss. The probation service was split in 2014 into 21 private community rehabilitation companies (CRCs) and a public National Probation Service (NPS), replacing the former 35 probation trusts.

Truss told MPs on Tuesday that the review into the performance of the privatised probation companies would be finished by April and would include measures to improve the service. The announcement came after highly critical reports by the chief inspector of probation, Dame Glenys Stacey, found companies struggled to deliver the supervision of 250,000 offenders a year.

We asked people working in probation services in the UK for their views and experiences. From low morale among staff to excessive case loads, and unsuitable risk assessments, here’s what some of them said.

Working for the publicly owned NPS: ‘Staff have no faith in leadership’

The probation trusts we used to have were rooted in localism and worked closely with partner organisations such as the police, social care and the health service. But all those relationships have been put under strain by the arrogant attitude emanating from Whitehall. Staff still believe in the job they do but have no faith in leadership.

The recent staff survey information indicated that just 3% thought that the NPS had made improvements - I think that says it all. As we’re such a small organisation we won’t get the headlines that problems in the prison service get but if things go wrong with us, the consequences for the public could be even greater.

Neil, East Midlands

‘I suffered burnout and am now on unpaid leave’

Nobody is receiving the service they should and it has become too difficult to do a good job. People are leaving and sickness levels due to stress and depression are high - it is not uncommon for people to cry at their desks.

I have been qualified as an officer for 11 years and have a range of experience, from prison work to managing a team of probation officers. However, I had a period of sick leave due to depression and am now on unpaid leave. Direct line managers and colleagues were generally supportive but despite that I have suffered burnout. I am now travelling around Europe in a motorhome with my children!

Alison, Scotland

Public protection within the NPS: ‘Staff are inexperienced, inadequately trained and very poorly paid’

We’re supposed to offer a service where high risk offenders (while on licence) are directed to reside in places where they can be monitored before being released into the community, but it’s staffed with people who are inexperienced, inadequately trained and very poorly paid. How does that facilitate public protection?

It’s been awful from the word go but I wanted to stick it out and learn something new. I’d never worked in probation before. However after almost ten years I handed in my resignation on Monday. I’ve learnt a great deal. I’ve really enjoyed the work and helping people change their lives is great. Human behaviour is very interesting and although the public might not understand probation and what it does (which is probation’s fault) all of these offenders have been victims at one time too. Society is very ill. A philosopher once said: ‘Society gets the criminals it deserves,’ and that it does.

Simone, Guildford

Working for London CRC which is privately owned by MTCnovo: ‘Excessive case loads are putting public protection at risk’

I have been a probation officer for 11 years and supervise male offenders predominately for domestic violence offences. Before privatisation I worked in a team of 11 and had a case load of between 40-50 offenders. Now I am in a team of 7 and have a caseload of 70.

I am supposed to assess their risk and compile a community sentence plan (this is where we look at the needs of the offender and work to improve their situation whilst reducing their risk. For example someone who becomes violent when drunk will need alcohol intervention as well as help addressing the reasoning behind violence such as power and control, or anger management). In the current political climate many offenders have mental health issues and there is no longer any provision for this issue as London CRC have disbanded the mental health cohort. We also find many of our clients have housing issues and benefit sanctions.

Before privatisation we used to see offenders weekly for a minimum of 16 weeks and each session would last at least a minimum of an hour. In doing so we would build a positive rapport and a thorough analysis of the offender, their needs and their risk. Now we have too many offenders and not enough time. I see my offenders on average for 20 minutes once a month. There is no minimum requirement and our managers encourage us constantly to see them less and sign post them more which is a false fallacy as community services are scarce and stretched.

Public protection is at risk here with excessive case loads but no one is monitoring this and managers do not care. We are robustly managed to hit targets but are totally missing the point. I want to resign. My job has become a tick box exercise. The people I see are damaged and often dangerous, with violent backgrounds or mental health issues and need support.

David, London

Custody within a CRC: ‘There have been a number of totally inaccurate and inappropriate risk assessments’

I’m a custody probation officer and my job is effectively the ‘motto’ of probation: protect the public, rehabilitate the offender, and enforce the law. Public protection means assessing the risks (of harm and re-offender) of any particular prisoner. Rehabilitate the offender (ideally) means ensuring they receive the most appropriate work to address their offending. Enforce the law means ensuring an offender (whether on a community order or on a prison licence) abided to his or her conditions.

Prison officers are few and far between, so we have to find one who has time, energy and the inclination, to unlock a prisoner so we can do some work. In the past, a prisoner making a request would have it dealt with appropriately. These days, I could receive umpteen emails, phone calls or being collared while out and about the prison, to tell me a prisoner needed to speak to me.

With regards to CRCs - half the time we don’t have up-to-date contact information, so cannot phone or email an outside officer for whatever reason. There have been a number of totally inaccurate and inappropriate risk assessments. One I saw involved a man who had committed GBH three times in a drunken pub fight. The CRC assessed him as a low risk of harm because he did not know any of the victims before pushing a beer glass in their faces.

Lots of people who do front-line work are having long periods of sick leave. If these stressed people stay in their jobs, they’re not going to be as effective as they should be, or once were. The whole system is collapsing and we’re just letting it happen.

Nemo, Worcestershire

Enforcement within a CRC: ‘I have given up trying to defend the indefensible’

We have lost experienced enforcement officers who would rather take redundancy than work in a job they are now ashamed of. I prosecute breaches - when anyone bothers to take any action - and am constantly having to try and explain to the courts why offenders have not been seen for months. I have given up trying to defend the indefensible. If victims of crime knew that even the paltry sentences handed down are not even carried out, how do you think they would feel? The government tells us crime is going down (which is nonsense), people just do not even bother to report it.

Taylor, Devon

Working in a senior attendance centre for a CRC: ‘I was transferred in 2014 and am yet to have any job specific training’

I have been in my current role for 12 years but directly under government bodies, and was transferred to a CRC in August 2014. My role is predominantly working face to face with low to medium risk service users and ensuring they report regularly to the centre. Myself and other colleagues have yet to have any job specific training other then a few hours being shown a few key things on their database. I have received no training in relation to health and safety. I have very little contact with supervising officers to find out how their service users are complying with their orders, and there are so many probation officers with unsafe case levels to manage.

As for the companies interest or obligation for my welfare, it is practically nonexistent. I have had one appraisal six months after I transferred, and three different line managers! I have now been told that redundancy for me is very likely, as they are attempting to make what was once a thriving sentencing option into a skeleton service.

Sadie, Exeter

Victim services within a CRC: ‘Victims are lost in the system and the reason why offenders are on probation is forgotten’

If you are a victim of crime you would like to believe that the offender will be held to account and required to complete the sentence set out at court. This is not the case - because we work in a target driven culture. The emphasis is to get the offender through the order so it can be viewed as a successful completion - and to achieve this probation officers are expected to do whatever they can. So in reality there are no national standards, you cannot breach anyone and you can’t recall anyone - offenders rule the service.

Previously an offender could have two missed appointments before they would be in breach and taken back to court now offenders get through their orders hardly setting foot in an office. Telephone calls are now classed as appointments, and any requirements such as programmes are overlooked, if they don’t want to do it then on the whole they don’t have to. We are expected to do anything and overlook everything in order to get a successful completion. The word public protection used to be the core of probation but now it’s not even considered.

The job used to have integrity, but now we are at the mercy of people who don’t actually care about victims or potential victims. Instead they are lost in the system and the very reason why offenders are on probation is forgotten.

Emmy, West Yorkshire

Working in resettlement in a CRC: ‘Before privatisation I would have been supervised by managers’

I am a probation practitioner which involves risk assessment, and going out to prison wings to interview prisoners for accommodation, benefits, finances, relationships, health and wellbeing, and behaviour. We then action the issues they have, always bearing in mind the risk posed to the public. As you can imagine some prisoners have a multitude of issues. We then have to try and find the allocated officer in the community, which is difficult now as splitting the service has made this a very tiring and arduous task.

Before the split I would have had the support of managers including supervision. Now it is nonexistent and we are expected to run innumerable caseloads. We have to offer the above support services knowing they are not working. We have been de-skilled as officers due to not having support with what we are supposed to be delivering in custody, such as interventions. We are not coping with the changes that the government have imposed and hand-in-hand with the current state of the prison, police and our service, I am fearful of the future. I am afraid for the public given that prisoners are leaving without appropriate services in place, with one of the worst hit areas being mental health. I am very aware of people leaving custody with no support because there is none.

DP, Birmingham

Support from the courts: ‘Clients are released with nothing and appear back in court for food theft’

I work in a Midlands court team. I write sentencing reports, cover criminal sentencing courts and provide information to the courts about any current cases. I interview individuals and then provide a proposal for sentence. I am supposed to look at risk levels and ways to reduce reoffending, ways to rehabilitate and ways to keep known persons and the public safe. This is nigh on impossible when we don’t even know what privately run companies are actually providing. Our team has had seven different managers over the last two years. Staff moral is at an all time low.

We basically lie when proposing sentences in our reports. We tell judges and magistrates that particular lines of work will be done when in reality, clients are never seen and go weeks without appointments. Drug and alcohol services are nigh on useless and it takes weeks to set up any type of prescription for them. Clients are released with literally nothing and nowhere to go and then appear back in court for shop theft of food - what a surprise.

Tamzin, Nottingham

45 comments:

  1. Words alone feel so inadequate to express thanks to all those that have courageously spoken out and also make possible a belief that other voices will be heard too . I hope/pray that alongside all those who try their very best to continue to shine a light into the dark recesses of the Governments Transforming Rehabilitation, that those with power and influence will have the humility, integrity and courage to consider that despite everybody's steadfast efforts/Probation Legacy that TR is not working for the benefit of Victims, Communities Stakeholders, Service Users and indeed OUR Staff themselves . In never giving up hope there have always been possibilities and the Ministers Probation Review evidences that however minuscule those possibilities maybe It's not finished until it's over. I have again tweeted that I do hope that WE are able to build and sustain some momentum going forward, so that more Hearts, Minds and Voices can be HARD Again, thank you Jim Brown for making it possible to have an arena within which to share and care about a much Loved Probation Service

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  2. All of those accounts have literally led me to tears. I knew it to be true but to see it from all over the country is heart breaking.

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    1. Oh my God. It's a job . Nothing more nothing less

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  3. Some things just completely defy logic and TR is one of them. It's exhausting trying to explain why, but this is a good selection of views from across the service and will hopefully ignite wider interest in and criticism of the govts relentless campaign to destroy our criminal justice system.

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  4. ... Tories Smashing Up Criminal Justice System ... Labour opposition to destruction ... spokesperson says ... 'Win or lose, sink or swim
    One thing is certain well never give in
    Side by side, hand in hand
    We all stand together.'

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  5. We must celebrate whenever there is a wish on the part of the media to throw a light on what is happening to probation. For anyone not familiar with probation It is clear from the quotes above that things are not working and that staff are discontented and downcast. It would be great if the guardian could now follow this up with a pictorial representation of how the elements that make up the justice system and how these should work together to reduce offending. And how they now fail to. The system is baffling for any guardian reader who is not familiar with it. Probation has a very central role to play in the system for those with convictions re- entering and remaining in the community. At our best we have provided and facilitated the connection between "in prison" and " out of prison", between pre-court-in court- post court", between " in the cjs and out of the cjs" , both at the start and at the end of someone's journey through and experience of the cjs. That is why probation was important to the cjs, and a major reason why splitting us in half was such a mistake. I think it would be great we're there to be some attention given by the media to the central function of probation in the cjs. I also suspect many in the government and in parliament do not understand this. When probation becomes dysfunctional, so does many other elements of the cjs. In addition these other elements, prisons, courts, police , legal services are themselves being attacked by this and previous governments. The guardian is pointing to these attacks, but in a piecemeal way. The public as well as legislators need to see the entirety of the situation .

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  6. Well done staff for speaking out. I've seen nor heard nothing on this article from Napo.

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    1. Nothing from Greater London Branch either. As usual members leading the charge without advice, support or guidance from Napo nationally or locally. I despair:-(

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    2. Actually you are wrong anonymous troll. David Raho Napo London Branch Research and Information Officer done us proud in London. You forget he's a man of many talents, great integrity and with a little black book Harry Fletcher would die for.

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    3. You are looking in the wrong place then https://twitter.com/napoukglb

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    4. Members were also encouraged to contribute via the facebook page by one of our NEC Reps

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  7. Napo Greater London Branch share article once it's published but failed to promote the Guardians call for staff to spill the beans. Shame on you GLB.

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    1. Napo London Branch Research and Information Officer David Raho is a man of integrity. He played a huge part in napo campaign during TR and still does. How do you think this article came about? David Raho is a former journalist with many contacts.

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    2. Just looking at David A Raho Facebook page. Looks as if he shared the call for contributions at 07:29 on 1st December 2016 along with 39 others including Napo AGS Dean Rogers. Give the guy a break. You will appreciate that the employers email systems cannot be used to campaign against them or their use will be withdrawn. David is well known to have extensive friends and contacts both in the media, academia and in Westminster that have resulted in maintaining interest and media coverage by major media outlets such as the BBC, Independent and The Guardian. Attacking him on here may well be counter productive and in fact result in less media coverage than at present. Let's celebrate the fact that somebody like David is working behind the scenes keeping probation in the news.

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    3. That is a claim and a half I read that the napo General secretary and his PR guru had sorted the guardian survey out for members not the London Branch and by the way they are out of the national position for central bargaining.

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    4. David Raho Co-Chair of Napo London Branch has not personally made any such claims in relation to The Guardian survey although it seems that many are convinced it was his idea as he has suggested it in meetings I have attended. If you ask him about it he will probably tell you that he talks to journalists about London matters all the time (sometimes putting them right on inaccurate reports) because he has been LB's press officer for years and that's what he does. However, if it is a national matter he always encourages the journalist concerned to contact National Napo and has advised napos press officer on complex matters when approached (I've witnessed this). He is indeed a qualified photojournalist and long term NUJ member and that's why journalists talk to him as he knows the rules. A lot of the photographs and indeed the words that were published during the TR campaign were his including speeches by union leaders and politicians.

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    5. 14:03 Your comment is a complete fabrication. Napo HQ had nothing to do with the Guardian survey. How can London Branch be 'out of the national position for central bargaining'? They haven't left anything. It is not 'central bargaining' in any case it is 'collective bargaining' and London Branch continues to do that thank you very much.

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    6. "It was great news to see the initiative by the Guardian this week in seeking the views of the public as to their opinions on the current state of the probation service. We constantly send them our media releases and other information" Ian Lawrence. On the collective bargaining you understood the point however if Raho and the pathetic London flight position is an insult to members who agreed a collective motion to stay in. If London Raho are so self important then to words on this puzzle for you FO. You can work it out.

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    7. 20:05 The quote proves it was The Guardians inititiative. London Branch is not leaving anything. Members were misled at AGM into believing the NNC actually functions. It has been ineffective for the last five years at least. Even Napo's own negotiating committee admit it's not working. Good luck with that Ineffectual excuse for so called collective bargaining - don't expect any results. Last one out turn off the lights.

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    8. AGM simple majority London simple minds less people small debate self interests to a cul de sac. Nnc may be dysfunctional but look at the leadership . The sub team half retired half hearted and the majority not half a clue at what it takes same as nec. Most beyond balance all nps single narrative there to suck up to each other while the let us all down read the je stuff secret panels colluding Napo.

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    9. Simple Minds formed in Glasgow nothing to do with Napo London.

      Napo London put the future of the NNC on the NEC agenda and the GS has said he will be issuing a statement shortly. The word is that the NNC has ceased to exist in all but name and Comrade Berry knew this when he proposed the motion to preserve it at AGM. His biggest acheivement was symbolic rather than practical and has merely tied Napo's hands rather the owners and employers who are jumping ship whilst Chas Berry and followers playthe same old tune on the sinking ship. He may as well have been proposing a motion to bring the parrot back to life in the Monty Python sketch to hear it say 'Pay Freeze' for old times sake. No matter how much talk there is of collective bargaining if the collective members have served notice or don't attend there is no collective and there will be no bargaining however many well motivated motions are passed opposing its demise. Face reality or go down with the sinking ship.

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    10. Berry may well be an obvious fool to blame take away the blame he is still a fool and bit of want to be hero but he is weak. The issue here is holding the authority to account read your nationally agreed terms and the protections for the machinery of your union was all made in contract . Go away read and learn.

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  8. Can we just focus on the success of this article and stop making this about London grow up and for once lets not in fight and give ourselves a well deserved pat on the back.

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    1. Agreed fully with your sentiment but all things play a part too it would be great if London branch had a clue as to join the AGM in solidarity than always appear to be at odds with the rest of the union and it weakens our position . Get back to national collective bargaining London or leave napo.

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    2. Totally agree. There are some people carrying some big chips around who seem to want to criticise Napo London Branch at every turn. It might be remembered that David Raho has zero facility time at present and has a full time job and yet people expect him to be working full time for Napo. There are people working full time for Napo so perhaps the criticism should be directed at them not someone who already seems to be doing a great deal in his spare time.

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    3. Who could you mean ? I don't believe there are any chips outside of the feted London branch bringing constant problems to the national complexion of CRC relations by damaging the agreements and protections that are limited but weakened by breakaway poor judgement.

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    4. 14:06. Yes London has been a thorn in the side of national CRC relations damaging agreements and protections that they were largely instrumental in campaigning for in the first place whilst many branches were content to go with the flow. London were the first to oppose privatisation of probation, have a long track record defending equal rights and have anticipated many a crisis before others even had it on their radar. Sure go ahead accuse them of breaking away from the rest of the union (untrue) and of poor judgement (time will tell). What is true is that all the larger branches in Napo are now looking to establish exactly the same agreements that London has been working on and all the rest will be asked to do so.

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    5. No way London YOU LED THE WAY TO TR BY FAILURE TO CHALLENGE THE UNPAID WORK PRIVATISATION. LEFT IT ALONE AS IT WAS ALL PSOS. SO WELL DONE LONDON YOU COMPLETELY MISSED THAT OUTTURN ON YOUR CLEVER ARSE RADAR. You only opposed when it was too late and you saw your own ends exposed. It has been said many times you then gave Rendon and he gave us a royal shafting well Done London you saw that on your clever arse radar. Now your going to going to cut all our strength by weakening the national. All your reps all your policies all the claims to liberal equality look at you all a joke as you know nothing on how to protect yourselves or our collective keep on it will be over soon.

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  9. London Branch have no facility time. The Co Chair and Co Vice Chair have full time jobs and lives. They cannot be all places all the time. Don't turn on them when Helga the Hun is a master of war and continues to be a cancer on napo.

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    1. Return to national collective and my respect for that will see me re-join napo.

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    2. I wasn't aware London Branch had left the collective. When did that happen? Sounds like false news to me.

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    3. How many more times do I have to repeat myself? London NAPO Reps HAVE facility time for trade union duties which are clearly defined in the relevant legislation. They just need to start taking it; they don't have to beg, or request Chivalry Rd intervene. It is quite straightforward and the employers just need to be reminded of their legal obligations.Frankly it just sounds like an excuse to me. As a Rep I take the facility time I am entitled to and refuse to argue about it with anyone.

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    4. So why hasn't Raho using it? What is going on in London?

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    5. Real confidence.

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    6. 00:24 Firstly the man has a first name. Secondly, who says he isn't using facility time? The problem is there is no agreement and therefore according to the legislation permission must be sought each time it is taken as the employers have a right to consider whether it is reasonable in each instance. This is impractical in a big branch in a large CRC where demands are constant. Chivalry Road do need to be involved as when facility time that was previously subject to agreement is withdrawn by a CRC owner - therefore impacting on more than one branch- then their assistance is required. Lastly, if you really want to know what's going on in London then ask Napo London directly.

      Patricia Johnson Napo London NPS Co-Chair patricia.johnson@probation.gsi.gov.uk
      or
      David Raho Napo London CRC Co-Chair david.raho@londoncrc.org.uk

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    7. 11.32 Please direct us to the bit of legislation which says that permission has to be sought each time release is needed.

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  10. Can I suggest all those contributors who did not get their story published use this post to publish their experiences?

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    1. That feels like a good idea People should feel that they are going to be 'listened too and not judged ' we are all trying to make sense of what if anything we can do to do our best by ALL that Probation Stands for

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  11. Yes, well done. It is encouraging to hear my fellow colleages speaking out across the U.K. My contribution didn't get published but hopefully some of what I said was noted. I still feel very strongly that noms/moj need to prevent offenders being interviewed in pods or open public spaces as is the case for quite a few crc so called 'community hubs'. Partnership agencies I speak to are shocked when i tell them. Hopefully the truth will come out soon.

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  12. Purple Futures are forcing all PSOs to become trained in delivering accredited programmes in particular BBR. They fail to grasp that delivering groups is a role not best suited for all which is why it's always been a separate job the same as VLOs and Community Punishment Officers. We've been told to register for training so that we can not only become accredited but go through the assessment process which is a trauma in itself. How Purple Futures think having unwilling staff delivering a role will be of benefit to anyone is beyond me but I guess it will keep the funding stream from NPS open.

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    1. am I right in thinking that NPS is no longer tied to the CRC rate cards for interventions though. I think if there is someone else offering accredited programmes that the NPS can now go to them?

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  13. Ever seen that sketch in little Britain? "The computer says no" (Cough). Apply that to public protection and that is exactly what's going on and those like me still within the service will know exactly what I am talking about. I joined this job because I wanted to make a difference, I care. I qualified in 2007 and although it was tough, it was productive. I had a good hour every week to sit and chat with offenders which went a long way. I knew them inside out, what made them tick, where the triggers were and because I had time the trust was a two way process and I could manage the risks with the co-operation of the "PERSON" I was working with. Now however, money and targets mean more. I don't get to spend time with "PEOPLE" and have to second guess on sub standard reports that have been written by people who also don't know the "PERSON". This leads to inaccuracies, poor and unfounded risk assessments and more costs later down the line when it goes to JR. Didn't think about that one did you Grayling. If you can take time out of screwing up the transport system to read this - take note. You have single handily ruined a gold starred service that was working just fine. Words cannot describe what I want to call you, Mr GRAYLING in this section so just not going to bother as you're not worth it. Good luck Transport Sector.

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  14. Hear, hear, 20. 59. My sentiment entirely.

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  15. "Groundbreaking" news from MOJ published midnight on a Sunday morning - what is to be made of that?

    I have other fish to fry now & presume "I'll read all about it" later from the comments in media prepared in advance from embargoed copies - question 1 - how much do NOMS - NPS & the CRCs feature?

    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/justice-secretary-plans-to-put-education-at-the-heart-of-youth-justice

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