Monday 9 January 2017

New Year - Same Issues

Seen on Facebook over New Year:-

Happy new TR year! Did others experience what I did before Xmas. Us CRCs tearing our hair out for fear of losing our jobs and trying to get people to report, whilst the NPS downstairs played board games! That's my Xmas 2016 experience. I even had an NPS OM say come down and join us!

I'm a PO for the NPS and it was nothing like that in my office.

Wasn't like that in our NPS office either 

Not like that in my NPS office. Been way over WMT for months

Happy new year to you too. Had to respond though as I know far too many NPS colleagues who are also tearing their hair out but for slightly different reasons... you know, those nightmare very high risk cases.. those parole reports.. those high caseloads where you don't have time to do the work you need to do, and where your professional standards don't allow you to compromise the service you give so you risk burning yourself out on a daily basis. 

TR has caused a shit storm on both sides of the divide. We don't need to fuel that fire by the endless comparisons to whose side is worse off. 

Personally I can't wait to get back after being on maternity leave.... from everything I'm hearing it just sounds like an awesome environment to be going back to...

I don't normally comment but I agree with you, let's not make sweeping statements that further divide this job - employers may have changed but the value base that's drives us has not. Happy new year xx

NPS PSO here and no board games - too many cases and dual location working for that.
I don't normally comment but I think both NPS and CRC have very difficult jobs. Lack of staff, high caseloads, endless processes and procedures. I feel my role now is polar opposite to the one I started 15 years ago. It is thankless and grueling at times. I sometimes mourn for what was and hope that one day things will change, but alas hold little hope. 

Doesn't matter what side we now find ourselves on I think many people feel the same. We need to respect and support our colleagues we are all trying our best in difficult circumstances. I hope 2017 improves for you xx

Imagine me 30 years gone 4th December 2016, nothing whatsoever like the job I started and loved! Join the service now....erm no thanks, the only thing that hasn't changed are the nice people and the dedication to keeping communities safer for all...... Happy new year my confident competent committed colleagues!

I have worked in a AP for the last 8 years and I handed in my notice on the 26th I can't tell you the relief that I felt handing it in! Have a good new year everyone!

To be honest as soon as I find somewhere else I am out of the service. I do admin for NPS. Not my original role as I was redeployed after the PSO cull in 2012. I recently took the opportunity to apply again for the PSO roles that were advertised through an external company and got told no as I had not passed their situational judgement test - that has crap all to do with being a PSO. I did the PSO role for 7 years. So as soon as I can I am telling Probation to take my job and fill it. It seems a waste after all that studying and doing that job both here and back home in Xxxxxxxx for several years. But after 11 years nah not for me anymore. The new ones they are going to get in won't know anything critical to the role and there will be new Hanson and White/Sonnex cases. Not for me. At the moment I can honestly say I'm doing it for the money and working with the small team I have. My motivation is gone, my commitment to the job ha I'm more committed to finding the odd socks in my drawer. Sorry Probation this is your own doing to loose staff some even more experienced and longer service records than me. Sorry rant over - Happy new year!

No...in our NPS office...CRC had left by one yesterday leaving NPS to deal with three prison releases! 

It's chaotic and stressful on both sides. I've worked for both. The scenario you describe must be very unusual. Hope things improve in the New Year but not holding out much hope.

8 comments:

  1. It seems a few more media folk maybe realising there is potential for them in investigating the shortcomings in the CJS.

    I know Carl Eve is not a newcomer to the issue but his editor committed a mass of space on 1st January to one SFO and as Jim Brown's Blog shewed last week now has quickly followed that up with a report about a public petition.

    Now in the last 24 hours I have been contacted by a person allegedly preparing a BBC TV programme about a prison in the south east of England. I shall be interested to discover more if I do manage to speak person to person later today as I have been asked to do.

    It may just be that 2017 turns into the year ordinary folk realise just how critical is the CJS to society at large in England and Wales.

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  2. There are many serious further offences being committed by people not being 1:1 supervised due to staff incompetence and falling numbers of staff in prisons and probation offices. Private prisons and CRCs are revealing their modus operandi and financially motivated interests every day. The local union reps remain in disputes over unfair dismissal practices and unsafe framework and even ACAS have no influence. I am ashamed of my employer and wonder when someone at the top will do the right thing,, protect staff and communities from further injury and remove privateers from attempting to provide inadequate dangerous public services.

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  3. Had a lovely Christmas joint NPS/ CRC party!

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  4. The New Year NPS office treat was a briefing on the new "Absence Management Policy". It seems that if you sneeze, it will take about 18 months to clear your name. So infectious people stagger in to work in order to keep their attendance up, and stressed people stagger on until the point of long-term absence. The office I work in is a bit crap: grubby, too hot or too cold depending on the creaky boiler, desks rammed together with shared phones. I have never ever in my long career worked with so many sick people: I have never ever washed my hands so often. E3 my arse, this is not excellent, not effective and not efficient. It's pants and its cruel and its dangerous

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    Replies
    1. While managers who feel unwell can 'work from home' and thereby maintain their 'excellent' attendance record. Meanwhile people attend visibly extremely unwell because they are terrified of 'capability' processes.

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  5. Join a union Napo then have a vote and get into some action shut whining help the fight!

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  6. Please!! Do not start that NAPO shite again. The horrendous working conditions, staff shortages etc, etc are not new, they gave been on going for YEARS! What have the union done about it? Buggar all, so what will they do if more people join ....buggar all.

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  7. True but no activity is submission, more members we might change the complacent inept incompetents we currently groan about and who knows a better future for some.

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