Pick of the Week 47

"Due to an immediate and critical resourcing need, substantive Probation Officers are invited to volunteer and support the XXXX XXXX LDU Cluster via periods of detached duty."

Looks like they will pay for overnight accommodation and evening meal but no extra pay. Talk of doing one or two days a week and keeping your current caseload the rest of the week or going full time for a few months then reverting back to old post once the "immediate and critical resourcing need" is over. How is this an effective use of already overstretched staff? How will the substantive PO's relationship with their offenders be maintained whilst they're away and what impact will that have in managing any risk posed? How will they know which local services to link on with in the new area as well as build links with other local organisation's i.e. community mental health, drugs services, local police?

All this away from home and family for NO EXTRA PAY. I don't know what NPS are thinking. Does anyone have any more info that could help explain what is going on? I really hope I'm missing something here. And let's not forget, this immediate and critical resourcing need created by TR.

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“support the XXXX XXXX LDU Cluster”

Why the bloody X’s you idiot? This is the problem with probation staff. You can’t even properly comment on a blog without withholding details and protecting your employers. It’s so bloody hard to transfer offices in NPS for some staff this will be an opportunity to work closer to home. More evidence of recruitment problems because nobody is thick enough to join the shitty NPS, and those already there are leaving hand over fist.

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If UPW is run with enough staff, Supervisors, Project Managers and there are enough places to go, then the Public and media would be able to see this as a punitive alternative to prison. This will surely need to happen as the prison estate is way too high in numbers and the "New" GPS system ain't going to happen anytime soon as we have seen before. Problem is at the moment nobody seems to bother too much about UPW from higher Management, resulting in too few staff and a blinkered mantra of paying projects or no projects.

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“Until now, hostels were staffed by highly skilled, and well-trained professionals.”

Utter shite and too little too late from the unions! Security staff have SIA cards and DBS certificates, it is misleading to call them “unvetted”. Probation only recently began using police-style vetting to buddy up with their police mates. Misleading to call security staff unprofessional when currently many Probation hostels are staffed mainly by PSO’s who have hardly any training and experience. Shortages in staffing on the weekend are met with PO’s doing a bit of sessional work, it’s hardly a complex role. I’m against private firms taking probation work, but TR has already allowed this and minimally trained staff are already present in all frontline probation work, NPS and CRC. Probation hostel managers will make it work, just as they already are.

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6.5 pay rise NHS staff, teachers less workload. Already earn thousands more, I have never known such a poorly regarded and treated bunch of workers as probation staff. Why, unless you can't get out, does anyone stick this job? The clients hate and don't trust you and the public, government employer treat you with contempt....

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Probation is a poorly paid dead end job, NPS and CRC. Bullying managers, bad conditions, scarce promotion or career development, no reward or recognition. It takes new recruits year or two to realise they made the wrong career choice, most quickly move on. For the longer-termers remaining, for many it’s because they’re stuck with probation qualifications and experience that are useless elsewhere.

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I haven't heard the R4 programme but, beyond the scandalous treatment of the two men, concern might be that this is endemic in the privatisation model such that private sector practices & policies are being implemented in prisons around England & Wales whilst HMPPS/MoJ are either unaware or complicit in such dangerous practices - practices that would NOT be tolerated if they were 'in-house'.

If it wasn't for the brave actions of Messrs Bromilow & Wildman, who would have raised this? Seems like Amey had a free hand to work within the prison using whatever procedures they wanted. Was this with Governor approval? No1 Governor is responsible for their prison. Are they being kept out of the loop by HMPPS/MoJ contract management teams? Asks BIGGER questions of the duty of care (or otherwise) by HMPPS/MoJ towards prisoners & prison staff. Opens several cans of wriggly things when it comes to approval & oversight of private sector contracts. It MUST have implications for financial imperatives being prioritised over matters of health & safety. The incompetent Spurr & his ramshackle crew of Tory stooges must surely be out of a job now? Come on JSC, PAC - time to hold these idiots to account...

They have wasted untold £Billions of public money with innumerable failed projects & procurement (Courts, IT, etc), they have put peoples' lives at risk with dangerous prisons, they have destroyed an entire profession with TR. And all the while they have feathered their own nests with bonuses & pension top-ups. Do not just let them slide away with bags full of goodies & gongs - sack them for their pisspoor performance.

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Are there any articles coming out about the dire state of the IT systems within Interserve CRC’s? Unsure if other CRC’s are having similar issues? Stress levels are going through the roof as we’re still under pressure to hit targets although we can’t consistently work due to the systems constantly being down. It’s been going on for months now! What are others thoughts on this?

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Victoria Darbyshire, BBC tv - I see Mr Lawrence has yet again failed to impress with his media skills; firstly by being selected to be on VictoriaLive because he is AGAINST (?!?) greater transparency of the Parole Board - contrary to the views of Nick Hardwick, Human Rights lawyers, women's safety groups, etc; then by completely failing to answer the question put to him about the range of available Licence conditions, getting tangled up in jargon & describing approved premises as "a high risk situation". I didn't have a clue what he meant & Victoria Darbyshire's puzzled expression said it all.

Cheers Ian! Do you think you've finally managed to enlighten the public about your members' important role in the CJS? And no, I couldn't do a better job. But I don't get £70,000+ a year to have a concrete belief that I can do something I can't. I'm sure as shit there's someone more capable out there... but in the current climate there probably won't be any 'probation workers' left by the end of the year anyway.

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I hope still people recall that Lawrence appeared on Russia Today. I remember saying at the time that it was unpatriotic to appear on such a channel and that he should be thoroughly ashamed. I take no delight that subsequent events have proven me right.

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Lawrence and co get paid a lot more than that. The question is, are they worth a fraction of that since the union and its income have declined? Branches are in retreat in NPS and CRC are being consumed by the inexperienced poor central involvement to CRCs. It cannot all be put on one?

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Do complete the online forms about the proposals to close courts.You will be spitting feathers etc by the end but unless there are objections those in suits will think it is ok to keep closing local magistrates courts.

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Rumours have long been around in Lancashire that the cunning plan is to close all mags courts and have one super court in Preston...now look at how far the other end of the county is.....shires are not conurbations.

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Should not fundamental changes to how Justice is done and importantly seen to be done be part of a wider public discourse, trialled and proceeded with cautiously? I say this on the basis that Justice is believed to be an important part of how we value our national identity, is a solemn and careful undertaking? Am I alone in thinking that this risks being another reckless experiment without such an approach?

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It comes as no surprise the decision to release John Worboys' was apparently influenced by assessments from three independent psychologists, all of whom at some stage had been instructed by Worboys. This "highly exceptional step" to release direct from a Cat A prison was "in the face of opposition" from senior prison managers, prison psychologists, the probation service and the justice secretary. Obviously no mention of the governmental pressure to release all IPP prisoners. I’m sure NPS director Sonia Crozier will still find something to apologise for!!

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So MTC Novo seem to have found a bit of budget to make a modest but significant gesture to staff. Meanwhile in Cardiff, bailiffs turned up at Working Links CRC office recently with an order to close the building or remove goods to the part/total value of the outstanding rates and energy bills. I hear the negotiations with the manager went on for hours, witnessed by service users.

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3% is a very respectable deal over 2 years. Let’s hope that The NPS are shamed into offering something meaningful. The robust but constructive dialogue between MTCnovo and Napo in particular led by Raho and Rogers in local collective bargaining appears to have achieved a result where national negotiations with the NPS led by Lawrence appears to have stalled - go figure.

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FACT CHECK: This is a 1% pay deal over two years. 2% is contractual paid as 1 increment each year.

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Not correct. Senior management had already leaked we were getting a deal whatever the unions said. It is well understood they needed to quell the staff anger and retain where possible as the pay had fallen so far behind all public services. The PR is a value issue now as the back log and overwork are the hidden local issues. The Union have done nothing for CRC staff and offer nothing. Comparing the pay offer to NPS is just not a reasonable argument. I would like to know what on earth the NAPO staff are being paid for at all? London branch is in disarray and decline since the managerial dictate style of those two has been subverting member views and fading on membership input.

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That’s called managing the anti union narrative. Such quick negative responses to what was a negotiated deal that has been ongoing since the last pay negotiations. Describing the union reps as management stooges is a common tactic in trade relations. Posting fake news that they are self serving is ill informed nonsense. Rogers works hard for Napo doing what he is paid to do. Raho’s wages are paid by London CRC where he works as a PO. They are not responsible for any deconstruction of collective bargaining and to assert this is a failure to understand what collective bargaining is. 1.5% this year followed by 1.5% the next is 3% on what we have now. It’s a 3% deal over 2 years as stated. The local Napo negotiating team has done well and if members decide to reject the offer then so be it.

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Napo London Branch is not in disarray at all. There have always been factions in the branch who don’t agree with anything and just want a fight with whoever. London Branch has held its membership in comparison with other branches and Raho has kept things on course and under control. Napo is modernising and the old tub thumping dinosaurs are thankfully few and far between now. Further reform is needed. If you are a member you can of course ask any employee of Napo what they are paid to do. Rogers has no authority over London Branch but is their link officer and is invited to branch meetings and attends partnership meeting with employers in an advisory capacity. When reps meet with employers and negotiate on behalf of members that’s collective bargaining.

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The defence arm of those who appear in control here clear on your position yet disastrous for a genuine union that Napo is no longer and your sort are the sort to collude and you illustrate nicely "partnership meeting with employers in an advisory capacity" Oh and on what side do you mean? Oh no we can all see what side the employers. That pair have destroyed the collective debate in the last AGM and they will continue as NAPO become extinct along with your Dinosaur quote.

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Well done all those involved in the local pay negotiations that are the inevitable response to the national negotiating structure that has long been unfit for purpose and lacked the support it required from employers as a negotiating body. That had nothing to do with Raho and Rogers. If they are guilty of anything it was to see the reality that after the split another approach was needed rather than try to flog a dead horse as some on the looniest left of Napo still try to do like a flashback to the 1970s. What they have put in place locally is the model for what should be happening across all CRCs and is far more effective than what amounts to an an email exchange with managers rather than playing them on their own territory with agreements and contract negotiations. 

This is more complex than waving banners shouting demands in the rain where no one gives a monkeys. Employers will never credit the unions for making a powerful case for pay increase and will always claim they intended to increase pay and that unions are irrelevant in the process. If that is the price of an increase, then so be it. What is clear in this case however is that unions are relevant and have ensured the best possible outcome for their members. Those who cast doubt on the motivation of union reps either paid or elected and disparage them no matter what they achieve are often those who want them to fail and no interest in employees interests whatsoever. Don’t support the armchair naysayers but instead celebrate every small victory whenever we get one and encourage those responsible to do more not less.

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RMT do well in negotiations and you never read the Napo mantra the best that can be achieved at this time. Your London centric defences are just not indicative of the backlash members feel by being betrayed. Collective bargaining is the central labour manifesto arm for unions perhaps you are best placed to encourage the errant and ill conceived pair to adopt genuine trade union values and not their ideologue of self aggrandisement.

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Oh yes slaps on the back, fist bumps and high fives all round to the unions for achieving a 1.5% pay increase for these members, a tiny portion of a pay increase that is long overdue!! Big shout-out to MTC Novo who recently received £millions in additional payouts from the government for its abysmal probation work, to the government that awards its ministers huge pay increases every year, and, last but not least, to our very own Michael Spurr who recently received a £20,000 bonus for all his hard work supporting probation and prisons. Thank you and goodnight.

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[That] is actually indicative of many of my PO colleagues views who left NAPO and are openly hostile as to the reasons why being let down. While it is a thorny and figure of a large salary there is considerable additional on costs. AGS salary is also an incredible amount for the size of the union which is a shrinking and diminishing subscription. Professional fees when most members are not in the NPS PO structure and many in CRCs getting zero benefit for the high membership rates. The figures just do not add up. An incredible slice of the NAPO runs the AGS in clover as well and lets not forget the criticism placed is in fact due on the AGS. It is him doing that negotiation in London.

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Oh silly me, and to Napo’s Ian Lawrence who earns twice as much as any of the probation officers he represents. Thanks Ian, I’m so grateful for this 1.5% increase; I’ll no longer hear colleagues moaning about being overworked and underpaid, my job satisfaction levels will be maxed out and my financial problems will just disappear- poof! Undoubtedly this will put a cheer on the faces of all the admin in MTC Novo (London CRC) being forced to relocate to a central hub on 1st May or leave without redundancy! Good job on that one too Ian!

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I pay my council tax, I’ve never missed a payment. The rubbish collection is very poor, my bin has not been emptied for the past two years and there is a large pile of refuse outside my house which I try to reduce by taking a few bags to the rubbish dump. I’ve been complaining to the council about this for two years, as have my neighbours who are all in the same predicament. Today, and for the first time in two years the bin men arrived and part-emptied my bin and the bins of 3 neighbours. They were a nice couple of chaps and explained they were only allowed to take a small portion of the rubbish and may return to take another small portion of rubbish in a year or so. They could tell I wasn’t very happy with this, just as the rest of my neighbours were not happy. Despite our complaints they said that we should be grateful they’ve taken a small portion of my rubbish and should celebrate this small victory. The council have repeated the same message and said this is “the best they can do” at this time.

If this story were true there would be nothing to be grateful for, just like Raho’s “small victory” is not really so. The “celebration” should be reserved not for a small portion of members receiving a small portion of what we are entitled too, but for when we all receive over and above what we are all entitled to.

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There is no union influence at all either in the NPS or CRCs.The employers just do what they want and generally offer the lowest pay increase they can get away with. It's time Napo threw in the towel and joined forces with a bigger and more powerful union and try to regain some influence.

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That is an all staff message from the management! Look forwards the privatised split is over the truth is we will be reunified at some point as the current failure in social experiment cannot in any imagination be continued. The CRCs will cost more than three times what the trusts absorbed as a unified and there is no way at this time should anyone be talking about giving in. Of course there is the General Secretary election shortly and no doubt the membership will be looking for a new leader of ability. What is happening on this is there any information?

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The need for reform in both prisons and probation needs to go a lot further than proposed by either Gauke or Rob Allen. We need to fundamentally rethink and redesign our penal system so it is actually fit for purpose. There are a number of examples in other countries of systems that work well and we need to adopt a model more like those. Reform of probation would then flow from the redesigned prison service because if we didn't lock up so many people - only those for serious offences for example and used community sentences for minor offences and more rehabilitation happened in prisons, the role of probation would shift and change.

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The current IEP system is another Grayling cock up. There isn't really any questions to be asked, everyone knows where the faults are, it's just cheaper to talk about them then applying a fix. Too many mentally ill people are being sent to prison. It's expensive, but cheaper then the alternatives. Too many people are being released homeless, and increasingly without the necessary document or bank accounts to claim benefits. There's no support post release because probation services can't do the things they used to be able to do pre privatisation, and the third sector are reluctant to intervene with those on licence. Personally I'm not a big fan of Users Voice, but maybe they have a place to play when questions are being asked by the justice committee. I think things will get a whole lot worse before they get better.

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Yet another event, symptomatic of this Govt's widespread malaise (greedy, blinkered, arrogant), here we have the JSC making damning statements which sadly will change nothing because the fuckwits aren't listening to anything but the ideological command-voices in their sick heads: "We do not consider that the MoJ/HMCTS proposals for providing face to face assisted digital support have been adequately developed, evaluated or costed."

Its a good letter, Mr Neill. At least you can say your committee tried. But, as we all know, it's unquestionably the Russians that are filling our jails, stealing our CRC money, operating the drug drones, making our community sentences unfit for purpose, closing the courts,.......... laLaLaLaLa

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Yet again, incompetence undermines purpose. This is a critical document from a national trade union organisation submitted as evidence for parliamentary scrutiny - & it hasn't been proof-read; if it has, it hasn't been corrected. £70,000+ a year for the GS... its embarrassing.

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The very first bullet point on the submission is incorrect. It asserts that NAPO represents members in the CRCs. Not in my opinion. What are we getting for our money?

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So true. These Officers do absolutely nothing for CRC because they all seem to be NPS. Protecting their own while PSOs in CRC fund the activities of a professional causes that offers unpaid work members nothing nothing at all. Reading this mistake filled comic strip absent of any real researched facts it is little wonder we are a split service in a mess. The trio also presented their judicial review that was kept from the membership and if it was anything as poor as this no wonder they conspired to keep secret the facts and hide their failure away. Has anyone actually seen the ruling? It is election time this year. All Change all change says the bus driver. The sooner the better this group should go before there is nothing left.

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FFS NAPO, don't involve the Police in running things! Are you trying to prove the Mayans were right!!!!

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If the authors intention was to highlight how the English language can be abused to the point of incoherence then they have succeeded beyond my expectations. If however, the intention was to offer an incisive critique of the current state of play then alas they fell somewhat short. It would appear that being a vacuous moron is a requirement for promotion in both the NPS and NAPO. So at least they have that in common.

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Poor service delivery, de-professionalisation, management of high risk cases being located within the custodial estate are, and should be, worrying for probation, but I feel they're just symptoms of a far more serious problem that's occurring with probation services. I was astounded a couple of weeks ago when reading reports in local newspapers, that there's been a huge reduction in cautions given and prosecutions brought against juvenile offenders. Its nationwide, and some regions report a reduction of 90%. I doubt very much that such high percentages are a consequence of the 'troubled families programme', and I really couldn't understand such a massive reduction.

It would appear to me that there's a role reversal at play. The probation service who once operated from a position with a social work ethos at its core is actually being turned into an agency of 'policing' licence conditions, and an agency of public protection, with no social work ethos, the police force are adopting a social work ethic at its core. I find it quite a strange thing really, and maybe I'm way off the mark, but that really is how I'm seeing things develop.

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In our office we have noted a significant increase in cases with complex mental health problems. They invariably have no mental health support because they misuse substances which means health services write them off as untreatable. Or they are diagnosed as personality disorder and similarly consigned to the dustbin of the untreatable. Many of them end up on the streets and without access to public funds because they can't comply with the draconian terms that make a person deserving of welfare. When their behaviour becomes disturbing to members of the public, the police arrest them for public order offences and often try to divert them away from the CJS but fail because they aren't covered my mental health (because drugs duh). They end up in a magistrates court - often, magistrates recognise that this is a complex case but they've tried Probation before, they can't comply, life is too chaotic, too distressing, how does one attend an appointment on time when you can't keep track of when you last slept? 

They go to prison for a week or too, maybe they will detox enough to get them housed/ stable enough to engage with some support? They get referred to every voluntary sector agency possible. They get released. They can't get housed. They make a benefit claim but can't get a GP appointment for a sick note. The job centre staff know they're ill, but rules. The probation officer knows they stand no chance of completing PSS but there are rules. They use professional judgement to get around them, but get spoken to about not hitting enforcement targets. Case is running around town talking to spiders and screaming. Case is threatening to throw themselves off a bridge. Case takes themselves to the local crisis unit begging for help, backed up by every agency they work with. Crisis unit says they're not ill, it's drugs, they're drug seeking, they're being aggressive, it's personality disorder we don't work with that. Call the police. Put them in prison for a couple of weeks. Rinse and repeat. 

That's a good proportion of our case load right now. The majority of the police try hard to avoid this cycle, but their hands are tied once there's enough complaints about someone's behaviour. These cases take up a huge amount of time and resources and yet nothing improves because it's the wrong sort of resources. This is happening all over the UK and nobody is listening.

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What you describe is the bread and butter that feeds the shareholders of the private companies that invest in that chaos. It's just living off immoral earnings with a licence to do so.