Whilst we continue to await the 'big' probation announcement, much delayed by the MoJ until a quiet news day where it can hopefully be buried - expected tomorrow guys - we'd better mention the election and ballot for Napo National Officers. As always, any candidate is more than welcome to use this blog as a platform on which to address the membership if they so desire.
5th July 2018
To: Branch Chairs, Vice Chairs, Secretaries, Convenors Family Court SEC NEC Co-Representatives
Dear Colleague,
Nominations for Napo Officers 2018-20 Nominations for Black Representatives to NEC 2018-20 Nominations for Steering Committee 2019-22
The closing date for branch nominations for National Officers, NEC Black Representatives and Steering Committee was 12 noon on Thursday 5th July.
1. Nominations for National Officers 2018-20
Nominations were sought from branches for the position of Chair and two ViceChairs (Probation). The term of office for these postholders will be two years, from AGM 2018 to AGM 2020. For the position of Chair 2 nominations had been received from branches by the closing date. Those nominated are as follows:-
Katie Lomas White/Female PO West Yorkshire
Denise Mason White/Female Grade 5 Kent Surrey Sussex
Since more than one nomination has been received an election will be held to fill this position.
For the two positions of Vice-Chair (Probation) 6 nominations had been received from branches by the closing date. Those nominated are as follows:-
Iqbal (Ikki) Bhogal Asian/Female PSO West Yorkshire
Robbie Bourget White/Female PO Thames Valley
Siobhan Foreman White/Female PO Northumbria
Denice James White/Female PO South Southwestern
Jamie Overland White/Male SPO London
Tina Williams White/Female PO Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Since more than two nominations have been received an election will be held to fill these two positions.
2. Nominations for NEC Black Representatives 2018-20
For the two positions of NEC Black Representatives no nominations had been received from branches by the closing date. There being no nominations received, further nominations will be invited in due course.
3. Nominations for Steering Committee 2019-22
Nominations were also sought for two vacancies on Steering Committee. Those elected will serve for three years, the posts taking effect from January 2019. By the closing date 1 nomination had been received from branches. Those nominated are as follows:-
Howard Davies White/Male PO/Retired East Anglia
There being only one nomination received, Howard Davis is elected unopposed and further nominations will be invited in due course for the remaining place.
4. Ballot for Chair and Vice-Chairs (Probation)
Electoral Reform Services (ERS) has been appointed as the Independent Scrutineer for the elections and will oversee a ballot of all full members.
Ballot papers will be posted second class to all full members from Monday 23rd July, and the closing date for return of the ballot papers to ERS will be 12.00 noon on Friday 31st August.
Any member who has not received a ballot paper by Tuesday 31st July should contact ERS directly.
Yours sincerely
IAN LAWRENCE
General Secretary
From BBC website:-
ReplyDeleteSpecialist doctors in the UK will be able to legally prescribe cannabis-derived medicinal products by autumn, the home secretary has announced.
Those that meet safety and quality standards are to be made legal for patients with an "exceptional clinical need", Sajid Javid said.
It follows high-profile cases involving children with severe epilepsy being denied access to cannabis oil.
Others forms of cannabis will remain illegal.
Mr Javid's decision was made after the chief medical officer for England, Prof Dame Sally Davies, and the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs said patients with certain medical conditions should be given access to the treatments.
Their advice was part of a review into medicinal cannabis launched by the home secretary following an outcry over Billy Caldwell and Alfie Dingley being denied access to cannabis oil.
The parents of the boys, who have rare forms of epilepsy, say it controls their seizures.
The Home Office recently granted them a short-term licence to access the treatments.
The Department for Health and Social Care and the Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will now develop a clear definition of what constitutes a cannabis-derived medicinal product so they can be rescheduled and prescribed, the Home Office said.
In the meantime, clinicians will still be able to apply to an independent expert panel on behalf of patients wishing to access these products.
Here we go: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6874782/the-governments-flagship-prison-probation-reform-is-being-ripped-up-costing-taxpayers-170-million/
ReplyDeleteJUSTICE SECRETARY David Gauke is ripping up the Government’s flagship prison probation reform - costing taxpayers £170 million.
ReplyDeleteIn a humiliation, the Cabinet Minister last night said contracts with 21 private firms supervising 155,000 low-level offenders would end two years early in 2020 because of huge losses and poor service.
To ensure the so-called Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) can continue until 2020, the Government is pouring in £170 million to prop up the system. It follows a £342 million ‘bail-out’ last year.
A bombshell report claimed releasing prisoners on a Friday was becoming a risk because there was so little support available “at the end of the week”.
And it added probation officers were often resorting to calling offenders to check up on them. The 21 contracts will be replaced by eight new private sector deals from 2020.
It’s another huge blow for the reputation of former Justice Secretary Chris Grayling - who pushed through the reform despite fierce opposition three years ago.
Mr Gauke said the CRCs were facing financial pressure because they had “underbid” for the contracts three years ago.
And they had based their contracts around a steady stream of offenders on community release only to find a sharp increase in serious offenders – who are still dealt with by the Government’s National Probation Service.
Yesterday’s devastating report claimed that under the CRCs there had been a “material increase in the frequency of reoffending”.
It said the ‘through-the-gate’ service provided to lags as they leave prison was so bad, only a third of lags requiring treatment for drugs or booze were engaged in programmes.
The move is a huge blow for former Justice Secretary Chris Grayling, who pushed through the reform
Some £45 million will be invested in improving “through the gate” services this year and next.
The CRCs will be allowed to keep £110 million in penalty payments they should have paid to the Government – as long as they reinvest it in the service. Incredibly, the private firms will STILL be considered for eight new, regional contracts at the end of the decade.
Mr Gauke said: “This was an ambitious reform I think when you have ambitious reform, it makes sense to come back down the line and we see have we got everything right.
“The priority for me is to make sure we deliver the right rehabilitation service.”
Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon said the privatisation had caused an 'unprecedented crisis in the system'
But unions demanded the Government end the “privatisation nightmare”.
Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon said the privatisation had caused an “unprecedented crisis in the system”.
“This decision to throw more good money after bad and the government’s re-commitment to a privately-run probation service shows that the Conservatives have run out of all ideas on how to fix their broken system.
Interested to know if those who have lost loved ones, homes, families, jobs can seek compensation for the "poor service" which has led to a range of devastating consequences including suicides, SFOs & unnecessary recalls.
DeleteAlso, what about staff who were shafted into CRCs against their will, many of whom were thrown off the boat as it sailed into Pirate waters?
Hahahahahahahahahaha
ReplyDelete"contracts with 21 private firms supervising 155,000 low-level offenders would end two years early in 2020 because of huge losses and poor service."
So that's what Gauke thinks of Spurr's Business Plan:
"Managing CRC contracts
Effective management of the CRC contracts will continue to be a priority as we fully implement contract adjustments to reflect the costs of providing frontline services enabling them to deliver a better quality service. We will continue to provide robust and appropriate management of the contracts in order to protect the public and reduce re- offending."
Methinks its time for Spurr to Fuck Off - so don't be surprised if there's an announcement that Spurr's retiring with honours & a platinum pension pot.
No celebrations here. 2020 Privatisation of Probation Services Another Go (2020 PoPSag). It will work, it will, it will (Wizard of Oz shit!). Prediction: It won't.
ReplyDeleteTIMES
ReplyDelete"Private probation reforms collapse at cost of £170m
Contracts for the semi-privatisation of the probation service are to be scrapped two years early at a cost of £170 million after the government admitted that reforms had failed.
David Gauke, the justice secretary, will announce the early termination of the contracts with private companies along with measures to put the probation system on a “firmer footing” to provide better help to offenders.
The contracts with 21 community rehabilitation companies (CRCs) who manage low and medium-risk offenders will end in 2020 rather than 2022.
Mr Gauke is reintroducing minimum standards to ensure a monthly face-to-face meeting between offenders and private probation staff after criticism that some were being monitored with a phone call every six weeks.
He said that while the £3.7 billion semi-privatisation of the probation service launched by Chris Grayling when justice secretary had been “ambitious and innovative”, overall performance was not good enough. Several CRCs had made very substantial losses.
This has been caused by underbidding, fewer low-risk offenders than earlier imagined and a fall in community sentences, which cut the companies’ income under a system of payment by results. Mr Gauke said: “My heart does not bleed for them. It was their misjudgment. I need to make sure we are delivering the rehabilitation services that we need to do.”
The £170 million includes £110 million that the CRCs owe the Ministry of Justice in fines for failing to meet performance targets. The firms will be allowed instead to reinvest in services to keep them going for the final two years, Mr Gauke said.
The MoJ will also pay £22 million in both years for services to help offenders after their release.
Mr Gauke is aiming to reduce supervision after they have served their time for offenders jailed for up to two years. He also wants to end the practice of releasing prisoners on Fridays when they have less chance to access services, and to enable probation staff to make home visits.
Mr Grayling launched his reforms in 2014, splitting the service into the CRCs with a state-run national probation service monitoring high risk offenders.
The new reforms will reduce the companies to 11, aligned with ten probation regions. Ten will stay private with the one in Wales merged with the National Probation Service.
Among the companies running probation services are Sodexo Justice Services, Interserve and MTC Novo.
The reform has been beset by problems and Dame Glenys Stacey, the chief inspector of probation, said it had resulted in a fragmented service while the Commons justice select committee questioned whether it could ever work.
Richard Burgon, the shadow justice secretary, said: “This announcement is further evidence that the Conservatives’ decision to outsource whole swathes of probation to the private sector has created an unprecedented crisis in the system. This ideological experiment has been a costly failure.” "
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/private-probation-reforms-collapse-at-cost-of-170m-cbgrgpxgl
FT
ReplyDelete" UK probation service contracts face early cancellation
Private-sector reforms introduced by Grayling create latest outsourcing issue
The UK is set to tear up private companies’ contracts to run probation services and embark on a comprehensive rethink of supervision for offenders, in a stark admission that reforms introduced just three years ago have gone badly wrong.
The plans to be unveiled by justice secretary David Gauke on Friday effectively end a system of paying companies for probation services largely based on whether offenders under their supervision commit new crimes.
The move to unwind the reforms introduced by former justice secretary Chris Grayling is just the latest example of serious problems with the UK’s outsourcing of public services to the private sector.
Carillion, the construction and support services company that was a major government contractor, collapsed in January. The East Coast railway between London and Scotland was renationalised in June after a joint venture involving Stagecoach and Virgin Group ran up losses operating the line.
The outsourcing of probation services in 2015 involved the government awarding contracts in 21 areas across England and Wales to so-called community rehabilitation companies to supervise low and medium risk offenders.
The companies — which include Interserve, Sodexo and Staffline — will now have their contracts terminated two years early in 2020.
Until then, the companies will be given an extra £170m by the government to improve resettlement services for offenders leaving prison and to raise standards.
Mr Gauke insisted the additional money was not a bailout for the companies, but a recognition that the system’s design had meant private sector providers would receive less money from the government than originally expected.
Including the £170m, the companies will receive £2.2bn between 2015 and 2020, rather than the previously expected £2.5bn. Some of the companies have been running up losses on their contracts.
“If we want to get rehabilitation right, we need to address this,” said Mr Gauke.
He added that he wanted companies to provide “a more effective system to help offenders as they leave prison not to reoffend”.
His decision to unwind Mr Grayling’s reforms follows a highly critical report by the Commons justice select committee and several scathing assessments by Dame Glenys Stacey, chief inspector of probation.
She revealed in February how lower-than-expected revenue for community rehabilitation companies had forced them to skimp on services, with one probation officer sometimes supervising up to 100 offenders, but solely by telephone.
Recommended
UK outsourcing
Probation company failings drive up UK reoffending
She concluded such poor supervision meant offenders were more likely to commit new crimes. Dame Glenys said there was “much to welcome” in Mr Gauke’s plans.
Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon said the announcement was “further evidence” the outsourcing of probation services to the private sector had created an “unprecedented crisis”. “This ideological experiment has been a costly failure,” he added.
A justice ministry consultation document envisages private companies will continue to run probation services in England after 2020. ... continued
Continuing
Delete....
The document outlines 10 new areas in England that align the community rehabilitation companies’ geographical jurisdiction with divisions of the National Probation Service, the public sector body that supervises high risk offenders.
The change is intended to ensure the service and the companies work more closely together.
But in Wales, probation services will be entirely run by the public sector after 2020.
One of the reasons that companies involved in probation services have been incurring losses is that the courts lacked confidence in the system.
Judges and magistrates have imposed more prison sentences and fines on offenders, punishments that the companies do not supervise.
Interserve, the biggest provider of probation services, said Mr Gauke’s announcement would put its operation “on a firmer footing”.
“We are committed to the delivery of probation services and looking forward to the chance to compete for the new contracts,” it added.
Sodexo said it was “working closely with the government” to ensure offenders in its care were supported.
“We are committed to retaining our existing [community rehabilitation company] operations and will look to expand where we believe where we can make a positive impact on offenders’ lives,” it added."
https://www.ft.com/content/1cfe57f2-90cf-11e8-b639-7680cedcc421 "
Maybe we should grade offenders on their rehabilitativity and put them to the market with a grade price tag for a successful outcome. In this way market specialists would emerge at lowest cost provision. Win, win, all round.
ReplyDeleteOh good lord, Katie Lomas bad enough thought it couldn't get worse, Denise Mason!!!!! Who will be pulling her strings
ReplyDelete