My Time is Done
Not really into blogging but have as a recently departed PSO from CRC after over XX years service, I have a story to tell.
Caseload up a 1/3 from last year due to staff leaving and not being replaced. Instead, to try cover this up the organisation imposed a new team structure / Operating Model. This did not fool anyone as still the same number of staff or less and increasing numbers of service users from court or reallocated from colleagues who had left or were off sick. Repeatedly told I was at capacity (no workload measurement tool available at the time) but then allocated more cases as they “had to go somewhere”.
PPO semi specialist in resettlement team where there was an expectation for service users to be seen weekly plus additional contact and meetings with IOM partners. The information from senior management given verbally to me was that CRC is contracted by MoJ to only see service users for 30 minutes a month! This did not fit with expectations of the job or my values in relation to rehabilitation. I wanted to give a service to my caseload and actually try to motivate them to make positive changes which was shown as an effective way of working by feedback from them. To keep up I had to work daily through my lunch giving the employer 2.5 hours a week.
Running alongside work, my home life was difficult with my partner being diagnosed with Xxxxxx early 2018 and following surgery had daily radiotherapy sessions. To be fair my SPO/manager was supportive of me through this time. I then lost my Xxxxx and the final thing last year was my partner finally being diagnosed with Xxxxx.
I had time to reflect on the whole situation and felt that due to pressure from work and home something had to give and it wasn’t going to be me that went under as I needed to support my partner. I asked for a 6 month sabbatical to help me get through and support my partner attending numerous hospital appointments and changes at home relating to the Xxxxx. I was refused due to “nowhere for my caseload to be reallocated”.
I therefore had to go to my back up plan and requested compassionate early retirement. I was eventually informed after leaving that I was not to be granted compassionate retirement. This decision came as no surprise to me and was expected. How valued did I feel when within 2 weeks of leaving employment, agencies were advertising vacancies for my office yet no funds available for my sabbatical request.
Since making my decision to leave I have found some part time temporary employment where I am appreciated. This job is paying just above minimum wage but money’s not the main goal at the moment it’s being there for my partner at this early stage of Xxxxx. I’m sure there will be other PO/PSO considering leaving disillusioned over what has become of the service. My message is that there is life away from CRC, don’t be institutionalised.
Looking back maybe the refusal to give me the sabbatical gave me the impetus to get out before the job got me. My partner says I am much less stressed and so much happier. I’ll never be a rich man due to the hit I’ve taken on my pension but I’ll survive and cut my cloth accordingly.
Anon
Mixed emotions flood over me reading this important guest blog:
ReplyDelete* anger at Grayling & co for imposing TR
* sadness at the total dissolution of the Probation Service
* rage at the greedy, disingenuous CRC operators
* despair at the lack of compassion
* recognition of a familiar situation
* relief that, so far, you have developed strategies to manage things...
... & long may you & yours continue to enjoy your lives
The ShitHeads that are referred to by some (Dame Glenys) as 'excellent leaders' can go boil their heads in a pot of their own filth. They have no morals, no integrity & wouldn't recognise excellent leadership if it sat in their lap. They are slaves to profit & cannot see beyond their own selfishness.
Best wishes to you & yours, anon.
Unfortunately, such crass mismanagement and the abuse of staff is not limited to the CRCs. Very similar situations occur in the NPS too, but without the profit motive. Presumably they simply enjoy the power kick and most importantly, the lack of any organised fight back.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to the guest blogger, health and sanity have to be your priority
Agree and seen how some enjoy the power kick in the NPS. It is not only offenders who have suffered from this situation but professional workers who work hard and do their best to be rewarded with awful and at times abusive treatment
DeleteFor the first time I am now seriously considering leaving early. Gutted. I used to love this work, and be so proud of it
ReplyDeleteFor many years I've watched the 'seven up' observational experiment. A group of people recording their lives in a documentary in increments of seven year periods.
DeleteOne person, bright and hopeful aged seven, same at fourteen, University at twenty one, lost his way a bit later on, and struggled some with mental health.
I was profoundly struck by a comment he made as an elected councilor aged fourty two. I can't recall the exact words used now but the gist of it was this:-
"The real debilitating aspect of life and your own wellbeing, is not being able to achieve what you know you are capable of."
I feel there are many people today that may feel that quote to be true, and more and more its not as a consequence of the individuals actions or choices, but the consequences of the way the conveyor belt of life is structured.
Whatever the profession, doctor, teacher, probation, it must be a terrible thing to come to a realisation that you can't achieve or give your best because you're forced to follow processes that don't allow you to.
Finding yourself in such a position is destructive and damaging to your whole wellbeing, aswell as those around you.
It's sad, but your own health and wellbeing must be your primary focus. The State don't give damn, and everybody else is so busy struggling with the same issues a person has to take whatever steps necessary to preserve their wellbeing.
If that means moving on to something new, then I believe that should be considered a positive thing.
Always remember what you 'have' achieved, don't dwell on what you 'could' have achieved, and look forward to what you still 'can' achieve, but always look after your own wellbeing.
'Getafix
Good old Neil, I believe. Must be due again soon I guess. I age everytime it comes back. Been watchung since I was about 11, when they were 21 I think.
DeleteFirst of all best wishes to you and your family. I imagine the decision to leave was not easy with many considerations to be weighed. I left a CRC several years ago. I was concerned about the very high caseloads, there was a similar background of sickness and people leaving that exacerbated the problem. I was unhappy in my work, I viewed it as relentless computerised tick boxing with little space for meaningful contact with service users. Similarly I had some family issues to attend to and I was also concerned about my own well being. After weighing all carefully I decided to leave. I am not suggesting others do the same at all, it has been hard work reestablishing myself. However, I have completed a post graduate study, professional qualification and secured employment in my new profession which I am very happy about. I hope you and your family find your way too. I still follow Probation and I would like to see the outsourcing travesty of TR dismantled, Probation reunified, and its services and professionals in receipt of the value they deserve.
ReplyDelete90 cases do the maths half an hour per month per case, everyone seems to be getting breached, no time for anything, phone switched off, dont know who is who anymore or what they're with me for, daily spreadsheets asking why delius entries not been filled in and it goes on and on, I have no clue how 4 years down the line the system has got steadily worse, who on earth decided on this new model and how we got an ok hmi inspection is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteyou (me too) got an ok hmi inspection because we are being bullied and coerced into getting the right boxes ticked at the expense of anything meaningful. And we are all to scared to refuse to play this godawful game. I was thinking about how probation looks from the clients point of view recently. 10 minutes of saying the right thing and you are out of there, while your officer constructs an elegant record of the event which takes 200% at least of the effort invested in the actual contact, to tick yet more boxes. Its not the fault of the inspectors, they do what they do. Its the fault of our managers, our policy makers, and actually us professionals. We are allowing this to happen. Collective action would be a very good thing.
DeleteCould you (we) go on strike in defence of our professional values? I suspect not. Pity
DeleteNational Standards were introduced as a means of ensuring some bottom line consistency. Minimum standards. In that logic, an organisation would be funded to a) ensure minimum standards were met, b) to do the job required, of which minimum standards would be taken as read. Weird that we have arrived at a point where these have morphed into the mission and objectives, and the funding falls short of that.
DeleteTragic that the best the leaders and policy makers could come up with was to multiply the standards, rather than inspire the profession. Shame on them
DeleteSo sorry to here of your awful heartless treatment by your employers I’m sure they acted unlawfully towards you refusing you compassionate leave it’s surely indirect discrimination On a positive glad to hear you have got away from such a toxic workplace I hope things improve for you over time
ReplyDeleteA heartless employer of a rehabilitation service. Doesnt bode well for the service, if that is the prevailing culture
Deletehttps://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/apr/29/more-than-2500-prison-staff-disciplined-in-five-years-moj-figures-show
ReplyDeleteCommiserations - I am so glad I had Napo negotiate my departure long before the TR shambles.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry that my generation has given us governements that require so much of public service employees but lack almost all compassion.
If you hit hard times - please remember the Edrdge benevolent Fund is there for us all - I shall review my support for Edridge forthwith - I first saw it make a real difference to a colleague's family in 1977 - I hope all probation workers who can spare a few pounds a month continue to support colleagues in this way.
http://www.edridgefund.org/
I loved my job working with offenders but it become impossible to do the right thing. I left because I no longer had time to build relationships and help offenders due to the immense amount of time spent doing paperwork to tick boxes. My physical and mental health has improved immensely since I left. TR has failed offenders and staff #reunifyprobation
ReplyDelete