Sunday 29 March 2020

Ideological Constipation

We seem to have fallen into a new regular pattern of activity with 3,314 visits yesterday and basically opinion divided over the issue of face to face office contact with clients or not and especially in the absence of any PPE. The exchanges were tetchy at times, understandable given the possible consequences of our actions and high levels of anxiety. Lets try and not just rehash everything that was said yesterday, but possibly broaden the discussion? 

The issue of how the MoJ intend to deal with the prison situation remains disgracefully unresolved. During a time of unprecedented national edeavour, it seems remarkable to me that it appears beyond the wit of anyone to sort a release programme that could intelligently make use of information, assessment, testing, tagging, mobile phone issuing and remote supervision. With so much of the COVIS-19 response, it just seems to boil down to political judgement and willingness.

Today I want to publish two contributions that arrived by email yesterday:-

After a week of such unprecedented change in delivering case management in the NPS it is interesting to reflect on how remarkable it is. Command and control demands that cases are seen, OASYS is completed, forms are filled in again and again and if you want to book an AP bed for a potential release you follow an over complex maze of screens and forms at least 12 months in advance.....and of course there are no vacancies. 

The job of case managers is relentlessly demanding and unnecessarily complex. The purpose and drivers of our work with our cases and other agencies is to try to assist them to move away from offending and if they cannot, to protect the public and not spend so much time on the computer.

So now we are NOT 'seeing' all but a critical few & working at home in isolation and relying on phones and laptops. Of course a year or so ago we did not have laptops, so it would be interesting to reflect on how the situation would have been managed then! Naturally our leaders still want us to record changes to the type of reporting in duplicate, in both Ndelius and OASYS.

These are difficult times for staff but even more so for our cases and especially those in prison. Of course the worst is yet to come with prisons and APs likely to be overrun by the virus and more staff to become ill. What will happen if Ndelius and the IT goes down as it has in the past and what becomes of the emotional health of staff who are self isolating for 12 weeks because of SUMC or stuck working remotely for days and weeks? Probation will never be the same again but we must support one another and find ways to support colleagues at home.

Finally, a week ago civil servants could not be seen to have any 'perks'. £4.20 lunch allowance even if you are out most of the day and have to buy a coffee at a motorway services. This week LDU heads (who you feel are just following orders anyway) are to receive a £1500 monthly bung. For many colleagues this seems obscene when many of our cases as well as many of the public are desperately trying to survive, especially those trying to claim Universal Credit.

Hopefully, many colleagues will consider whether the bonuses they might receive could be donated, at least in part, to a charity or organisation helping out those who are struggling to survive out there in this crazy new order.


--oo00oo--


In The Name of Humanity

Whilst probation staff are categorised by the government as keyworkers. Clearly some keyworkers are regarded as more essential than others. I too stood on my door step on Thursday clapping for the "carers", but unlike most of the public I was also banging my pot lids for probation staff as well as other frontline staff.

There has always been public wariness of us probation staff as being "do-gooders" for working with people who have transgressed the criminal code. As a profession we have always been treated with suspicion even by other similar professions such as medical staff and social workers simply because of the people with whom we have chosen to engage with on our caseloads. Last year before I retired, our dedicated local authority housing officer explained that her colleagues were frankly apprehensive when recently released prisoners turned up at the homeless persons unit. Even these allied professionals harboured negative stereotypes common in the press and in their canteen culture due to a lack of familiarity and knowledge.

Therefore please do not judge that private landlord too harshly in the above article. I have encountered this attitude when I have been advocating for over 30 years on people on my caseload when trying to support them accessing mental health treatment and local authority housing.

One of my abiding principles is that to assess how humane any society is we need look no further than how the modern day social lepers are treated. This includes people with experience of institutions such as mental health hospitals and prisons. It is all too easy to categorise people into us and them. It is a natural instinct but one we constantly need to guard against to reduce the barriers between us all.

To give a personal example, I was working at the Stockwell Road probation office in South London on July 7th 2005, the day of the London bus bombings. I vividly remember a phone call one of my service users made to me explaining he was in East London and would try to make his way to his office appointment that day. When I told him on no account should he be attending the appointment and definitely not put himself in danger by using public transport, he was shocked. He asked me outright, "you're not going to recall me?". I said "we are are all Londoners aren't we?"

This is a plea to all the probation policy makers and senior managers and trade union officals to remember they have a duty of care to frontline staff and the people whom we work with. In the name of humanity, everyone, including their families, take care.

46 comments:

  1. France report the lockdown has led to increase in DV/DA incidents of ~30%. Wail? Gnash? Blame? Despair?

    No, they just developed a new scheme in a couple of days involving pharmacies & other essential shops remaining open where victims can report/register any incidents. Police monitor those registers & take appropriate action, e.g. meet the victims, warn the perpetrators - whatever the situation merits.

    If those stats were reported in UK (doubt they'll release them for a while though) the HMPPS response would be to spend a month negotiating with CRCs then impose a shit-stained blanket policy requiring all DV/DA perpetrators to be designated high-risk & reporting daily to NPS.

    DV/DA is insidious, loathsome & widespread. Perpetrators are some of the hardest to work with - Why should they change? They have everything just as they want it.

    The risk is, in my view, ever-present, always imminent & likely to result in serious harm, whatever form that takes. It just needs a football result, the wrong shade of toast... There is no simple solution & whatever punishment or risk management technique is applied, the victim (past, current, future) endures the consequences many times over. Which is why I like the French approach, which doesn't pander to the ego of the perpetrator and allows the victim to self-report in a safe place & to be involved in how the police respond.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52081280

      Domestic abuse victims are allowed to leave home to seek help at refuges despite rules to stop coronavirus spreading, the home secretary has said.

      Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Priti Patel said current restrictions telling people to stay indoors were even harder for people whose "home is not the safe haven it should be".

      She also told abusers: "You will not get away with your crimes."

      It comes after police warned the new rules made victims more vulnerable.

      Campaigners also warn that domestic abuse has already increased elsewhere in the world as more people at risk from abuse are forced to stay indoors with their abusers due to the pandemic.

      "I am acutely aware that the necessary guidelines about social distancing and self-isolation may leave the victims of hidden crime, such as domestic abuse and child sexual abuse, feeling especially isolated, vulnerable and exposed," said Ms Patel, in her newspaper column.

      "But my message to every potential victim is simple: we have not forgotten you and we will not let you down.

      "And my message to every perpetrator is equally as simple: you will not get away with your crimes."

      She said the government would protect victims, saying it has given £1.6bn to local councils to help those in need and was working with charities.

      The National Domestic Abuse Helpline was also continuing to operate, she said.

      "Whilst our advice is to stay at home, anyone who is at risk of, or experiencing, domestic abuse, is still able to leave and seek refuge. Refuges remain open, and the police will provide support to all individuals who are being abused - whether physically, emotionally, or otherwise," she added.

      Delete
  2. Do you know what the biggest driver is behind the response of NPS senior leaders? The fear and insecurity of Probation being irrelevant. That's what it is. As we all know, the value of Probation is constantly being questioned by politicians, the public and so on. Nobody is going to ever question the value of prisons.

    So that fear and insecurity leads to Probation leaders jumping up and down demanding that Probation staff are recognised as emergency workers, that our work is so important that we can't possibly do everything remotely, that the biggest threat to the world isn't the virus itself but Probation staff not being able to see offenders face to face, etc etc!

    After all, imagine if remote supervision proves more effective than face to face? If compliance improves or reoffending reduces? This could be the start of a whole new model of supervision. Quicker, cheaper and involving fewer staff. This virus is going to change the world forever in thousands of different ways and Probation work isn't immune from that (pardon the pun).

    That's what NPS leaders are frightened of. And that's why they're insisting Probation staff carry on.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They've nothing to fear at their level - they'll be given a gong, a sideways move or a party & a platinum cheerio package.

      Interestingly it might also explain why they write the impenetrable shite referred to in the post below.

      The heart-wrenching irony is that the blockage is so far up their collective colon they can neither see nor accept that they're doing more harm than good.

      Delete
  3. Following the theme of constipation. This condensed faecal matter was published Thurs 26 March:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/post-sentence-supervision-requirements-policy-framework

    "Post Sentence Supervision was introduced by the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2015, and has the effect of increasing the combined period on supervision post-release by individuals to 12 months when subject to a determinate custodial sentence of more than one day but less than 24 months.

    This Framework reformats the previous Prison Service Instruction (PSI)/Probation Instruction (PI) and makes understanding the differences between supervision on licence and supervision on Post Sentence Supervision easier than ever before."

    I really must be thick as pigshit because I'm struggling to understand this easier-than-ever-before framework.

    "3.7 - These conditions are described as “default” and not “standard” as seen in licence conditions, since they are only applied where they are necessary and proportionate to managing the offender’s rehabilitation. The presumption is that in the majority of cases, all of the requirements will be applied."

    default - a preselected option adopted by a computer program or other mechanism when no alternative is specified by the user or programmer.

    "3.10 - If the supervisor decides there is good reason for excluding a requirement prior to release then they must ensure the releasing prison is notified of the reasons for this, so that the releasing Governor may consider it when the licence and supervision notice is prepared. Following release, the removal of default requirements is treated as a variation request."

    "3.14 - Unlike licence conditions, there is no means to add further conditions/requirements outside of those in paragraph 10 above, nor is there a means to add bespoke requirements."

    But there ARE means to do exactly that:

    "3.11 - There are two further supervision requirements under sections 256D and 256E of the 2003 Act which may be requested by the supervisor to manage the offender in the community. These are the drug testing requirement and the drug appointment requirements..."

    And what the fuck does this mean?

    "3.15 - Default supervision requirements can be removed as a variation through the probation provider, should they no longer be necessary and proportionate to support the offender’s rehabilitation. However, they must not be removed as an alternative to considering changes under those requirements, i.e. the employment default requirement must not be removed instead of considering whether or not new employment proposed by the offender is suitable; likewise, the travel restriction requirement must not be removed instead of considering whether or not temporary travel can be permitted under the relevant policy."

    Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, but its a llama:

    "4.1 - While PSS requirements look similar to licence conditions, and may share identical wording, they are not licence conditions. Licence conditions are only imposed during a licence period and must not be imposed during a PSS period."

    I need a coffee & a lie down.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Probation Officer29 March 2020 at 10:37

    The reasoning is none of the above. Probation Directors are very aware that there will come a point where offenders will not be seen face to face either due to further lockdowns or just not enough available staff. As reports of probation workers getting sick increase, the number willing to work in these unsafe conditions will decrease. They are also very aware that telephone reporting is sufficient and justified for all offenders in these exceptional circumstances. The issue is that probation Directors and Senior Managers as they always do, want to be seen as in command, things under control and “business as usual”. This is why probation officers are required to review their caseloads to decide who should and shouldn’t attend offices (but with a rigid criteria), and line-managers are required to endorse the decisions made. In the view of Directors and Senior Managers, this is their protection for whenever this is over and further offences are being scrutinised. For them this is an easy position to take as they are not the ones seeing the offenders and all their work is remote. For probation officers and all other workers, we are required to put ourselves at risk, because our masters said so, when it is totally unnecessary.

    There are enough probation officers available working at home to do a sterling job of telephone reporting. In reality, no offenders need to attend appointments, but if some were this should be based on need rather than risk, the homeless, the mentally unwell, the suicidal, and those without phones. Our job would then be to signpost, and they’d be so few of these they could be invited into reception areas (one in, one out) and seen from behind a reception screen. Each area could simply keep a volunteer list of probation workers will to work in a single probation office on a skeleton rota where social distancing and daily office cleaning can be ensured.

    ReplyDelete
  5. There are calls for employers to apply better social distancing guidelines and measures in the workplace to prevent the transmission of coronavirus.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52076504

    ReplyDelete
  6. 10:37 Very sensible. One of the issues CRC side is that those making the decisions in the boardroom are more often than not non-probation trained or have been promoted so quickly that they never quite got to grips with the job or think that the job is something else. Offices can be closed if even one member of staff succumbs or is suspected of succumbing to the virus thereby scuppering their plans. However if a service user attends in the same state then it is business as usual.

    ReplyDelete
  7. All CRC senior managers in London headed for the hills and closed head office at the first sign of the virus leaving staff to cope in offices. The constant changes to how work is to be covered is disruptive centralised command and control stuff. Staff are now feeling angry as senior managers with too much time on their hands devise more and more bureaucratic ways of supervising people remotely or face to face from the comfort of their spare bedrooms whilst front-line staff take all the risks. What needs to be said is that the family of the first probation member of staff who dies after contracting the virus who has been instructed to conduct face to face work needs to sue the MoJ and HMPPS for manslaughter with every manager in the chain named and shamed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CRC senior management now follows NPS senior management.

      Delete
    2. And should state, on the basis of health, safety and threat to life, they will not return to work until sufficient and available protections and procedures are in place. Look for the wording in Union messages that implies this, and use it.

      Delete
    3. How can you sue 1056 when you fail to manage the personal responsibility just don't go to work avoid the risk simple

      Delete
  8. Surely snr management should be pushing for antibody testing, thereby identifying which of us have built up immunity(although it is not clear if the immunity is 100%)This would at least give frontliners a greater degree of confidence in face to face contact. I certainly think that this should be part of any consideration in any discussion of early releases. It goes without saying that prison colleagues should already have been afforded this.

    ReplyDelete
  9. For the past decade our social structures have been fragmented, broken up and compartmentalised. Social cohesion represents a danger to the ideological policies that are imposed by our neoliberal Government.
    The divisions we see everywhere in society today, are not accidental. Nor are an unforeseen consequence of a response to a global economic crash. The divisions we see now are a social construct, they're diliberste, they're part of the design. Divide and rule.
    But the divisions have run too deep. It's no longer just a case of them and us. It's become a case of them and me.
    We live now in a world where "DESERVE" has become a measurement that we all automatically compute and apply in our daily lives. Whether it's welfare, housing, employment or anything else we turn to our measuring stick and decide if its DESERVED or not. Trouble is that using Deserve as a measurement isn't imperial or metric, it's ideological and variable.
    They don't deserve those benefits, they don't deserve that house, they don't deserve that job they don't deserve that salary. Even the ambulance chasing solicitors advertising on TV tell us that they'll get us the compensation we DESERVE.
    Even this blog in this time of global crisis demonstrates that way of thinking. Who deserves bonuses, who deserves to work from home, who deserves to be released from prison.
    Deciding who is deserving and who is not is purely ideological, its divisive, but we've all been conditioned to think that way.
    I think that's much of the problem when it come to releasing prisoners early. They deserve what they've got. They don't deserve any leniency.
    There are many people now that are experiencing things they feel they don't deserve. I say that as fact, I'm not making judgement either way. Many people are about to experience the brutality of Universal Credit for the first time. Will that change their minds about who deserves benefits? People will be frightened about losing there homes, will that make them rethink about who deserves housing in the future?
    I hope when all this ends that we can gravitate towards a more cohesive society, and remember how hard it was to scramble all the fragmented peices of our social structures together when we needed it most.
    Humuns are social creatures, not ideological Islands.

    https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/03/25/16/26401638-8152423-image-a-1_1585155071853.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8152423/More-130-000-people-queue-online-benefits.html&tbnid=qzaMBh1IASA6WM&vet=1&docid=M49vUikjd5wDYM&w=634&h=821&q=universal+credit+screenshot+of+queue&hl=en-GB&source=sh/x/im#

    'Getafix

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. lateral thinking takes me to: - The Ugly Truth

      "The value society places on physical appearance has never quite made sense to blind presenter Lyndall Bywater and yet she's intrigued to discover why it matters so much to those of us in the sighted world. How much of an advantage is it to be beautiful? And what is physical beauty anyway?
      We've heard about the gender bias, the age bias, and the racial bias but few people talk about the beauty bias and yet it's one of the very first judgements we make when we meet someone. In this programme Lyndall explores this invisible force that controls how we behave - and reveals that when it comes to physical beauty, we all unconsciously discriminate."

      Producer: Sarah Shebbeare
      Researcher: Robbie Wojciechowski

      On R4 now, but also available on bbcsounds

      Delete
  10. Thought provoking, as always, Getafix

    ReplyDelete
  11. Looking likely new extended measures (as if they weren't already anticipated) about to be announced. What are the odds that HMPPS will have to rethink their rethink?

    ReplyDelete
  12. People on the front line should not be working without protective equipment according to latest Downing st announcement.
    - this should have happened weeks ago

    ReplyDelete
  13. Jenrick says the government "will not stop" to get personal protective equipment to frontline workers.

    "We simply cannot and should not ask people to be on the frontline without thee. right protective equipment," he adds.

    He says distrubution teams are getting PPE around the UK.

    And that 42.8 million gloves, 142,000 gowns and 2.3 million pairs of eye protectors have been delivered to 58,000 "health care settings", including hospitals and GP surgeries.

    He says every further deliveries will soon have been sent to all social workers.

    ReplyDelete
  14. One issue, he (Robert Jenrick, alongside Dr Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer for England) says, is the provision of PPE.

    “We simply cannot and should not ask people to be on the frontline without the right protective equipment,” he concedes.

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2020/mar/29/uk-coronavirus-live-mass-testing-lockdown-boris-johnson-covid-19-latest

    Leaving aside the fact it is not necessary for offenders to be forced to beach the lockdown and attend probation offices (which is happening all over England and Wales), is this not what we said right at the beginning?

    http://probationmatters.blogspot.com/2020/03/emergency-message-for-nps-and-crc.html?m=1

    ReplyDelete
  15. Both pay tribute to Dr Amged El-Hawrani, who became the first frontline worker to die from the virus.

    Dr Jenny Harries also says there will be more guidance published shortly for NHS workers and social care workers.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Why oh why no questions re prisons,secure hospitals,the homeless,probation etc

    ReplyDelete
  17. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/business-52082248

    ReplyDelete
  18. US: now at 131,403 cases & 2,329 deaths
    That's +7,653 cases & +102 deaths since 6am BST today

    GER holding low numbers of deaths: 482 / 60,659

    UK showing 1,228 / 19,522

    Weirdly (is it weird?) the mortality rates seem to be relatively stable for each country & aren't fluctuating massively, not even when the numbers of deaths & known cases climb suddenly. Wondering what that might suggest...if anything...?

    US @ ~1.7%
    UK @ ~6.2%
    GER @ 0.7%

    ReplyDelete
  19. Ah well - stay home etc clearly doesn't apply to some.

    S.Wales police admonished MP Stephen Pillock for sitting in his dad's front garden. He even tweeted a picture of himself comfortably sat on the 'essential' chairs he & another had taken with them:

    "Dad turned 78 today. Incredible, but true. X and I took a couple of chairs over, and sat in their front garden for a socially distanced celebration. As you do ��Happy birthday, mate."

    "South Wales Police | #StayHomeSaveLives
    @swpolice
    Replying to @SKinnock
    Hello @SKinnock we know celebrating your Dad’s birthday is a lovely thing to do, however this is not essential travel. We all have our part to play in this, we urge you to comply with @GOVUK restrictions, they are in place to keep us all safe. Thank you.
    12:25 PM - Mar 29, 2020"

    Of course he simply can't be in the wrong:

    "I felt that this was essential travel as I had to deliver some necessary supplies to my parents. I stayed long enough to sing ‘happy birthday’ to Dad, and then I was off."
    ________________________________________________________

    Meanwhile Derbyshire seems to be home to a considerable number of arseholes:

    "Group 1 Officers have just attended an address in absolute shock to find 25 adults and children having a massive party with speakers and karaoke. Everyone dispersed and hosts dealt with.

    It is clear people are still having complete disregard for the Government advice and rules."

    ReplyDelete
  20. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/coronavirus-justice-system-prisons-court-probation-latest-uk-a9430666.html%3famp

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Terrorists are no longer meeting with ideological mentors who work to decrease the risk they will pose to the public, and group therapy for paedophiles has stopped.

      HM Prisons and Probation Service has banned visits and “paused” the normal regime, meaning exercise, education, training and rehabilitative activity has ground to a halt.

      And when prisoners are freed, they will not be supervised to the normal standard because of social distancing and staff shortages.

      The National Probation Service has around 800 staff in isolation and is switching to “doorstep visits” and video calls rather than face-to-face meetings for all but the most dangerous offenders.

      Terrorists and offenders who cannot access a phone will still be met in person, as will all freed prisoners having their initial probation appointment.

      Doorstep visits, seeing probation officers stand outside homes and speak to offenders from a distance or on the phone, will be the default option for around 16,000 other high-risk offenders and those with domestic abuse or other safeguarding issues.

      Other freed prisoners will be supervised using video and voice calls, which will be conducted more frequently than face-to-face meetings were, and daily calls between probation, police and councils are being held to share intelligence on risk management.

      Unpaid work and other programmes imposed as part of community sentences have been stopped.

      Mr Buckland has suggested that the lockdown measures imposed over coronavirus would aid risk management.

      “Those who don’t observe those constraints will be more noticeable and obvious within our community,” he told MPs.

      “I do think that to some degree that will assist us with management of some of the cohort we’re dealing with.”

      Coronavirus has forced the Parole Board to stop hearings while it tries to find an alternative to meeting in person, but automatic release from jail continues.

      A HM Prison and Probation Service spokesperson said: “Probation officers will continue supervising in person those who pose the highest risk ensuring the monitoring of high-risk offenders remains as tough as it always is. If staff believe it is the right thing to do, offenders can always be recalled to prison.

      “At the same time, we will use technology more to supervise lower-risk offenders to reduce the spread of the virus. These measures will be regularly reviewed.”

      A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “The figures show that waiting times for crown court cases were the lowest ever. The lord chancellor recently increased the number of sitting days to tackle the rise in outstanding cases.”

      Delete
    2. Conveniently omitted the many offenders still being seen in probation offices and will include all those sick prisoners HMPPS are planning to release, the many probation officers falling sick due to lack of PPE, and that many of those ‘doorstep’ visits require probation officers to use packed public transport.

      Delete
    3. “Those who don’t observe those constraints will be more noticeable and obvious within our community,” he told MPs.

      No they won’t because they’ll all be able to produce a letter saying they’re on their way to their probation appointments,

      Delete
    4. From PM's 'letter to the nation':

      "That is why we are giving one simple instruction – you *must* stay at home.

      You should not meet friends or relatives who do not live in your home. You may only leave your home for very limited purposes, such as buying food and medicine, exercising once a day and seeking medical attention. You can travel to and from work but should work from home if you can.

      When you do have to leave your home, you should ensure, wherever possible, that you are two metres apart from anyone outside of your household. These rules must be observed.

      It’s important for me to level with you – we know things will get worse before they get better. But we are making the right preparations, and the more we all follow the rules, the fewer lives will be lost and the sooner life can return to normal.

      That is why, at this moment of national emergency, I urge you, please,to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives."

      Delete
  21. Tesco today shopping as one of my outings and saw 10 checkout staff seeing over 20 people in a queue. That is 200 or so in a few hours and they had no PPE made no fuss about how many peoples they served made no squirms about talking to customers and sorting over purchases and although there were gloves that got on with their multiple one to one serving role providing food and essentials. In my reckoning like it or not Tesco staff are more important frontline today than any probation officers so look you people and think about what others are doing that makes your whinging an embarrassment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just back from a karaoke party, perhaps? Or was it your dad's birthday?

      1 Mar: USA 89 cases & 1 death

      26 March: USA 80,854 cases 1,163 deaths

      Currently: = USA 139,000 cases & 2,500 deaths

      All as a result of the coronavirus. Not guns or cars.

      And the viral spread in the US is only just beginning.

      The UK mortality rate is at least four times that of the US - 6% vs. 1.6%

      THIS IS SERIOUS SHIT.

      Grow up & get responsible.

      Delete
    2. Yeessss 21.30. I agree but Jim will remove that comment given the snowflake dominance of this blog. Another point, cashiers at Tesco's are paid alot less to!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous29 March 2020 at 21:30 If you had bothered to have asked those tesco cashiers and shelf stackers you’d find many are concerned with their lack of PPE. You may not have worked in a store such as Tesco’s before, I have, and so may not know that the culture is generally that if you speak up or complain you will lose that job in a second. That said, many supermarkets, including Tesco, are not providing gloves, masks, gel, seating cashiers behind screens, and use 2 metre social distancing.
      This doesn’t really compare, not that we need to compare, where there are no protections in place in all England and Wales. This is about protecting life, and all frontline workers should be protected no matter where they work or how much they earn !!

      Delete
    4. Correction: are NOW providing ...

      Delete
    5. "The Asda worker, who we are not naming, told us he was worried that fellow employees and customers might not be following safety guidelines drawn up to stop the virus spreading.

      "It feels like working-class people are being hung out to dry," he said.

      "We listen to the radio and know that we have to stand two metres away from each other and wash your hands.

      "I have to open several doors to enter the shop floor - and I've seen people just pushing them with bare hands. Then we have to swipe in using a touchscreen - which people have also touched with their bare hands.

      "I have to brush past colleagues on the stairs and customers in the aisles. Some of them have just been standing and talking face to face.

      "There are rules for staff to follow, but how do we police customers?"

      The anonymous employee showed us a briefing document given to Asda employees.

      It was compiled by the GMB union and contained one piece of information which concerned him.

      "We were told that coronavirus could not be spread by food or packaging," he said.

      "But is that misleading?"

      Recent scientific research tells a different story.

      In a coronavirus briefing document published online, Harvard University wrote: "A recent study found that the COVID-19 coronavirus can survive up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard, and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.

      "The researchers also found that this virus can hang out as droplets in the air for up to three hours before they fall. But most often they will fall more quickly. "

      We asked Asda why a document given to staff claimed it was "very unlikely [the virus] can be spread through things like packages or food".

      It told us this was advice published by the NHS.

      So we asked the NHS where it got this information - and it said Public Health England.

      GMB Union said nothing and did not respond to our questions."

      https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/18334212.coronavirus-asda-worker-reveals-fear-confusion-working-pandemic/

      Delete
    6. Annon @21:30 obviously has no concept of how current working practices can be dangerous to others even if you feel safe yourself.
      I think kids should be in bed by 9.30 anyway.

      Delete
    7. Well said 930 but you realise Tesco shop staff are in difficult position regarding walking out under health and safety. After they really are vital public service but privately funded. Probation frontline do have some choice but seem frozen from making the decision to embargo non essential 1 2 1 direct work. Supposedly unable to make a qualified decesion.

      Delete
  22. 22:28- why the need for the spiteful and dismissive comment at the end of your post. I am finding the posts of some to have a derogatory and abusive tone. As probation staff I’d expect better.

    ReplyDelete
  23. HMPPS say about 5% of the probation caseload (16,000) need to be seen face-to-face. The rest can be/are being supervised remotely. That's not too tricky, surely? Why all this bickering ladies & gents?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Perhaps you’d like to volunteer to see those 800 offenders in a cramped probation office where you’d be lucky to get toilet paper and running water, let alone gloves, a mask and hand gel.

      Delete
    2. Obviously I wasn't very clear in my post. Sorry. Here's another attempt.

      So, 16,000 is about 5% of the probation caseload. If I was in a position to be able to volunteer I would. As it is I'm no longer employed as a PO courtesy C S Grayling. I am, however, co-ordinating our neighbourhood shopping/medication/feeding crew.

      My point was that if HMPPS know they only need to facilitate contact with 5% of the probation caseload, why haven't they organised it already? Why cause such distress with divisive instructions, no PPE & no empathy? Is that a bit clearer?

      Delete
    3. Sorry, I understand your point now. This is what we’re all saying, since those we’re being told are of a smaller number that must attend offices (until all those released prisoners, or until multiple offices close herding all the offenders towards a handful of offices), the HMPPS could have better planned, installed a screen in each offices, and using a volunteer list with full PPE provided. Even Tesco has been able to iI this in some places. The problem is that HMPPS does not plan, it commands !

      Delete
  24. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
    2. I think I need to make something clear. Unmoderated blogs are unusual, not least because in order to function they rely on the expectation that everyone will act responsibly. Especially at this time of unprecedented stress and alarm, I will not allow the discussion thread on this blog to degenerate. If it means moving over to comment moderation for a period, that's what we will do in order to carry on facilitating grown-up discussion.

      Delete