Once again in times of great concern, this platform is proving to be a 'go to' source of information and support with hits rising to 4,467 yesterday. As of right now and following the PM's announcement of national 'lockdown', there are more questions than answers of course, so please keep sharing information so we can all keep safe, both clients, staff and the general public.
The following statement has been brought to my attention from the Probation Institute, but I have no idea when it was published:-
Dear Readers,
We at the Probation Institute work mainly from home. In that sense at least our operation is not disrupted.
Safe Working
We have a real concern for the safety of front line staff in NPS, CRCs and essential Justice Services as the risks of Covid 19 have so rapidly become very severe. We have been surprised at the absence of mention of Probation in news about essential services but it is very clear that Probation Staff are essential workers. Indeed if there is early release of serving prisoners this will be even more critical.
There is comment on social media about insufficient safe arrangements for the supervision of individuals. We are confident that HMPPS will be addressing this.... However, some thoughts from us.......we remember during the TR appointments reading the Working Links operating model which involved not only a huge reliance on telephone contact and some reliance on versight in families. It seemed bizarre at the time - as indeed it was - in normal times. But these are not normal times.
The expectation that Probation staff should continue with face-to-face supervision must surely be reduced towards zero with immediate effect. Placing front-line staff in harms way with little or no personal protective equipment would be reckless, as indeed would any requirement for clients to travel to and from appointments, often using public transport.
MoJ must develop safer ways of working without delay - safer in the sense of minimising the risks of infection.There are ways of achieving a level of supervision commensurate with both the risks of the case and the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Mobile phone contact, where possible with visual contact by way of cameras on phones is one. Landlines may be better in terms of establishing whereabouts, though fewer people now have these. Staff should be allowed (and facilitated) to work from home wherever possible supported by the NPS Homeworking Policy. GPS trackers on mobile phones might be considered although this could require some emergency regulations if not already in the bill. Needs must. Maybe even some form of oversight by trusted persons with appropriate physical distance could be considered. MoJ must act to reduce the risks of infection transmission in the Probation world.
--oo00oo--
I suspect this sentiment may speak for many:-
After years of disruption and upset this has been been the final straw for me in terms of goodwill towards senior management. E3. Forced moves. Months of 150% upwards workload. Blame culture. Low morale. Not paying promised pay increase. Today, in the midst of a deadly virus the message that they can see no need to close offices. Perhaps some intention not to kill us all in order to do a task which in these circumstances can be done over the phone might have built a few bridges. The fact they didn’t even offer us that speaks volumes really.
The BBC comment on some of the risks posed by face to face contact in probation offices.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-wales-52009733
'Getafix
Repeat offenders - and those in contact with them - could have a greater risk of contracting coronavirus, a leading criminologist has said.
DeleteProf Jonathan Shepherd said offenders' "impulsive and risk-taking" lifestyles could affect criminal justice workers, relatives and visitors. Criminal justice system workers have already voiced concern about their possible exposure to the virus.
Prof Shepherd said offenders' non-compliance with guidance was a concern. Working with colleagues at Cambridge University, Cardiff University's Prof Shepherd found repeat offenders' "impulsive and risk-taking" lifestyles meant by the age of 48 their death and disability rates were higher.
He said this increased their vulnerability to Covid-19, and had implications for the likes of probation officers and courts staff who will come into contact with them.
Both barristers, courts staff and those in probation say the current situation will take some reworking to minimise their exposure and the body representing prison staff has called for a lockdown of prisons to halt the spread of the disease.
Meanwhile, Witness Support Services - run by Citizens Advice - will no longer be able to offer in-court support in Wales, because of government guidance on social distancing.
From the custody staff who are searching and cuffed to offenders, to those working in small probation offices in close proximity to their clients, many have highlighted the challenges.
"As the coronavirus outbreak grips Britain, those in prison and persistent offenders may be more likely than non-offenders to be vectors for transmission. This would increase risks to prison visitors and offenders' older relatives in the community," said Prof Shepherd.
He explained they may be less likely to comply with guidance on hygiene or social distancing. "In a pandemic this presents a real concern," he added.
Mark Fairhurst, national chair of the Prison Officers' Association, said: "We want prisons to be locked down, so that all prisoners are self-isolated and visits are stopped."
He said prisons were due to start temperature tests of visitors this week, but those cannot be done from a distance. When staff were on duty they were not given protective equipment and increasing numbers were going off sick, he said. He added the transfer of prisoners from one to another should also be suspended.
So far one inmate at HMP Manchester has tested positive, though many more across the prison estate have been moved to separate wings if they are showing symptoms of coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the union representing probation officers said there was a lack of hand sanitisers and soap across the service. Tania Bassett, from Napo, said they were compiling a list of "dirty offices" across the country, after members reported some work places as filthy and not cleaned properly.
"The Ministry of Justice advice to staff has been very poor, resulting in Napo trying to get guidance for staff. Probation services are still delivering group work and administering drug tests on clients," she said.
Barrister Andrew Taylor said meetings were being held in many Welsh courts this week to address how hearings could be conducted, but he said many courts were simply not designed for this. Today's advice from the Lord Chief Justice was for jury trials to continue if they had already started, but for no new trials to start.
"You might be able to spread jurors across the court room, but the rooms jurors use to consider their verdict are small and they're often in there for hours, sometimes days," said Mr Taylor.
Some obvious positioning by the institute. What an irony Napo never said a word of the decline of standards in hygiene. Never attacked the decline from clean offices during the CRC rise and their cuts of cleaning staff and services. All a bit late now. Compiling a Napo list is about all their capabilities could muster as they are not known for producing anything. Might as well list all and comment on the odd ivory palace the senior management occupy.
ReplyDeleteOn senior management the commentary by the institute is made up from ex Napo and senior management most of them also said nothing of the cuts to office fresh water and the same loss of office cleansing staff. Hypocrisy is infectious here can you cleanse that.
Anon 08:07 I appreciate there's widespread antipathy towards the PI, but I think their 'positioning' was from 12th March, so somewhat ahead of things, and stand to be corrected if wrong.
DeleteI don't think it matters JB most of the institute actors were players in this decline. Poachers game keeper most of them fuelled the probation fiasco come farce. It's the right message now but the should have acted properly in the begining.
DeleteHelen Schofield came along later she did not come from the Probation Chiefs Association.
DeleteI think she is now interim chief executive and if so has significaant responsibility for what we read in this blog today, even if the board have ultimate responsiblity (if it is a board of directors of the PI company that manage the organisation - I do not rememeber the detail right now and so maybe completely wrong.)
Hi all don't know if I am missing something but government text this morning said only go to work if it absolutely cannot be done from home. I work in a prison it can be done from home only problem is communicating with offenders if not there to put those communications in the internal post. Same time surely if non urgent they can wait.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, it absolutely can wait. Also, when on earth will HMPPS end the insane policy of continuing to allow domestic visits to prisoners?
DeleteNational Chair POA:-
DeleteToday our prisons go into lock down. No visits, no education, no workshops, no association. The
@POAUnion have been listened to and the frontline protected as much as they can be. It is the right decision. Staff, prisoners and all their families must be kept as safe as possible.
The Bar Council's statement following the latest Government measures announced by the Prime Minister on 23 March to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak:
ReplyDeleteChair of the Bar, Amanda Pinto QC, says:
"The Prime Minister's message yesterday evening was clear that everyone must stay at home to inhibit all contact and stall the spread of Covid-19. Since the announcement, we have been seeking clarity from the Senior Judiciary on what will happen with courts from Tuesday 24 March 2020. We had hoped to have this advice earlier but, just before midnight, we saw guidance indicating that you should not attend the Civil or Family Courts in person. You should not attend the Crown Court in person unless you are in a part-heard trial. The situation for Magistrates' Courts is unclear, but we suggest you do not attend in person until the guidance is clear. I have a planned call first thing in the morning with the Senior Presiding Judge. If no published guidance is available to the profession by then, we will pass on any further details we get from her."
And thank you Jim. As you say, we may never know for sure, but I also think it helped us all arrive at a situation which nudged Napo / Unions into swift action, and where NPS and CRC Senior Management had no option but to change their absurd and dangerous 'business as usual' policy. Boris, like him or loathe him, did the right think in locking down the UK. I was Saturday’s blog author, and from a work perspective, none of us will be forced to work in probation offices or force offenders into probation offices. Now we can get on with doing the job (from home).
ReplyDeleteAnon 08:33 And thank you for a powerful and well-crafted piece - this platform is nothing without contributors like you.
DeleteI am told with a fair degree of certainty (albeit not directly from the horse's mouth) that this blog contributed significantly in moving things along; not least because there were numerous media types who were using the blog to prod & poke the unions, ministers & senior civil servants.
DeleteAs has been proven already this platform, however much it is slighted & detested by some, can & does have influence.
Excellent work by everyone - but particularly by Jim Brown, who is the curator and works bloody hard to keep the blog a safe haven.
I’d like to think so but I fear we will be at our office
DeleteThe words spoken by Matt Hancock from the despatch box yesterday may prove to be useful to some if they find themselves in any diffulcty for any actions they might take.
DeleteAlthough his words were a precursor to plug the Governments economic response to Coronavirus I'm inclined to pick up on the words "no-one will be punished for doing the right thing".
Extract from Hansard from yesterday.
'The fifth and final part of the Bill includes measures to protect and support people through this crisis. This is not an exhaustive list of everything we plan to do, but the principle is that no one should be punished for doing the right thing and self-isolating if they or someone in their household has symptoms.'
Although there's some ambiguity in Government advice for some people, I'd point very quickly to those words "no-one will be punished for doing the right thing" if I found myself in hot water for the position I took on Coronavirus.
I think too that those words could perhaps be put to good use by the Unions?
'Getafix
Very good point 'Getafix and worth remembering.
DeleteNapo were frozen as usual and this blog prompted their pathetic leadership into action and although too little too late it is a stark reminder Napo needs an overhaul when this is over and they could think about new leadership when accounting for in action failure to protect members and complete lack of health and safety members protections notices to go home self protections will be defended.
DeleteHere's a thing. Sarah Chand the DD for Midlands NPS sent an email last night advising some offenders will need to be seen via "doorstep appointments" and a "critical few" will still need to be seen face to face. This is in advance of her putting the "business case" to Gold Command" to invoke our emergency delivery model. Let me ask if she or any other senior managers would be prepared to go to someone's doorstep or sit in a small windowless room with someone for half an hour whilst asking them if they've offended or changed address in the past seven days before instructing their next appointment? Thought not. I for one will not be putting my or my children's lives at risk by doing so but then I won't be pocketing an extra 1500 quid a month for the extra hours I'll be putting in. Infact thanks to the duplicitous stupidity of NAPO and the ignorance of they're membership who voted for the stitch up pay deal I won't be pocketing anything extra for the forseeable future. When will these people realise that there is an immediate real threat to lives here. Even that clown Boris has woken up to it now but our leadership continues to believe it's ok to put our lives at risk so we can say we've seen someone in person.
ReplyDeleteDuplicity stupidly sums up Napo leadership and I would like to see the completed diary itinery and consultative process. Their planning and how they agreed to recommend this to members as they failed to mount any objection.
DeleteDomestic visits were allowed, madness. If any action now it will only be because of the collective dissent and this blog allowing people to express what they feel. They clearly do think staff are disposable.
ReplyDeleteThat statement from the Probation Institute reads as if it may have come from the Helen Schofield I first knew in my early days in London Branch (as it was) of Napo from 1989 when I first worked at Camden where from her secretary I heard about her absolute dedicaation to probation and the clients, always going back to complete admin work despite a very heavy committment in addition to her own caseload.
ReplyDeleteI hope the PI will now ensure that either they post information here, as I am sure they are well connected at the MOJ or at least alert Jim Brown Blog that they have published something new.
I aim to again follow then on Twitter.
Oh how we need Paul Senior and his like today and let us not forget Harry Fletcher and my personal Napo saviour Rita Nicholson, one time National Chair among several others.
What has happened to all those fine former colleagues who survive. The wisdom learned from the history of the experiences of Napo is needed right now, please plug into it - MOJ folk. We do not wish harm to central government but just want truly wise and fair treatment of ALL of our probation colleagues and clients.
"What has happened to all those fine former colleagues..."
DeleteFor the most part they were regarded as too troublesome to keep around & so were either jettisoned overboard or jumped, preferring to swim rather than sink.
Some, of course, switched sides, took the considerable shilling on offer & played their part in enabling the NOMS/HMPPS catastrophe to win through, many of whom have since buggered off into comfortable retirement, pockets bulging with a gong pinned to their chest.
Here's a link to the Coronavirus Bill:
ReplyDeletehttps://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/lbill/58-01/110/5801110.pdf
10:12, some but not all!
ReplyDeleteMany of us survived the shaftings and remain main grade thorns in the side.
Marx said that history is the history of the ruling class but we won’t allow them to Re write the truth.
Incidentally, I noted the comment above about additional payments. A manager is getting £1500 - frequency not stated, while main grade get £150 per month.
If a manager is worth ten times a main grader, let them do the work instead of issuing orders
FYI Frequency is stated. Is 1500 a month for ACO equivalent grades, i.e. Band A, B, C and D. Guess they need it the most.
DeleteCurrently divisional meeting tele con
ReplyDelete- we’ve been told that face to face contact by probation staff does not meet criteria for face masks . I had a visit from engineer and he had a face mask
Anecdotal accounts on various news channels reporting that doctors & nurses are going to DIY outlets to buy dustmasks & large binliners because they have run out of medical facemasks & gowns.
DeleteOmg
DeleteFurther to my post about face masks , I found out one of the local homeles hostels, the staff there have them
DeleteProbation Institute seems to have defunct Twitter and Facebook Accounts.
ReplyDeleteHopefully someone will NOW take action to state that on those accounts or remove them altogether.
I will not post links here - where please did you see their post you have used in the Blog Jim Brown?
HMPPS website updated today:
ReplyDelete"Prisons in England and Wales are closed to visitors today (24 March) while we ensure the safe and secure functioning of our prisons, while enforcing social distancing."
So just closed today then?
South Lambert IAPT service: "We are working hard to follow government and NHS guidelines aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 as best as possible. This means that we are temporarily unable to offer face to face appointments."
ReplyDeleteEaling etc: "Due to coronavirus (Covid-19), the Trust’s IAPT services in Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, and Hounslow have postponed all face-to-face and group appointments.
Our therapists from each IAPT service are getting in touch with all patients individually, while we explore other avenues to ensure our patients complete their treatment."
Sunderland: "Counselling and Support during the COVID-19 crisis:
Our counselling service will be running as usual, and we will be adopting a non-contact policy. This means your appointments will be carried out by telephone."