This from yesterday's Justice Committee Report:-
"Since Covid-19 hit, around 20% of the NPS staff of 11,000 have been off work each day, putting considerably more stress on remaining employees."
--oo00oo--
The Report generated some strength of feeling:-
I am literally creaking under the weight of my workload (over 150% WMT) My back is aching and my knees click. And NPS had the temerity to offer overtime payments ... for me to do MORE. Not a chance. There is no more blood to be squeezed out of this stone.
I am literally creaking under the weight of my workload (over 150% WMT) My back is aching and my knees click. And NPS had the temerity to offer overtime payments ... for me to do MORE. Not a chance. There is no more blood to be squeezed out of this stone.
*****
To make any progress in unravelling such a shitty position we need to understand how staff are being put in that position.
Bullying?
Threats?
Coercion?
Willingness?
Peer pressure?
Ego?
Ambition?
Hubris?
Ignorance?
Fatigue?
Let's use the extraordinary platform provided using anon posts to try & make progress, understand & make a stand. We know the blog is read & feared by a range of influential decision-makers regardless of their publicly dismissive attitude towards it, e.g. their use of trolls to try & destroy it (a sign of their concern at the blog's value outwith their control). Safely, anonymously but effectively we can unravel the Escher Workload Model.
*****
Having trained as a probation officer approx 12 years ago (albeit jumped ship to a less demanding role within the service, due to burn out and apathy), my observation is that the number of people each person works with has remained relatively stable....but it's the sheer demands of relentless tasks that have increased year on year exponentially. Examples:-
- ARMS assessments
- Delius - HETE data, risk registers, the relentless amount of clicking and trying to write records in ridiculously tiny boxes which don't accept large emails/copies and pastes due to being "too large"/trying to edit them
- Writing case records under 'CRISSA' format
- OASYS QA giving ridiculously prescriptive guidance about every single box, such as "sources of information", "current situation", "offender comments", "assessor comments" - ultimately boxes nobody reads or cares about
- New AP referral for every new ROTL visit (we used to be able to block book them all in advance....not now!)
- Even a simple non AP ROTL has become far more paperwork heavy over the years
- GPS Tagging and all that comes along with it
- Polygraph for sex offenders, and all that comes along with it
- AP placements only lasting 3 months, meaning you never get any respite from "move on" tasks
So yes guys if we are going to use this blog to organise and you all feel NAPO is not helping, then we need to start a movement from within - no more CRISSA! No more "risk registration updating"! No more filling out stupid boxes in OASYS! No more HETE data, no lengthy ARMS assessments, no meaningless "pull through" OASYs - If we ALL (but it would take each and every one of us) say NO, and focus on the tasks that DO MATTER to us and the SERVICE USER maybe we will switch off at 5/6pm and actually do a better job.
*****
Good points well made. Sounds like staff are doing several jobs where one would do:
- case admin repeated across numerous systems
- case management
- risk assessment
- risk management
- referrals for anything/everything
- tag management
- housing management
"If we ALL (but it would take each and every one of us) say NO, and focus on the tasks that DO MATTER to us and the SERVICE USER maybe we will switch off at 5/6pm and actually do a better job."
--oo00oo--
The future of the Probation Service
Inquiry
Probation services have gone through substantial change in the past five years.
After the financial failure and withdrawal of several CRC providers, the MoJ decided to end CRC contracts 14 months early (during this year) and to return to having a single national probation service for all offenders, but with some services still contracted out to private, voluntary or statutory providers.
On 11 June 2020, The Lord Chancellor announced that the competitive process for Probation Delivery Partner contracts would be ended, and instead these elements of probation delivery would be brought back under the control of the NPS. The new model of probation is due to go live in June 2021.
The Committee’s inquiry will examine the proposed model for the new probation service and seek views on how well the proposed model addresses the problems identified in the past.
Additionally, the Committee will seek to understand the effect Covid-19 has had on the delivery of probation services and what the potential impact may be going forward into the next phase of the Probation Reform Programme.
The deadline for written evidence is 7 September 2020.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53478404
ReplyDeleteEither we are lumped in with prisons and get 2.5% or we've been forgotten again!
Napo will spot this injustice be right in and call all members forwards to vote on some joint action. This will include strike for the current non payment of the existing deal that Napo recommended to us. Also a demand for immediate workload protections and the protections from SFO blame. Come on Napo try and do your job. Oh I'm dreaming.
DeleteEven worse is that teachers are getting 3.1%....that's right, they've had very little to do for the past 4 months and are about to start their 7 week holiday and now they're getting 3.1% pay rise.
DeletePrison Officers are getting 2.5%.... but don't forget, they're getting 4-6% increments on top of that.
Whereas Probation Officers are getting 0% in cost of living and 0% in increments and are now subject to another pay freeze.
Don't anybody dare say this is the government's fault. The money is there and other public sector professions are benefitting from it.
No, all the blame needs to be directed to one way... NAPO.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/society/2020/jul/21/almost-900000-public-sector-workers-to-get-pay-rise-says-rishi-sunak
Delete"Police, prison officers and National Crime Agency staff in England and Wales will be given a 2.5% rise in pay"
DeleteBit unfair about the teachers - most I know have been working throughout teaching keyworkers' children, special needs, the designated year groups and many are working through their summer break to prepare for September.
Its all okay, though. You can blame the Russians. Or the Chinese. Or Julian Lewis.
Nope it's Napo failure they recommended a deal we voted we don't have it Napo do nothing because they do not have recognition rights and cannot take any action .
DeleteThe strongly worded statement is being prepped as we speak!
ReplyDeleteFrom Twitter:-
ReplyDelete"Always take time to read this blog but again a lot of comments focused in NPS issues as they largely comment especially when it’s Napo generated info. Curious as to whether CRC staff read this and comment?"
20% of probation staff off at any one time. 600 vacancies. Huge caseloads. Substantial backlogs for programmes and unpaid work. CRCs are 'restructure', and there's the little problem of renationalisation and bringing everything together in the next 12months.
ReplyDeleteI find it extraordinary that there's been little or no recognition of the likely impact Nightingale courts are going to have on making a bad situation so much worse.
Enevitabley, those being processed through the Nightingale courts will be the low level offenders, chaotic lifestyles with substance misuse issues and associated problems and offending patterns. Whether they're imprisoned for a short time or not, they're all destined for probation.
There was 40,000 cases added to the workload of probation under TR by incorporating the 12mth and under cohort. The rethoric was that those 40,000 needed support and help like every other offender. The reality was that they were added to increase 'stock' fill the shelves so when the doors opened to start the sale on probation it looked a far better buy for those interested in purchasing.
The brutal truth is there was no support available for them, it reduced support given by other agencies, and had a significant impact on probation resources. In reality it created a fast track back to custody and speeded up the revolving door.
The under 12mth cohort need to be removed from the 'automatic' supervision of probation with immediate effect. Doing so protects probations stretched resources, and allows other agencies to start providing again the support they used to be able to extend.
Neither the probation service, the offender or the public are best served by making everyone who commits an offence or comes into contact with the criminal justice system subject to supervision by probation.
'Getafix
Set in England 'and its vicinity', Cameron's adaptation of Rainer's Temperance Society play portrays the story of Grayling as he creates a mute blue-skinned Creature simply known as TR. Often shown through the concerned eyes of his bumbling servant, Napo, and his esteemed friend, Spurr, Grayling's work is brought to light.
DeleteIn the opening scene, Spurr shows concern for Grayling's health and continuous work in The Commons. However, Spurr offers to pay Napo in a bid to keep them from finding out what Grayling is really doing. Spurr's actions are significant by giving the audience a feeling of community & to realise that Grayling is not alone in his work.
By having Napo and Spurr with Grayling, there is a diffusion of responsibility for the creation of the TR Creature. Napo states to Spurr, "Now my shrewd guess, sir, is that, like Dr. Faustus, my master is raising the devil," sharing that he has a good idea of what Grayling is up to.
Neither Spurr nor Napo try to stop Grayling in the midst of his work, even though they show concern. The creation of the Creature happens off stage, during which the audience hears Grayling cry 'it lives!', before he runs away. His creation breaks out of the laboratory and reveals itself to the audience.
Grayling writes a blank cheque and waves it at the Creature, who promptly snatches it & cashes it. As Grayling moves to another role the Creature runs up another enormous bill and exits the building through a window.
Grayling's actions destroy the Creature in the end when he fires into his own foot with a pistol, triggering an avalanche of complaints which injure both of them.
But, as thousands are swept up & the community is devastated, it is unlikely to be fatal for Grayling or the Creature.
Presumption; or, the Fate of Frankenstein is an 1823 play in three acts by Richard Brinsley Peake based on the 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presumption;_or,_the_Fate_of_Frankenstein
https://www.thenational.ae/opinion/comment/how-do-mr-bean-like-politicians-thrive-despite-repeated-failures-1.1051965
DeleteSo what actually happened to the pay rise? I've got a bit lost in where the blockages and confusion suddenly came from. I'm sure I remember the employer (London NPS) telling its employees in 2018 they would be getting 6% over 3 years, and Napo conducting ballots and sending out triumphant messages. What happened next? Were we lied to? By whom? Did somebody renege? Did management or unions misunderstand something? Why did the 'Probation Programme' people send out an apology to us all 5 months ago for not having sorted it out. Who, specifically, sctewed up or lied or fudged or misunderstood or mismanaged or got outwitted here? I really want to direct my anger somewhere amongst all the weasel words. In fact I want everyone to direct their anger to the right place. Ideally the same place! Who the F is it??
ReplyDeleteIt was always a two year pay deal. It's spelt out on the Napo website. Somehow we all ended up expecting to be progressed in April. Poor communication I think.
DeleteThe cost of living element of the last pay deal was over two years so ended in March this year. The cost of living pay rise for 2020/21 negotiations have not yet begun because the Treasury have not allowed them to yet. The other element of the pay deal was the reform of incremental progression. It used to be a contractual right, i.e. everyone was entitled to at least one incremental point every year. That right was given away in the last deal in return for a significantly reduced number of pay points within each band. Everyone was matched onto the new scale as part of the deal. Incremental progression will now happen only if people are able to meet the criteria of a new competence based framework. It was recognised that it would not be possible to negotiate the new framework in time for implementation in 2020/21 so the deal implied that there would be one more automatic incremental progression before the new scheme began in 2021/22. Making sense so far? Here comes the shitty bit. The automatic incremental progression in 2020/21 was mentioned in the deal but the small print said it could only be paid if the Treasury signed it off and guess what? They haven't! Despite numerous promises from the employers in the run up to March 2020 when it finally came around there was nothing doing. The first ludicrous justification was that SCL Payroll wasn't up to the job and needed to update their systems. Come to think of it, maybe that isn't so ludicrous! The real reason soon became apparent though. It was the Treasury sign off issue. NAPO have advised that we should treat it like a savings account as it will be paid eventually but I for one am not counting my chickens.
DeleteSo now we're waiting for two things. The 2020/21 cost of living rise and the 2020/21 incremental progression. A deafening silence currently exists regarding the negotiations on the competency based framework so who knows when that'll be ready.
Given the government's announcement today of apparently generous rises for other public sector workers perhaps we can expect something more that the one percent that was probably going to be on the table. Three things should be remembered though.
1) The rises announced today have to come from existing budgets.
2) A BBC survey in 2019 indicated that Probation staff had suffered more than any other part of the public sector under austerity with salaries reduced by around 25% in real terms
3) As usual, no mention of the probation service in today's announcement.
So even five, ten or 15 percent wouldn't make up for what's been lost over the past ten years and our wages remain apparently divorced from the rest of the public sector. Once again, we are civil servants when it suits them and not civil servants when it doesn't. Can we get in your pension scheme please? No, fuck off! See what I mean.
DeleteSo we move on to who is to blame. The government and MoJ bosses are number one in that chart with a bullet. Their weasel words praising our commitment don't mean shit if they won't pay us a decent wage. So thanks for the praise but in the words of an old case of mine after 45 minutes on the phone to the Benefits Agency, "Where's my Fucking Money".
It can't just be them though can it. Right first time. Whilst UNISON spotted the fatal flaw in the last pay deal and recommended a no vote to its members; NAPO did not. They enthusiastically encouraged a yes vote and got their way. The trumpet blowing could be heard across the land as they celebrated an historic victory but failed to understand that incremental progression after 2019/20 was not baked in and naively trusting that our great friends in the MoJ would ensure it happened.
I'm done now with what's turned into a bit of a rant. But it's a complicated subject which, those in charge make deliberately so in the hope that nobody will bother to try to understand it and they can get away with fucking us over year after year with the active collusion of at least one of the recognised trade unions.
You did ask though!
Napo have covered themselves in anything but glory for over a decade now. What lemming-like impulse drives grown-up people to hand cash over to them?
DeleteBetween Ledger & Lawrence in the GS role Napo have recommended members vote to cause serious damage to their terms, conditions & pay.
Lost
annual leave
annual pay progression
pay rises
NNC
The Probation Service
all credibility
* Feel free to add to this list
1207 thanks. A very informative summary.
DeleteLegdergate awful let down but Mr Lawrence is awfully bad. Ham fisted rhetoric . He has managed nothing well in his time let's hope he goes soon. Or when he bankrupts Napo for the pay off.
DeleteTIME TO SPEAK OUT: please make this happen people.
ReplyDeleteI fear the “business as usual” mantra will be rolled out again at the expense of staff safety. Excessively high workloads being excused by being told you are lucky to have a job.
North West NPS sent a pay award update out yesterday saying that ministers have been approached Re: breaking pay guidelines. Did n’t give it a great deal of thought, got no confidence that it will happen.
ReplyDeleteSame in London, must be coordinated.
DeleteIf nobody made any mistakes and everything's exactly as all parties agreed it was going to be, why the 'sincere apologies' email from the Probation Programme? Why the email last night talking about raising the issue with the Cabinet Office?... So nothing went wrong then, and we can all get on with struggling to meet our increasing rents and utility payments, whilst not sleeping, and working a 50 hour week. That's good to know.
ReplyDeleteI want to know why they are ignoring that this year some were supposed to go to top of pay scale. They keep referencing 2 year deal but 2020 was the rise to top of pay scale. I'm truly sick of how they treat staff and make them ill. Why haven't napo taken collective action. Why don't the fucking streamline stupid IT tools or fo away with some. I for one am sick of typing endless duplicated information. We are supposed to work with people are we not not be tied to a keyboard all day!!!
ReplyDeletePs apologies for the typos, as I say I am sick of typing!
DeleteWhy be a PO when you could do a much more ***valued*** role like these:
ReplyDeleteSenior Area Contract Manager - London CRC Contract Management
Salary Minimum £59,482 - £71,381
Region London
Building/Site 102 PETTY FRANCE (MOJ) LONDON, SW1H 9AJ
Grade 7
Organisation Grade for HMPPS Band 10
Post Type Permanent
Working Pattern Full Time, Part Time
Job description This post works within Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) Contract Management Group, working on the contracts for London contracts.
______________________________________________
Contract Support Officer - CRC Contract Management Midlands
Salary Minimum £29,877 - £34,360
Region East Midlands
City/Town Leicester
Building/Site LEICESTER ARNHEM HOUSE AIT LEICESTER, LE1 6LR
Grade HEO
Organisation Grade for HMPPS Band 6
Post Type Permanent
Working Pattern Full Time, Part Time
Role Type Commercial, Procurement and Contracts Management
Job description This role is working with the Staffordshire & West Midlands and Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire & Rutley Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) Contract Management Team however there will be occasional travel to other locations in the area for meetings.
___________________________________
Perhaps this easy-to-read 'explainer' might help?
http://meam.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Probation-Explainer-FINAL-2-WD.pdf
BBCR4, The Punch
DeleteAged 18, Jacob Dunne threw a single punch in a drunken brawl outside a pub in Nottingham. His victim, James Hodgkinson, died in hospital nine days later and Jacob was convicted of manslaughter.
Now 27, Jacob has a young family and has just completed a degree, but it was only after taking part in restorative justice that he began to turn his life around. Meeting face-to-face with James' parents had a profound impact on both Jacob and the Hodgkinsons, and the resulting relationship has changed Jacob’s life in unexpected ways.
With his heart set on a career helping others, Jacob wants to understand his own transformation from angry teenager to a responsible father and respected member of the community. He has travelled the country giving speeches and workshops to students, prisoners, prison officers, hospital staff, educators and young offenders. In February, he gave the keynote speech at a graduation ceremony for trainee prison officers.
In this five part series, he retraces the key moments in his life since he threw the punch. It isn’t a straightforward story of rehabilitation but a complicated, often painful journey. Recording himself at home during lockdown, Jacob makes contact with his former parole officer, a prison officer, mentors, and others who have benefited from similar face-to-face confrontations.
In this second episode, Jacob looks at his experience in prison and his state of mind after his release, speaking to his former parole officer Wendy and the victim’s parents Joan and David.
Produced by Kim Normanton and Victoria Ferran
In reference to the east midlands job advert, can anyone tell me where Rutley is please?
DeleteConfirmation from the Intranet homepage the pay award is for Prison staff only:
ReplyDeleteNational Probation Service (NPS) staff are not impacted by the PSPRB’s recommendations. We are engaged in separate pay talks with the NPS trade unions regarding this year’s pay award.
https://intranet.noms.gsi.gov.uk/news-and-updates/news/prison-service-pay-award-202021
No they're not the fucking liars. The talks haven't even begun yet. Why aren't our leaders
ReplyDeletesending out a message thanking us again for our professionalism and committment and promising to strain every sinew to secure a pay increment and decent cost of living rise? Do they really not give a shit about us? That's how it feels.
No they do. They need us to work so they get covid 1500 for armchair management.
DeleteMy thoughts are we are too weak as a workforce.
ReplyDeleteAs a workforce we are docile. We hate to rock the boat and simply get on with things (for example the poster who mentions working at 150% capacity). Others, such as Prison staff, have a much more militant Union and more confrontational workforce. Perhaps as a result of the different roles we undertake?
Who remembers the two half day strikes we completed in protest against TR? We simply went back to work following these "strikes" and completed all our work to the same deadlines. If anything we saved MoJ a sh*t tonne of money!!! They must have been laughing all the way to the bank. Just like NAPO every month when our subs hit their account.
Its tempting to agree that the workforce is 'eager to please' but unless & until we know how the silly workloads are arrived at & why, its just speculation.
DeleteIf using this blog to make the argument is going to work then people must be prepared to provide information, e.g. caseload numbers, how that fares against WMT, how/why they took on extra cases, what would happen to them/to the cases if they were not accepted, etc.
@15:06 makes a good point when they say that previous strike action made no impact beyond, perhaps, a local news story & a raft of management pissing themselves laughing.
Perhaps, if people feel able to take the risk, perhaps the reality of excessive probation caseloads & what that really means for staff & those subject to supervision could be 'exposed to the outside world'?
daily uk govt covid-19 data 21 july 2020
ReplyDeletenew cases reported - 445 (1025 in 2 days)
new deaths recorded - 110 (121 in 2 days)
"We are launching a new version of the dashboard. We welcome your feedback on the BETA release of the new service."
No explanation as to why. To make it harder to compare & contrast data, perhaps?
Latest from Napo sent this afternoon:-
ReplyDeletePublic Sector Pay – Napo statement
We appreciate that the communication issued by NPS regional Directors yesterday and the statement from the Chancellor about Public Sector Pay awards today has caused some uncertainty about the pay situation for our members working in the NPS and Cafcass. Separate negotiations are currently underway for our members in Probation Northern Ireland and pay arrangements with CRC employers are not affected by the announcement.
Firstly, we are able to confirm that the Chancellors statement covers the specific pay arrangements for some public sector workers and Prison staff employed by HMPPS, (whose pay is determined from recommendations from the Prison Pay Review body). Therefore the announcement from the Chancellor is not relevant to employees of the National Probation Service or Cafcass where we await the start of formal discussions. The probation trade unions in NPS are expecting news of HM Treasury’s response to the business case that has been submitted to them by the employer. All government departments and agencies are required to do this if their pay funding forecasts fall outside of the authorised pay remit, before permission is given for them to open pay negotiations.
It is expected that we will hear more news about the outcomes from that process within the next week or so and that formal pay negotiations between the NPS and trade unions can commence immediately afterwards. More news will follow for our members employed within Cafcass, as we understand that the employer has now been given clearance to get pay negotiations underway.
As has been stated previously, Napo has made it very clear to Government Ministers and senior NPS leaders that our members are seriously angry at the delay to the expected NPS pay progression award which has been caused through no fault of the trade unions. Further pay updates for members will be issued as soon as possible.
Ian Lawrence General Secretary
Katie Lomas National Chair
That says fa as the Napo usual and always the last know.
DeleteFrom the archaically entitled "noms.gsi" intranet we have the bullish HMPPS:
ReplyDelete"We are engaged in separate pay talks with the NPS trade unions regarding this year’s pay award."
From the ever-expectant NAPO we have:
"It is expected we will hear more news [from HM Treasury} within the next week or so and formal pay negotiations between the NPS and trade unions can commence immediately afterwards."
So, are they currently "engaged" or are those negotiations pending the Treasury's response?
Will we ever know?
NAPO appears to shoot itself in the head when they say:
"All government departments and agencies are required to do this if their pay funding forecasts fall outside of the authorised pay remit, before permission is given for them to open pay negotiations."
I'm not sure Chancellor Richy Rich Sunak gave a flying fuck about such protocols - it was a "bury bad news" strategy. To paraphrase Jim Brown of this very blog: "Oh Look - A Dead Rat!" (and I bet it was Russian. Or Chinese. I don't think it was Julian Lewis - yet).
Why would a public service preforming as piss poor as probation deserve a pay rise?
ReplyDeleteReality check please!
I suppose, Mr Troll, it may be because it's now accepted by HMPPS, HMIP, and the Justice Select Committee (and seemingly now finally recognised in cabinet) that the sustained failure in recruiting and retaining staff has been a major symptom and legacy of TR, and has contributed in no small way to the poor performance (or should I say 'preformance'?) that you refer to.
DeleteWhat is that you get from submitting posts like this anyway? Is it a sexual thing?
From Twitter:-
ReplyDelete"I’m frustrated by this, I qualified 10 years ago, currently in agency work but wanting a permanent job. Yet they’re recruiting 1000 trainees nationwide instead. I’m not the only one wanting to return to permanent. Do sometimes wonder if I am mad though."