Today's Probation Service

As the stranglehold of civil service command and control gets tighter by the day, the job is getting less recognisable, less worthwhile and less rewarding. This from today:-

There's an SPO job going in my office so I'm going through the usual angst ridden internal monologue about whether to apply again. Do I want to go through the emotional trauma of trying and failing once more? Can I actually dance like a corporate monkey through the bullshit process only to see someone significantly less experienced and able than me get the job. 

I kind of want to do it so I can try to be a human middle manager and find a path through the bollocks. One that enables people to retain their humanity and preserve their mental health whilst being effective. You know the kind if thing. But, I'm not going to bother. The straw that broke the camel's back? I just worked out that I would take home a princely seventy quid a month more than I get now. As my old grannie used to say. Fuck that shit! £17.50 a week for all that extra shit and responsibility? Are you having a laugh? 

When next negotiating a deal on pay and T & C's maybe our trade unions and employers might wake up to the reality that able and experienced staff face. We need a clear and achievable continuous professional development framework. One that rewards dedication and ability. One that motivates people to want to progress and one that takes away the reliance on a single interview performance which tells recruiters nothing about how equipped a candidate actually is to do the job.

--oo00oo--

Meanwhile the NPS bureaucracy gets ever-bloated, management expands exponentially and self-importance seems to have no bounds. This on civil service jobs site:-

Probation Officer - NPS National Security Unit-Midlands

The National Probation Service is creating a specialist, dedicated and highly skilled National Security Division, which will provide an enhanced level of management and intervention for the most high-risk, complex and high-profile offenders in the community.

The National Security Division will be based across 5 geographical units covering North of England, the Midlands, Wales and the South West, East of England and South Central and London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex. Each unit will have operational satellite locations. Main office Locations of the units are London, Cardiff, Manchester, Reading and Birmingham. The units will be responsible for the management of national security cases outside of the NPS regional structures. Each unit will be managed by a Head of Operational Function working to the Deputy Director of NPS Critical Public Protection Operations. Specialist staff will deliver an enhanced set of national standards to the management of terrorist offenders, serious organised criminals and other critical public protection cases.

The National Security Unit North covers North East, North West, Greater Manchester and Yorkshire and Humberside Probation regions-we welcome applications from across all these regions. Routine travel across geographical areas will be expected and a driving licence is desirable.

These are new posts which will be critical in the new approach the NPS is adopting to the management of terrorist and other high-risk offenders.

Overview of the job

Post holders will undertake the full range of offender management tasks with offenders under supervision including assessment, sentence implementation and producing reports; utilising service procedures and practice directions to underpin professional judgement.

Summary

To assess and manage the risk posed by offenders to protect victims of crime and the general the public by:

Providing information and advice to criminal courts, other criminal justice agencies and partner organisations
Supervise offenders subject to community orders and licences and during custodial sentences
Contribute to the management of risk
Work with other agencies and groups to prevent crime and meet the needs of victims and offenders

In line with NPS policies and procedures, the job holder must at all times demonstrate a commitment to equality and inclusion and an understanding of their relevance to the work they undertake. The post holder must adhere to all policies in respect of the sensitive/confidential nature of the information handled whilst working in this position.

--oo00oo--

Responsibilities, Activities & Duties appear to be standard and there are a significant number of posts currently advertised with 8 based in the Midlands and 6 for the North East, North West, Yorkshire and Humber region. The 10 SPO posts were advertised last month with a closing date of 24th September:-

Senior Probation Officer - NPS National Security Division

Specific tasks and responsibilities for this role will be:

Manage specialist teams to deliver enhanced national standards to national security cases;
Promote and develop practice of a core group approach, incorporating psychologists and polygraph leads, to assessment and case management;
Manage cases effectively across boundaries ensuring effective relationships with Regional PDUs;
Ensure effective identification and early allocation of national security cases from OMiC;
Provide support on MAPPA, liaising with regional MAPPA leads and partners at the local level;
Provide local engagement with senior leads for Approved Premises;
Deliver integrated working practices with law enforcement partners at regional level;
Ensure delivery models utilise the expertise of probation and intervention leads within JExU;
Ensure staff receive appropriate, up to date training and support

There will be a requirement for SPOs within the National Security Division to apply for an enhanced level of vetting and to hold DV clearance. Routine travel across geographical areas will be expected. These are new posts which will be critical in the new approach the NPS is adopting to the management of terrorist and other high-risk offenders.

--oo00oo--

Finally, a heads-up for tomorrow 13th October 3:50pm - Ian Lawrence, Katie Lomas and Ben Priestley will be giving oral evidence to the Justice Select Committee's enquiry into the Future of the Probation Service. Should be interesting.