It's a great organisation
PSO Court officer. (Current Employee) - Crown Court. - 23 February 2021
I love the NPS, I have worked there for 20 years and can honestly say I have loved every day of it. The staff are great too, like minded people trying their best to do a good job. Pros Like minded people, friendly, helpful, good job prospects and security. Cons Can be stressful at times.
Waste of my life
Case Administration Officer (Former Employee) - East Midlands - 5 January 2021
I spent the best part of my working life, working for the National Probation Service. The NPS taught me professionalism, granted. But there is little to no room for progression. I genuinely do not know what they are looking for in an employee. The interview process in terms of PQIP/PSO is a joke, and completely disheartening. I was knocked back on a number of occasions. Since I left, after feeling completely worthless and questioning what is wrong with me, I have completed a Bachelors Degree with a first class grade, I won the vice chancellors award for academic excellence whilst at university and within 6 months in my new job role in the private sector, I was promoted to Deputy Area Manager. After 6 years of wondering what was wrong with me, it turns out it was them. Avoid, I did so much for the organisation, I covered every area that needed cover, and received nothing in return for my efforts.
Dreadful
PQIP (Former Employee) - London, Greater London - 16 November 2020
An absolute circus. Terrifyingly bad. Very little training, hectic, chaotic, prevalent blame culture and managers are consequently sneaky and snide. The service users are chaos and the "business" is worse. I take my hat off to anyone who can do the job of a PO or PSO for any length of time without becoming mentally ill or turning into a heartless box ticker. Pro - You are unlikely to ever be asked to leave as they are absolutely desperate for staff. Con - Any and all you can think of and more. Stay away.
Interesting place to work
Approved Premises Supervising Officer (Current Employee) - Norwich - 15 October 2020
In this workplace you get to do a job that really matters, to help people make better choices, and to do something about it when they don't. You get out as much as you put in with this one. The hours are long, but normally you'd work either a Mon to Fri pattern or 4 on 4 off (which is perfect). I'd recommend looking into some youtube videos of what residential workers and probation officers do before applying to see if you'd be interested. It's not the kind of job for everyone, you need to be a strong character yet empathetic. You also need to be sure of your own decisions as a lot of the time its up to you to make the call. in my experience it's best to document everything you see. Pros great pay for the work you do, interesting place to work, nice helpful staff. Cons long hours, high stress sometimes.
Fast-paced environment
Admin Assistant (Former Employee) - Rotherham, South Yorkshire - 11 June 2020
I undertook a temporary placement and unfortunately the IT equipment was not set up for the entire duration of my placement, which meant that I was unable to be as productive as I would have liked. However, the staff were lovely and unfortunately my grievance would be with the IT facilitator and higher management.
Fast paced but rewarding
Victim Liaison (Former Employee) - London Bridge - 23 March 2020
I enjoyed working for the National Probation Service when I started in 2003. There was a lot of training on offer and I felt that I was able to do my job well. Management changed regularly and did not always know the role we were doing as a team. Too many restructures.
Working to deadlines, and targets can be challenging but is manageable with good time management and planning
ex-Probation Officer (Former Employee) - Walsall-Cannock - 4 December 2019
I enjoyed the work with offenders both with young people and adults. Managing their risk of harm and their risk of offending. Working with them on a one to one basis in order to change their offending behaviour and helping them to become law abiding citizens. Protecting the public and victims from harm.
Working in partnership with other professionals such as the police, the courts, prisons, Social Services, MAPPA. Writing court and prison reports, attending prison visits, to compile Pre sentence reports, parole reports, sentence planning. Completion of programme review. Completion of the OASYS.
Unimpressed
Probation Service Officer (Former Employee) - St Helens - 13 December 2019
I felt very disconnected from upper management - they would make decisions based on an abstract view of the service, this would not translate well with staff on ground level.
Very bad gossip culture and poor management
PSO (Current Employee) - Wales - 11 December 2019
Worst place I've ever worked. Bullying culture and absent management. Very stressful and poorly paid and treated. Not appreciated by management who don't understand the pressures.
Awful place to work
Probation Service Officer (Former Employee) - Durham, Durham - 26 November 2019
Unless you are desperate don't work at the NPS. No consideration for mental health, work loads are ridiculous, little training just completion of MANY books. No progression as a PSO, stuck in a dead end role!
Probation officer for years but wouldn’t work for them now
Probation Officer (Former Employee) - Newcastle upon Tyne, - 5 November 2019
I was a very experienced probation officer when I left. The job had always been challenging at times but in recent years much less rewarding. It is now a very pressured environment in which to work where you will have a caseload of high risk offenders with no respite. You can expect to have a caseload well in excess of the workload management agreements. This is due, in part, to staff shortages. This has been caused by mismanagement causing staff sickness, problems with recruiting and retention. There is a culture of blame with little or no support from management. Your team are likely to be supportive as, unfortunately, you’ll all be in the same position; Overworked, overwhelmed and absolutely under valued. My advice is don’t go there.
Challenging role with not enough front line staff
Probation Officer (Former Employee) - Luton - 22 October 2019
Rewarding job but with caseloads of 50-70 high risk cases there was not much time per week to make enough of a difference with each service user. I thoroughly enjoyed helping young people in particular before they commit to a life of crime.
PQIP Programme graduate intake
PQIP applicant (Former Employee) - North - 17 September 2019
Took days to get through to the advice/help centre on the telephone number provided, was also put through to wrong departments. Poor information and advice was given before attending an assessment centre, which meant that it was unclear as to what was actually being assessed on the day and how to prepare. One part of the assessment was a "group discussion" but quickly turned into a free for all with people talking over each other and repeating themselves. Requested feedback on my performance which was denied, and they then told me that they hoped this would help with further applications? Overall, unclear as to what was required of a candidate and what was actually being assessed. Pros Assessment staff were friendly on the day. Cons Poor communication, no feedback, no evidence of fair assessment.
Depressing and oppressive
Probation Officer (Former Employee) - Nottingham - 4 April 2019
Management is poor. No support. Many staff with poor mental health. No support properly given. Staff blamed for offender decisions. Staff sacked for offender decisions. Demoralizing workplace.
Great colleagues to work with
Probation Officer (Current Employee) - West London, Greater London - 15 January 2019
National Probation Service is a government agency run by the Ministry of Justice and manages offenders who pose a high risk of harm to society. People who work here are civil servants and are expected to follow the code of conduct.
A typical day at work consists is seeing service users and assisting them to manage and address problems in their lives. This can range from 1:1 work, referrals to programmes to initiating enforcement action. The work environment is pleasant and enables you to discuss complex cases with colleagues. The people who work in this industry have a caring nature and genuinely want to help those who are less advantaged.
I have acquired great skills in assessment and management of individuals with complex needs. I have developed collaborative working and established valuable links with external agencies, such as police, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists etc. The company has recently undergone a technology upgrade and we can now work remotely, which assists with timely communication, work life balance and has improved my IT skills.
There is a culture in Probation that everyone just accepts changes, whether good or bad, and blame management for lack of representation at higher levels. Management are mainly concerned with targets and wellbeing is second. Encouragement for advancement is poor and there is no ongoing training. In my view, no merit is given for hard work and commitment, which is expected. Pros Annual leave entitlement is generous, job security, good pension scheme, recent technology upgrade, Sessional work (court, hostels) available to boost income. Cons Caseloads are high. You are required to work for long hours to ensure contact entries are up-to date, reports for external agencies completed, no training for advancement, salary scheme is poor and not in line with inflation. No bonus scheme.
Could do a lot better
Probation Officer (Former Employee) - London, Greater London - 1 October 2018
Quite dictatorial and pressurising but the money as a subcontractor is very good. However there is no opportunities for progression, most of the jobs are all internally organised and there is no official human resources service. Quite eye opening when you consider that the majority of the customer base are men and enlightening in terms of the rule of law. That said as a professional you are expected to be everything to everyone and the culture is very blaming when things don't go according to plan. Pros salary is good as a subcontractor. Cons dictatorial and often uncompromising culture.
National Probation
Administration Officer (Current Employee) - Worthing, West Sussex - 19 August 2018
Interesting, varied, constantly changing. Great staff - most dedicated and hardworking and want to make a difference. Split between private and public sector has been difficult.
Unfortunately now changing towards more impersonal, centralised, hot desking, non team, with emphasis on stats, which changes what has been a good culture and working environment. However, still interesting and worthwhile employment. Pros Interesting, varied, challenging, strong on diversity, great people, good degree of trust. Cons Always changing, can be demanding and stressful, wages not increasing.
Challenging but rewarding
PSO Court officer. (Current Employee) - Crown Court. - 23 February 2021
I love the NPS, I have worked there for 20 years and can honestly say I have loved every day of it. The staff are great too, like minded people trying their best to do a good job. Pros Like minded people, friendly, helpful, good job prospects and security. Cons Can be stressful at times.
Waste of my life
Case Administration Officer (Former Employee) - East Midlands - 5 January 2021
I spent the best part of my working life, working for the National Probation Service. The NPS taught me professionalism, granted. But there is little to no room for progression. I genuinely do not know what they are looking for in an employee. The interview process in terms of PQIP/PSO is a joke, and completely disheartening. I was knocked back on a number of occasions. Since I left, after feeling completely worthless and questioning what is wrong with me, I have completed a Bachelors Degree with a first class grade, I won the vice chancellors award for academic excellence whilst at university and within 6 months in my new job role in the private sector, I was promoted to Deputy Area Manager. After 6 years of wondering what was wrong with me, it turns out it was them. Avoid, I did so much for the organisation, I covered every area that needed cover, and received nothing in return for my efforts.
Dreadful
PQIP (Former Employee) - London, Greater London - 16 November 2020
An absolute circus. Terrifyingly bad. Very little training, hectic, chaotic, prevalent blame culture and managers are consequently sneaky and snide. The service users are chaos and the "business" is worse. I take my hat off to anyone who can do the job of a PO or PSO for any length of time without becoming mentally ill or turning into a heartless box ticker. Pro - You are unlikely to ever be asked to leave as they are absolutely desperate for staff. Con - Any and all you can think of and more. Stay away.
Approved Premises Supervising Officer (Current Employee) - Norwich - 15 October 2020
In this workplace you get to do a job that really matters, to help people make better choices, and to do something about it when they don't. You get out as much as you put in with this one. The hours are long, but normally you'd work either a Mon to Fri pattern or 4 on 4 off (which is perfect). I'd recommend looking into some youtube videos of what residential workers and probation officers do before applying to see if you'd be interested. It's not the kind of job for everyone, you need to be a strong character yet empathetic. You also need to be sure of your own decisions as a lot of the time its up to you to make the call. in my experience it's best to document everything you see. Pros great pay for the work you do, interesting place to work, nice helpful staff. Cons long hours, high stress sometimes.
Fast-paced environment
Admin Assistant (Former Employee) - Rotherham, South Yorkshire - 11 June 2020
I undertook a temporary placement and unfortunately the IT equipment was not set up for the entire duration of my placement, which meant that I was unable to be as productive as I would have liked. However, the staff were lovely and unfortunately my grievance would be with the IT facilitator and higher management.
Victim Liaison (Former Employee) - London Bridge - 23 March 2020
I enjoyed working for the National Probation Service when I started in 2003. There was a lot of training on offer and I felt that I was able to do my job well. Management changed regularly and did not always know the role we were doing as a team. Too many restructures.
Avoid at all costs
Probation Officer (Former Employee) - Wales - 14 February 2020
Bully and harass management style. Toxic culture, excessive workload, lack of progression opportunities, total lack of consideration for employee welfare. Avoid at all costs.
Ok to work for
Receptionist (Former Employee) - Liverpool, Merseyside - 2 February 2020
Ok to work for, very stressful and target oriented, would look elsewhere after a few years as progression can be slow if you are looking at moving into management.
Probation Officer (Former Employee) - Wales - 14 February 2020
Bully and harass management style. Toxic culture, excessive workload, lack of progression opportunities, total lack of consideration for employee welfare. Avoid at all costs.
Receptionist (Former Employee) - Liverpool, Merseyside - 2 February 2020
Ok to work for, very stressful and target oriented, would look elsewhere after a few years as progression can be slow if you are looking at moving into management.
Under staffed
PSO (Current Employee) - St Albans, Hertfordshire - 24 January 2020
Unfortunately Probation have a very high turn over an staff are under paid, this in turn creates staff shortages. Case loads are too high, staff are consistently on sick leave due to stress and the general demands have become overwhelming.
Disappointed
Probation Service Officer (Current Employee) - Bracknell - 20 January 2020
The entire Criminal Justice System is in chaos and Probation is not an exception. Poor opportunities for advancement, a culture riddled with suspicion and lack of staff consultation.
Work place culture
Unpaid Work Supervisor (Former Employee) - Tyne and Wear - 9 January 2020
If you're not in the click you won’t go far. Most managers are having affairs with other colleagues. Not my type of situation. Wages are a good thing.
PSO (Current Employee) - St Albans, Hertfordshire - 24 January 2020
Unfortunately Probation have a very high turn over an staff are under paid, this in turn creates staff shortages. Case loads are too high, staff are consistently on sick leave due to stress and the general demands have become overwhelming.
Disappointed
Probation Service Officer (Current Employee) - Bracknell - 20 January 2020
The entire Criminal Justice System is in chaos and Probation is not an exception. Poor opportunities for advancement, a culture riddled with suspicion and lack of staff consultation.
Work place culture
Unpaid Work Supervisor (Former Employee) - Tyne and Wear - 9 January 2020
If you're not in the click you won’t go far. Most managers are having affairs with other colleagues. Not my type of situation. Wages are a good thing.
ex-Probation Officer (Former Employee) - Walsall-Cannock - 4 December 2019
I enjoyed the work with offenders both with young people and adults. Managing their risk of harm and their risk of offending. Working with them on a one to one basis in order to change their offending behaviour and helping them to become law abiding citizens. Protecting the public and victims from harm.
Working in partnership with other professionals such as the police, the courts, prisons, Social Services, MAPPA. Writing court and prison reports, attending prison visits, to compile Pre sentence reports, parole reports, sentence planning. Completion of programme review. Completion of the OASYS.
Unimpressed
Probation Service Officer (Former Employee) - St Helens - 13 December 2019
I felt very disconnected from upper management - they would make decisions based on an abstract view of the service, this would not translate well with staff on ground level.
Very bad gossip culture and poor management
PSO (Current Employee) - Wales - 11 December 2019
Worst place I've ever worked. Bullying culture and absent management. Very stressful and poorly paid and treated. Not appreciated by management who don't understand the pressures.
Awful place to work
Probation Service Officer (Former Employee) - Durham, Durham - 26 November 2019
Unless you are desperate don't work at the NPS. No consideration for mental health, work loads are ridiculous, little training just completion of MANY books. No progression as a PSO, stuck in a dead end role!
Probation officer for years but wouldn’t work for them now
Probation Officer (Former Employee) - Newcastle upon Tyne, - 5 November 2019
I was a very experienced probation officer when I left. The job had always been challenging at times but in recent years much less rewarding. It is now a very pressured environment in which to work where you will have a caseload of high risk offenders with no respite. You can expect to have a caseload well in excess of the workload management agreements. This is due, in part, to staff shortages. This has been caused by mismanagement causing staff sickness, problems with recruiting and retention. There is a culture of blame with little or no support from management. Your team are likely to be supportive as, unfortunately, you’ll all be in the same position; Overworked, overwhelmed and absolutely under valued. My advice is don’t go there.
Probation Officer (Former Employee) - Luton - 22 October 2019
Rewarding job but with caseloads of 50-70 high risk cases there was not much time per week to make enough of a difference with each service user. I thoroughly enjoyed helping young people in particular before they commit to a life of crime.
PQIP applicant (Former Employee) - North - 17 September 2019
Took days to get through to the advice/help centre on the telephone number provided, was also put through to wrong departments. Poor information and advice was given before attending an assessment centre, which meant that it was unclear as to what was actually being assessed on the day and how to prepare. One part of the assessment was a "group discussion" but quickly turned into a free for all with people talking over each other and repeating themselves. Requested feedback on my performance which was denied, and they then told me that they hoped this would help with further applications? Overall, unclear as to what was required of a candidate and what was actually being assessed. Pros Assessment staff were friendly on the day. Cons Poor communication, no feedback, no evidence of fair assessment.
All changed
Court/Payback Admin (Former Employee) - Huddersfield, W Yorks - 11 September 2019
Court/Payback Admin (Former Employee) - Huddersfield, W Yorks - 11 September 2019
Worked there as it was being sold off. A lot of staff were shunted around to accommodate this. Overall some of the best people I have ever worked with doing a tough job. Understand it's better now.
Great colleagues, poor management
Case Administrator (Former Employee) - Guildford, Surrey - 28 August 2019
The gulf between employees and managers is ever increasing. Unfair workloads due to poor retention and employment of staff in a very expensive area, which leads to overworked employees who are undervalued.
Challenging workplace
PSO (Former Employee) - Brownhills, West Midlands - 22 August 2019
Very high case loads, stressful environment with high expectations. However rewarding. High staff sick leave due to stress. Difficult to progress. Supportive managers when it is needed.
Good employer with a unique working environment
Divisional Hub Manager (Former Employee) - London - 6 June 2019
Good employer with a unique working environment. Very good managerial structure and support; opportunities for advancement; depending on the position, good work-life balance.
Case Administrator (Former Employee) - Guildford, Surrey - 28 August 2019
The gulf between employees and managers is ever increasing. Unfair workloads due to poor retention and employment of staff in a very expensive area, which leads to overworked employees who are undervalued.
PSO (Former Employee) - Brownhills, West Midlands - 22 August 2019
Very high case loads, stressful environment with high expectations. However rewarding. High staff sick leave due to stress. Difficult to progress. Supportive managers when it is needed.
Calling all target driven salesmen with a Criminology Degree
Offender Manager (Current Employee) - South Central - 30 July 2019
Under resourced and unrelentless pressure to hit targets regardless of how few staff there are. The introduction of laptops has meant targets in danger of being missed, can be hit by working out of hrs at home, for free. This organisation does not care for it's staff and as a result staff are resigning without jobs to go to, such is the burnout rate. Pros Supportive colleagues. Cons Target driven environment. Unrelenting pressure. Desk bound 85% or the time, appalling pay, lack of managerial support.
Under resourced and unrelentless pressure to hit targets regardless of how few staff there are. The introduction of laptops has meant targets in danger of being missed, can be hit by working out of hrs at home, for free. This organisation does not care for it's staff and as a result staff are resigning without jobs to go to, such is the burnout rate. Pros Supportive colleagues. Cons Target driven environment. Unrelenting pressure. Desk bound 85% or the time, appalling pay, lack of managerial support.
Divisional Hub Manager (Former Employee) - London - 6 June 2019
Good employer with a unique working environment. Very good managerial structure and support; opportunities for advancement; depending on the position, good work-life balance.
Depressing and oppressive
Probation Officer (Former Employee) - Nottingham - 4 April 2019
Management is poor. No support. Many staff with poor mental health. No support properly given. Staff blamed for offender decisions. Staff sacked for offender decisions. Demoralizing workplace.
Great colleagues to work with
Probation Officer (Current Employee) - West London, Greater London - 15 January 2019
National Probation Service is a government agency run by the Ministry of Justice and manages offenders who pose a high risk of harm to society. People who work here are civil servants and are expected to follow the code of conduct.
A typical day at work consists is seeing service users and assisting them to manage and address problems in their lives. This can range from 1:1 work, referrals to programmes to initiating enforcement action. The work environment is pleasant and enables you to discuss complex cases with colleagues. The people who work in this industry have a caring nature and genuinely want to help those who are less advantaged.
I have acquired great skills in assessment and management of individuals with complex needs. I have developed collaborative working and established valuable links with external agencies, such as police, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists etc. The company has recently undergone a technology upgrade and we can now work remotely, which assists with timely communication, work life balance and has improved my IT skills.
There is a culture in Probation that everyone just accepts changes, whether good or bad, and blame management for lack of representation at higher levels. Management are mainly concerned with targets and wellbeing is second. Encouragement for advancement is poor and there is no ongoing training. In my view, no merit is given for hard work and commitment, which is expected. Pros Annual leave entitlement is generous, job security, good pension scheme, recent technology upgrade, Sessional work (court, hostels) available to boost income. Cons Caseloads are high. You are required to work for long hours to ensure contact entries are up-to date, reports for external agencies completed, no training for advancement, salary scheme is poor and not in line with inflation. No bonus scheme.
Could do a lot better
Probation Officer (Former Employee) - London, Greater London - 1 October 2018
Quite dictatorial and pressurising but the money as a subcontractor is very good. However there is no opportunities for progression, most of the jobs are all internally organised and there is no official human resources service. Quite eye opening when you consider that the majority of the customer base are men and enlightening in terms of the rule of law. That said as a professional you are expected to be everything to everyone and the culture is very blaming when things don't go according to plan. Pros salary is good as a subcontractor. Cons dictatorial and often uncompromising culture.
National Probation
Administration Officer (Current Employee) - Worthing, West Sussex - 19 August 2018
Interesting, varied, constantly changing. Great staff - most dedicated and hardworking and want to make a difference. Split between private and public sector has been difficult.
Unfortunately now changing towards more impersonal, centralised, hot desking, non team, with emphasis on stats, which changes what has been a good culture and working environment. However, still interesting and worthwhile employment. Pros Interesting, varied, challenging, strong on diversity, great people, good degree of trust. Cons Always changing, can be demanding and stressful, wages not increasing.
Challenging but rewarding
Probation Service Officer (Current Employee) - London, Greater London - 18 July 2018
Typical day requires at least four cups of coffee. Learning constantly, especially about how deluded I must have been to decide to work with high risk ex-offenders. Management are fantastic, in particular they are rarely here to supervise which means I get to work at my own pace without having to worry about the crone on my shoulder. Workplace culture is exactly that, cultured and diverse. For example everyone has their own opinions, unanimously wrong however. Hardest part in all seriousness is arriving to work on time. Most enjoyable part is tough to decide between reaching 5pm or spending time there dreaming about a real career.
Interesting place to work
Probation Officer Assistant (Current Employee) - Chatham, Kent - 20 March 2018
The team are great to work for, however due the to low resources one finds they are battling all the time. The office is quite small, however individuals have made the best of things, ensuring that it is business as usual. Pros Local location Cons Very little security.
Pressurised environment
Probation Service Officer (Current Employee) - Portsmouth - 15 January 2018
Over the years the Service has changed dramatically. Particularly since the split in the service 3+ years ago with National Probation Service and Community Rehabilitation Company trying to work together. Definitely not as an efficient Service as it was when NPS was overall in charge. Many targets not being met. Pros Good Colleagues Cons The split in the service not working.
Typical day requires at least four cups of coffee. Learning constantly, especially about how deluded I must have been to decide to work with high risk ex-offenders. Management are fantastic, in particular they are rarely here to supervise which means I get to work at my own pace without having to worry about the crone on my shoulder. Workplace culture is exactly that, cultured and diverse. For example everyone has their own opinions, unanimously wrong however. Hardest part in all seriousness is arriving to work on time. Most enjoyable part is tough to decide between reaching 5pm or spending time there dreaming about a real career.
Interesting place to work
Probation Officer Assistant (Current Employee) - Chatham, Kent - 20 March 2018
The team are great to work for, however due the to low resources one finds they are battling all the time. The office is quite small, however individuals have made the best of things, ensuring that it is business as usual. Pros Local location Cons Very little security.
Pressurised environment
Probation Service Officer (Current Employee) - Portsmouth - 15 January 2018
Over the years the Service has changed dramatically. Particularly since the split in the service 3+ years ago with National Probation Service and Community Rehabilitation Company trying to work together. Definitely not as an efficient Service as it was when NPS was overall in charge. Many targets not being met. Pros Good Colleagues Cons The split in the service not working.
"salary scheme is not in line with inflation" has to be the understatement of the year. a bunch of us where I work are checking out our pensions and who early retirement would look. Not good is the answer. Not being social work qualified, stuck her for the duration it seems
ReplyDeleteNot 'on topic' but interesting.
ReplyDeleteSpaceNews: "NASA's Perseverance rover has become the latest to touch down safely on the red planet & has already begun its multiyear mission to collect rocks and soil for future retrieval. The mission is expected to cost $2.7 billion, rising to $2.9 billion when inflation is factored in.
Compare & Contrast
DailyMail: "The widely maligned Test and Trace system, which is largely run by outsourced private companies and not NHS services, has cost the taxpayer billions.
Now, it has been revealed in the Chancellor’s Budget the scheme will receive an extra £15 billion over the next financial year. With current spending on the system standing at £22 billion so far, it will bring the total cost to £37 billion. The new £15 billion will come from a special £55 billion “Covid reserve” for 2021/22."
The NHS unions jointly commissioned a paper which showed that the cost to the exchequer of a 10% pay increase would be £3.4bn and a 5% increase £1.7bn, with researchers from the London Economics consultancy saying that 81% of the cost of a 5% or 10% pay rise would be recovered by the government through taxation & spending, which would boost local economies.
Clearly this overtly crooked government think the pocketses of their privateer chums are far more deserving of taxpayer cash.
I would have thought being social work qualified would be an asset?
ReplyDeleteNot being social work qualified is, in some ways, an advantage as for some jobs it means you don't have to be registered as a social worker to apply for the job in the first place. The real disadvantage is holding a CQSW but with many years Probation experience which you then have to prove evidences social work continuous professional development! I find the tales of people leaving and that it's better elsewhere dispiriting as when you ask "such as where?" , no-one ever says.
ReplyDeleteMTC Pay Offer – Ballot result
ReplyDeleteThe ballot for the above pay offer closed on Friday 26 February. Napo members voted 97% in favour across London and Thames Valley CRCs. UNISON’s result was 96% in favour in London and 100% in Thames Valley. MTC have been notified and we have been informed that the pay award should get processed with the March pay roll.
We hope this is a welcome development after what was a long process to try and bring MTC owned CRC members’ pay up to date with other CRC colleagues.
With best wishes.
Ian Lawrence Annoesjka Valent
General Secretary National Official
MTC CRCs Pay Offer
Napo and UNISON submitted a Joint Pay Claim for MTC CRC staff for 2020 pay claim in 2019. Since then there has been a lot of negotiation and the Ministry of Justice decision to bring the CRCs back in-house to National Probation Service in June 2021, has led to further negotiations which have involved the CRCs, unions and MOJ.
The unions have consistently argued for pay parity for CRC and NPS staff, and we believe we have an agreement that achieves this, as there is agreement to put all CRC staff onto equivalent NPS pay scales backdated to December 2020.
The details of the proposal for our CRC employees are as follows:
April 2020 to November 2020 a one spine point increment
April 2020 to November 2020 - an unconsolidated amount of £200 for those at the top spine point for their grade (This is pro-rata of the £300 full year amount taking it to December 2020)
December 2020 – employees mapped to attached MTC Pay
Modernisation Proposal
For those on Serco protected terms and conditions or SPOT salaries they would receive 1% increase between April 2020 to November 2020 and from December 2020 receive an approximate increase of 4.6%. This is the mean average increase that employees within the CRCs are in receipt of and hence why the figure has been proposed. The % will be checked and communicated prior to sign off to ensure the mean is offered
Allowances will remain unchanged
Pending the result of the ballot CRC would look to implement this for the March payroll
Please note that in the January payroll we implemented a contractual spinal point increase backdated to 1 April 2020 for eligible employees
The proposed pay scales can be seen in the attached document MTC Pay Modernisation Proposal produced for the consultation.
The Pay deal is up to April 2021 when a new pay year consultation will start between employer and unions. If agreed by members the pay scales will be applicable to all CRC staff whether they transfer to NPS or one of the Dynamic Framework Providers.
Both Napo and UNISON are recommending acceptance of the offer.
By email:-
DeleteI would caveat this announcement by saying that when staff went to vote on this the accompanying blurb said
'The unions have consistently argued for pay parity for CRC and NPS staff, and we believe we have an agreement that achieves this, as there is agreement to put all CRC staff onto equivalent NPS pay scales backdated to December 2020.'
This blurb was slightly misleading and it was pointed out as such to Napo HQ along with a suggestion of less ambiguous and more truthful wording but Napo HQ chose to ignore the advice of local elected reps in favour of appearing to have achieved more than they had in fact done so.
Clearly the pay offer does not achieve pay parity with the NPS staff who were on the same pay point being paid the same prior to the split are still on different pay with NPS staff being paid more. Progress has been made but not enough to claim parity. Also there is no mention of GMB who were left out of the negotiations by both Napo and UNISON despite being a so called sister union. So much for solidarity.
Back a few blog posts, the idea was mooted of regular commenters giving themselves a "handle" as endless posts by "anon" is not conducive to following a conversation or building a community. I hereby award myself a handle, based on the immense satisfaction, even now, of knowing that I have made a significant contribution to assisting people to live a better and safer life. And in the process, have got to know them. Inspired by their courage and perseverance in the face of appalling odds. Not religious, so this is whimsy, but when I have to account for myself, I have a little file of very special people and in some cases, lives saved. Almost without exception, the difference I made was a personal decision and had zero to do with what I was "required" to do, and this has got more and more the case in recent years. But lets keep doing it.
ReplyDeleteYours
Pearly Gates
Fascinating listen - R4 sideways: looping the loop
ReplyDelete"Matthew Syed asks what the world's greatest fighter pilot can tell us about decision making. He discovers a theory that transformed warfare and might have played a key role in Brexit.
Boyd developed a decision making tool that would take the military by storm. He argued that the path to victory could be boiled down to a core process: observe, orient, decide, act - OODA. He explained that this process looped, with each action leading to a new opportunity to observe. To defeat an enemy all you had to do was disrupt their OODA loop.
Matthew will reveal that Dominic Cummings is a Boyd devotee, deploying his decision making tactics during the Brexit campaign with great effect.
While the OODA loop is highly effecting in confrontational settings, Matthew asks whether this form of thinking works when co-operation, rather than domination, is the name of the game."