Reflecting back on 2021, I am sure many of you would agree it has felt somewhat like a rollercoaster of a year hurtling by at pace with numerous twists and turns. But though there have been challenges and difficult times, there have also been many positives during 2021 and throughout it all, you have continued to be the most professional dedicated and conscientious group of staff I could wish for and I am very grateful and proud of you all.
COVID has of course unfortunately been a backdrop throughout the year and we have had to continue to respond to this professionally and personally. I know some of you will have been directly impacted by the virus and tragically lost loved ones this year. We have also sadly lost probation and prison colleagues as well as people on probation and in prisons. My thoughts continue to be with all of you who have been affected. COVID does regrettably continue to dominate the headlines as the year draws to an end and I know for some of you, this will present ongoing worry regarding your own well-being or that of others so I encourage you to please reach out and speak to your line manager or a colleague if you do have any concerns about the way you feel or they may feel. You can also find out more about sources of support here.
Though we have faced ebbs and flows with the pandemic throughout 2021, you have continued to be responsive as we have made changes, adapting how you work and supporting each other and people on probation. This has enabled us to make significant progress with our recovery work and ensure we continued to deliver and increase where possible our important probation services to protect communities and vulnerable people and I thank you for all your contributions to achieving this.
Given the ongoing challenges presented by the pandemic during 2021, it was an even bigger achievement and testament to all of you and your hard work which enabled us to unify the probation system on time in June and create our new Probation Service. I was absolutely delighted to welcome you all to the new organisation at our MS Teams live event on June 28 along with our then Probation Minister Alex Chalk and our Second Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive Jo Farrar to reflect on all the work that had taken place to make this happen across the regions and the Reform programme. I was also really pleased that the Reform programme was recently shortlisted from hundreds of nominations as one of the three finalists for Civil Service Programme of the year – again a fantastic reflection of the scale of the achievement.
Though in some ways, unification felt like the end of the journey, it was of course just the beginning and we still have much to do to implement our Target Operating Model, recruit more staff and create the world class probation system we want which delivers the very best outcomes for victims and communities. But we are starting from a strong position with all of you I know we will achieve this.
I really enjoyed having the opportunity to join the celebrations of your work and the rich history of the Probation Service during our inaugural Probation Day celebrations in August. I hope you were able to take part in some way and reflect on just how much of a role probation has played in the lives of so many people over the years. I was also delighted that so many senior people including our then Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland, our Permanent Secretary Antonia Romeo and our Chief Inspector Justin Russell as well as a whole host of external partners, stakeholders and leading academics were so willing to join in events during the week and celebrate your achievements – this is testament to the high regard in which you are held by so many because of the challenging but profound work you do.
We also welcomed a series of government funding announcements for our future Probation work during 2021. These included significant investments in Reducing Reoffending to improve access to accommodation, employment support and substance misuse treatment as well as increase Approved Premises bed spaces and enhance Approved Premises provision; £93m to increase and improve the delivery of Unpaid Work and £75m a year by 2024-25 to expand the use of GPS-enabled and alcohol abstinence-monitoring electronic tagging. On top of these, we also now have a permanent increase in our core funding of £155m per year to improve public protection and support rehabilitation. This combined investment will make a significant difference to how we work in future and the services we are able to offer which will help us build our new Probation Service, strengthen and enhance our work across the community and in custody and ultimately, make a big difference to people’s lives which I know is one of the biggest reasons you all joined the organisation.
So as 2021 draws to a close, I encourage you all to take a moment to reflect on our achievements and be as proud of yourselves as I am of you. But I also know there is much more still to do and I am clear eyed about that, reducing workloads, tackling racism and securing a multi-year pay deal being top of my agenda. But my optimism for 2022 is genuine, and I believe well placed as we now have a really solid platform on which to build. Whatever your role and wherever you work within the Probation Service or in HQ, you will have made a difference to people’s lives and each and every one you have played an invaluable role in creating our new organisation. I know it continues to be challenging at times and we still are in the midst of the pandemic, but we will get through this period together. We have lots to look forward to in 2022 and with all of you together now as one big team, our new unified Probation Service can continue to grow from strength to strength and make a difference for the better to the lives of many more people.
Thank you all and may I take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy 2022. Stay safe over the bank holiday weekend and take care.
Amy
Director General Probation, Wales and Youth
--oo00oo--
I'd like to wish all my readers, contributors and supporters a Happy New Year and hope it turns out to be much better than the one we've just come through. Take care everyone!
Jim Brown
Thank you JB keep up your greatest blog for probation mate.
ReplyDeleteAs for ms Rees another load of wind trash. Don't talk about pay just pay us on time and proper rate. Harmonise those shafted low paid staff and two tier deals for the same bloody jobs. Speak of actual achievements instead of your hopes and plan. Focus on the problems as our priority and report what you are actually doing. As usual can this boring upbeat self grandasing staff patronising babble. We are exhausted fed up shafted under paid De proffesionlised and you have to having a fucking laugh . Hot to a manager for anything in some places we all know many types managers are in courtesy roles and lack all skills. Deal with them . Some acos appalling lack of skills too and combined staff are terrified. Oh let's not not forget the politically added anti whatever that over polished badge claim is so insincere in practice. Don't wish happy new year when you have the authority to justake it that way on pay conditions workloads professional function leadership quality and get rid of the despicable sccl hr savages. Bring back old probation .
Treat yourselves
ReplyDeletehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p080jlnb
Happy New Year
Thanks Jim & All Contributors
"securing a multi-year pay deal being top of my agenda."
ReplyDeleteDo we assume that means you're actually thinking about paying what is already owed to many staff from 2019, 2020 & 2021? Or is this about pocketing ever more generous bonuses for a handful of chums?
s we know Amy Rees is earning £200k plus £10k bonus because she's worth it and all those working at the sharp end are not. If her pay was based on levels of staff satisfaction, performance of senior management, the recruitment of people with life experience, retaining experienced staff etc then she would be earning zero or perhaps having to pay money back.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what cock ups she will not be held accountable for? Here are just a small selection that were buried.
https://www.publictechnology.net/articles/news/prisons-service-scrapped-tagging-software-platform-after-spending-£100m
Hard to tell if Grace Dent is talking about The Maine (in Guardian review column) or the current iteration of the Probation Service:
ReplyDelete"The staff are a heady mix of inexperienced, hyper-confident and assertive"
Dr Josephine Maria FARRAR OBE Chief Executive Officer, H.M. Prison and Probation Service. Becomes a Companion of the Order of the Bath - for throwing the baby out with the Bathwater?
ReplyDeleteSonia FLYNN Chief Probation Officer, National Probation Service. Order of the British Empire, Commanders of the Order of the British Empire - for services to command & control?
We all knew they were coming at the expense of a functional, professional, independent probation service.
These people are an ilk an in group of cronies . They nominate eachother and they have an expectation. They do their utmost to do as they are told no matter who gets hurt. They get a huge salary and plenty of suck up staff and aggressive managers. They go to easy meetings and eat and drink on the tax payers all day week in out and back again. They expect these awards. Sadly you don't see many for good ordinary staff who served 30nyears public service. No these awards are for their classes and in clique only. I would not mind so much but neither have been around long or done anything extraordinary have they no marks.
Deletehttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1044469/ny22-honours-list-spreadsheet.csv/preview
DeleteI expect that whatever sector you look towards the situation for frontline staff is similar, and there's an Amy Rees in all of them preaching the same little meaning and short on substance sermon.
ReplyDeleteNothing works properly anymore, but keep selling snake oil to boost morale and enthusiasm, then nobody might notice.
Having reached my mid sixties, I feel so apologetic to the younger generations for the state of the world they will inherit from their elders.
'Getafix
I'm fed keep seeing the Tory ministers on TV talking covid but sporting fantastic suntans.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/03/uk-covid-test-distributor-shut-christmas-25m-kits
ReplyDeletePressure on the NHS for the “next couple of weeks and maybe more” is going to be “considerable”, UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, has said.
ReplyDeleteAnd his response is... to do fuck all; except, of course, to collapse the NHS, infect masses of the population & keep the UK economy on its knees.
Somewhere in there must be some big windfalls for those who are holding the gun to his head...
Just like the £billions that went awol during the probation/tr fiasco.
Some long-serving probation staff might be able to empathise...
ReplyDeleteSeen on twitter: https://twitter.com/SyncopeJohn/status/1477932107989143556
"After 29 years work for the NHS, 23 for 1 Trust, 17 as a consultant, it’s been humbling to feel so valued and appreciated."
John shared a screenshot of an email which reads:
"Subject: Desk
Hi John
Hope you are well. Your last week has certainly come around quickly. There isn't really a non-awkward way of asking this. Are you planning to clear your desk this week - just so we know when this will be available for another consultant.
Best wishes."
Now THAT is what over a decade of Tories fucking with the NHS has done; just like they did with probation - and the new HMPPS rapid promotion of clones scheme.
https://www.dannyshaw.net/post/on-parole
ReplyDeleteRaab on the rampage:
"After announcing sweeping plans to reform prisons, victims services and human rights laws, the Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary has given a strong hint that next on his list is the powerful organisation which determines the release of many of the most violent and dangerous prisoners in England and Wales.
Set up in 1968 as a 17-strong committee giving private advice to the government, the Parole Board has expanded into an independent quasi-judicial body of 320 members with an annual budget of £20 million.
"I have some very clear views as to what should happen," he has said.
A 'root-and-branch' review of its work was launched in October 2020 and was due to report back last year, but Raab, who took office four months ago, wants more time to "get it right"; the findings are expected by the summer."
& there's more ...
Want to get others views on why employment law is so skewered. It seems this works to hide the ill health caused by employers on them. I've known colleagues to state another issue for going off sick as they know NPS will say it is them who cannot cope. How do they get away with causing people serious health issues without repercussions.
ReplyDelete1. because they can
Delete2. because there aren't m/any strong unions anymore
3. because they are weak/insecure & need to dump on others to feel strong & stable
4. because they are bullies drawn to positions of power & control, appointed by bullies
5. because they are barely capable & need to keep those who are capable quiet
Take the emotion out of it although I'm with you.
DeleteNo not really . In employment terms we have all a collective set of terms and individually the same but detailed reference to individual duties. It is also a contract that can be varied at time to time but usually only with express agreement or by some collective bargaining process. The unions more so Napo are not good these days as the idiocy of Dean rogered and silly London stooge who was gifted in as a vice chair just a week a so after elections should have seen the actual membership voted national candidate should have been put to the foolish colliding NEC. Back to the point this pair and the leadership trio agreed away all national terms as was. Yes daft.
So we end up with naff HR policies half privatised with external views of staff which are not far of the values of some busy Germans in 1940 something.
Sccl help encourage and push managers to hold an authoratity line to staff. They actively tell managers to start incapability proceeding informally but which are really formal. They jump policy process stages and make staff more ill through job fear stress. It is done to force staff back to work faster but not fully healed. If staff don't rush back they stake out the get rid process instead.
The do bully but don't see it that way. They have a youthful core of ignorance about them. Subjectivity over compassion. They use their own personal value base than a consistent national approach to staff care some diligence to staff with empathy and even contrition.
Employment law is not skewed really because it requires a consistent similar process that is staged . They know that and just push stages through fast to fast for any decent representation to slow it down. Get better proposals to. Support staff and peer or external help or other support. This is mainly a national matter these days and sad to say some of the Napo national reps are remedial if not just plain backward. They take their direction from the spinless inept leaders. You see the Napo problem. This leaves HR free reign to advise management to continue to shaft the staff. Staff usually break and take some offer to go . Napo ignores this as they don't have the skills they once did. Bad news it won't be coming back again either. Employment law then can only support the employers process and more so when unions have shown no case response in lawfull challenge. Why not you ask is because Napo won't spend money on membership representations needs or take legal protective activity. This is why sccl are so confident they already have an open gate to freedom to abuse. Well done Napo collaborators.
DeleteJustice department wasted £160m, Labour inquiry finds
Friday January 07 2022, 12.01am, The Times
The Ministry of Justice “wasted” £160 million of taxpayers’ money last year — more than 14 times the amount for the previous 12 months, an investigation has found.
An audit of the department’s accounts over the past decade by the Labour Party, found a total of £550 million of wasted spending.
Almost a third of the losses came last year, with failed projects, fees for breaking contracts and a botched case management system for court staff. Losses for the previous year amounted to a total of £11 million.
The cost of the errors coincide with a £2.2 billion increase in the ministry’s budget over the next three years, announced in the October spending review, to tackle court backlogs caused by the pandemic and record low.....
The last decade (at least, but probably the last three or four decades) has/have proven that lying, bullying & generally being self-centred & abusive is the *modern way* to achieve.
ReplyDeleteConsideration, compassion, integrity & honesty - & those who hold such 'old hat' values - are only useful as doormats for the abusers to wipe their shitty shoes on as they stroll into a shallow uncertain future of rats eating rats.
Unfortunately I am one of those experienced probation officers who reached the top of the scale the hard way 15 years ago. I am consistently refered to as the most experienced and reliable member go to member of the team. I have been slogging away at the front line day in day out. Meanwhile new recruits flash past me in too much of a hurry to learn how to do the promotion interviews and not interested in the job. I'm never sick but I'm getting on and suffer from poor eyesight and arthritis (I feel like a dinosaur) Some colleagues in my generation have died of Covid - notably the ones that came in whilst those statistically at less risk stayed at home. At my desk throughout the lockdowns holding the fort. Every pay deal has been a further kick in the teeth because heaven forbid they pay anyone more for hanging in there. Band 4 is a joke with many staff who have never been probation trained are now Band 4 5 and 6. I mentioned that years ago we had some professional autonomy and discretion as POs the other day in a team meeting and my line manager (I'd been doing the job ten years before she was born!) nearly gagged on her spinach smoothie. 'You're here to get the job done the way it has to be done and not to question how the higher ups want it done'. Like anyone has any respect for those higher up in the management hierarchy who if they didn't exist tomorrow not only would a lot of money be saved but the machine would plow on regardless because people like me would carry on carrying on. If I didn't have bills to pay I'd tell her where to stuff the current job as it certainly wasn't what I signed up for. Working for the CRC was actually a lot prefereble to the kind of crap I now have to put up with just trying to do the PO job with a few principles. They have created a bureacratic nightmare that does not help anyone reduce reoffending but simply serves to grind staff down and strip them of the last vestiges of dignity they have managed to retain before forcing them to comply or leave. What a bloody mess and if I hear another manager tell me I am a hidden hero I will puke in an envelope and send it to them. Heroes die and are forgotten whilst overpaid people who have mostly saved money by not having to commute from their posh houses in the suburbs get gongs and buildings named after them and can afford nice things and early retirement with big lump sums for all their years of high paid work. I hope you have a goddam awful new year Amy Rees. Lord knows you and your top team deserve a bucket load of bad luck red tape and pointless repetitive bureacracy and as much crap as you pass down the line needs to come right back up at you until you are up to your neck in it. You and your cronies are not worth your salaries that should be at most three times the lowest paid full time employee.
ReplyDeletehave we met the test of Dante's nine levels yet?
ReplyDelete1. Limbo - where we have been kept since 2010, also see The Foreign Office (where nothing happens)
2. Lust - johnson, hancock, griffiths, elphicke, etc
3. Gluttony - xmas parties, truss, mp's expenses, etc
4. Greed - senior civil servants' salaries, PFI, revolving doors, cash for questions, test-&-trace, etc
5. Anger - usually in the form of denial or mockery
6. Heresy - rejection of the norms, e.g. Brexit, not following the science
7. Violence - domestic abuse, sexual abuse, The Met, The Home Office, Tory backbenchers
8. Fraud - those who consciously and willingly commit fraud - anything johnson has done/will do, e.g. home decor; too many to list - 'pick your own'
9. Treachery - again, anything johnson has done/will do
And if you can imagine it after all that, at the centre of hell is... ?