The robust Facebook exchanges have been sadly illuminating, highlighting as they do the harsh realities of an increasingly ground-down workforce and the unending chirpiness of those having escaped and now engaged in the HMPPS command, control and training infrastructure. 'If you don't like it get out' one contributor retorts unhelpfully, seemingly oblivious to the current staffing crisis as a direct result of experienced staff jumping ship in droves and new recruits packing it in within months.
But there's tone deafness everywhere in probation and especially amongst some senior management. Apart from many regarding the posting of pictures of your dinner being cringingly naff, what message does it send out to any clients struggling on benefits, or even staff having had to cope with huge cost of living increases on salaries that have been steadily eroded over the last 10 or more years?
Those who escaped into the HMPPS command and control structure will be modelling cuts of 20%, 30% and 40% within MoJ (along with other Government departments), according to Beth Rigby of Sky News.
ReplyDeleteLet's face it, to significantly cut prison staff numbers is unlikely as it didn't work out well when they agreed to all the voluntary redundancies at the start of austerity, whilst Court backlogs & issues getting cases ready for prosecution, will possibly see CPS get through with limited losses. So what hope for Probation?
Also, as far as I can recall (may be wrong, so happy to stand corrected), any redundancy is calculated on length of service in the Civil Service - so goodbye to all the years in Probation Areas/Trusts & CRCs. Oh, and by the way, high work loads and may have missed targets - do you trust this Govt, Ministers and senior HMPPS to take that into account when looking at who stays or gets their P45?
So, I may have to post photos of my future meals. Now, how do I make gruel look appetising?
https://twitter.com/BethRigby/status/1527698670392680449?t=gxRirXZJFxF1vkjNlJtW7g&s=19
NEW: Have it from 2 senior sources that Cab Office about to do a write round to all permanent secretaries to ask them to model headcount reductions in their departments of 20% 30% & 40%. This follows calls from PM for 20% reduction in staff -90,000 people - across Whitehall. Told by govt source that the decision to ask departments to model for up to 40% cuts is to give flexibility across different depts as blanket 20% doesn’t work - some will be able to cut more and other less than 20%. A figure on the civil service side tells me the 40% looks like a “far sabre rattling/theoretical exercise” and says is “pointless” because doesn’t think individual departments will be able to absorb cuts of 40%. But am told that PM/CX/Barclay are determined to press on.
Delete757 don't worry you all have continuity of service it was not a sacking rehire it's a merger simple .
DeleteThen won’t offer redundancy to probation workers, except for the senior managers that’ll receive golden handshakes. They’ll just put a freeze on probation recruitment so expect workloads to get a lot higher.
DeleteI don't think Probation front line staff have anything to fear from redundancy, it will be back room wfh staff who go as according to Boris all they do all day is eat cheese
DeleteJim, I worry that a pre 5AM blog targeting one person with pictures of their dinner tweets may appear to be targeted trolling.
ReplyDeleteIt is not just one person.
DeleteOh that's okay then...
DeleteThe photos are from one account.
DeleteSimilar then to the very same senior leaders that troll probation practitioners with a direct and indirect daily barrage of threatening and condescending emails about targets, performance and SFO investigations.
DeleteThe examples maybe one account - but I have seen numbers doing similar
DeleteThese are some very modest meals for someone on an Regional Director salary. I could understand being upset at lobster and champagne tweets, but come on. Don’t waste your time being furious about absolutely everything
DeleteIt’s not the value. The workers are so overworked they rarely have time to take breaks. Their pay is so low that many will be using food banks. Yet senior managers splash their luncheons over Twitter.
DeleteBut none of the pictures used to evidence this blog relate to that at all.
DeleteMost staff pay isn’t low per annum in relation to national averages. I don’t know any staff in my region prepared to state they have had to use a food bank.
“ I don’t know any staff in my region prepared to state they have had to use a food bank”
DeleteAnd yet sadly there are many amongst us ‘averagely paid’ professional that do use food banks and many more suffering from the pay freeze and subsequent financial crisis. Wage advances are also regularly discussed, and many are doing overtime they’d rather not do for the extra pittance pay.
"prepared to state they have had to use a food bank” -there writes a person who has perhaps not engaged with another - feeling intense shame - or perhaps did not notice it - far from all "pops", clients or colleagues needing financial support from The Edridge Fund, are greedy acquisitors, etc., some, perhaps many, will be those who cope with the shame of not having enough income to survive by concealing it from others.
Deletehttp://www.edridgefund.org/
Our “Leaders” awarded themselves all those £bonuses in the lockdowns for their Probation Service leadership from the front (room of their houses), have they not earned the right to insensitively show off the fruits of their labour earned from the sweat of others?
ReplyDeleteThey know us poorly paid probation minions chained to the computer desk at the coalface like drooling over the fancy meals and luncheons of our overseers.
'Everyone else's fault, never mine'
ReplyDeleteReplying to @jimbrownblog: "Interestingly … in our exit survey responses, a number have left because of bullying … by colleagues!"
Doncha just love that the "excellent leaders" are now blaming "colleagues" for the toxic environment of bullying that is causing the loss of staff. Sounds remakably like the Johnsonian playbook - throw the 'little people under the bus'.
Also reminds me of the attitude of an elderly relative who, after a spate of driving dangerously & causing mayhem, told me how it was "so strange that I've seen quite a lot of accidents recently, but luckily never had one myself." I was removed as a beneficiary of their estate when I told them I was the reason their driving licence was revoked.
As a newly minted PQIP/NQO, I've experienced the bullying culture of existing POs peeling off at the easiest target. My PTA wasn't much better- a tyrant, with zero empathy. I thought Probation was the kinder, cuddlier end of the Criminal Justice System-but, depressingly, it's just like most work places with the last in, first bullied culture front and centre. I didn't put in a formal complaint about the bullying- but the same PO continues to do it- getting away with murder-frankly, with poor Delius housekeeping, thinking he's God. Sad- because he's just an insecure inadequate coward, as most bullies are. But it's not just a male domain- some of the female POs are just as vile.
DeleteWell said, please do speak out and speak to your union rep. There are bullies, male and female at every level in Probation
DeleteAnd that is what management is supposed to be addressing, but they have their own agenda. In between cooking & posting photos of their social achievements they exploit the bullying you describe - alongside exercising their own bullying techniques - to maintain a culture of fear & disquiet, to divide & rule. HMPPS - & its NOMS predecessor - have successfully used bullying as a means of staff control, e.g. pet bullies are allowed a certain latitude to keep others in a state of uncertainty.
DeleteI moved from a high stress, dog-eat-dog commercial environment into 'old' probation many years ago. The support, the camaraderie & extremely limited workplace abuse was a revelation. There have always been bullies - probably always will be - but their impact was actively & robustly managed by experienced & skilled managers way-back-when.
Anecdotally (& I welcome other views) it seems that once Eithne's NPS choreography was implemented the bullying culture began to blossom, i.e. when "The Centre" (i.e. prison service) started to actively pull probation apart.
Previous to that the prison service mandarins had been vocal in their dislike for probation, but they had no real grasp. The politically motivated first NPS structure, with Boateng's "enforcement agency" culture, seemed to open the door to the abusive raw ambition rarely seen in probation circles before.
Trust status was an echo chamber for the power-hungry bullies, while TR was manna from heaven. Spurr was particularly enthusiastic about the art of the bully, especially the pious passive-aggressive never-wrong kind.
And once they incentivised 'corporate loyalty' through managerialism, pure greed was introduced into the mix... & here we are.
Johnson & his shower of excrement operate along similar lines, but many of them come from a different world; a world of unimaginable entitlement, of extraordinary privilege; where nothing has meaning unless it bolsters your ego & bank balance. But that's not £250 a month levels of trousering:
https://inews.co.uk/opinion/theresa-may-speaker-fees-why-mps-struggle-say-no-second-jobs-1304076
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/06/boris-johnson-got-700000-for-speeches-and-columns-mps-register-shows
https://twitter.com/AngelaRayner/status/1528078258750775296
Delete"From the man who complained that his £250,000 a year salary was "chicken feed"."
Bullying by colleagues is very real
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work Jim, a lot of seniors now getting worked up and commenting now the truth is coming out. Staff are not lwaocng because of bullying it's the workload. A pso for 28 years is leaving here to do an admin job for the same pay.
ReplyDeleteAdmin in private industry or civil service?
DeleteWhat is the name of the Facebook page please.
ReplyDelete'Probation staff against privatisation' - it's a private group with many contributors using pseudonyms to protect their identity from the HMPPS thought police. Some extremely honest insights into current employee thinking and concerns, but of course being private never reaches the public domain.
DeleteAlso used to actively target and harass colleagues
ReplyDelete@LyndaMarginson Probation director and CBE wrote
ReplyDelete“@jimbrownblog Interestingly … in our exit survey responses, a number have left because of bullying … by colleagues!” 13:21 21/05/2022
Does she realise that as head of her organisation she is responsible for the endemic bullying probation culture she’s just publicly confirmed?
Lynda Marginson blames bullying on “colleagues” can she tell us how many workers in her organisation have reported or started complaints for bullying and harassment against managers and senior managers? How many workers have left due to stress and overwork? How many have left without exit surveys?
ReplyDelete@LyndaMarginson Probation director and CBE wrote “@jimbrownblog Interestingly … in our exit survey responses, a number have left because of bullying … by colleagues!” 13:21 21/05/2022
Sadly there’s victims and perpetrators of bullying at all grades in probation. Racism, misogyny and misandry too. https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/16/race-issues-sidelined-since-probation-service-shake-up-says-watchdog
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile the chumocracy remains active, dishing out £millions of public money that isn't available to assist the vulnerable & struggling public:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cityam.com/jaws-drop-as-it-emerges-uk-health-security-agency-pays-1400-consultants-as-much-as-3100-per-day/
"the UKHSA said that the majority of these consultants are employed in “highly specialised technology and data analytics roles”... It added that these consultants are paid anywhere between £706 and £3,100 per day, with the average management consultant earning £1,244 daily... Dame Dr Jenny Harries said: “All of those costs are standard contract costs"... Dame Jenny and Shona Dunn, second permanent secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care, were also asked about the Covid-19 contracts awarded to Randox... the majority of these contracts were awarded without competition... Dunn conceded that the lack of documentation was “particularly unfortunate”. "
Tis a day of joyous news: "The Tories are to give DWP staff powers to arrest claimants suspected of benefit fraud."
ReplyDeletehttps://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-benefit-counter-fraud-plan-set-to-save-taxpayer-2-billion
The new plan sets out how DWP officers will be given powers to undertake arrests, execute warrants, conduct searches and seize evidence
Announced by Work and Pensions Secretary Thérèse Coffey today, the “Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System” plan outlines how 2,000 trained specialists will review over two million Universal Credit claims over the next five years, as part of bolstered ambitions to ensure money is well spent and give taxpayers confidence that funds are reaching those who need it.
DeleteMeasures also include several new powers which will align DWP with other government departments including HMRC. The new plan sets out how DWP officers will be given powers to undertake arrests, execute warrants, conduct searches and seize evidence – all increasing their ability to tackle the most serious cases. The plan also proposes introducing a new civil penalty to ensure those who commit fraud face adequate punishment.
Additionally, the measures include the power to require organisations, such as banks, to securely share data on a larger scale. Currently, the DWP can only request data on identifiable individuals. This change will allow DWP to proactively identify potentially fraudulent claims - for example knowing if claimants have too much in savings or are living abroad which would make them ineligible for Universal Credit.
Further powers will improve the department’s access to information from a wider range of organisations, growing the department’s ability to drive fraud out of the benefit system.
Work and Pensions Secretary, Thérèse Coffey said:
The welfare system is there to help the most vulnerable. It is not a cash machine for callous criminals and it’s vital that the government ensures money is well spent.
Fraud is an ever-present threat and before the pandemic, our efforts brought fraud and error close to record lows.
This plan outlines what we need to fight fraud in 2022 and into the future. Thousands of trained specialists, combined with targeted new tools and powers, will mean we can keep up with fraud in today’s digital age and prevent, detect and deter those who would try to cheat the system.
Minister for Government Efficiency, Jacob Rees-Mogg said:
Taxpayers must have confidence that money spent on welfare reaches those who really need it.
This plan builds on the announcement of the new Public Sector Fraud Authority, which will use data analytics to recover money stolen from the taxpayer.
The new powers will be granted by parliament, subject to securing time and approval.
The DWP brought fraud and error close to near record lows before the pandemic, rolling out Universal Credit across the country. In recent years, fraudsters have exploited the system as DWP streamlined the processes for people to receive support as part of the government’s emergency support during the pandemic.
In response to this fraudulent activity, the department undertook expert interventions to identify and stop abuse of the welfare system preventing billions from ending up in the wrong hands, through the disruption of stolen identity fraud, retrospective reviews of claims and the introduction of the Enhanced Checking Service.
Other measures announced today include creating the Fraud Prevention Advisory Group to bring together government and external experts to identify and develop innovative ways to crack down on fraudsters, including through more flexible and proactive use of data. This comes as part of the government’s wider commitment to cut crime and give people confidence that the welfare support system is functioning as efficiently as possible to support those who need it.
Government figures published this week show that in January 2022 – the most recent month for which data is available – 38,244 sanctions were imposed on Universal Credit (UC) claimants.
DeleteFrom Twitter:-
ReplyDeleteIn response to a question "Why are so many new and experienced staff leaving?"
For me it was the emotional labour required as SPO & lack of support, no training for role, no meaningful supervision yet supporting staff working in extremely challenging conditions (huge caseloads, huge impact on mental health), the surface level acting ultimately burnt me out.
Why is NAPO not doing anything to highlight this toxic culture of bullying, intimidation by targets ( generally impossible to achieve unless you work additional 20 -40 hours a week for no pay ) OASYS and general computer overload, lack of time with the people we oversee, appalling record of staff support around mental health issues related to unreasonable expectations and ever more complex cases? Needs to be dealt with across the service and not piecemeal..Most staff don't report bullying as they have no faith in it being handled properly and in many cases staff end up in a worse situation!
ReplyDelete… many Napo reps are bullies too, and protect the bullies.
DeleteFrom Twitter:-
DeleteIn reality Jim NAPO are hand tied as most staff will not work to contract and only do 37 hours. A union is only as strong as its membership.
.. a membership is only as strong those leading it.
DeleteExchanges from Twitter:-
Delete"Napo is useless. I had to tell my rep step by step what he needed to do to support me. He had no idea & he was the 'national chair' of that area. Whatever that means! When I complained to napo, they did nothing and then I left. Ridiculous farce of a union."
"Entitlement is a horrible trait! Individualism is a weakness. Good luck to you and I hope your future is a safe and content one. Perhaps you should have remained, become a rep and shared your knowledge and expertise?"
From Twitter:-
Delete"We talk about just doing our contracted hours all the time, in reality the anxiety that will cause is too much. Like getting torn a new one by the parole board because you didn’t submit a report on time."
Probation London, England and Wales is TOXIC. How do I transfer to #Probation Austria (asking for a “friend”)?? https://www.cep-probation.org/a-day-in-the-life-of-an-austrian-probation-officer/
ReplyDeleteDaily schedule
DeleteMy day starts between 8 and 9 in the morning when I arrive in the office. If there are no team meetings or court hearings I can organise my day rather freely and adjust to the needs of my clients (i.e. their work hours); this freedom also improves my work-life balance.
I start by checking my emails, voice mails and text messages before meeting my first clients. The beauty of my job is the variety of people I get to meet. In probation service I deal with a lot of different personalities and age groups, which enriches my work routine. The conversations with the clients follow a structured red thread which is focusing on processing their record of crimes and misdemeanours. Sometimes it’s also necessary to support the clients in dealing with everyday challenges they face. Apart from meeting them in the office, I also accompany them to court hearings that I prepare in advance. I have to write a report for the court and support my client before and after the hearing. In my experience my support can be very reassuring. My suggestions regarding future conditions are valued by the court and its judges. They sometimes also include them in the sentencing.
Multi-facetted and diverse job
What makes my job so exciting and gives it so much variety is making regular home visits. The region for which our department is responsible covers a very beautiful county in the south of Austria. I travel there every one and a half weeks for a full day. It is essential in the life of a probation officer to dip into the clients’ personal lives and realities. These insights give me a really good idea about their situation. It also helps us focus on relevant goals.
I regularly have appointments in the evening, because I lead a team of volunteer probation officers and am responsible for their training and supervision. My volunteers come from different occupational backgrounds and age groups, which makes these meetings so special and interesting.
Apart from “one-on-one” sessions, I also work with groups as an anger management trainer where I am confronted with group dynamics. My individual clients also benefit from the experiences I gain in these group settings.
@a_cossins “A bit of pottering in the garden & a bit of batch cooking … a lovely way to spend a Sunny Sunday”
ReplyDeleteAhhh … the sweet luxury of not having to spend Sunday logging onto Delius and Oasys to “catch up”.
The tweet doesn’t say how she spent her evening or every evening after work. People who work in probation should really be better at objectively analysing evidence and not forming assumptions.
DeleteThe Tweet also doesn’t say how her hundreds of staff spent their evenings or every evening after work. Directors and senior managers who work in probation should really be better at objectively analysing evidence and not forming assumptions. At least they provided food pictures for those worrying about those pesky issues such as overwork, underpay and bullying.
DeleteYou have to write an Oasys like a 'how to manage offenders for dummies' user manual for every single case so literally someone off the street can come in and do it. Even then it is repetitive as hell!!!.What is the point in training people when you need to write and update a whole user manual over and over again...most of what is written is just embellished twaddle for the sake of looking good incase there is an SFO and ticking the boxes but in reality what manifests from it is just a 10 minute weekly check-in with your case if you're lucky...
ReplyDeleteFrom Twitter:-
Delete"Yup. Huge overhaul and streamlining required. Big undertaking but can learn from the CRCs here; make life easier for practitioners - (esp when reviewing) - whilst maintaining a robust need and risk assessment and ideally incorporating a strength based approach. Totally doable."