Monday 1 August 2022

Bread and Circuses

Given the current staffing crisis, I'm not at all sure how this will go down amongst the ranks, but since when was senior management known for being conscious of 'tone deafness'? Thanks go to the reader for forwarding the following:-

Celebrating Probation Day on 21 August


I can appreciate that for many it is difficult to think about celebrating Probation Day when everyone is working in such challenging circumstances not only due to workloads, but with the added emotional demands of the job and additionally, the current cost of living crisis. Yet despite this, I ask that teams do find time on 21 August to reflect on the life-changing work you do, be that giving someone an opportunity to change their lives for the better or making a decision to protect a victim. A toolkit has been prepared by our national colleagues providing ideas and information on how you can celebrate Probation Day; you will find this attached. When I go out to visit teams or read the Reward and Recognition nominations for all grades and roles, I am uplifted and feel truly grateful for the work you do that makes our communities better.

Most join Probation as a vocation and this is not just about our sentence management or intervention practitioners, but includes our amazing business support and administrators who are often the hidden heroes.

There remain issues regarding pay and retention and whilst they are not in our control, I continue to raise the on-going impact on service delivery with central colleagues.

As an organisation, our goal is to provide people with an opportunity for change. We continue to collaborate with our many partners and often act as the conductor bringing all the component parts together. There is so much to be proud of.

On Probation Day, I would like you to think of a community without the Probation Service. We are an organisation that deserves more recognition, especially at this time given the exceptional challenges we face. Perhaps you can arrange a partnership event with local organisations to celebrate the work you do.

I have been fortunate in working nationally and also in Europe and I recognise that we can easily take things for granted. This is not about accepting the status quo, but appreciating what we achieve and how we continue to strive for further improvement.

Celebrations and ceremonies are important, especially when many feel battle-fatigued. When new colleagues join us we will be able to distribute the work to reduce the demands you carry. The recruitment pipeline is strong as we are able to advertise more widely using different paid-for platforms. Remember, Probation Day is about celebrating the amazing work the Probation Service has done in the past, what we do now and what we will do in the future.

Last year, the Probation Service staff voted to select a flower to represent us – the foxglove stands for protection and healing.

Most of you know I always have a song in my mind that links in with my thinking... today, I have two songs for you: Redemption Song (Bob Marley and the Wailers, particularly the point about ‘emancipating ourselves from mental slavery’) and the other Don’t Give Up (Kate Bush/Peter Gabriel), and they remind us that we are not alone.

Finally, major congratulations to the England Women’s team for their incredible victory against Germany on Sunday. It really was a wonderful thing to see – not that any of us doubted!

Kilvinder Vigurs
Regional Probation Director

--oo00oo--

Welcome

This toolkit is your “one-stop shop” for all things #ProbationDay

So, what is Probation Day?

Probation Day is an annual opportunity for staff & partner agencies, to celebrate the work we do and share why we have pride working in the Probation Service. Probation Day celebrates the past, present and future of Probation. We chose the date of the 21st of August, as it coincides with the Royal Assent of the Probation of Offenders Act in 1907, so it is in effect the birthday of the Probation Service! This is the 2nd year of Probation Day. Get involved using the hashtag #ProbationDay

More about our flower emblem

You may have seen the use of a foxglove flower (digitalis) when people have mentioned Probation Day. This is because - in our inaugural year we ran a competition to choose a flower, whose symbolism, would be an emblem for Probation. The digitalis won, for its symbolism of protection and healing. You have the option to adopt this in any way you see fit.

Theme of Probation Day 2022

Now that you know a bit more about the commemoration, we’ll explain the theme for this year. This Probation Day we want you to swap as much screen time for real-life reunions, where possible. We want you & your teams to focus on the theme of belonging and talk about all the positive motivation, for why we continue to choose to work for the Probation Service. We want Probation Day to be an annual reminder of the heart & soul of Probation.

Activity Ideas

As Probation Day falls on a Sunday this year, feel free to hold activities either on Friday 19th August or Monday 22nd August. Centrally we’ll hold Launch Event on Friday 19th August from 10am – 11am. You’ll receive details on this soon. If you need some inspiration for local activities, to commemorate the day, then look no further…Pick an idea or two, or even go for them all, to participate with your team. Please feel free to adapt the activities to your needs.

Guess who

How well do you know your team? Could you guess who is who from their baby photos? This short team bonding activity is bound to get everyone talking whilst providing the ‘building blocks’ to gain a sense of belonging of one another and glimpse into baby outfits. Materials needed: Pen, paper, baby photos. Setup: Either virtual or face to face. Arrange your photos so everyone gets a chance to see the photo & devise a system to track guesses. Participants: Ideally no more than 20 people and do allow time for participants to discuss and confer. Estimated time: 30-60 minutes. Top tip: Try not to use original prints if you’re doing this in person, scan or take a photo of the picture.

Two truths, One lie

Another chance to get to know your team but this time through a conversation game. Tell two outlandish facts about yourself and then one plausible lie, without letting on which one is which. Your group must guess which one of your responses is a lie. Try to be creative in your storytelling without out compromising your believability. Materials needed: Pen, paper. Setup: Either virtual or face to face. One member gives their response to the group and the group get discuss on the which response is a lie. You have the option to keep score if you want to add in a bit of competition. Participants: Ideally no more than 10 people. Estimated time: 30-60 minutes.

Show & Tell

Show a memorable probation item and share the probation memory that comes with it. Use this as an opportunity to reminisce on a positive memory of working in probation and the team’s you’ve been part of. This item could be in the form of ‘teddy bear’ mascot, an award or even a song. Share those items & memories with your immediate, as a chance to showcase the positive motivation we all have when continuing to choose to work for the Probation Service. Materials needed: Memorable item. Setup: Either virtual or face to face. Participants take turns to show their item to the group and share their memory. Make sure you leave enough time to discuss & reminisce. Participants: Ideally no more than 10 people. Estimated time: 30-60 minutes.

Reflect on the good stuff

A reflective activity to focus on the good stuff and share a couple thoughts, with your team. Take some time to think about answers to the following prompts; Something I worked hard to achieve. Something going well for me. Two people I can always count on at work. Something I’m looking forward to at work. Take some time to reflect individually and share your positive motivation with your team. Materials needed: Pen, paper. Setup: Either virtual or face to face. Give your team time to reflect on the prompts and come back as a group to share your thoughts. Participants: Ideally no more than 10 people. Estimated time: 10-15 minutes.

Appreciation tree

A chance to show your appreciation to your team in an anonymous way. Draw a tree with bare branches in a suitable area in your communal space and use post-it notes (or something similar) to anonymously post your appreciation for all the small & big things, as the leaves of a tree. Sow the seeds in Probation Day and watch how the tree grows over time. Materials needed: Pen, post-it notes (or something similar). Setup: Face to face, allocating some space in a communal place at work. Draw a tree with bare branches. Place the anonymous post-it as the leaves of a tree. Feel free to come up with any other suitable arrangement. Participants: As many as needed. Estimated time: 5-10 minutes.

Brew at 2(pm) or Tea at 3(pm)

Another reason to make yourself a cuppa’ and importantly catch-up with one another. Use this time to talk through anything on your minds as it’s a chance to build a sense of belonging with one another. If you feel particularly inclined, you could also invite individuals you don’t speak to regularly or partner agencies you may want to get know more. Materials needed: A suitable refreshment. Setup: Either virtual or face to face. Organise a time, send invites and meetup. Participants: Ideally no more than 10 people. Estimated time: 30 minutes.

Team photo

Take a team photo and create a lasting memory for years to come. Feel free to dress up or down or even decide to have a fancy dress theme. If you’re doing this in person, to get the best photo quality make sure you take your photo with good lighting & capture your image in landscape orientation to get everyone into the frame. Materials needed: Camera or screen recording software. Setup: Either virtual or face to face. Organise a time, send invites and meetup. Decide on the theme to be either formal, informal or both. Participants: As many as needed. Estimated time: 10-20 minutes. Top tip: For anyone who is absent why not print out their picture, so they can still be included.

Great Probation Bake Off

Bake a difference and create some tasty treats for you and the team. Whether you decide to bake it yourself or purchase it from a boulangerie, this activity will create that positive motivation for Probation that all the team can participate in. Feel free to create categories, raise money for a charity, hand out ribbons or even give out a ‘Paul Hollywood handshake’. Materials needed: Baked goods, with a place to store and serve them. Setup: Best done face to face. Organise a time, send invites and meetup. Create categories and rules if wanted. Remember to include all allergy advice in anything you bake or purchase. Participants: As many as needed. Estimated time: 30 minutes.

Share what you get up to

We’d love for you to share what you get up to whether it’s through one of the suggested activities or something completely different. Please use the following MS Teams Form or scan the QR code, to share your images, videos and audio clips. In addition, you can also share a favourite memory of yours from Probation. We want to create a ‘memory bank’ for them, to share with one another. Once we’ve collated these we hope to display & share the best submissions on our internal digital communication channels. The deadline to do this is by the close of 24th August 2022. Top tip: Be as descriptive as possible when submitting your files, to help decipher what you’ve been up to.

54 comments:

  1. And there you have it.Pay and retention skipped over for party games and iced buns.
    Not a mention of the staff who haven’t got time to lift their heads up from endless form filling. No acknowledgement of the impact of the stress upon peoples mental health.
    ‘Reflect on the good stuff,’ - what is this exactly?
    Give practitioners some autonomy, respect their professionalism and pay them accordingly.
    Oh, and by the way, Digitalis is well recognised as being poisonous and as such is the perfect flower for the modern day probation service.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, but there will be a talk on mcmindful (cough) I mean mindfulness and how we should take responsibility for being stressed.

      Delete
    2. "Reflect on the good stuff,’ - what is this exactly?"

      Do you mean what is the good stuff, or whats the point in the exercise ?
      If its the latter, its a way for the higher-ups to avoid taking accountability. The whole thing is, and until people get organized its set to continue.


      Delete
    3. The same thing sprang to my mind too about the Foxglove LOL!

      I think what "our colleagues in the centre" seem to have failed to appreciate is that to involve and motivate staff in celebrating probation day, then it has to come from...THE STAFF! Any old twit can think of stupid party games, god knows I've played that god awful "three things about me, one of which is a lie" shit too many times at the beginning of training....but enforced, top down, mandatory fun screams of insult - does nobody ask questions before they send out these dictats? I mean, fine - organise a conference, TEAMS event, get together, to tell us about some research which shows some interesting revelations about the probation world, or bring together some reformed offenders, oh sorry "POP" to tell us about their life after probation or something - but to tell us to close the office or whatever and then tell us how to play party games and bake a cake is absolutely insulting.

      Delete
    4. "‘Reflect on the good stuff,’ - what is this exactly?"

      Just another tool in the managements arsenal to get staff focused inwards rather than on the structural failures. Doing this helps get them off the hook, and no doubt some of the more psychologically inclined staff do similar sorts of techniques with service users, albeit maybe more well meaning.

      Delete
  2. These are some of the symptoms of digitalis toxicity:

    Confusion.
    Loss of appetite.
    Nausea.
    Fast heartbeat.
    Visual disturbances, blind spots, blurred vision/myopia

    If you have experienced any of these you may wish to reach out & use the alternative toolkit to the “one-stop shop” for all things #ProbationDay, aka a big plastic bag.

    ReplyDelete
  3. 'I can appreciate that for many it is difficult to think about celebrating Probation Day when everyone is working in such challenging circumstances not only due to workloads, but with the added emotional demands of the job and additionally, the current cost of living crisis."

    It's not just jumped out of a bush and hoodwinked everybody has it?
    It's all been foreseen and foretold!
    Don't go arrrrgh to the workforce , please explain how you let it happen! Or perhaps explain WHY you let it happen.

    'Getafix

    ReplyDelete
  4. So, what is Probation Day?

    Its a chance for the management/establishment to cover theyre backsides. Rather than offer things workers are actually demanding - you know, things that would concretely improve conditions (and that might even result in people being able to socialize more) like better pay, reduced workloads, more resources - staff can learn about and bond with colleagues by building paperclip towers. It might look like some kind of HR exercise to find out who in the teams more 'resistant' and to control you all, but its actually about being inclusive and diverse.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think you're being a bit hasty here Jim who wouldn't jump at the chance of jelly and ice cream? Ooh I know why not blow up some ballons to brighten up the office? You can get a game of pass the parcel going that's always fun, maybe get your PoP's to join in (or blow up the balloons as part of community payback). The possibilities are endless!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To take some financial responsibility, the trust could even use local food banks to obtain refreshments. Why should the tax payer foot the bill, like it already does for all those ceo's and managers, for you lowly skivers when there are food banks ?!? Compared to the ceo/managerial class who are in meetings alot, its not like the actual workers are or do anything important.

      Delete
  6. What a comfort to be here on the blog. I thought I was just being a killjoy not-team-player. They pick us off one by one, and point at the wellbeing noticeboard and tell us to get with the programme, and improve my attitude. My attitude is all in the right place thank you, just not in your right place: just spend an hour on the phone, (after hours, but hey, relationships) with a high risk but also very lonely man, who just needed to tuck the phone under his chin and have a natter while he cooked - with considerable skill btw- his evening meal. Worked alongside him for years now, The outsourced CRS "interventions" he was supposed to be getting havent phoned him back, they wouldnt recognise him if they bumped into each other in the street. Arguably he is better off without the outsourced intervention who have him on a spreadsheet as an earner and a box to be ticked. He isnt stupid and can spot this crap a mile off. As can I.

    ReplyDelete
  7. “Probation day” it feels more like a wake to me. Many, not all, of the leadership group do not understand the journey of probation, of the feeling of family, when Chief Probation Officers wanted PO’s to have life experience and to think outside the box, to help clients to address trauma and grow as individuals. Now it is get back in the box, hit targets, don’t challenge the powers that be, toff the cap and kiss arse and you will be seen as loyal ; anything less and you will be labelled troublesome/disloyal. Sadly the level of subservience is too established now and many former POs who resisted are gone. I am more in a moment of mourning rather than celebration.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a bloody insult. Female majority service and you expect us to bake cakes to celebrate our role trying to resolve the anti-social behaviour of mainly men. Spent part of this weekend catching up with OASYS demands so I certainly don't have time to sit around drinking tea and eating cake. I often come home dehydrated due to lack of even water. Time this service showed some basic humanity and did more to protect staff from intolerable work loads. They just wait for us to leave and replace us with more PQUIP's who won't last more than 5 years ( same as social workers ) Value your staff and you might just retain some. Give us proper recognition and a decent pay rise and a functioning service and then we might have something to celebrate! At the moment it's like that weird story ' the sin eaters' where everyone turns up and lays a spread of food on a corpse and the sin eaters are paid to eat the food, thus absolving the sinner of their sins. In this case the government are the corpse and us staff are being forced to eat their sins!

    ReplyDelete
  9. The attempts at applying a sticking plaster to a corpse and expecting a rush of gratitude is beyond belief.....those who picked these ‘celebratory’ !!! events in the hope of........what seem to have zero understanding of a workforce that struggled through Covid while senior managers led from their living rooms and picked up a nice little earner for the privilege.....enough of the “its beyond our remit” bull......staff are struggling so enough with the stupid games please, cost of living raise or don’t you just get it..?..

    ReplyDelete
  10. Their construction
    Smells of corruption
    They manipulate to recreate

    You want a revolution behind your eyes
    We got to get up and organize

    With apologies to Pigeonhed (RIP Shawn Smith)

    Choose your preferred version & play it loud:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xB0zgtTxzM

    or

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2bod6e-ZbY

    (please be aware they use naughty words)

    ReplyDelete
  11. A PQIP in another cohort has told me that they're so desperate for 'qualified' POs, after the last intake had a lot of people who didn't make the mark. The PQIPs are bypassing the court placement, the need for a PAROM and are only having to evidence once, their learning, not twice, as what was previously asked for. Also, it seems that rumours also abound that some High risk prisoners on long sentences have been reclassified as 'V' for Very High as opposed to 'H' for High, coinciding with Probation's eschewed recommendations to the Parole Board. Strange times, desperate times.

    ReplyDelete
  12. They're just taking the piss. They're on £150,000 a year & they're laughing their tits off at you.

    ReplyDelete
  13. What I've always found strange about Probation is that we're told to be empathetic to POPs/Clients/Offenders/etc, but no empathy is shown to the staff by the organisation as a whole. Maybe they should send round a jar and we can guess how much we've not been paid since the last time there was a pay review? Clearly, whilst Probation is a Vocation across the nation, it is run on good will and that is utterly exploited and recognised in Bob Marley and Kate Bush songs. I think In Too Deep by Genesis would be more appropriate. Without root and branch recruitment and cultural change, the POPs don't get the service delivery and the public don't get protected. So the fundamentals of Probation become continually untenable and lacking in tangible purpose. All Probation Day does is, normalise through passivity, all that is wrong with it. It isn't what it isn't.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Passive resistance required

    ReplyDelete
  15. Too right having done nearly 40 years service I have never read such irrelevant shite. Grow up nonsense management. Pay up on salary reduce the burdens care for staff retrain these junior inferior incompetent managers to act properly Then look at celebration of a maturing organisation.

    ReplyDelete
  16. One of the issues with the staffing crisis is that in the current service an inordinate number of staff are involved in roles which do nothing worthwhile to contribute to frontline delivery, somebody got paid to put together the enforced fun crap and don't get me started on the foxglove ..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Tory leadership candidate wants to link civil servants' salaries to living standards where they work, meaning similar jobs could have different salaries depending on location. Here is another role we could do without. No doubt the Napo groveller in chief will be accepting this latest boot in the bollox . National negotiations and deals are over for as and after CRC shafted us .

      Delete
  17. The good news comes when colleagues come into the office to hand in their resignation, having found a purposeful and respectable job elsewhere. The heart, soul and meaning of the traditional probation service is no more and will likely, never be again. This uncomfortable truth, once realised, will free remaining staff to reach out and make a new work-life for themselves, allowing the normal grieving process to transition into healing.

    I, for one, raise a glass to those who have concluded this journey and put their own mental health, families and career ahead of our controlling and faceless organisation that doesn’t give a toss about its run down and bullied staff.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm sorry, but there are some seriously grumpy people on here! Yes, I appreciate you'll say the grumpiness is caused by the job but you know what, if some of these events bring a smile to some faces and provide some light relief to an otherwise stressful day, then I say it's worth doing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I say it’s not

      Delete
    2. 2050 must be aspiring managerial candidate grow up.

      Delete
    3. Criticisms of Probation Day should not be reduced to grumpiness. It's perfectly rational to look at the probation service today and argue that what it needs is better pay and working conditions - rather than silly gimmicks.

      Delete
    4. You call others grumpy so I call you a fool. Agree you must be an aspiring manager. People don't have the time too busy trying to avoid bring scapegoated for an SFO or trying to keep from getting seriously ill from this job and the ridiculous expectations

      Delete
    5. Well in our office the majority of people seem to enjoy these kinds of events. Sure some people refuse but it's their loss

      Delete
    6. It's not the concept of something nice in the office. We all like that. We bring food in for colleges, decorate our terrible work environment, go for team lunches, we all do it. When we know it's the right time.

      To have it enforced by managers, when we are all crumbling. When those managers have the power to fix problems, to pay us more, to get facilities working, to stop the exodus of staff, to recruit new staff who actually care about the job, but instead go "let's have everyone bring in cake on the same day, at their own expense"

      That's just an insult

      Delete
  19. I have seen several comments re”dumbing down” of risk, which I assume is for”operational” reasons. I am now witnessing this in a midlands service. Can I ask if colleagues are experiencing this more broadly and if it is this should surely be a public interest scenario that would be covered by the whistleblower act

    ReplyDelete
  20. Tbh I like Kilvinder Vigurs. She tries her best for probation staff. Not easy being head of London probation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What play games two truths a lie what a fucking idiot. Grow up this is a serious job once able and contributory to social justice and learning. Games and cakes in work when we are so stretched doing a tick box role. She ought be sacked for competence but oh no some other idiot will have to be praising her. Let's try and see the wood in the forest.

      Delete
    2. Exactly, it’s a thankless job and she really cares about the staff and the offenders. The problem is there isn’t enough staff and unless HMPPS starts treating staff better and also increase salaries there never will be

      Delete
  21. The reason Probation won't do anything about recruitment, retention, pay or conditions: they rely on people being born. It give them a supplement of willing bodies to do the work. Natural attrition is factored in. Good will is rinsed until parched. Trouble makers are told to bake cakes and listened to Bob Marley; negative ninnies are narratively spun as it being their fault. If they really wanted to do something about the cutlrue, they would have by now. But a certain percentage of those born will do a criminology degree and want to undertake Probation as a vocation. Drop outs, failures, experience leaving... all factored in. It's a ready made factory of willing people with good intentions supplanting those that have had enough.

    ReplyDelete
  22. 20:50, ask your manager if they will extend your deadlines and targets by the amount of time you spend on games and iced buns.
    I have a good idea as to what the response will be.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha ha good point and valid

      Delete
  23. “ Last year, the Probation Service staff voted to select a flower to represent us – the foxglove stands for protection and healing. “

    What staff want and need is decent pay, remuneration of the frozen pay rises and to be respected as professions. What we don’t need is probation day and or a silly flower emblem.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It’s also called deadman’s fingers. Some variations are highly toxic. How apt some may say.

      Delete
  24. “ Redemption Song (Bob Marley and the Wailers, particularly the point about ‘emancipating ourselves from mental slavery’) ”

    I don’t think she understands the meaning of this song.

    If we are the slaves then she is the slave master.



    ReplyDelete
  25. Still haven't seen the Sonia letter referred to where she sides with Raab over the parole policy. Anyone...?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Side with? What did you expect her to do? He's in charge, so she can hardly publicly disagree, even if she thought the idea was a load of pants.

      It's the same as me thinking completing endless oasys is a waste of time but I do them anyway. Not because I'm siding with the SPO or ACO but because I don't want to get fired lol

      Delete
    2. True...but what we need to do, collectively, is to down tools and stop producing these ridiculous OASYS...Write a word for Windows precis, outlining which factors link the risk, write a paragraph about why they are assessed to pose low/medium etc and a plan with the words "4 pillars" at the top...it would improve the quality of our work and solve the staffing crisis right away, as well as improving staff morale

      Delete
    3. Of course she can disagree. The Chief Probation Officer for England & Wales can stand up, be counted & celebrate the staff & professional service she represents. Or she can kiss the hem of Raab's arse. Depends if you want professional leadership ... or craven capitulation, pass-the-parcel & gourmet twitter-feeds.

      18:43 has a point: Get organised & kick off... or shut the fuck up, take your salary & keep on wasting time & money & Never forget that however pissed off probation staff are, the endless pointless paperwork links to a real life person & it can have massive implications for their liberty; for their future.

      Probation Day: when all those subject to supervision by probation staff are asked to complete an oasys on their supervising officer, & that oasys can be shared with police, social services, nhs/mental health teams, etc.

      Delete
  26. Probation Day should be a day where all probation directors and senior managers call for increased pay and professional respect for probation workers. Don’t insult us with cakes and games.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Oh just tell them to shove probation day up their overpaid arses.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Depending on the species, the digitalis plant may contain several deadly physiological and chemically related cardiac and steroidal glycosides. Thus, the digitalis plants have earned several, more sinister, names: dead man's bells and witch's gloves.

    ReplyDelete
  29. NPS leaders: Alexa, "Whats the most stupid date to hold lots of events celebrating Probation?".

    Alexa:"Probably during the school Summer holidays when all offices are stretched and understaffed".

    NPS leaders: "Fine, we'll go with mid August.."



    NPS leaders "







    NPS leaders :

    NPS leaders

    NPS leaders"


    NPS leaders:

    NPS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. More like "Whats the most stupid date to hold lots of events celebrating Probation where there’s the least possibility of resistance but still the chance to get photo opportunities of enough sheep smiling and eating cake to make it look like we did something great?

      Delete
  30. HMPPS Probation Day 21st August = bring your own cake and spend an hour pretending you’re not stuck in a poorly paid dead end job where you’re made to feel like a worthless cog. Then get back to work! #ProbationDay

    ReplyDelete
  31. I am so tired; I have been covering 3 people's jobs as well as trying to do my own. I have not got one erg of energy for this tokenistic clap trap but I am under orders to sell this to my team - yes I am an SPO working my socks off, not at home, not in perennial meetings, not AWOL, not sick - just very very tired.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1st rule of the new probation service, look after your own health and well being because sure as eggs is eggs your managers won’t

      Delete
  32. Probation Day? Party games? Balloons? Permission to have a cuppa (at 2pm or 3pm). Do the ‘powers that be’ really understand or know their workforce/(colleagues?)? We are used to being patronised but this is taking it to a new level (<).

    Having said that maybe we should celebrate because things are going to change dramatically very very soon. It has to because the current situation is unsustainable (have a look at the latest Inspectorate report for PDU in West Midlands).

    There is currently a review of probation officer training going on. This is driven by the lack of resources to maintain the status quo. The only outcome can be a ‘dumbing down’ of our profession. I also hear rumours of oasys being got rid of. This is also driven by resource issues (although it would probably attract majority support from probation practitioners) but be careful what you wish for. Risk assessment and management is at the forefront of our ‘profession’. The recent changes in our role related to proposals for release or re cat undermine our status as professionals and the removal of oasys without a recognised alternative will further drive this in a downwards direction.

    By undermining our ‘professional’ status results in a Justice Ministry decision to further reduce our pay, our terms and our conditions. So what the hell shall we just have a bowl of bananas and custard and play pin the tail on the HMPPS donkey?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is exactly where they are heading; if you listen carefully you can hear them whispering in those corridors of power:

      "Now they're safely within our control we need to put those cheeky motherfuckers down, strip away their uppity ideas about professional judgement, make them as dumb as we need them to be so they understand that -

      WE are In Charge.
      We are The Law.
      We know what's best.
      We dictate who & what is & isn't acceptable.
      WE are worth every penny we can lay our hands on.

      And YOU will do as you are told.
      You will be grateful for every morsel we grant you."

      Delete