Here we have the first indication of how the MoJ intends to deal with the probation problem, helpfully outlined in this Telegraph article yesterday:-
Probation officers face annual spot checks after series of blunders
New checks on officers' abilities to protect public from violent offenders come after 'unacceptable' failings led to murder of Zara Aleena
Every probation officer in England and Wales faces an annual check on their ability to protect the public from violent offenders after blunders that led to the murders of two women and three children, the Telegraph can reveal. All 18,000 probation officers will undergo a spot check where at least one of their offenders’ cases chosen at random will be reviewed by watchdogs to check they have made an accurate assessment of the risk to the public, and that they have in place all the necessary safeguards.
Staff in London will face six-monthly checks after a series of devastating HM inspectorate reports found “shocking” standards of supervision across the capital and “unacceptable” failings that led to the sexual assault and murder of Zara Aleena, a 35-year old law graduate. She was killed by Jordan McSweeney in a random late night attack in Ilford, east London, just days following his release from prison after probation officers wrongly classed him as medium rather than high risk and failed to recall him to jail for breaches of his licence.
It was the second case in a month after inspectors found similar errors with triple child killer Damien Bendall, 32, who was also wrongly assessed as “medium risk” which meant he walked free from court on a suspended sentence before murdering his partner and three children with a claw hammer. The cases prompted Justin Russell, the chief inspector of probation, to warn it was “impossible to say” the probation service was keeping the public safe from released violent criminals because it was “not getting it right” in its “core function” to safeguard society.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Fara Naz, Zara’s aunt who has acted as the family’s spokesperson, said: “A lot of people will say that there are rare people who commit monstrosities and that Aleena was very unlucky. But, actually, her murder was facilitated by a state that wasn’t doing its job.” She said it was important “front line officers aren’t blamed”, but that their managers and the way competence is assessed throughout the system was scrutinised to prevent a repeat of the tragedy. “If I am a manager and my team is operating well, that’s down to me,” she said. “If I’m not doing a good job, then it’s down to the person supervising me. So ultimately, who is accountable? It’s very important that we don’t just blame the probation officers.”
She welcomed the spot checks announced by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), but said they did not go far enough. She is backing a call by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, for all released offenders rated as medium and high risk and being supervised by the city’s probation service to be reviewed to ensure the assessments are sound and safe.
In a letter to Dominic Raab, the Justice Secretary, and Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary - as seen by The Telegraph - Mr Khan urged an independent inquiry into McSweeney’s case to establish; what was known by prison, police and probation staff; what was done to mitigate the risk; and what more can be done. He also called for increased resources after HM inspectors warned in November that 500 vacancies in London were contributing to a staffing crisis that meant cases “could not be managed properly”, and that the “assessment and management of the risks of serious harm to the public are far from satisfactory”. They found nine out of 137 “medium risk” offenders in London had been wrongly categorised and should have been deemed as “high risk of serious harm”.
Under the new spot checks, any probation officers judged to have got it wrong will have their caseload reviewed, and receive extra training and support. The MoJ said a review of hundreds of “medium risk” cases in London had begun in November. It said urgent work was underway to improve the quality of risk assessments nationally through updated mandatory training for all new staff and strengthened quality checks of risk assessments, while an extra 2,500 probation officers had been recruited.
An MoJ spokesman said the murder of Zara Aleena was an “appalling” crime. “We apologise unreservedly to Zara Aleena’s family for the failings in this case,” he added.
Every probation officer in England and Wales faces an annual check on their ability to protect the public from violent offenders after blunders that led to the murders of two women and three children, the Telegraph can reveal. All 18,000 probation officers will undergo a spot check where at least one of their offenders’ cases chosen at random will be reviewed by watchdogs to check they have made an accurate assessment of the risk to the public, and that they have in place all the necessary safeguards.
Staff in London will face six-monthly checks after a series of devastating HM inspectorate reports found “shocking” standards of supervision across the capital and “unacceptable” failings that led to the sexual assault and murder of Zara Aleena, a 35-year old law graduate. She was killed by Jordan McSweeney in a random late night attack in Ilford, east London, just days following his release from prison after probation officers wrongly classed him as medium rather than high risk and failed to recall him to jail for breaches of his licence.
It was the second case in a month after inspectors found similar errors with triple child killer Damien Bendall, 32, who was also wrongly assessed as “medium risk” which meant he walked free from court on a suspended sentence before murdering his partner and three children with a claw hammer. The cases prompted Justin Russell, the chief inspector of probation, to warn it was “impossible to say” the probation service was keeping the public safe from released violent criminals because it was “not getting it right” in its “core function” to safeguard society.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Fara Naz, Zara’s aunt who has acted as the family’s spokesperson, said: “A lot of people will say that there are rare people who commit monstrosities and that Aleena was very unlucky. But, actually, her murder was facilitated by a state that wasn’t doing its job.” She said it was important “front line officers aren’t blamed”, but that their managers and the way competence is assessed throughout the system was scrutinised to prevent a repeat of the tragedy. “If I am a manager and my team is operating well, that’s down to me,” she said. “If I’m not doing a good job, then it’s down to the person supervising me. So ultimately, who is accountable? It’s very important that we don’t just blame the probation officers.”
She welcomed the spot checks announced by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), but said they did not go far enough. She is backing a call by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, for all released offenders rated as medium and high risk and being supervised by the city’s probation service to be reviewed to ensure the assessments are sound and safe.
In a letter to Dominic Raab, the Justice Secretary, and Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary - as seen by The Telegraph - Mr Khan urged an independent inquiry into McSweeney’s case to establish; what was known by prison, police and probation staff; what was done to mitigate the risk; and what more can be done. He also called for increased resources after HM inspectors warned in November that 500 vacancies in London were contributing to a staffing crisis that meant cases “could not be managed properly”, and that the “assessment and management of the risks of serious harm to the public are far from satisfactory”. They found nine out of 137 “medium risk” offenders in London had been wrongly categorised and should have been deemed as “high risk of serious harm”.
Under the new spot checks, any probation officers judged to have got it wrong will have their caseload reviewed, and receive extra training and support. The MoJ said a review of hundreds of “medium risk” cases in London had begun in November. It said urgent work was underway to improve the quality of risk assessments nationally through updated mandatory training for all new staff and strengthened quality checks of risk assessments, while an extra 2,500 probation officers had been recruited.
An MoJ spokesman said the murder of Zara Aleena was an “appalling” crime. “We apologise unreservedly to Zara Aleena’s family for the failings in this case,” he added.
--oo00oo--
Meanwhile, this is the reality as expressed by someone yesterday at 21:46:-
We are supposed to pull rabbits out of hats and wave magic wands to get people housed when there is no housing, get their mental health back on track when that service is pretty broken, sort out their relationships, mend their broken lives and heal their trauma, we basically have to do it all whilst chained to the computer screen churning out endless reports and doing mindless e training to show we have covered our arses when the next SFO comes in. The task has become impossible and meanwhile the new PQiP's fill up the desks that the experienced staff have vacated when they implode and go off with stress.
This is a bloody tough job, you have to be incredibly resilient to cope, yet maintain compassion. Sadly that compassion is lacking in the service as a whole. We are treated like robots and when we crack we will be shoved out into the junk yard because the service thinks the new PQiP's will be more malleable. Sadly they will likely use the service as a stepping stone and move on when they realise the dream job they were sold was a lie.
I have never felt so exhausted in the job, I was even hoping I might get thumped the other day by an angry 'pop', ridiculous term, as I could at least have taken a few weeks off. Can't see me lasting too much longer at this rate. Used to love the job and spent most of the day seeing the punters, doing home visits, proper prison visits, going to various meetings and a bit of computer time but now it's become a sedentary desk job interspersed with trying to pretend I can actually do RAR days and supervise people in the 10 to 20% time that's left over! How can that be right? The idea that some PO's can manage caseloads of 60 or 70 is frankly ridiculous. We have very little admin help and the time it takes to negotiate all the bureaucracy is ridiculous.
Management solution to coping with the crisis is to pile even more pressure on us. It's frankly ridiculous. PO's need more status and far more support. Start respecting us, listen to us and do what we say will work, bottom up and not top down. I have no respect for the ACO's that hide away pumping out more bureaucracy. They should have a few cases allocated to them so they can see the reality and how much time supervision of just one case can take up. Give all the ACO's and SPO's a couple of token cases and watch the colour drain from their faces, especially the SPO's who moan that they are not earning much more than a PO! Do they think their job is any harder?
I can answer that, the Senior Leaders who have put us in this position. They get their larger pay reward for strategic thinking well, if ever there was a clear failure we are the evidence of that. They get away with it by claiming they are responding to address the failing service with their superior thinking capability when the reality is THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE for putting us right where we are now. Constant knee jerk reactions to evidence of a service in real end game crisis. No strategies to save the service. Here’s one for you! Take Probation OUT of the CIVIL SERVICE, OUT of HMPPS and restore local autonomy. I became a PO to serve my local community NOT the MOJ Minister. It is time they are held accountable OUR SENIOR MANAGEMENT have put us here, today, right where we are and have received handsome reward for preventing us from doing the day job and chaining us to computers so they can measure more data. It really is a disgrace.
ReplyDeleteIf we are to follow the logic that ACOs should hold some cases. Does the same logic apply that practitioners should do some ACO work in return? Is that the suggestion from 7.00?
ReplyDeleteYes please we at the frontline could really help them say 10% of their tasks for 10% of mine, oh yes and obviously give me the admin support diary PA for 10% too. So that would be 5to 6 high risk cases ( based on last weeks case load) I’d give the ACO as their responsibility their risk assessment and OASys too, looking forward to it!!!
DeleteNo I don’t want ACOs to do my work. I want them to do their work and that includes speaking up, speaking out and resolving the probation problems of staffing, structure and overwork. If not then get rid. They are the ones needing spot checks, not POs.
DeleteYes, I would love to do some ACO work. Would be great to have my own office and PA and even the whiskey bottle behind the MOJ manuals that we found when one ACO left. Meanwhile I'm sure you will get a massive wake up call doing all your work in a battery pen with countless other staff on the phone or in meetings and eating lunch at their desks. Welcome to reality!
DeleteI think the above main part of the blog and the response directly above are quite accurate. The climate and culture induce shortcutting and mickey taking by some, which has to be picked up by already very overworked POs. Or others go sick and there's no sanction for that, but, still, either Duty or the rest have to pick up the slack. Or you write a report for it to not send and not save at the last minute. The IT is not robust or user friendly for endless report writing and form filling. The PQIP is very inconsistently applied: some get a PAROM, some get Court placements, some don't. Some have their VQ work rejected leaving them playing catch up. This is the trouble when you make a training programme partly a shortfall for business needs. This leads to inexperienced officers not being ready to handle the more complex work, which leads to the risk being run of further SFOs. I hear about 'protected learning' and WMTs being an accurate reflection of a staff member's caseload, but depending on the day or who you ask, this is interpreted in widely different ways. I remember being told that WMTs don't apply for PQIPs. I think a consistent approach might help. Rather than normalising a heavy workload culture that encourages short-cutting, being opportunistic, being predatory and manipulative (I'll only talk to you when I want my leave changed or a duty swap, for instance) to inexperienced joiners and ultimately ends with people leaving. There is much that is in the gift of those in positions of leadership and those who are existing members of experienced staff. Oh, and if you're a COM dealing with releases- an improved experience of dealing with the POM and the resettlement team in a given prison. After all, while the offender is in prison, until he or she leaves the prison walls, they are wholly the responsibility of the prison staff and prison probation. No one else. And please POMs, stop pressing the 'unaollocated' button on Delius when they are in the community with such gleeful immediacy-as if you're only too happy to get rid of them. This 'dumping on' culture puts more pressure on COMs and does suggest an arrogance from the prison estate, with COMs being treated like second-rate and deserving of even more work.
ReplyDeleteTime to go methinks..
ReplyDeleteIt’s becoming unbearable
ReplyDeleteI know this will likely attract some union bashing,, but surely this is finally the moment that all the unions should be this calling out. Practitioners will be thrown to the wolves with this plan.
ReplyDeleteHowever,it will require a massive uptake in union membership and a desire to take strike action/work to rule, coupled with unions exploring if there are options for legal challenges regarding unsafe caseloads.
How can practitioners complete any quality work when WMT show we are way over safe levels for months on end.
MoJ trotting out the 'we're recruiting 'x' number of PUIPs' or 'we've invested 'x' million pounds' needs to be debunked by explaining retention rates and the amount of new regional teams (accommodation, IOM, Through the gate, Electronic Monitoring, Quality etc) that deplete already decimated front line teams. In turn, adding to remaining staff's workloads, stress, work-life balance and consequently more colleagues going sick and/or leaving.
Yes, ideally a move out of Civil Service will improve the situation, but this will not happen under this Government, so let's fight what is in front of us now. If we don't, then prepare to be managed out on capability etc by over zealous SPOs/ Quality assessors, many of whom left case management because they couldn't cope and/or realised how impossible the demands are and still have a quality of life.
The Union will never get the massive uptake as no one has any confidence in them! Where have NAPO been when workloads are unmanageable across the whole service??? They should be instructing staff to work to rule as a minimum. NAPO has lost the respect of the majority of its members. They are no visible and appear to be doing nothing to support the staff that pay in month after month
DeleteThe service is ruined and this will be the first of many new “initiatives” I imagine. In a NE PDU we receive multiple daily spreadsheets of what we have missed, we are bombarded with list after list. There are also critical case lists where you are scrutinised for missing NSIs or late risk register reviews. It’s an atrocious culture perpetuated by ACO and senior leaders where the word “no” makes you and enemy and target. The PS want yes people. Yes SPOs, Yes PQiPs, process based everything without any regard for actual rehabilitative work.
ReplyDeleteNobody reads those emails any more.
DeleteAnd they need to redirect those compiling those lists and emails back into admin on the frontline.
DeleteGood. But only if the Unions issue a mandate that states anyone who 'fails' the spot checks should have their caseloads reduced to 80% in order for them to complete and digest the training......then we all purposely fail and watch how they allocated thousands of cases that cannot be allocated!
ReplyDeleteOf course, this is me living in a world where we have decent union's...
We used to have a decent union. It was called the National Association of Probation Officers.
DeleteFrom Twitter:-
ReplyDelete"The people who work for probation already know and an investigation will reaffirm that TR was a shit show. It’s now about recognising the shit show that’s still taking place and paying the ppl on the ground properly for dealing with such shit."
From Twitter:-
ReplyDelete"Assessing risk of harm by staff and inspectors is an inexact process. 9/137 cases wrongly recorded as medium is not that bad given this process. What is worrying is that politicians do not understand that medium risk doesn’t mean no risk."
“Give all the ACO's and SPO's a couple of token cases and watch the colour drain from their faces,”
ReplyDeleteMaybe for some but not for all. I know SPOs and ACOs that were good POs with high caseloads. These I’ve learned from and some are always seeing cases when covering sickness. Their job is busy and the answer is not pushing work onto those doing work, but restructuring how we work, recruiting new staff to share the work and significant pay rises to keep them. Much easier solutions than the time spent on spot checks and audits that’ll take more people away from frontline work. Prioritise offender management teams. Many POs in OMiC, secondments, QDO, performance, effective practice and SFO teams should be whipped back into probation offices. End remote working contracts with agency POs that’s another few hundred staff. Add the trumped up admin working as diary managers, office managers and performance that’s the PO support right there. Put the PTAs back into offices full time to mentor and train new PSOs and PQiPs. Add caseloads to PTAs when recruitment is low and make them Senior Practitioners on higher pay. It’s so easy but none of this will happen as they want Probation to fail and probation SLT is complicit.
Be careful, those agency staff are really helping us all out. They have voted with their feet and lose valuable T and Cs rather than come under PS, no public sector pension either. What they won’t do is return under PS so yes terminate the contracts but they will not come back into PS roles. They’ll head into one of the many other roles their agency has on their books, you’d be v surprised they can find other work.
DeleteNo I disagree. They are not “helping us out”, they are being paid very well for working from home paperwork. In fact paid better than the rest of us for the easiest work. There are many agency staff that refuse casework because remote working is in abundance. Remove the remote working, prioritise sentence management and you’ll see how quick we get bums on seats.
DeleteMany agency staff in PSO and PO case management, all areas including London and SE. You are recruited into a specific role so you don’t “refuse casework” as 11:25 asserts, if that’s the role you are recruited into! Do it, in an office with hvs, exactly as you are recruited to do, not sure where this erroneous information is coming from.
DeleteThere are even agency SPOs in London and SE cherry picking the work and roles they do. I really don’t understand that.
DeleteIdentifying risk correctly may provide the assessor with some protection when things go wrong, but just identifying the correct level of risk won't by itself prevent SFOs.
ReplyDeleteEven whilst in prison people are prosecuted for serious offences, including murder and rape.
A probation service that positions itself as the vanguard of public protection is on a hiding to nothing. Theres always going to be SFOs committed by people subject to probation, and probation will continue to shoulder the blame.
Where else would blame be attributed if not to those charged with public protection?
Staff shortages, high caseloads, inexperience and burnout are all things that have to be considered as contributory factors and mitigation, but ultimately an SFO will always be seen as a failure.
In many ways those arguments are like the offender on licence caught shoplifting who says they're homeless, cant get benefits, cant access services they need, but ultima6as much as the circumstances can be understood and even sympathised with, it doesn't prevent the prosecution and the consequences that follow.
Probation needs to be able to do more for the people they're involved with to prevent reoffending. Probation staff need a professional qualification that allows them autonomy in the decisions they take, and be given the right to defend and explain their decisions when something goes wrong. They need time to spend with the people in their charge, and they need the ability and autonomy to tap into whatever local services they feel necessary that might help to stop someone reoffending.
Endless assessments only identify problems, and that process becomes pretty pointless if you're unable to find solutions.
'Getafix
… and detach probation from the prisons and civil service. Separate our work from that of the police. Reduce probation regions to more small localised areas. It’s so easy.
ReplyDeleteAnd the police
DeleteIn the last week I have been eager to see how our situation as operational staff would unfold and in particular what NAPO’s response would be. So far, from where I am standing, no recognisable, meaningful strategy from the Union. NAPO should be having an impact right now, pushing back and holding senior managers to account. What I see is them riding on the back of whistleblowers who really need everyone’s support, thanks and respect.
ReplyDeleteHow about NAPO using some money to commission quality recognised researchers to look into a PO’s actual every day? How much time is actually taken showing what we are doing on clunky data bases and endless referrals with forms that seem to constantly change. The job needs officers spending more time in face to face contact with people they supervise as well as with staff in other agencies. Packages then designed to try and mitigate risk factors at the same time acknowledging that POs can’t magic up services in the community they work.
This might give some credence to what POs are saying. Pushing back on the unnecessary. It might also provide information on the WLMT that does not truly reflect the reality of how long tasks take. Urge employers to dump unnecessary admin tasks that POs have no support in completing.
If the Union have this evidence this could help take the strain off the loneliness and stress of the whistleblowers and get the information out there.
Spend some money NAPO on behalf of your members and show the reality of your member’s work life. You may find the membership numbers increase when there is a real tangible response from you?
Perhaps you could volunteer as a local rep ?
DeleteWhat a ridiculous reply 11:22. In my experience the worst Napo reps respond in this way.
DeletePO: I’m unhappy with my job.
Napo rep: Become a rep.
PO: Someone ate my sandwich.
Napo rep: Become a rep.
PO: I’ve ideas how to improve Probation.
Napo rep: Become a rep.
PO: I don’t want to become a rep, I want Napo to fight for probation.
Napo rep: Become a rep.
PO: I’ve had enough of Napo. I’m joining another union.
Napo rep: Become a rep.
Napo rep: Join Napo, a union’s only as strong as its members.
PO: Please rep off !
Hi, I tried late last yr, but it went quiet and I neglected to follow up . I am a H &S rep from Covid times and still am . My senior management have refused to give me time to do the job, NAPO sid not help with that. I still do it. You are right, though time I tried again. Trouble is I feel a need once more to leave NAPO, shocking waste of my subscription so far.
DeleteAwful all our hs reps had appropriate agreed time off and was subject to local policy and it was properly used. Napo are not upto it as they let go of our written agreed terms and policies. They don't even have half the workforce as members so how on hell do they think they can negotiate for us. They are a joke.
DeleteI would like to nominate the North West Senior leadership team as the worst in the country, a business plan that fills one page, jobs not advertised but mysteriously filled and a total lack of understanding when it comes to risk…….
ReplyDeleteCan’t be worst than the London probation senior leadership team who have successfully made every probation office inadequate and reduced staffing by about 50%. These “leaders” are all jumping ship before they’re pushed so will probably feel at home up North. I can see the introductions already telling all what great leadership skills and experience they bring from the big city. Then they’ll reduce their regions to new lows in the name of “accountability, risk management and best practice”.
DeleteGiven the direction of today comments, it might be interesting to read some of the concerns being raised by MPs in 2011.
DeleteIt might be a good place to start when looking to find somewhere to hang blame.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/mps-voice-probation-service-fears-6426285.html
'Getafix
Oh yes I remember this:-
DeleteIt is "staggering" that probation officers can spend as little as a quarter of their time dealing directly with offenders, MPs have said.
The Commons Justice Committee criticised the "tick-box, bean-counting culture" which has left staff tied up filling in paperwork rather than supervising and helping to rehabilitate criminals.
How many qualified probation officers are there in the probation workforce team, effective practice team, performance teams or on other secondments? If this were the police or army they’d all be directed back onto the frontline to hold caseloads.
ReplyDeleteAn excellent call which serves to highlight the real stresses which are so great and which leads to staff looking for ANY way out of the front line….I know of several OMIC staff who would rather leave than return to the office and Community Supervision
DeleteI also know people who don’t want to go back to case management from other teams
ReplyDeleteI don't know anybody who wants to be in case management. Such is the stampede whenever an alternative position is advertised that caseworkers have been blocked from applying for them. Its incredibly unhealthy. Those with the PO qualification have hardly anywhere to go anyway as programmes and court work no longer at their grade.
ReplyDeleteBe honest, how much time are Probation Officers actually spending with service users? Personally I have noticed the amount of time I can spend with them shrinking rapidly over the last few months. It seems to get worse each week. I don't want to be chained to the desk, I didn't come into this to be nothing but a pen pusher. I came in to work with human beings and try to improve their lives and those of the public impacted by their behaviour. All the pressure is to complete assessments, records, reports and very little time to do any meaningful work. Why doesn't the service collect these stats? Of course they won't as they know it will be damming! At the moment I would say 20 % of my time working face to face max! 😑 this is the problem being affiliated with the Civil Service, that monstrous beauracratic machine. I knew it would be like that as I knew people working for civil service. We need to be an independent service again, working within our local authorities and serving local people and organisations . It's the only way!
ReplyDeleteWith a caseload of 60+ which is made up of 2/3rds MED RoSH and a third Low, it’s a battle. it is a Sunday afternoon and I’m working. More fool me … maybe… but I am not alone.. Be honest ; lot of us are today updating Delius , completing RMPs, clearing the decks as best we can ready for Monday. I am looking after the grandkids , the’re doing homework I’m playing catch up! My age is my saving grace…. How does a young PO or PSO with family do this job? Truth is, we do what we can. Some of our cases get a lot of attention because they present as being desperate and need our time. Somehow we find it ; but at a cost to others. At least I can fight my corner on what I do as knowledge and experience counts. I want to tell my younger colleagues it will get better, that they’ve made the right choice and can make a difference. They have and they can with the right leadership. The reality is… we only have managers who can fill your inbox with edicts from on high.. targets, paint by number toolkits which they have no understanding of. Yes they are under pressure as well , but it is within their gift to push back and say stop this nonsense. Now more than ever we need leadership and less management. Sadly, I cannot say I would follow our current senior management: not even out of curiosity..
DeleteRead the news, spot checks are incoming. Senior Managers are not asking for your fealty or opinion. They are telling you what is required. How you manage your probation work is up to you. Despite your “knowledge and experience” you are working on a Sunday, probably not out of choice, probably not even claiming overtime. You are losing not winning. You are complying and fighting to stay afloat, not “fighting your corner”. You are not doing better than those “younger”. Probation across the country is “inadequate” and every probation officer knows it because we haven’t the time or resources to do the job. It’ll be the same next week and the next, as it was last week and the previous. Managers can not and will not “push back”. It won’t “get better” and only you can say “stop”. I’m sorry to burst your bubble. This is the truth all probation officers need to recognise. The saying goes, it is at the precipice people find the will to change.
DeleteThis may, or may not seam contentious. But can I suggest that there is another way to respond to the terrible work situation many face. I retired 3 years ago but I spent 5 years counting down to that date. I had returned from a spell in NOMS and was ill prepared for the absolute shit shower on my return to an SPO role in Yorkshire. It soon became clear to me that in order to remain sane I had to manage my work in a way that kept senior managers at arms length without alerting them to the fact that I was only doing what I wanted to do and generally ignoring the rest. Now I know people will say that I knew I was leaving and had little to lose, but it got me through 5 years. Just imagine what could be achieved if the majority of staff started to manage the service rather than letting the service manage them. I targeted a number of avenues. I spent the first few months perusing a number of policies. The sickness policy was a boon as I quickly worked out how much sick leave I could pull without drawing too much immediate attention. I also stopped filling out sickness absences that only involved a few days. That way staff avoided being drawn into a prolonged HR process. If the computer packed up I went home. If the systems aren’t working then that’s not my fault. The organisation failed to give me the tools to work so I didn’t. And more importantly I didn’t rush to complete a deadline if the computers failed. The service was to blame not me. So they got the blame. If my manager insisted it got done then I didn’t do something else and made it clear that hadn’t got done as the service was to blame. Then I started to take sick leave. But I was careful and planned it well in advance. On one occasion I got wind that I was going to be moved. So I waited until closer the time to move and promptly went off sick. Long term sick is better than a couple of days. Always take as close to 6 months as you can. I know that seams extreme but stress on a doctors note works a treat. Put your feet up and let your manager know how keen you are to come back…but don’t. When you eventually return the phased return is a joy. Until it ends then you wait until…another util you can repeat. Just one month with stress and this time a bit of anxiety. You have to break through the garbage we are fed about working hard and the usual tripe about a fair days pay for a fair days work blah blah blah. It’s engrained in us and our colleagues but you have to draw a line. Your objective shouldn’t be about damaging the organisation that’s just a by-product. Keep it simple like working to your contracted hours and easing the work place demands. Use work policies to your advantage. Health and safety policies can be very helpful. Do not involve the Union. They are not your friends and they will not support you. Get your support from like minded peers. May I suggest you start with your working hours. Once your weekly hours are completed go home. Do not work from home and do not work over a weekend. Study your contract and use it to your advantage. You can not be sacked if you refuse to work more hours than you are contracted to for. If the computers fuck up then push back. Do not rush to complete the work as this is not your fault. These are just few examples I’m sure you can think of others. The strategy is yours to decide. I can go on about work place sabotage but I think I have said enough now. So in conclusion game the system to your advantage. If you put your head up ensure you are on solid ground (the policies support you). Stick to your hours. If the systems fail you put the blame where it’s needed. Don’t be nice and offer to do it later that evening. Because I know you will want to. Undermine at every opportunity. Use the sickness policy. And when you get really pissed off hit the fire alarm it’s amazing how long that takes out of your day oh and remember it’s not your fault it went off so please don’t rush around or make up your hours just go home.
DeleteWorkload wise correct that’s how to manage it. Do the minimum, work your hours, achieve what is within your capacity, take no responsibility for the inadequacy of systems and the organisation. Working from home is a godsend though.
DeleteSickness wise that’s disgusting. It is people like you that impact on the rest of us. There’s one of you in every office and we all despise you. You go off sick for 6 months for your lies and we pick up your shoddy work. Your advice is really bad and telling people to “hit the fire alarm” just shows how messed up you are.
My advice is if anyone is at the point of wanting to go sick for 6 months then just find a new job. Be proactive, it’s sad to see so many young POs following this advice of people like you when they can instead easily move to new and better careers where they’ll prosper.
What’s disgusting is being treated so badly. I merely offered an opinion on how to fight back. People can choose to listen, act or leave. It’s not for me to say what any individual should do to push back. I would recommend that you don’t bother fighting. You continue to feel responsibility for others who remain in the office. Which, whilst I can understand, misses the point. This is about taking back some control and drawing a line. Now you can all continue to moan about this and that and hope the union does something to help (which it won’t) or you take action. Now that can mean you leave, use policies to your advantage or just bone on about that person who has let you down by going off sick. Rather than picking on the person who has gone sick may be you should think about what kind of situation makes someone go on the sick. Perhaps they have simply had enough of the absurdity of it all and given the lack of cohesive unity amongst staff it’s simply easier to walk away for a few months and gather yourself for the next stint. Over the years a few things have struck me about probation. In my experience probation claims to be non judgemental but it is extremely judgemental. There’s one of you in every office. Really is that true, because if that’s the case your managers must be chuckling. You are self managing yourselves by shaming and blaming. May be you should ask yourself why the probation staff never really fight their corner. I suspect it’s because they can’t trust some of their colleagues who whine and talk behind there backs no matter what the real underlying problems they may face. Solidarity is an absolute necessity if you are going to achieve anything. All you have done is highlight another layer of management control one that is delegated to the tutting and muttering of peers.
DeleteAnother point I forgot add. If staff are off sick that shouldn’t affect you if you stick to the other principles. Contracted hours, never build up toil, get in on time and leave promptly at the end of the day. If you stick to these principles it shouldn’t matter if there is only one person in the office. That way you don’t need to wag a finger….you just do what you can in the time you are paid for and then that’s it…
DeleteYes I made the point you were being abused for the wrong reasons. If foolish ppl want to try harder above their paid terms more fool them. I guess it would have helped smooth the water a bit if you did not weaponise sickness policy but recognise while it is a policy and term it should be used by the genuinely bullied and pressured to illness. Also all other ailments carry a reasonable expectation to use the policy to wellness. Anyway take heart in saw your tactical position and that's right as far as I am concerned. It is not fair to suggest the reps do this sort of risky strategy with members the consequences are far too great and seldom is this direction advantageous.
DeleteWhat the qualifications needed to be a senior manger, ACO or above?
ReplyDeleteMandatory requirement is a probation officer qualification and experience of management. There have been ACOs (now Heads of Service, PDUs, Operations) that have never been probation in PS, NPS, CRC, Trusts and before.
ReplyDeleteA willingness to put principles to one side when required….
ReplyDelete