OK it's not 'that' new, but because we've all watched ITV's Mr Bates vs The Post Office and been suitably appalled to the extent there's zero chance of it slipping off the news and political agenda anytime soon, other command and control bureaucracies are shitting bricks lest their dirty laundry sees the light of day. To put it bluntly, there is alarm and despondency at HMPPS HQ lest the media and the public get a taste for digging up dirt, after all, this is about possible 'reputational damage' to the probation brand and it's election year.
So, let’s review the situation. For months, this blog has been highlighting lots of testimony as to the toxic workplace environment that is becoming widespread and resulting in already hard-pressed staff old and new experiencing a great deal of unhealthy pressure and in quite a few instances exiting in droves. I've personally received many examples of harassment and bullying that management not only ignore, but as often as not complaints are not dealt with, and some well-known repeat bullies remain at liberty to bully others and in some cases even promoted.
Regular readers will be very familiar with stories of staff being induced by any means to fill in the annual staff survey, thus ensuring claims of legitimacy, but many staff refused to comply knowing that the results would be 'massaged' in the interests of avoiding reputational damage to a fairly well-trusted brand. Well, judging by widespread rumours, it would seem the staff survey has indeed highlighted widespread bullying, thus confirming the anecdotal evidence submitted to the blog and the TUBU, Tackling Unacceptable Behaviour Unit. This is of course potentially all very unwelcome at a time when presumably OneHMPPS plans are being shared more widely, and the public may remember that it was senior MoJ staff that complained about a now ex-Justice Secretary regarding his unacceptable bullying behaviour.
Like all Command and Control bureaucracies, HMPPS have been in denial for some time and used any number of wheezes in order to cover things up, but a la Post Office, things are highly likely to unravel for the deeply flawed and toxic OneHMPPS project and Probation Operations Directorate where it is rumoured bullies are now firmly ensconced. It would be highly embarrassing for yet more evidence to be flushed out via social media and in the wake of the public getting a thirst for seeing wrongs being righted.
Remember, all this comes on top of persistent examples of racism, failure to make appropriate provision for staff with disabilities or other protected characteristics, poor IT systems, office accommodation and HR. Add this to poor pay, high caseloads, inadequate training and supervision, bad HMI reports, shocking SFO cases, UPW hours routinely uncompleted, there is a perfect storm brewing and case building for a reversal of the OneHMPPS plan and recreation of a distinct and separate Probation Service, locally controlled and free of the civil service.
The examples I witness on a day to day basis of bullying -its not all top down from management, but mainly so, are shocking. Also the levels of really serious illness -without any doubt in my mind this is connected, which makes it an industrial injury, which in turn begs a question as to whether a class action might be brewing. Its partly the awful combination of a command and control bullying managerial culture, and a staff that still, bless them, for the main part embody a strong vocational ethos, That is moral injury, or burn out. But this isnt a purely probation problem. Talk to teachers, NHS staff: this is quite possibly endemic in the public sector accross the board. There's a headline today "Midwife quit over 'unsafe care' and staffing" (BBC news) about staff shortages in midwifery, with a midwife who has left speaking out -sound familiar? "Hannah Williams says staff shortages meant she kept patients safe, but sometimes only "by the skin of her teeth"...sound familiar? The Royal College of Midwives says staffing is the "most important issue" and the gap needs to close." ...sound familiar?
ReplyDeleteAnd the whole shocking state of things means that the only issue that is talked about is safety ...sound familiar? Rather than the quality of the work, how happy staff and patients are with the service, what are the plans and ambitions for even more improvement and development of established good practice.
The number of people being supervised by probation services that are rough sleeping should also be added to the scandal list.
ReplyDelete'Getafix
True, but there are also some probation officers sofa surfing and working long hours because they cannot afford heating at home. The government want effective, high quality services and results without paying for them. You can see that in the health (doctors wages), housing (lack of investment and protection of slum landlords), and education (lack of priority for our children's futures). When challenged, all you hear is lies and weasel words. Roll on the general election. Labour are not the whole answer, but the present lot have no compassion for anyone. Let's grow the economy together with a half decent government, not a load of millionaires and dodgy public schoolboys and thugs who are overpaid and out of touch and not deserving of the title MP.
Deletegood work JB
ReplyDeleteI suspect a reason HM Government is reluctant to introduce special measures to fix the Post Office Scandal is fear of opening floodgates re IPPs, lack of court facilities, prisons, obviously probation and that is just some of what is in the MOJs Dept,. What makes the difference is Parliament and Parliament has failed probation since at least 1991, it is unlikely to change now unless the system of parliament is changed.
ReplyDeleteRegrettably, bullying has been around in probation at all grades for a very long time. However, in recent years with the botched privatisation and adoption of the worst of civil service and the worst of private business culture then the marriage of these things coupled with lack of staffing to implement the Tories daft policies matters have definitely taken a bad turn. I hope that it is realised that this is entirely the Conservative Government's fault, starting with Grayling, but then not put entirely right after severe criticism by all and sundry. Pay cuts, lack of forward planning regarding staffing. Promises not kept. etc etc. Do not trust the Tories when it comes to law and order. Strikes by lawyers on their watch, scandal after scandal and misuse of the law. The police, the layers, prison officers, prison governors, the judiciary and probation all have good reason to distrust them. Look at the probation leadership now modelling themselves on the Tories. But are Labour any better? Where are their policies to get probation back on course and sort the criminal justice system? Look at the state of the Home Office after the Tories turned it into the UK Hate Office. What a sorry state.
ReplyDeleteI work for Nps and seen the disaster of horizon scandal on the poor post masters. No comparison in what those poor souls have lost in life for being honest. Under Nps sscl we are just garbage and disrespected tools to be discarded and abused. I know we are not the same Fujitsu post office but we can empathise . I won't buy their products
ReplyDeleteThis contribution re-published from a blog post in November last year entitled 'The Relationship', but left today:-
ReplyDelete"I wholeheartedly agree with your perspective. Sociology should indeed be a fundamental part of probation officer training. Your experience from the early 90s is a testament to the value of understanding clients on a deeper level, considering their social investment and trauma. It's unfortunate that the decline of the Probation Service is being observed, as it seems to be losing its foundation in sociology, psychology, and criminology. This decline is undoubtedly a loss for both the profession and the individuals it serves."
https://insidetime.org/newsround/extra-10000-for-prison-officers-has-eased-staff-shortages/
Delete'Getafix
A £10,000-a-year pay rise for prison officers has helped to turn the corner on staff shortages in prisons, a Government minister has claimed.
DeleteEdward Argar, the Prisons Minister, told MPs that pay for uniformed officers had risen from £23,000 per year in 2019, to £33,000 a year in 2023. He said: “Our retention rates are improving.”
https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/14032/html/
Q.11 - Argar's answer: "as you will know, Ms Hopkins, from the Prison Service, the police and similar things, it is important to get the mix of experience and numbers correct. Our retention rates are improving and, if I am honest, that has been helped by the 7% pay increase for bands 3 to 5 in the last year, and by the salary essentially going up from £23k in 2019 to £33k in 2023. That helps, but it does not solve all the problems."
I'll be gone soon, I really can't take much more of this and need to get out for my own sanity. In the meantime I have emailed Keir Starmer to inform him that the Probation Service is in crisis and needs immediate help to avoid an implosion. I highlighted some of the concerns already raised including beauracracy, toxic culture and being target driven, lack of acknowledgement of the crisis via managers, dealing with service users who would have been sectioned 10 years ago, etc. I'll post his reply if I get one. Not holding breath but if everyone reading who has similar concerns could email him it may just highlight our plight. I just followed link on his Facebook page so very easy to do.
ReplyDeletekeir.starmer.mp@parliament.uk
ReplyDeleteI did get a prompt response and info re crisis support to manage my stress and mental health so better than nothing.
Be sure to mention that you are active on social media and keen to spread the word that Labour will support the probation profession
Delete17:24 I’m pleased you got a response and I hope it addresses your issues. Good luck for your future.
ReplyDeletePersonally I have no trust in Keir Starmer or the Labour Party and their willingness to intervene or change things if they do indeed form the next government.
I think that following your initiative, they will at least be unable to say they didn’t know what was going on when it all implies.
I do now wonder whether the government always knew but didn't care that privatisation wouldn't work, the aim being to bring the whole of probation under centralised control and destroy any remaining sense of professional independence. The target culture became the stick manager bullies could easily use to hound lower grade staff. I remember vividly being shouted at, criticised and held personally to blame for events out of my control, my abuser frustratingly ignorant of his own lack of understanding of court processes and procedures. A truly horrible experience and the worst of my working life.
ReplyDeleteYou've nailed it, sunshine.
Delete* Yes, they knew TR wouldn't work but they didn't care because it was not what it seemed
* Yes, it was a distraction technique to wrest control of probation services from independent minds
* Yes, target culture was a blunt tool designed for simple-cell bullies with not a scintilla of intelligence
* Yes, the bullies were mostly ignorant of the profession, the tasks, the ethos & the skills involved
* Yes, it was a politically ideological outcome initiated by blue labour & expedited by tories
* Yes, it was a horrible & protracted experience for many staff to live & work through
* Yes, the end game was faux privatisation & collective punishment of staff, not least being theft of 60% of staff redundancy entitlements by corporate bandits.
* Yes, they knew what they were doing
* No, they don't give a fuck for anything except themselves
see also: tories, post office ltd, israeli govt, uk govt, us govt, and many more
And the reason they don’t care about public services is that left alone they don’t make money for the companies who are looking for a profit. The whole purpose of privatisation is to monetise the service and extract profit. Children’s residential homes, social care, Utilities etc etc etc. It’s never been about a better service it’s just a means of pumping tax payers money into the hands of corporations. As traditional means of profit evaporated at the back end of the last century attentions turned to other profit streams. That’s all it’s ever been about.
DeleteStarmer has told Labour MPs to keep their gobs shut about the bombing of Yemen & the ICJ hearing on genocide in Gaza.
ReplyDeleteDemocracy in action?
Unelected Prime Minister takes country to war without any mandate from Parliament arguing that going to war is Crown Prerogative
"Crown Prerogative is the term used to describe powers held by the Monarch or by Government ministers that may be used without the consent of the Commons or Lords."
just when you thought the story couldn't get any worse:
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/DanNeidle/status/1745920610893434993/photo/1
"the Post Office claimed £934m tax relief for its compensation payments to the postmasters it persecuted."
Listen to 'The Rest is Politics' pod cast put up this last week - as neat a description of the problems of public procurement as ever you will hear - probation, prisons, NHS, MOD and others - all the same. My concern is why didn't St.Rory speak out when he was nearer to the centre of power?
ReplyDeleteIt seems that the Probation Service's solution to the recruitment and retention issue is to now start offering a PQIP course for 27 months for those that don't have a degree. They're recruiting now.
ReplyDelete