tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post1286419305201934833..comments2024-03-29T11:18:07.045+00:00Comments on On Probation Blog: TR Week Twenty Four 1Jim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-15206277174419339552014-11-16T19:47:23.777+00:002014-11-16T19:47:23.777+00:00regular readers will have noted that EPIC has adve...regular readers will have noted that EPIC has adverts for SW on there, highlighted here a couple of weeks ago, it's interesting!<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-57099186424271214412014-11-16T18:04:36.662+00:002014-11-16T18:04:36.662+00:00What utter utter lies and nonsense, a PR machine g...What utter utter lies and nonsense, a PR machine gone wild. How dare they suggest any of this. Are they are completely and wholly deluded ? are they so deeply deeply corrupt / corrupted. Assisted by those so called managers,again, self serving, dishonest and for the most part so stupid they don't even know they are stupid.<br />The local higher up, as they so like to consider themselves, hasn't even had the courtesy to say hello since she scrambled up into to the high chair.<br />We have, and are, not being told anything,kept informed pah..supervised..pah, by whom ? the stupids that's who, they who lie and keep saying they don't know,<br /><br />CEO of a hospital just resigned. he notes that he had neglected to take care of and appreciate the staff, had neglected the impact of low morale, had focused too heavily on targets. Increasing mortality and failure all round. They didn't listen to the nurses either did they ? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-3313272024977607812014-11-16T16:58:34.939+00:002014-11-16T16:58:34.939+00:00This is off topic, but I think it should be read.
...This is off topic, but I think it should be read.<br /><br /> http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/my-undercover-tour-of-yarls-wood-9863842.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-64945166667140816922014-11-16T16:26:17.844+00:002014-11-16T16:26:17.844+00:00I hear Michael Mansfield is willing to chair an en...I hear Michael Mansfield is willing to chair an enquiry into the the " shenanigans of the the establishment of the late 70s early 80s. The corruption is clear as is the corruption of the current MOJ , its turn is coming. Our enemies are rampant, cocky and cool; they are playing a powerful hand and they will do anything, anything, to get what they want.However, I think times are changing the centre of the political corruption is shrinking and the elite know this, forces on the left and right are filling the gap the centre leaves. There is a pan European left amalgamation ready to fight all future elections and there is the Scottish effect. Can others feel it too?<br /><br />papaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-70980821469217183162014-11-16T16:26:14.309+00:002014-11-16T16:26:14.309+00:00More importantly than whether TR was mentioned in ...More importantly than whether TR was mentioned in terms in any party's manifesto, civil servants are duty bound to implement the policies of the democratically elected government. That is their constitutional role. It isn't for civil servants to decide which policies to implement and which not to implement. You would soon cry foul if a group of civil servants decided not to implement a policy you were in favour of simply because they disagreed with it Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-87087753175380309832014-11-16T16:23:03.223+00:002014-11-16T16:23:03.223+00:00Of course contracts will be signed. Purdah starts ...Of course contracts will be signed. Purdah starts with the dissolution of Parliament on 30 March, so the MoJ still has four and a half months to deal with anything that may come out of the JR and get contracts signed... Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-59725711865219113982014-11-16T16:18:44.129+00:002014-11-16T16:18:44.129+00:00oh no! I have just put a long comment on y'day...oh no! I have just put a long comment on y'day's blog - so here we go again!- <br /><br />re earlier comments on Andrew Selous, I had a reply yesterday from my MP, responding to a letter I wrote to him about TR, dangers and staff morale. He attached a letter he had received from Selous, 2 pages of tripe and lies, which made me feel sick with rage!- here are a few quotes -(have you got your 'stay calm' app on?)<br /><br />"It is inaccurate to state that the transition has not been a success and that the NPS and CRCs are struggling with the new system."<br /><br />"Whilst some (staff) have concerns, it is also worth noting that many probation officers have been engaging positively with our reforms and see the positive opportunities these changes will bring for offenders and society as a whole."<br /><br />"It is our assessment that these Preferred Bidders have the ability to run CRCs and contribute to building a probation system which combines the best of the public, private and voluntary sectors, and produces more effective and more efficient services for all - reforming offenders, delivering value for the taxpayer and protecting victims and communities.<br /><br />"The MoJ also worked closely with probation staff to support them through the transition, and is continuing to provide support to staff in both the NPS and CRCs. - (HE SAID THAT TWICE IN THE LETTER, AT THE BEGINNING AND AGAIN AT THE END.)<br /><br />- LIKEWISE - he expressed his 'gratitude to staff for their hard work to implement these reforms', twice again, in the first and last paras. I BET THAT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER.<br /><br />and then- ready? -<br /><br />"With regard to your points about staff morale, we recognise that this is a very important issue, and we have sought to engage probation staff in the reforms at every stage" -.<br /><br />-AND THE KILLER QUOTE - DELUSION AT HITS FINEST --<br /><br />"Probation staff are also routinely provided with professional supervision, combined with access to confidential counselling on request."<br />.......................................................................................................<br /> That's it folks - Is this a parlour game - 'Which is the biggest lie?'<br /><br />But, for all of you suffering stress, you should all now request confidential counselling - which will, of course, come at a price, and will take you out of the office..... and cause more chaos -with more suffering stress - and needing counselling, - but - you read it here first, your morale is a very important issue to the MoJ, and the Under -Sec has given it his blessing, and it would be rude to refuse..... Indeed, I suggest that NAPO advises you all to do so.....<br /><br />There is a lot more in his letter, including a numbers game of the breakdown of the bidders, and subcontractors who are involved - how many and who are involved , all highly ethical and with experience of working with offenders...of course.<br /><br />I have emailed a copy of the whole letter, to Jim, suggesting he puts it on here as a blog, also sent to Tania (who is on leave, due back this week) and to Ian Lawrence.<br /><br />I have also added my comments on Andrew's letter, on my email. to Jim etc..<br /><br />And now I'm going to get ready to go to see Bryan Adams , for the umpteenth time - with my son. '18 TILL I DIE!'<br /><br /><br /><br />MLnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-12998053394205378862014-11-16T15:53:41.851+00:002014-11-16T15:53:41.851+00:00Unfortunately i have a feeling that he will not sa...Unfortunately i have a feeling that he will not say anything bad. Compromised and useless<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-8234574559828658652014-11-16T15:39:14.304+00:002014-11-16T15:39:14.304+00:00So lets see what Mr McDowell puts in his "ad ...So lets see what Mr McDowell puts in his "ad hoc" report due to be published tomorrow (see Interesting post from yesterday ref announcement on HMIP website). Will he unequivocally endorse TR? Or will he speak the truth about the meltdown & vandalism suffered by the probation service in England & Wales?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-55759397161500679312014-11-16T15:14:35.795+00:002014-11-16T15:14:35.795+00:00Does anyone know what defence the TSoL will be put...Does anyone know what defence the TSoL will be putting forward tomorrow? If it's anything regarding to the allegedly bent and fatally compromised Probation Inspector then I cannot see us ever losing. He could always get a note from his wife to say that they have NEVER discussed work.<br />Never.<br />Ever.<br />Scouts honour.<br /><br />I'm sure that will sway the Judge.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-20826690052066866172014-11-16T14:38:15.481+00:002014-11-16T14:38:15.481+00:00http://play.inputads.com/a/?siteid=en-news-10-2&am...http://play.inputads.com/a/?siteid=en-news-10-2&href=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gloucestercitizen.co.uk%2F24m-grant-support-witnesses-court%2Fstory-24541838-detail%2Fstory.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-70536386633014226242014-11-16T14:26:07.277+00:002014-11-16T14:26:07.277+00:00Grayling will get his platoon of old lags to plug ...Grayling will get his platoon of old lags to plug the gaps, perhaps recruited by Old Chums Archer, Black & Aitken.<br /><br />CQSW & DipSW qualified POs spend £hundreds & minimum 12 months registering despite their probation background, whilst the old lags just walk in through the back door with MoJ approval. Sweet!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-28123581581970454602014-11-16T14:04:21.408+00:002014-11-16T14:04:21.408+00:00My CRC are discussing using S. Workers to replace ...My CRC are discussing using S. Workers to replace disappearing POs. Their qualifications are acceptable and, with some sort of conversion training, they would be welcomed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-43252681273237212392014-11-16T13:56:49.944+00:002014-11-16T13:56:49.944+00:00Thé government have already got troubled families ...Thé government have already got troubled families waiting in the wings to fill the gaps.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-77054556016289602172014-11-16T13:50:40.692+00:002014-11-16T13:50:40.692+00:00Chris Grayling is not taking responsibility for th...Chris Grayling is not taking responsibility for the prison crisis, neither is the government holding him to account. They are all complicit in this, they are all in it together. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-90330179500047978712014-11-16T13:26:05.660+00:002014-11-16T13:26:05.660+00:00If it was easier for CQSW qualified probation staf...If it was easier for CQSW qualified probation staff to register/ demonstrate professional competence then they would fill some posts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-62272053096783908102014-11-16T12:50:27.584+00:002014-11-16T12:50:27.584+00:00Plans to attract qualified social workers from Eas...Plans to attract qualified social workers from Eastern Europe are to be discussed in an attempt to plug the gap of permanent staff in Peterborough.<br /><br />A meeting is being held this week by Sue Westcott, director of children’s services at Peterborough City Council, with an anonymous individual to look into the possibility of securing social workers from countries such as Romania.<br /><br />The enquiry is one of the measures being considered as the department look to cut down on the use of agency staff.<br /><br />Another proposal is to introduce an academy where the council could train and develop their own social workers and possibly be tied into a contract.<br /><br />Discussing the possibility of bringing in social workers from Eastern Europe, Ms Westcott said she would welcome any applicants who are qualified.<br /><br />“I am making tentative enquiries about whether we could employ qualified social workers who want to come to this country from Eastern European countries,” she said. “It depends on whether they are qualified.<br /><br />“It would reflect the diversity of this community. Social workers from Eastern European countries would be able to speak the same language as members of the community.<br /><br />“We welcome applications from any qualified social worker who wants to come here permanently from this country or the European community.”<br /><br />The council currently employs 87 social workers but 24 positions are filled by agency staff who cost £30,000 more per person than what is given to a permanent worker.<br /><br />According to a council report, in the past year 12 social workers have left the council department to become agency staff but “none have left dissatisfied with the support or supervision offered.”<br /><br />Ms Westcott added that difficulties in recruiting permanent social workers is a problem for authorities across the UK.<br /><br />“One of the drawbacks about having agency staff, if they leave and somebody comes in, it means a lack of continuity for children and their family,” she said.Jim Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-1312469421166995362014-11-16T12:43:01.826+00:002014-11-16T12:43:01.826+00:00Off topic, but an interesting article, especially ...Off topic, but an interesting article, especially for anyone thinking of swapping probation for social work.<br /><br /> http://m.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/local/debate-as-peterborough-social-worker-gap-proving-tough-to-fill-1-6414966Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-82153409559309529362014-11-16T12:06:17.701+00:002014-11-16T12:06:17.701+00:00In terms of civil servants and democracy, I think ...In terms of civil servants and democracy, I think it is important to note that TR was NEVER mentioned by ANY of the parties before the election as wasn't the wholesale privatisation of the NHS (poor grammar). What concerns me is this talk of silencing dissent and political officers from the MoJ based in CRCs. I implore MOJ staff to read up on the politics of oppression and ask themselves whether what they have become are agents against free speech and the democratic right to criticize your Government if it is not acting in the best interests of the electorate. Probation has a powerful history of challenging the status quo. It would be a tragedy if that was another victim of this TR debacle. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-20463246821048928702014-11-16T11:41:11.422+00:002014-11-16T11:41:11.422+00:00I understand Chris Grayling used to work for Burso...I understand Chris Grayling used to work for Burson Marsteller, a global public relations company. Go on folks, have a look at the Wiki entry, I particularly enjoyed the reference to BM being subject to "protest and criticism for its use of smearing and doubt campaigns" .....so that's where he learnt his dark arts....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-50703348814519961062014-11-16T11:31:59.131+00:002014-11-16T11:31:59.131+00:00At the end of this article it asks if yoy feel saf...At the end of this article it asks if yoy feel safe at work if you're a prison officer, and gives contact detauls to text your comments to the bbc. I see no reason to not comment if you're a probation officer wuth concerns about workung in or visiting prisons.<br /><br /> http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30067669Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-37760448864025663792014-11-16T11:24:51.916+00:002014-11-16T11:24:51.916+00:00http://www.kentonline.co.uk/sheerness/news/ongoing...http://www.kentonline.co.uk/sheerness/news/ongoing-disturbance-at-sheppey-prison-27061/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-82667960428027603712014-11-16T11:13:45.638+00:002014-11-16T11:13:45.638+00:00"The tragic irony of the situation is that ou..."The tragic irony of the situation is that our prison system is infinitely more violent than the majority of people who end up inside it.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-10341295841334381962014-11-16T11:11:42.795+00:002014-11-16T11:11:42.795+00:00"by whatever means""by whatever means"<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-67260529236610510012014-11-16T11:10:38.118+00:002014-11-16T11:10:38.118+00:00Not long ago I asked a governor from one of Britai...Not long ago I asked a governor from one of Britain's largest prisons what she thought of her boss, Chris Grayling, Justice minister since September 2012, under whom the prison system has experienced the most severe crisis for at least 25 years. She grimaced and shook her head. Sometimes silence says more than words. The way Grayling seems to go missing when the issue of prison suicide crops up speaks volumes about him. "There is," he insisted in an interview on the subject, "not a crisis in our prisons."<br />One might have expected him to make an appearance – or at least be quoted – on Friday's Today programme on Radio 4, in which Lord Harris, the Labour peer charged by the Government with investigating the reasons behind the 50 per cent rise in prison suicides since 2011-12, presented some of his preliminary findings. A fear of pre-empting that review's findings is surely not a good enough excuse.<br /><br />Deborah Coles, the co-director of Inquest, a charity that helps those left bereft by deaths in custody, expressed frustration at Grayling's absence. "All these people charged with the inspection and monitoring of prisons are warning ministers that there is a crisis," she said, "ministers' indifference to this issue is really concerning … I'm surprised that he [Grayling] isn't here to address these issues."<br /><br />Lord Harris clearly felt he should have been there, too. His initial findings – that too many people are being sent to prisons which lack the resources needed to facilitate effective rehabilitation – point the finger of blame pretty squarely at the coalition government. Its counterintuitive policies, which have cut the prison service to the bone then loaded it to breaking point, have brought us to this crisis. "But where was the minister to respond?" read a post, cattily re-tweeted by Lord Harris shortly after the programme aired.<br /><br />Until Grayling is willing to take responsibility for his actions, the situation will only get worse. The tragic irony of the situation is that our prison system is infinitely more violent than the majority of people who end up inside it. Unlike Grayling, most prisoners are a hazard only to themselves. The ongoing suicide crisis is sad proof of both of these claims.<br /><br />As Lord Harris observes, prison is massively over-used. The mental health problems and drug addictions that afflict so many inmates would be better dealt with by the social services, with prison itself saved for the most serious cases. Sadly, nobody will be sending Grayling to prison for his policies. But with more than 100 deaths on his watch in the past two years alone, perhaps in another, more just world, there's an over-crowded cell with his name on it.Jim Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.com