tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post5931286246773444424..comments2024-03-29T11:18:07.045+00:00Comments on On Probation Blog: Bring Back BorstalJim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-89372750733191694912015-01-10T19:49:21.501+00:002015-01-10T19:49:21.501+00:00But surely if you were drunk at work some action s...But surely if you were drunk at work some action should result?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-90608881400579122512015-01-10T08:41:39.936+00:002015-01-10T08:41:39.936+00:00I remember in the justice select committee NOMS ad...I remember in the justice select committee NOMS advising that the private companies can sell the contacts on if they want to i.e. to G4S.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-74368484352746421462015-01-10T08:15:15.670+00:002015-01-10T08:15:15.670+00:00Bit of a rant I'm afraid Jim, here we go...
Co...Bit of a rant I'm afraid Jim, here we go...<br />Conservatives to announce in their manifesto that Public Sector workers will require 40% of union membership to vote in favour of any future strike action. <br />Also, just wondering after Circle "withdraw" from their contract to run Hitchingbrooke Hospital due to escalating costs making it not profitable....what happens in a similar situation with TR contracts? We know to favour the businesses Chris Grayling has put in a clause ensuring contracts will run for 10 years to prevent a future Labour government cancelling the contracts but does that also bind the hand of the businesses to run the contract for 10 years irrespective of profitability? I think the answer could be very interesting indeed because all it would take to negate TR would be to ensure those contracts were not profitable....just saying'Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-20970840342409205972015-01-10T01:21:37.760+00:002015-01-10T01:21:37.760+00:00Shore up the dam....evenShore up the dam....evenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-34460378444587797472015-01-10T00:26:59.517+00:002015-01-10T00:26:59.517+00:00On top of Manchester's woes I now hear that We...On top of Manchester's woes I now hear that West Yorkshire CRC are lurching towards crisis. They tried to recruit more POs but failed. Now they are on the verge of losing most of their POs to the NPS, just as the U12 months chaos is about to descend. Instead of preparing for it the CEO's deputy dawg is seemingly banging on about OASys performance and stressing out the staff. Not sure how Purple Ronnie is going to sure-up the impending doom when they come in.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-29835480837106391002015-01-09T20:26:37.429+00:002015-01-09T20:26:37.429+00:00When you have a go on the Epic intranet (those in ...When you have a go on the Epic intranet (those in the CRCs, not sure about NPS), have a look at the 'Alcohol at work' Probation Instruction. Basically, you - the putative drunk - are to be kept in a secure place, away from prying colleagues, whilst a private contractor is called using a pin no. held only by someone at director level, to come and test you. I'm not making this up. If you walk off, you can be deemed to have committed a disciplinary offence. If you are a diabetic, for Gawd's sake, tell at least one of your colleagues. You could die waiting for the contractor.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-67488952675679162172015-01-09T19:20:06.144+00:002015-01-09T19:20:06.144+00:00Thank you for that Andrew, thats really helpful. I...Thank you for that Andrew, thats really helpful. I'll take a look at that and the social work website when i have time. Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-26945933165229020722015-01-09T19:17:09.934+00:002015-01-09T19:17:09.934+00:00Give users all they need to know to do the job.......Give users all they need to know to do the job......puppets, process maps and ignorance.....just do what you are told, you don't need to know anything else, or think for yourselves or have any other information other than how to do the job and perhaps how 'we' will monitor and assess you... but heh ' we' are only doing this to help you....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-44947390911825391582015-01-09T18:49:35.542+00:002015-01-09T18:49:35.542+00:00Do you realise it won't be long before the MoJ...Do you realise it won't be long before the MoJ goes digital? Here's the MoJ:<br /><br />"Challenges and goals - Over time, the MOJ intranet has become complicated to navigate and dense with content, which has led to a sub-optimal user experience. One of the main reasons for this is the number of organisational changes that have happened over recent years. As a result, the biggest challenge facing us is how to bring a number of intranet sites, currently housed on separate and outdated systems, onto a single platform.<br /><br />These are the goals we’ll be working towards.<br /><br />Short-term - update the look, feel and navigation of the main headquarters (HQ) intranet; simplify all the content, giving users only what they need to know in order to perform tasks; ensure that all information is up-to-date and clearly presented; improve the search function<br /><br />Long-term - offer a single platform on which the MOJ and all its affiliated organisations can host their content; implement a new hosting solution, contributing towards estimated savings of up to £900,000 a year; ensure the intranet becomes the gateway into all the MOJ’s internal digital services; enable every employee across the MOJ to work more efficiently<br /><br />Where to start? Our first priority has been the users. Speaking to a large number of MOJ employees about how they use the intranet, and what they expect from it in the future, has provided us with valuable insights.<br /><br />Analytics have played their part too, helping us understand which pages are the most visited, the search terms employees use and which documents are downloaded the most."<br /><br />Can't wait... wonder how much this is costing?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-17522932969691352252015-01-09T18:38:05.994+00:002015-01-09T18:38:05.994+00:00Dear Mr Selous - its a pity such hard-nosed cost-c...Dear Mr Selous - its a pity such hard-nosed cost-conscious decision-making wasn't applied when your department decided to use public funds for the TR process as a whole (e.g. consultants at £15M & escalating), to the costs of transporting your staff around ...NOMS, etc etc etc ... or to the costs of fruitless legal challenges.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-59710077281437092422015-01-09T16:57:53.874+00:002015-01-09T16:57:53.874+00:00I do not know in detail how PbR works - the calcul...I do not know in detail how PbR works - the calculations will need to be about something measurable which in my experience is complex and inexact regarding rehabilitated lives.<br /><br />Pbr Has been a frequent topic over the period of this blog.<br /><br />From a search I found this<br /><br />http://probationmatters.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/pbr-works-sort-of.html<br /><br />The person who has written much about it is Russell Webster who I suspect was or maybe is in the pay of the PbR advocates although he has explored it in some detail.<br /><br />He has long blocked me on Twitter so I do not see all his outpourings now. I see some of his blog posts and would encourage they are searched.<br /><br />http://www.russellwebster.com/pbr-resource-pack/<br /><br />However, I am very dubious about the comparative value of a PGD qualification because it does not allow one to work as a social worker, whereas the full professional SW training qualification is still accepted for probation officer jobs.<br /><br />This seems to be a link to the newish college of social work's education website which seems to be comprehensive with links to the various training schemes.<br /><br />http://www.tcsw.org.uk/Becoming-a-social-worker/Andrew_S_Hattonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09115192522317353139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-21440248817630304722015-01-09T16:36:58.856+00:002015-01-09T16:36:58.856+00:00Aha nevermind, I've just found a section in th...Aha nevermind, I've just found a section in the justice select committee's interim report devoted to the payment by results scheme,Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-61163540017799354552015-01-09T16:05:06.744+00:002015-01-09T16:05:06.744+00:00Hi there Jim, I am about to start a PQF and have b...Hi there Jim, I am about to start a PQF and have been reading up on all the changes to probation. Your blog has been very informative and I really appreciate your perspective. There's one area of TR I'm struggling to find out much about and I was wondering if you could shed some light on it. <br />The new CRC's are going to be incentivised by 'payment by results'. How is this going to work? What form do the payments come in? Is it just more funding or something a bit more convoluted? Have the MoJ released any information about this that I have missed?<br />Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-83412126501588136592015-01-09T15:35:42.702+00:002015-01-09T15:35:42.702+00:00No matter which stage of the outsourcing process y...No matter which stage of the outsourcing process you look at, the same qualities are on show: incompetence, lack of interest, and failure of accountability.<br /><br />The Ministry of Justice's inability to properly scrutinise its contracts and operations with private firms like Serco, G4S and Capita is well documented. The former two overcharged the department for years on electronic tagging contracts before Chris Grayling had to call in the Serious Fraud Office, for instance. But it has now emerged that the department doesn't even bother keeping track of the companies' activities in the tendering process.<br /><br />A set of parliamentary questions from shadow justice minister Andy Slaughter to ministers at the department asked how often Serco, G4S and Capita had tendered for contracts since May 2010. The answer, from part-time prisons minister Andrew Selous, was the standard MoJ cut-and-paste refusal:<br /><br />"To find out on how many occasions G4S and Serco have tendered for contracts let by the Department in each year since May 2010, would entail indentifying [sic] and then contacting all individuals responsible for the management of contracts. The individuals would then need to search electronic and manual records since May 2010 to determine whether G4S and Serco tendered for their areas contracts. This would incur disproportionate costs as it would exceed the costs threshold."Jim Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-39339577486982860002015-01-09T15:09:44.990+00:002015-01-09T15:09:44.990+00:00MoJ pulls the wool over its own eyes in G4S and Se...MoJ pulls the wool over its own eyes in G4S and Serco contracts <br /><br />http://www.politics.co.uk/blogs/2015/01/06/moj-pulls-the-wool-over-its-own-eyes-over-g4s-and-serco-contAndrew_S_Hattonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09115192522317353139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-37558835649463638502015-01-09T13:03:09.598+00:002015-01-09T13:03:09.598+00:00My wife ( we have been together since December 196...My wife ( we have been together since December 1964) commented on the impact of the cashless society.<br /><br />Back then, money was more tangible - now it is just numbers on paper - in many situations - then there was the move away from weekly pay and Benefits stopped coming by queuing up at the post office once a week on giro day - normal domestic and social life is so different nowadays for every one, I do hope all this is taken into account on top of the unreality of the actual Back to Borstal experience of the TV programme - which I did not watch!.Andrew_S_Hattonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09115192522317353139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-50164466525583046382015-01-09T12:57:53.996+00:002015-01-09T12:57:53.996+00:00CONTINUED: -
I agree about the issue of the word ...CONTINUED: -<br /><br />I agree about the issue of the word 'no' - subsequent generations have been subjected to much more persistent & subtly persuasive advertising, than that generation was. It was not until the latter sixties that we began to have credit cards (Most did not have bank accounts even) - at which time I was working as a bank clerk and cashier and issuing & processing the damn things.<br /><br />My bank - Barclays was the first British Bank to get involved with Barclaycard -<br /><br /> (my research reveals) that in - "1973 Barclaycard is first to offer women a card in their own names" - <br /><br />http://tinyurl.com/o8dc436<br /><br />That must seem shocking to probation folk with an intake now of mostly women workers. Their advertising was rather subtle - "I never go anywhere without my Barclaycard" - she says here http://tinyurl.com/lg2jdhe<br /><br />Then coming later to the market and trying to catch up were the other big banks Midland, NatWest and RBS, with their Access Credit card and the more aggressive advertising catch phrase (that I recall disapproving of then) "Taking the Waiting out of Wanting" - (that is still a trademarked term - to this day).<br /><br />But ultimately it was all down to public authorities giving the public what they thought was best and I read "It was not until 1967 that the Bank of England permitted 'Extended Credit', and until 8th November 1967 Barclaycard balances had to be settled in full when the bill arrived. From 8th November 1967, though, the concept of revolving credit and minimum payments became available."<br /><br />It was a different era and so accurate comparison with now is impossible - I am not sure to what extent Parliament 'allowed' the Bank of England to start granting extended credit but without we would not have had Wonga and all the evils that are related!<br /><br />I suspect the advertising that developed from that permission by the Bank of England made it harder for us all to hear the word 'no' and especially for parents feeling deprived by circumstance to say it to their children - then there was drugs - that got worse after the 1971 misuse of drugs act that seems to have encouraged the increased criminal trading of illicit substances and like the 'extended credit' continues today. So the probation officer of now is dealing with children of parents who were subject to less stringent social restrictions than my era of probation workers (starting in 1975) were. <br /><br />Is it relevant - what do you think, maybe I am just meandering aimlessly with irrelevant comparisons - I am not sure?<br /><br /><br />ENDAndrew_S_Hattonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09115192522317353139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-24408369310459224712015-01-09T12:57:20.126+00:002015-01-09T12:57:20.126+00:00This is almost an aside - I had a lot of contact w...This is almost an aside - I had a lot of contact with Borstals and Borstal boys and one Borstal girl between 1975 and 1983.<br /><br />I recall as I visited 'my wings' at Hindley at one time in the early 1980s, usually once or twice a week - it was expected at certain times of the day to see young men - most were 17-19 year olds, on their hands and knees scrubbing, or polishing the floors quietly and systematically - without complaint. Such action was accepted, not welcomed but usually accepted and the boringness of it may have been something of a spur to apply for a rare place on one of the trade training courses - which were far more interesting and useful, such as welding, painting and decorating or motor mechanics - it was possible to come out with a regular certificate, issued as if it had been studied for at the normal site of the awarding college - the local technical college.<br /><br />When I walked down the streets, in 'my' districts of north Liverpool - Vauxhall, Everton, Anfield, Edge Hill, Scotland Road, and Walton - there were many streets of terraced houses fronting onto the street with no garden or yard and a prominent front step and still a few that were routinely scrubbed and shined on hands and knees by the occupants - so the scrubbing of the borstal boys too, to some extent had normality about it and I do not think was usually actively resented, though it was far from welcomed - I do not recall the so called 'Trainees' complaining about it - whereas they did complain about being unemployed and so 'earning' less than the floor scrubbers. - It was a different era and needs to be understood as such.<br /><br />TO BE CONTINUEDAndrew_S_Hattonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09115192522317353139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-42878344958048772632015-01-09T10:42:37.347+00:002015-01-09T10:42:37.347+00:00Having served a period in Borstal, last nights sho...Having served a period in Borstal, last nights show worries me. It seemed in the most a reasonable approach and a discursive solution was reached at all times when things weren't going to plan.<br />The general public watch, and will take it as a true representation of how borstal really was.<br />Lets remember that whilst the borstal system was in operation, you could still get 6 of the best in school for forgetting your PE kit!<br />Borstal was brutal, and any of the outbursts like those from the lads would have been met with a quick and physical response.<br />I saw the floors been mopped!!! All cleaning of floors in borstal was done on hands and knees, a scrubbing brush and a bar of long greeny brown carbolic soap that took layers of skin from your hands. You would not be able to find a mop.<br />As for David Wilson, well I think hes just become the Jeremy Kyle of criminology.<br />Borstal in short was just sadistic darwinism. If the inviornment that you introduce a "species' to, is violent, brutal and unforgiving, then those who do best are those that are brutal, violent and unfogiving.<br />I am (and have been for many years), in favour of some sort of National Service being returned. Nit to be sent to Afganistan or anything, but for all the reasons noted in your post, I think it have a significant impact on reducing the prison population, and a benificial impact on the individual.<br />But borstal? That should remain locked away in our dark past.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com