tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post6904109295562149088..comments2024-03-28T20:12:43.003+00:00Comments on On Probation Blog: Probation MasterclassJim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-86456622276589418212016-02-16T13:02:11.666+00:002016-02-16T13:02:11.666+00:00Interserve have lost their cleaning and catering c...Interserve have lost their cleaning and catering contracts in all leicester hospitals. They are so crap in their primary tasks. God help colleagues in CRCS managed by these geniuses. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-91458008959854972022016-02-15T09:33:08.563+00:002016-02-15T09:33:08.563+00:00Shamefully this is an all too familiar taleShamefully this is an all too familiar taleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-66148036551651122532016-02-15T09:31:06.325+00:002016-02-15T09:31:06.325+00:00Anon 1549 it sounds like you just got a bad un job...Anon 1549 it sounds like you just got a bad un jobsworth and we all know a few of them !Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-45566226192906430632016-02-15T00:43:36.268+00:002016-02-15T00:43:36.268+00:00That Anon at 23:33. was available to all released...That Anon at 23:33. was available to all released prisoners (maybe not the actual certainty of accommodation) from before the 1970s until at least the early 1990s when consequent on centralisation and national Standards, certain activities became priorities and with all the extra prisoners and no matching increase in resources around the time Automatic Conditional Release began, there was just not the physical time available to give much attention to what were called casual callers.<br /><br />Check out the last edition of Jarvis - the red one - before Paul Senior & AN Other did one sponsored by some part of the Home Office, The duties of a probation officer were over eighty and are quite stunning in variety.<br />Andrew_S_Hattonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09115192522317353139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-21559472981913988202016-02-14T23:33:27.472+00:002016-02-14T23:33:27.472+00:00'The CRC helped with housing support and refer...'The CRC helped with housing support and referred him to a national housing foundation who placed him in accommodation. While at this placement, he undertook a range of life skills programmes. He has now moved into his own flat and is doing voluntary work at a local club, fulfilling one of his personal ambitions.'<br />Nothing new here. This kind of support has been going on for years. The only change is that it is now available to all released prisoners, unless you are NPS in which case it has to be paid for.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-64336002512536719712016-02-14T22:36:03.158+00:002016-02-14T22:36:03.158+00:00I see the leaving prison with £46 mantra continues...I see the leaving prison with £46 mantra continues as being not conducive to rehabilitation. Well clients in the North West are still leaving prison with £46 & homeless. They do of course have a 10 minute interview with the 'housing officer' in prison before they are released. They complete a nice tick box checklist & they are provided with the address of the local council homeless department to present themselves to. When they attend they do get offered a lovely furnished apartment like. (The last bit is fantasy. Much like TR).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-24571086589199339552016-02-14T22:19:44.286+00:002016-02-14T22:19:44.286+00:00aye...and fitting out their new accommodation with...aye...and fitting out their new accommodation with all the white goods and furnitureAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-81997785209139452202016-02-14T20:29:08.891+00:002016-02-14T20:29:08.891+00:00E3 rollout is being postponed is it not? Anyone go...E3 rollout is being postponed is it not? Anyone got more info on this? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-651310030943148022016-02-14T20:24:13.296+00:002016-02-14T20:24:13.296+00:00£ is actually in fine abundance, it's the dear...£ is actually in fine abundance, it's the dearth of compassion, people incapable of real friendship and real talking. The quality of relationship between Offender and Officer is integral to anything that can be done in a Probation Service.<br /><br />I encountered alot of not very nice people who worked at Probation and it had and continues to have a detrimental effect on my Mental and Physical health.<br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-31459190406950681272016-02-14T19:47:18.695+00:002016-02-14T19:47:18.695+00:00For many on my caseload accommodation is THE bigge...For many on my caseload accommodation is THE biggest problem, made worse by the government only paying £45 rent in most (but not all) cases. Maybe if the Government tried some multi-agency work, with their own departments, then many problems would disappear.<br /><br />I'll give you one example:<br />Client of mine damages leg playing football. Significant operations and his lef is in a 'cage' to help healing. He has a 6 month sick note. He went for a assessment to check if he was fit for work and they stated he could work do some form of work and signed him off the sick (I'm helping him appeal this). In the interim he was told to claim JSA. We 'phoned the DWP who told him that due to him having a 6 month sick note, he's not eligible for JSA!<br /><br />And so, the merry go round of phone calls started! We have an appointment with his MP next week to highlight the situation. Appeals have been submitted but until they are resolved he has no income.<br /><br />The Government; shitting on people since 2010!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-41508586488829532182016-02-14T19:34:46.640+00:002016-02-14T19:34:46.640+00:00to 1525... the comment on 1134 referred to the Chi...to 1525... the comment on 1134 referred to the Chief Probation Officer of Northumbria Probation Service, which eliminated the CRCs for starters. I understand that those titles are now obsolete, they are now Executive Officers and indeed were before TR, as those who headed up Probation for several years prior to that, had never been Probation Officers. And am I right in saying that Northumbria comes under National Probation Service now? This person has been retired for a few years, so it is futile to name them, the damage has been done, but I am sure there will be a few ex Nbria officers reading this blog who will know who I mean.<br /><br />I will say, that this person was about as opposite to Mike Worthington, who had retired a few years earlier and appears on this latest Blog, as it is possible to be! But then so had the Service changed significantly too.<br /><br />The letter was referring to the risk of missing targets and therefore costing the Service and was basically wanting 'these people' bollocked, and the chief was talking of naming and shaming them if they didn't improve their work, whatever their circs. Real sensitivity -not. Once it became a Trust, it was downhill all the way, particularly with IT systems breaking down, and staff shortages, and constant variations of the old PSR, and recording systems, but we never dreamed (or nightmared) that the future would be as bad as TR! <br />I feel for you all.mlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-49784416246772611712016-02-14T18:59:04.272+00:002016-02-14T18:59:04.272+00:00Trouble is clients still think " help and sup...Trouble is clients still think " help and support" involves money- I don't have a cheque book, nor do I have access to accommodation, so my time, experience and local knowledge is all I have! Thankfully this has been good enough for those who really want to make changes to their lives and situations!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-84670378318128531352016-02-14T18:26:11.807+00:002016-02-14T18:26:11.807+00:0015:21 why are you assuming this person was supervi...15:21 why are you assuming this person was supervised post-TR?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-74052771521647616792016-02-14T17:02:32.371+00:002016-02-14T17:02:32.371+00:00The comedian has arrived.The comedian has arrived.Jim Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-4695931843233552622016-02-14T16:33:08.057+00:002016-02-14T16:33:08.057+00:00Things weren't much different before TR. Still...Things weren't much different before TR. Still the same pointless and costly routine to make your PO feel like they were making a positive impact on your life and some great difference to the nation.<br /><br />If TR has done anything it's to underline the fact that Probation as was, was largely not required by Offenders but was more a vanity project for the <br />self-important persons who were employed there.<br /><br />E3 looks particularly encouraging and focused on tackling unnecessary, costly and potentially dangerous interference in the lives of Offenders.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-27731820302776170122016-02-14T15:49:13.704+00:002016-02-14T15:49:13.704+00:00Anonymous 15:41, accessing grants often requires r...Anonymous 15:41, accessing grants often requires referral from OM (filling in a form). Grants not for frivolous things but necessities but refuses to do this. Sorting out work/voluntary work just meets with refusal to co-operate with employers etc. Anything you say to her gets misinterpreted and misrepresented in records as Data Subject Access Requests clearly shows. Result is that even if I desperately needed help I would not go to her. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-4571677248251692602016-02-14T15:41:25.191+00:002016-02-14T15:41:25.191+00:00what kind of things where you asking for help with...what kind of things where you asking for help with? Just interested because I sometimes feel I don't particularly 'help' some of mine but if you've a roof over your head and are signing on & looking for work then there's little else we can do, unless of course you have substance misuse issues then obviously i'll refer on. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-83277726287021134532016-02-14T15:25:43.335+00:002016-02-14T15:25:43.335+00:00Ml please elaborate. Who is P. What CRC. What did ...Ml please elaborate. Who is P. What CRC. What did the letters say? What's the point of this blog if people are too scared to expose shameless behaviour Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-56799717743507245252016-02-14T15:21:57.605+00:002016-02-14T15:21:57.605+00:00Good man for posting on the right place as this bl...Good man for posting on the right place as this blog will have you thinking that nothing works post TR. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-85989603393168033032016-02-14T14:50:57.880+00:002016-02-14T14:50:57.880+00:00"sorry can't help, there's no money/w..."sorry can't help, there's no money/we don't do that/it's not in my remit"<br /><br />I find it disappointing but not surprising to hear such statements. Of course even in the days of 'advise, assist and befriend' there was no recourse to a magcic wand, but we could always give time and to be honest, I'm struggling to think of a request I refused on the basis of 'it's not in my remit'. But then those were the days of discretion, professional judgement and access to relatively small sums of money from the 'Befriending Fund'.Jim Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-10792270136212786602016-02-14T14:47:42.248+00:002016-02-14T14:47:42.248+00:00As a PO I have some sympathy with your post becaus...As a PO I have some sympathy with your post because that's exactly what our position is no resources I still try very hard to help my clients progress and sometimes all I can offer is encouragement and motivation And that has worked Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-46280694977426804132016-02-14T13:56:23.111+00:002016-02-14T13:56:23.111+00:00re 11 34- er, could that person's first name b...re 11 34- er, could that person's first name begin with P-? a ruthless, heartless person if ever there was one, who once sent a long letter to management, referring to a 'hit list' of probation staff for them to be 'sorted out'. The letter unintentionally found its way to the plebs, and NAPO played hell, but got the sharp edge of the mighty tongue in response. (I still have a copy of both letters)mlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-65511340437834497212016-02-14T13:41:28.261+00:002016-02-14T13:41:28.261+00:00Er so TR is supposed to help? the only thing my O...Er so TR is supposed to help? the only thing my OIm did for me since leaving prison in January 2014 was refer me to the local homeless hostel on release. Anything else you discuss with her either before or after TR is met with "sorry can't help, there's no money/we don't do that/it's not in my remit". If I was someone who would be likely to reoffend the "help and support" I've received since release would not have in any, way, shape or form prevented me from reoffended/turned my life around etc. The ONLY person preventing me from reoffending is well me. Probation has and never will play any part in that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-29908011407988030892016-02-14T13:38:01.521+00:002016-02-14T13:38:01.521+00:00The so-called 'older practices and cultural no...The so-called 'older practices and cultural norms [that] remain entrenched' in the old probation service and are seen as a 'cultural challenge' to the success of TR, tells us more about the political prejudices of the author, Elizabeth Crowhurst, who chose to cite this as the first of the five challenges she writes about on the Reform website. I could not find any conclusion/opinion in the 2014 HMIP report that substantiates her claims. <br /><br />She is right about the other four challenges but nothing revelatory here as these have been part of the critique of TR since its inception. <br /><br />In choosing to give salience to cultural factors, she blames the victims of the 'revolution'. The old probation service was a world leader and high performing. It now works less effectively than it did. It is sheer perversity to break-up something that was working well. It's the height of chutzpah - similar to the boy who murders both his parents and then asks the judge to be merciful because he is an orphan.Netnippernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-87953979556296899242016-02-14T12:28:16.145+00:002016-02-14T12:28:16.145+00:00I think in both NPS and CRC the view is get on wit...I think in both NPS and CRC the view is get on with it as there is no alternative. <br /><br />Thinking in the last 12 months, our NPS offender management has had 4 POs leave (for new jobs and retirement) and at least 4 officers go on maternity leave. There also have been many different grades off with sickness and stress. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com