tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post6920597486473369878..comments2024-03-29T14:15:33.681+00:00Comments on On Probation Blog: News Roundup 17Jim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-11903177910316231752018-03-14T11:10:11.221+00:002018-03-14T11:10:11.221+00:00Going off topic here. Are there any articles comin...Going off topic here. Are there any articles coming out about the dire state of the IT systems within Interserve CRC’s? Unsure if other CRC’s are having similar issues? Stress levels are going through the roof as we’re still under pressure to hit targets although we can’t consistently work due to the systems constantly being down. It’s been going on for months now! What are others thoughts on this?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-66374961450333919952018-03-13T15:15:20.705+00:002018-03-13T15:15:20.705+00:00I voted against the change of name to Napo & l...I voted against the change of name to Napo & long ago believed we needed to clearly say union of probation and family court workers or something similarly inclusive <br /><br /><br /> - however my comment was not in respect of the ridiculous name but that in the advance publicity he did not mention probation. Andrew_S_Hattonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09115192522317353139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-34144523211503300142018-03-13T13:26:17.152+00:002018-03-13T13:26:17.152+00:00To be fair Andrew (8:20)Napo represents Family Cou...To be fair Andrew (8:20)Napo represents Family Court staff as well so the strapline for Napo is quite a mouthful!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-6014897529828322092018-03-13T13:23:22.308+00:002018-03-13T13:23:22.308+00:00Hear hear Jim(10:44)Hear hear Jim(10:44)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-26494519297875944862018-03-13T10:55:45.328+00:002018-03-13T10:55:45.328+00:00I was beginning to think that from just hearing th...I was beginning to think that from just hearing the last comment alone from him.<br /><br />It is not entirely Lawrence's fault, he was after all reappointed after his ability was known.<br /><br />I feel some sympathy for him, and have no idea who else Napo could have called on at short notice for a quick interview, at wherever it was.Andrew_S_Hattonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09115192522317353139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-28092726296146896242018-03-13T10:44:01.681+00:002018-03-13T10:44:01.681+00:00The item on Warboys got cursory coverage and abvio...The item on Warboys got cursory coverage and abviously slipped down the running order in terms of importance. In my view, probably as well because Ian Lawrence is simply not the best qualified person to be speaking about probation practice issues - his garbled responses about Approved Premises and failing to explain that it's a hostel merely serves to illustrate why Napo should field a qualified practitioner. Jim Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-69616324501310504332018-03-13T08:20:38.265+00:002018-03-13T08:20:38.265+00:00TWEETED by Ian Lawrence in last half-hour
"#...TWEETED by Ian Lawrence in last half-hour<br /><br />"#Napo Live on Victoria Derbyshire BBC 2 9:45 our members important role in the CJS"<br /><br />https://twitter.com/IlawrenceL/status/973466702062202880<br /><br />NOTE even Napo omits the PROBATION word - presumably it will be Offenders and Rehabilitation with not even a nod to social work and Justice and choice and clients.<br /><br />But I am sour and have almost given up now.Andrew_S_Hattonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09115192522317353139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-84108119174027546572018-03-12T22:12:49.441+00:002018-03-12T22:12:49.441+00:00Ditto.Ditto.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-77489325349203855972018-03-12T21:23:26.254+00:002018-03-12T21:23:26.254+00:00Leadership is what Mr Stewart cites.... where is ...Leadership is what Mr Stewart cites.... where is that in any CRC or The NPS... one name.. just one sniff of leadership... anywhere..... answers on a postcard please....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-60549208650437254452018-03-12T19:39:54.843+00:002018-03-12T19:39:54.843+00:00Ditto.Ditto.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-13514296911659993192018-03-12T09:46:26.072+00:002018-03-12T09:46:26.072+00:00I haven't heard the R4 programme but, beyond t...I haven't heard the R4 programme but, beyond the scandalous treatment of the two men, concern might be that this is endemic in the privatisation model such that private sector practices & policies are being implemented in prisons around England & Wales whilst HMPPS/MoJ are either unaware or complicit in such dangerous practices - practices that would NOT be tolerated if they were 'in-house'.<br /><br />If it wasn't for the brave actions of Messrs Bromilow & Wildman, who would have raised this? Seems like Amey had a free hand to work within the prison using whatever procedures they wanted. Was this with Governor approval? No1 Governor is responsible for their prison. Are they being kept out of the loop by HMPPS/MoJ contract management teams? Asks BIGGER questions of the duty of care (or otherwise) by HMPPS/MoJ towards prisoners & prison staff. Opens several cans of wriggly things when it comes to approval & oversight of private sector contracts. It MUST have implications for financial imperatives being prioritised over matters of health & safety.<br /><br />The incompetent Spurr & his ramshackle crew of Tory stooges must surely be out of a job now?<br /><br />Come on JSC, PAC - time to hold these idiots to account...<br /><br />They have wasted untold £Billions of public money with innumerable failed projects & procurement (Courts, IT, etc), they have put peoples' lives at risk with dangerous prisons, they have destroyed an entire profession with TR. And all the while they have feathered their own nests with bonuses & pension top-ups.<br /><br />Do not just let them slide away with bags full of goodies & gongs - sack them for their pisspoor performance.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-5341136678632921062018-03-12T08:09:42.786+00:002018-03-12T08:09:42.786+00:00Well done to those men Well done to those men Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-61996647463191696932018-03-12T07:44:22.078+00:002018-03-12T07:44:22.078+00:00BBCR4 file on four, tues 8pmBBCR4 file on four, tues 8pmAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-31987626746599704372018-03-12T06:47:55.102+00:002018-03-12T06:47:55.102+00:00From BBC website:-
Two maintenance workers were s...From BBC website:-<br /><br />Two maintenance workers were sacked for raising concerns about health and safety at troubled Liverpool Prison, the BBC has learned. John Bromilow and Harry Wildman, who worked at the jail for more than 20 years, were fired by Amey, who had the contract for prison repairs.<br /><br />Amey claimed they brought the firm into disrepute by discussing new working practices with the prison governor. <br />But an employment tribunal ruled that the men were unfairly dismissed. The tribunal, in Liverpool on Friday, said Mr Bromilow, 66, and Mr Wildman, 64, had acted in good faith.<br /><br />Employment judge Jonathan Holbrook, who headed the three-person panel, added he thought it was "extraordinary" that Amey had not taken into account the men's 45 years of collective service and their unblemished disciplinary record.<br /><br />Mr Wildman, an electrician, said the ruling was a "vindication" of what he had been fighting for since his dismissal in November 2016. "The whole thing has been a nightmare," he told BBC Radio 4's File on 4.<br /><br />The company had taken over maintenance at Liverpool Prison in June 2015 as part of a government contract to provide facilities management in 60 jails. Under the changes, staff were required to carry out most jobs alone, rather than in pairs, as had been the practice for many years. The two men thought it was a safety risk because tools and equipment could be snatched by prisoners.<br /><br />"I see it as a bag of tools, somebody else will see it as a bag of weapons," said Mr Bromilow, a painter-decorator. After unsuccessfully trying to reverse the measures through an internal grievance procedure, the two colleagues met the prison governor to inform him they were calling in the Health and Safety Executive. However, after two meetings with the governor, Amey suspended, then sacked, the men.<br /><br />Statements from Amey officials, submitted to the tribunal, claimed Mr Bromilow and Mr Wildman had been "intent on making things difficult" for the company, alleging their actions had "the potential to be incredibly damaging" to its reputation.<br /><br />Jon Heath, the solicitor who represented the pair, said it was a "scandalous" case. "To dismiss them for having explicitly raised those concerns is one of the more startling examples of an unfair dismissal that I have come across," he said.<br /><br />Responding to the tribunal decision, Amey said: "Nothing is more important than the safety of our employees, and we have a robust whistleblowing policy in place which provides a number of channels for our employees to escalate concerns about their health and safety. We encourage all employees to follow these protocols so we can address their concerns in the most thorough and efficient way possible."<br /><br />The tribunal will consider if the men can return to their jobs and the compensation they are entitled to at a hearing in June.Jim Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.com