tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post7345710248266972506..comments2024-03-19T06:53:39.333+00:00Comments on On Probation Blog: Guest Blog 66 Jim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-78003327717323997772017-12-05T14:20:31.731+00:002017-12-05T14:20:31.731+00:00Hi
Well that was a good read, thanks for the link....Hi<br />Well that was a good read, thanks for the link.<br /><br />I think the writer has a right to thier opinion and a right to detail his experience the way he sees fit.<br />I see it ratted a few cages.<br />Was he trying to call the shots or simply tryi8ng to stand up for himself?<br />I think one problem is that OMs work towards a lowest common denominator principle and to some extent (maybe alot) get away with it. It breeds a contempt toward anyone in front of them.<br />Problem is when an intelligent and articulate person sits in front of them and challenges theirs or the systems shortcomings. Hmmm yes I can see the problem.<br />However the service users has every right to do so.<br />Sometimes if you have just try and protect yourself.<br />I really undertand the advice to say NOTHING personal as it can only get used against you. Thats says it all about this current system.<br />Thanks again<br />R<br />If you want to get in touch just ask Jim to email me your contact email<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-28880806705447855292017-08-19T09:03:43.307+01:002017-08-19T09:03:43.307+01:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Gl-Bphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03082937072552310162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-72452357511802604942017-08-15T10:57:13.126+01:002017-08-15T10:57:13.126+01:00This is in no way a reflection of my experience sp...This is in no way a reflection of my experience spending 10yrs working in Probation, including as a PSO.<br />Whilst unsuitable colleagues surfaced from time to time, they were few and far between. <br />Late OASys etc I can believe. But the description of people who don't want to offer any support to any of their clients just doesn't ring true to me.<br /><br />However skewed this may present to us however, we must recognise that this is how things can be experienced by those using the service. Bringing together the two realities to something better is realistically what needs to happen.Phoenixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04704797645278920390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-54923740444645174752017-08-14T13:21:33.452+01:002017-08-14T13:21:33.452+01:00As a former PO ( now retired ) after 33 years, TR...As a former PO ( now retired ) after 33 years, TR destroyed what was a highly performing, professional Probation Service. Purple Futures is/was a joke. I lasted only 2 years working for them. However, having spent my last few years trying to understand the dubious world of " Performance " I know you would get "ticks" for finding a Service User accommodation and or employment. In fact this was measured for years- codes on Delius etc . I therefore find it difficult to believe that any CM working for PF would not see this as a priority even if they were clueless about quality supervision. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-25679805242908339672017-08-13T22:55:45.254+01:002017-08-13T22:55:45.254+01:00Synonymous of new breed robots ...poor criminal ...Synonymous of new breed robots ...poor criminal justice degree from a poor new university. That's what's the government wanted and got . That's why no pay rise in a hundred years ... Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-52673418800837421602017-08-13T18:16:32.350+01:002017-08-13T18:16:32.350+01:00And you know this how? Do you know the details of...And you know this how? Do you know the details of every single interaction each of your colleagues has with everyone they supervise? Thought not. You have absolutely no idea what a PO will say to someone they supervise unless you are actually present in the room as well. So therefore you cannot state that the post is unrealistic without hard evidence that it is. Simply because something is outside your personal experience does not mean that it has not happened to someone somewhere. The world is full of people experiencing things every day that you do not experience and maybe never will. Does that invalidate those people's experiences or make them fake simply cos you've never personally experienced those things? Not it does not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-28230469115671874502017-08-13T18:11:48.973+01:002017-08-13T18:11:48.973+01:00I 'm not surprised that a PO is claiming that ...I 'm not surprised that a PO is claiming that the writer of this piece is delusional because I've yet to meet a PO who likes being told that they and their colleagues are not up to the job. I'm just glad you're not my PO. The post details one person's experience of probation and they are entitled to own that experience. As for complaining about people failing to meet professional standards, why not? Are PO's somehow exempt from good practice and professional behaviour? Should they not be pulled up when they fall short? If someones legal rights are being abused should they not challenge this? Pretty sure if someone was trampling over your rights you'd be screaming blue murder because those who complain about someone standing up for theirs will always scream the loudest for any infraction of theirs. I'd also note that management will be the ones dealing with any complaints not PO'sAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-43518745256322660422017-08-13T18:00:22.539+01:002017-08-13T18:00:22.539+01:00I'm still on licence and I still refer to my p...I'm still on licence and I still refer to my probation officer as an OM as I've never been told that he's anything elseAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-29248562266500967542017-08-12T23:34:38.897+01:002017-08-12T23:34:38.897+01:00With reference to employment...I agree. My probati...With reference to employment...I agree. My probation officer suggested I get married, have children and sit at home instead of trying to find employment as according to her it's impossible to be employed with a record. She also actively discouraged my starting a self employed business (which I did anyway and didn't tell her).Veenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-53379846842153860502017-08-12T21:53:53.018+01:002017-08-12T21:53:53.018+01:00I think that most probation professionals will kno...I think that most probation professionals will know colleagues who could have been that OM. In my office there are are a few officers who are simply in the wrong job and I have no idea of how they got there. They tend to moan about everything, and especially about their managers. They turn up late, leave early then ask for 'condensed working hours' when they know nobody is watching their hours properly. Despite all this they take home just as much money as the really professional officers, do a third of the work and complain that they haven't had a pay increase for x number of years. It is very very sad to see a once proud profession not be bothered to deal with such people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-25075668054028672442017-08-12T20:22:21.606+01:002017-08-12T20:22:21.606+01:00Agreed 19:04 and 19:46 entirely. Agreed 19:04 and 19:46 entirely. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-55994535923275732022017-08-12T19:46:29.701+01:002017-08-12T19:46:29.701+01:00"Frankly I don't have the energy to susta..."Frankly I don't have the energy to sustain the same professional stoicism, tact and diplomacy outside of the working week."<br /><br />Amongst the shitloads of vitriol & "guff" this for me is the most honest comment today.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-87908963786074147052017-08-12T19:04:17.754+01:002017-08-12T19:04:17.754+01:00A few thoughts:
The OP uses language that is insu...A few thoughts:<br /><br />The OP uses language that is insulting, demeaning, dismissive and implies entitlement and a superior attitude whilst at the same time making no mention that he/she created the situation they were in by their own offending choices; some acknowledgement as to their personal responsibility would be something. It reads like this particular individual is less interested in a collaborative working relationship but one in which he/she called the shots.<br /><br />The OP comes across as eminently capable, we have to be judicious sometimes and not spoon feed or pander to those who are already fully equipped to rejoin the community.<br /><br />Recall for a grief stricken emotive out pouring in isolation is guff. Factor in complex mental health problems linking to volatility and some dysfunctional coping and it's another story.<br /><br />Licence conditions and restrictions on employment are almost always risk related.<br /><br />Frankly I don't have the energy to sustain the same professional stoicism, tact and diplomacy outside of the working week. It's hardly surprising the responses here are less than might be expected when in front of our own caseloadsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-14063289967168608062017-08-12T18:02:32.201+01:002017-08-12T18:02:32.201+01:00Maybe so, or maybe it's that those working in ...Maybe so, or maybe it's that those working in probation know a lot of what's written here is not realistic. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-52788932833888671152017-08-12T17:42:52.029+01:002017-08-12T17:42:52.029+01:00Even though the blog sounds unbelievable I think t...Even though the blog sounds unbelievable I think this is what the service will look like in the future. I work for interswerve, and there seems to be no focus on good quality work it all centers around targets. Sadly we have too many cases to give everyone the time they need so this sort of practice will be common place and interswerve don't care as long as the boxes are ticked and the money keeps rolling in. Its disgusting that they have been given more money to continue, we are no longer a service but a business.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-84743497529454882742017-08-12T17:34:28.087+01:002017-08-12T17:34:28.087+01:00Looking in from outside the probation world many c...Looking in from outside the probation world many comments in response to today's blog-piece are extraordinarily defensive verging on aggressive. The blog is a point of view. It might not be accurate, it might be a pastiche, it might be a fabrication. So what if its a fictional critique? The motivation to be so critical comes from somewhere, even if the facts might be inaccurate or elaborated upon. The author clearly feels he/she has not been heard.<br /><br />There's a level of arrogance & high-handedness in some of the responses (presumably by probation staff?) that lends credibility to the blog-author's view about self-obsession in probation: "Every interaction we had was about her [the OM]..."<br /><br />There have been other guest blogs involving elaborate navel-gazing. Few, if any, seem to have attracted the barbed responses of today.<br /><br />Please don't forget that the overwhelming caseloads supervised by overworked, underpaid probation staff are made up of people who will be variously vulnerable, compliant, unwell, angry, difficult, grateful...<br /><br />They still deserve a voice; just as plenty of probation staff have used this blogspace to voice their anonymous opinions.<br /><br />Probation - you've changed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-32440920092553226022017-08-12T16:02:24.987+01:002017-08-12T16:02:24.987+01:00You sound like hard work, if not delusional. The f...You sound like hard work, if not delusional. The first two probation officers didn't respond to your letters and you filed a complaint "about their rudeness". The third you challenged with judicial review and later "vanished". The fourth "veered between jobsworth, ragingly incompetent, completely disinterested and spiteful". <br /><br />I'm not surprised probation is failing with all the time spent on your bloody complaints!<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-1699780375598916702017-08-12T15:55:01.391+01:002017-08-12T15:55:01.391+01:00@11:59
I don't know of one Court who would pu...@11:59<br /><br />I don't know of one Court who would punish for such a breach or one SPO who would sanction a recall for 'someone crying', more so given your claim that it was due to them being informed of a death in the family. Whilst I thank you for your post I really do feel that you had more of a motive than simply telling everyone of your negative feelings/experience on Probation.<br /><br />I'm confident that this is a view shared by many on here. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-68028184388475287142017-08-12T14:42:50.542+01:002017-08-12T14:42:50.542+01:00"virtually everyone on licence from 2010 on r..."virtually everyone on licence from 2010 on refers to their probation officer as an OM".<br /><br />No this is not true.<br /><br />Fake news!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-50589411716857957292017-08-12T14:33:23.827+01:002017-08-12T14:33:23.827+01:00It's a dubious piece and I say this because I ...It's a dubious piece and I say this because I think this having read it. Yes, it's well-written, but so what: it's not being responded to for its grammar and construction. It's simply an attack on probation by someone who is disgruntled. Beyond this it says nothing that enlightens or informs the debate about TR – and even if all the experiences described are true, so what: there are limits to how far you can reasonably extrapolate from the subjective.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-25166090289918984682017-08-12T14:26:13.264+01:002017-08-12T14:26:13.264+01:00As a PSO (now CM in new money for a CRC) with 19yr...As a PSO (now CM in new money for a CRC) with 19yrs experience within the CJS - I read the guest blog with interest and not total disbelief. Some of what's described is most certainly eyebrow raising as you'd like to think of your colleagues as forward none discriminatory thinkers - however I have experienced said professionals behaving badly and have questioned why they have choosen to work with people that obviously annoy and upset them in a day to day basis - I have seen those people rise to the dizzy heights of management and question those that have deemed them fit to do the job !! - but hey ho that happens in Government and every profession all we can do is call them to task. I have in th main worked with and continue to work with dedicated individuals who stand between the devil and the deep blue sea of offenders they supervise and management trying to do their upmost in keeping everyone happy - you can please some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time (a Bob Marley quote me thinks !! ).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-90228712830913211872017-08-12T12:49:15.415+01:002017-08-12T12:49:15.415+01:00That's a two way argument.That's a two way argument. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-39923815594719013402017-08-12T12:42:21.801+01:002017-08-12T12:42:21.801+01:00Today's headline blog is extensive, well writt...Today's headline blog is extensive, well written & someone's experience. Why rubbish it? It is as valid as any other observation, however uncomfortable or subjective it may feel. Allow the criticism to generate discussion around the wider issues of (1) Trusts were the first casting of the target-driven NomsNet & (2) TR is a clusterfuck.<br /><br />There's no need to take offence & attack the author. They've already made it clear they don't trust probation so why step into the shoes they've cobbled together for you? Unless those shoes fit just snug...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-6246713757825682832017-08-12T12:35:35.586+01:002017-08-12T12:35:35.586+01:00When you write something and post it on a public f...When you write something and post it on a public forum, particularly when that forum is dominated by readers that have both a professional interest, and personal opinion on the subject mater that the forum debates, then you have to be prepared and accept whatever response your comment attracts. <br />There's no point in getting upset or defensive, and replying with comments like 'you have a closed mind' isn't very informative, and to my mind anyway, damages the credibility of your original comments. <br />Say what you want to say. <br />Stand by what you say. <br />But don't shoot down those that disagree with you, or even disbelieve you. <br />Their comments are just as valid as your own. <br /><br />'Getafix Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-83391501790326343892017-08-12T12:09:36.877+01:002017-08-12T12:09:36.877+01:00Actually virtually everyone on licence from 2010 o...Actually virtually everyone on licence from 2010 on refers to their probation officer as an OM because that's what we were told to refer to them as when we were inside. OS in custody, OM in the community. Simply because they have now been relabelled by management doesn't mean those on licence still don't refer to them as OM's. Plus I'd also add that it is perfectly possible to be low risk and have special licence conditions. Stranger things have happened but you clearly have a closed mind about what is or is not possible and dismiss anything outside your own experience as some kind of fake news. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com