Omnishambles Update

Even though we all knew it was coming, it doesn't really lessen the shock. In just a few words all 35 Probation Trusts are consigned to history. All that trouble we were put through in order to obtain Trust status on the basis we could be innovative, flexible, responsive etc etc blah blah blah, only to find we can't compete for our own work and those of us left will be nationalised and end up as bloody civil servants taking orders from Whitehall.

Like many others I suspect, the shock and depression is now turning to anger at the way a profession and honourable 106 year-old public service is being treated. But it's no good looking to chief's. The situation couldn't be more clear from them, just weasel words. I notice the chief of Hertfordshire pretty much summed things up and was duly praised by Sarah Billiald, 'particularly for the last paragraph' which I quote here:-

"I won't deny there is much sadness and frustration within the probation community; it is a service that has existed for over a century and is held in international high regard, leading the way on best practice, However the austerity measures are demanding radical changes from all public services, and probation is no exception. The challenge will be to make sure best practice and experience is not lost and opportunities for improving are realised. Managing this scale of transformation at this speed is going to be highly challenging, but we are a responsible, positive skilled work-force and will do our very best, despite our misgivings about the approach, risks and affordability." 

No sign of anyone 'falling on their sword' any time yet in a magnificent gesture of defiance. We all know it's not really about austerity at all as this omnishambles will end up costing much more. It's about political dogma, pure and simple. It's about pushing more money into the hands of the giants like G4S and Serco, whatever that dreadful chap Sir Stephen Bubb may say in demanding that his voluntary sector get their noses in the trough too. 

 “This legislation is a welcome step forward. ACEVO has been closely engaged in the consultation process and it’s encouraging that the Government have listened to our concerns about the Work Programme- particularly reducing the size of contracts in the area that they cover as well as a divide on upfront payments and payments by results. With the work the sector already does with ex-offenders I’m confident that voluntary organisations will rise to the challenge of the ‘Rehabilitation Revolution’. But we will judge it by how many contracts are awarded to charities. We are fed up with being bid candy or supply chain fodder to the private sector. I want to see charities winning the prime contracts here. Nothing else will satisfy us.”

As his blog repeats "We know how it works. We invented and ran the probation service. We can do it again. Bring it on."  What an utter prat, but it brought a smile to my face to learn how irritated he finds the recent rise in the fortunes of Nigel Farage and UKIP. Bring that on I say!

As the details of what Chris Grayling is proposing sinks in, the true scale of this omnishambes in-the-making begins to become ever clearer. Mark Easton at the BBC pretty well summed-up the challenges and pitfalls for charities intending to bid for the work and whether Payment by Results will actually work at all. Remember many charities got their fingers seriously burnt having dabbled with PbR on the Work Programme. 

The prospects don't look promising when doubts are cast by people who know about this sort of thing, as highlighted here by an article on the Public Finance website:-

"Chris Grayling is in parliament today explaining his complex set of probation reforms to MPs. Never one to shirk a challenge, Grayling plans to:

• Outsource the bulk of probation services, predominantly to private sector organisations
• Extend services to those who have served prison sentences of under 12 months, who previously were not monitored post-release
• Introduce a new contractual payment mechanism, which will aim to pay providers more when those they are supervising offending either less or not at all
• Change the conditions of supervision for ex-offenders (ideas floated include compulsory cannabis testing and GPS tagging)
• Significantly reduce the amount spent on probation services ; all while changing  the geographical basis on which these services are provided

Doing any one of these things would be difficult. Doing all of them makes this join the list of some of the most ambitious public service reforms currently being pursued – along with Universal Credit, NHS reform and schools reform. The Institute for Governments’ work shows that creating new ‘public service markets’ is difficult and rarely do government or new public service providers get things right first time."

Finally, yesterday's announcement got me pondering about the battle that lies ahead. This really is such an astounding recipe for disaster that the government must surely have a secret plan 'B' up their sleeve? You know, like way back in the days of the motorway building boom. Those canny civil servants at the Ministry of Transport always knew that driving a massive road through rolling open country-side would hardly prove universally popular.

The answer was to let all the protesters wear themselves out fighting the initial plan, and then concede defeat and just like magic produce plan 'B' - the one the Ministry wanted all along of course. Just something to ponder on as we prepare to fight plan 'A'.

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