Napo at Work in the South West 17

Thanks go to the reader for forwarding the following:-

South South Western Branch UPDATE 3 October 2018

Dear Members,

Take a break with a cuppa and a biscuit and read the latest update.

TR2

All Napo Members DDC CRC & NPS will be aware of the consultation to the TR2 plan from the MOJ. Napo disagree that re letting private arrangements should be continued especially after the condemnation of the Parliamentary cross party views released in June. Attached to this update is a copy of the SSW Branch response to the TR2 consultation submitted in addition to the one from Napo Central. This was possible due to member’s feedback and input from the Branch Exec.

Members should take a moment to look at the de- professionalization issues for probation officers (Question 10) noted by the split when PO’s were no longer able to act on behalf of the courts sentencing planning through professional reports. This is of specific concern when PO’s are something of a rarity in the CRC, and under Working Links dysfunctional Management sees exploitation of PSO’s by giving them work that would ordinarily be completed by qualified PO’s, and therefore paid at a higher rate.

Other issues for concern regarding erosion of professional standards within DDCCRC are:

• Newly recruited PSO’s being requested to complete Recall and Breach Reports without having received any training. 
• Unqualified Line Mangers managing OM Teams. 
• PSO’s instructed to attend Child Protection meetings in the absence of PO’s and excessive caseloads of DA and CP cases causing concerns should here be an SFO, and who would be held accountable. 
• De-skilling of existing PO’s as no opportunities for CPD. 

In relation to the wider context the document was endorsed and supported by the Branch Exec and overall is clear indication that CRCs need to be organised differently if returning to public services is not an option. It cannot just be about hitting the targets at any cost. This is damaging to Probation and the service users.

CRC PAY

Working Links (WL) have continued to withhold the 1% increment lift in pay that is an entitlement despite assurances that this would be paid this summer. We have asked the general secretary to lodge a claim for the interest lost on the monies that should have been paid in April to those eligible staff.

DISPUTE

The dispute continues and will do for the foreseeable future. As we understand it the WL infrastructure is now falling apart as so many of their senior management have seemingly left and this includes Mr Bell who goes at the end of the month. We ask why wait? Most importantly we are doubtful that WL can hold on much longer due to the mounting pressure from the multiple debentures being served on them by Aurelius. This can hardly be regarded as a friendly act, but more indicative that Aurelius will not deliver any reinvestment. Is this the fast journey to the end game, as the MOJ will surely not pour more cash into these failures?

The NAPO AGM 5-6 October 2018 /Certification Officer Complaint

Unfortunately earlier this year our Branch Chair Dino Peros had no choice but to lodge a complaint against Napo National Officers with the Certification Officer. This was due to what can only be described as a cowardly, internal attack from National Officers based on groundless complaints that had no genuine substance to our knowledge and considered opinion. The executive fully supported and backed Dino, his team and formal representative Dave Rogan Ex SW Napo branch leader and National Napo Representative. Thanks to Dave‘s experience and skills he made an excellent job of both presenting the case and questioning of the witnesses called. Having attended the hearing I am able to confirm he held his own against the barrister hired by Napo to protect their interests (at what cost to their members I wonder)?

All four issues which led Napo to be taken to the Certifications Officer have been upheld and so vindicates the course of action taken by Dino and Dave. This was the only way to pursue the impasse and failure of Napo to consider the reputational risks to their flawed actions. The findings of the court ruling have been published and are available on the Certifications Officers website. There may well be a more detailed report on this matter in due course. We are sure it will generate lots of questions and we will address these as they arise.

Due to the above this is the first year ever that the SSW branch is not being represented by any attendance at the AGM. It is a conscious decision by the executive who have made their concerns patently clear in multiple correspondences to the now outgoing NAPO National Officers. Correspondence from the Branch was ignored and a formal complaint lodged with regard to this has never been responded to. This is not acceptable behaviour from the paid officials (who are paid by us the members), or the National Officers. None of the branch executive will be attending as a mark of our respects to our Branch Chair. He has 100% backing from the executive for his foresight, planning and management of the dispute, in addition to all the other numerous tasks he undertakes individually on behalf of members. Union colleagues who work alongside him can testify he continually works and delivers on behalf of those he represents. Be assured that the SSW Branch Exec will continue to look to the best interests of our members and if that means holding the top table to account that is what we must and will do. We must remember this is not about personalities but the interests of the members.

Minimum Contact – CRC’s

This is the current plan to bring back 1-1 working with service users issued by the Contract Management Team, and you will no doubt be quite familiar with the document since its issue late last week.

Napo are looking carefully at the latest update on the implementation and already there has been some exchanges of e mails on the issues. We will be looking closely at the mess that has been developed by WL: Office closures, centralised telephone call centres for probation case management and the rapid need to reverse the gross errors of privateers failing to listen to any senior management (mentioned in the consultation) or the trade unions. This erroneous damage to case management by remote has been at last recognised as wrong, however WL dress it up. Nonetheless it is time to look to continue to protect members from any unfair treatment by the need to reinvest in local service delivery and to ensure protected and managed caseloads with return of minimum reporting standards. WL as they decline in authority will not likely be able to manage the need for expansion and so Napo SSW’s message is to look to our established ACO colleagues and to support the CPO to find some ways of engagement to return to proper case management, but at the same time staged protectively to ensure no more staff can be exploited by the continued misdirection of the failing WL’s model and management.

More updates will be issued as the need arises. In the meantime please share this with your non- union member colleagues and encourage them to join the Union. Don’t forget to keep myself, Dino and John Brownlow up to date with information and concerns that you may have as you JNCC Reps in the CRC.

NPS members please remember this also applies to you. SSW NPS Consultation Rep and Vice Chair is Jill Narin. Get in touch with her.

It may be a cliché but we are stronger together.

Denice James
JNCC Rep

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The full Certification Officer's Report can be found here.