Thanks go to the reader for forwarding the following:-
Message for CRC members from NAPO national officials
Dear member,
As you will now be aware RRP has made the decision to run yet another redundancy programme. This time they are focusing on CSC staff and Community Payback across both of the CRC’s. The trade unions were initially informed briefly of the proposals on 5th November via teleconference. However it has since come to our attention that RRP chose to rush ahead with staff briefings, at risk notices and one to one meetings before any meaningful consultation with the trade unions had taken place. This is deeply disappointing and has caused additional stress to those affected as they were not able to access advice and support. I have reported this to the MOJ contract management team as a failure to engage or follow due process. We will consider the possibility of a joint dispute with Unison and keep you updated.
Your local reps and myself attended the first consultation meeting on 14th November where we received a full presentation of the proposals. We also challenged Adam Hart directly on the approach of the organisation and he has apologised. However, there is still concern that this process has been decided already and that we may not get meaningful consultation. As such we will do our best to keep you updated on progress made. It is never easy going through redundancies especially at this time of year. Please support your local reps and your colleagues that have been affected by this announcement.
The process in total will be carried out in three phases starting on 31st January. If you are at risk then please make yourself know to your local Branch Chairs; Ralph Coldrick or Dave Bellingham, so that they can direct you to the branch Reps who will advise and support you throughout. Please do not attend a meeting without a rep or be pressured into doing so. If you are then please contact your branch immediately. A more detailed update will be issued next week once I have received copies of the presentation.
Kind Regards
Tania Bassett
Napo National Official Press, Parliament & Campaigns
That does not read well for staff and looks like the unions will be in agreement than mount any serious protection. "deeply disappointed " amounts to nothing and reporting this contract managers does what exactly? The employers can make cuts and deliver targets they do what they like. The problems is with pathetic response to a real situation just reinforces the employers confidence. The unions have to mount a proper action immediately in light of this and they knew on the 5th. Starting in January its almost panto season "oh no its not" This is going to be awful.
ReplyDeleteNapo just can't read the runes. They're so far behind the curve that they're beyond the event horizon.
ReplyDeleteIts obvious to me Napo do not understand that SWM are simply carrying out the wishes of the new owners, the Aussie asset-stripping equity firm CBA Corporate Services (NSW) PTY. They see the end of the contract looming &, like Aurelius/Working Links, see the opportunity to cash-in before cashing-out. The dry husk will then be cast aside, left to go into liquidation.
Adam Hart can apologise all he likes, but he ain't in charge. The deal was signed off on 24 Oct, the instructions to Chargors issued with immediate effect, hence the 5 Nov teleconference.
DLNR will be next.
This previous post is relevant:
"Anonymous 15 November 2019 at 20:57
Companies House show that on 24 Oct 2019:
Ingeus Europe Ltd
Ingeus UK Ltd
Invisage Ltd
ITL Training Ltd
RRP Ltd
DLNR CRC Ltd
SWM CRC Ltd
have jointly submitted a deed of supplemental group debenture as Chargors, with CBA Corporate Services (NSW) PTY as security trustee."
Indeed there are a number of business ownership rules that are new language to Probation and thse terms are part of that. The same issues were spotted well in advance and the prediction from the South West unions who were not out of sight of the situation. They are largely credited for bringing about the downfall. Money being a factor and the failings in HMIP report across the whole structure. The letter from Napo is indicative of their failure to grasp the meanings behind the language. It is not to late and a proper plan can delay and prevent any cuts.
DeleteThe deal with the equity firm will have taken some considerable time to put together. Ingeus, RRP, APM, Quadrant, CBA/CommsBank - all are Aussie businesses & Greg Meyerowitz, APM Group Finance Director was the signing authority on the finance paperwork lodged with Companies House. I would guess the deals were being discussed once HMG announced changes to the funding formula & an early end to the contracts.
DeleteAs this blog has said many, many, many times the CRCs were never about provision of probation services; they were always a means of keen-eyed business sharks shuffling £Millions of public money from the UK into their various pockets. Those who were prepared to collude with the CRC owners will have been well rewarded; but nothing like the scale of the return the owners' will have trousered.
The UK public purse continues to be emptied by these scammers. Its merely a larger scale, government-sanctioned version of the dating, banking & pension scams. Here's a pastiche of alerts about scammers. Sound familiar?
"There are different types of scam but they can all lead to you losing a lifetime’s worth of savings in a moment... Scammers will try to lure you with promises of one-off ‘deals’ with guaranteed high returns... Where you’re forced to make a quick decision, are pressured into doing so, or are encouraged to transfer quickly... Worst of all, because you agreed to transfer and everything's been moved on so fast, it can be very difficult to get any money back."
Sounds a lot like TR to me.
Sorry if this sounds nieve, but if the government plan is to reunify probation services very soon and bring it back under state control, then the government must have some vision as to how they want the service to operate.
DeleteIt can't be right that the private providers of a failed outsourcing experiment can still be making decisions that will affect the future of probation as they approach the midnight hour.
Isn't it the government that should be pressured to explain what's going on now and not the privateers?
'Getafix
With further redundancies being mooted for UP work and CRC, this pertaining to HIOW CRC might be worth noting.
Deletehttps://www-portsmouth-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/crime/probation-staff-shortages-under-fire-as-portsmouth-man-due-for-domestic-abuse-course-breaks-partner-s-shoulder-1-9145909/amp?amp_js_v=a2&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQCKAE%3D#aoh=15740856052615&_ct=1574085607653&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.portsmouth.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fcrime%2Fprobation-staff-shortages-under-fire-as-portsmouth-man-due-for-domestic-abuse-course-breaks-partner-s-shoulder-1-9145909
'Getafix
"A spokesman for the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Rehabilitation Company said: ‘Normal waiting times to start BBR are about eight months, but we prioritise high-risk men for an earlier start.
Delete‘We’ve striven to reduce waiting times by implementing a recruitment and training drive and by commissioning an organisation called RISE to deliver BBR on behalf of the CRC.’"
Who ya gonna call?
The subcontractors subcontractor
And they're probably subbing out the work!
DeleteA MAN assaulted his partner then went on to break her shoulder months later after a ‘regrettable’ delay in a probation programme designed to prevent domestic abuse.
DeleteDrunken Jeffrey Chinsang pushed over his girlfriend after flying into a rage about her having lunch plans with a friend the next day. When she tried to leave the 54-year-old ‘suddenly pushed her away from behind with a lot of force,’ prosecutor Nicholas Hall said. She fell to the floor landing on her face - and fracturing her shoulder.
But it emerged at Portsmouth Crown Court that prior to the April 29 assault the defendant was told to undergo domestic abuse treatment - but the course was not due to start until the end of this month. Shortages of highly-trained probation staff have been blamed for the delays.
‘Absurdly jealous’ Chinsang was handed a community order with a domestic abuse course on March 8 for two offences of battery on February 14 - Valentine’s Day.
Sentencing, judge Roger Hetherington said: ‘The building better relationships programme had not been started, so the fact you having been given the sentence in March - and I’m told it still has not started, and the date is not until the 25th of this month - that is a regrettable reflection of the difficulties that the service is under for whatever reason - and I don’t go into that.’
Howard Barrington-Clark, for Chinsang who admitted causing grievous bodily harm, said community order programmes are ‘months and months delayed’. ‘It’s brought about specifically because the probation service has been divided into two,’ he said.
Probation was divided into two with a nationalised service for dangerous criminals, and private companies taking over community services. The government plans to axe community rehabilitation companies next year.
Mr Barrington-Clark added: ‘He’s not had the help or support that the court deemed necessary.’
Judge Hetherington imposed a 12-month jail term for two years with 20 rehabilitation days, and ordered a concurrent treatment programme. A restraining order bans Chinsang, of Sackville Street, Southsea, from contacting his former partner for five years.
A spokesman for the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Rehabilitation Company said: ‘Normal waiting times to start BBR are about eight months, but we prioritise high-risk men for an earlier start. We’ve striven to reduce waiting times by implementing a recruitment and training drive and by commissioning an organisation called RISE to deliver BBR on behalf of the CRC.’
Recruitment drive and redundancies?
DeleteOh yeah, of course. Sorry for not understanding. It makes for perfect sense now I think about it.
What does that mean? Please
ReplyDeletehttp://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/rehab-prog/sale-and-purchasing-agreement-summary.pdf
DeleteBJ in the news today for his string of romances. His campaign trail has seen attend several children's schools one child remarking on he had breasts. As his usual he lied and claimed they were muscle. Having spent that time with the children it was clear he had spent more time visiting school children than parenting his own properly. The McDonalds Clwn has reported how depressing his job is as the worlds most famous clown and it is a lonely role selling fat burgers to anyone. He was also hopeful whatever happens to the top Tory clown he now has some comfort the world has a new bigger clown without the costume and Ronald McDonald has an even bigger idiot to look up to. There he is not so lonely now .
ReplyDeleteI'm a PO in the North West NPS. My SPO has told me direction has come from above to rate everybody who has not done mandatory training as "must improve" in appraisal. I'm disgusted. Why doesn't my employer give me the time to go on training?!
ReplyDeleteA perfect example of how practitioners are constantly harangued, blamed & punished for events out of their control by self-serving bullies & their acolytes.
DeleteIts contemporary 'Probation' - public OR private.