December 2019
Branch Report 34
Dear Members,
This report, is my last, as 2019 draws into Christmas. It has been, as promised, a difficult four months since we reported the upheaval changes to rid us all of the Working Links model and what was done to destroy better working practices for the public, so that Working Links could redirect our resources and the finances in order to survive another day.
We have all understood this year the worst ever HMIP report on record. Followed by the sudden departure of a Chief Officer and the subsequent reorganisation of most staffing to help repair the damage caused by Working Links and their enablers. The roll out of the new framework going forwards into January is a now welcome and mainly agreed structure that has the support of the unions. The Case Management model has now for the first time in 5 years achieved an agreement on management action when staff report overwork situations. This did not see any progress on a weightings arrangement as the structure is set up on a special measures intention. It is acknowledged there are not enough staff for the work and the intense recruitment will address the issues as fast as suitable appropriate applicants can be found to fill roles.
In that process we have not established a full moratorium but the employers have agreed to relax all the formalities on staff related matters, where possible, to save time, reduce bureaucracy and engender support to staff in difficulties. This is at last a measured way forwards and it took the external Seetec Senior Management to realise to put the brake on and re direct the blind over excessive management.
With Seetec now firmly recognised and properly in control, the overview of the new model has taken apace under the guidance and hard work of the MoJ representative. NAPO and the sister unions have been working closely on the obvious flaws in the proposals and much of the initial concerns have been recorded and wherever possible addressed. For example case allocations has now been restored to the professional grade with appropriate procedures to ensure professional sign off. It restores some balances to workloads and removed the nonsense of the suggested percentage distributions in the hope of a flood of PO grades joining the CRC shortly. The redirections of face to face management is now assured. Telephones are back as a working tool. How Working Links thought the job could be done without them illustrates further gross negligence.
Considerations are ongoing for the buy up of staff toil accrued, should staff want it and paid overtime arrangements where work demands are great. Also, where local arrangement demand a flexible approach to workload management, cluster working can be deployed, as may well also use of redirection of some staff in exceptional circumstances. These arrangements could not have happened without the sheer number of consultation negotiations that we have been engaged. The active inclusions of many staff across the levels and the commitment from Seetec senior authority to try and ensure this transition year starts to deliver assured services would not have been possible as we were. Thank you, to all those staff who joined the range of consultations and putting across the real and stark situations that we have all endured. Your efforts have worked and the next three months should see the changes required.
In CP we have also agreed a consistent regional model going forwards that has the backing of staff grades in those areas and CP teams. It resulted in the first collective agreement with the privatised arrangements. That put the ongoing 4 year dispute to an end. The benefits work for all sides - a consistent model and for some less working days, built in breaks, remuneration, harmonisation of many practices and some valuable experiences learned in the way to manage future agreements. Sadly, the pay consistency parity issue, was not settled immediately at this stage. However, better news on that shortly. Our thanks go out to all those staff who gave up some significant time to deliver the regionally ratified outcomes.
Seetec themselves have yet to announce PAY news and we have continued to campaign for proper pay and rewards. I can assure you at every stage in those talks we have maintained a consistent position. There is news on this front to be announced shortly so again look forward to the detail.
2020 looks to be exciting with the roll out a full programme of much needed and welcome training. Free of the computer based farce of Working Links and back to comprehensive developments featuring 1-1 and group delivery. This will start to rebuild the workforce as a cohesive team renewed competencies, confidently delivering the daily pressure of workloads. The planning is done and the announcements due out shortly. We all expect this to lift practice and put another country mile of distance from the gross incompetence of Working Links and their facilitators from which our members and staff have suffered.
In my view we are now travelling a different journey and at the least a renewed direction. The General Election outcome will have sealed the future contractual plans for TR2 and a further split for interventions. Seeing the returning journey for case management now established as the responsibility of the state and off to NPS in the extended likely date of summer 21.
When I took up the role of NAPO SSW chair it was clear to me and others the prospects of facing Working links, an already established dubious company was going to be fraught with danger. It was a challenge, presenting great personal risk. To formally disagree and be the spokesperson for the branch whatever it takes was always going to be incredibly hard. I set out on that understanding and to do the role as assertively and aggressively as possible should the need arise. I have had the skills and the support of some fantastic people in service and in the broader trade union movement. This branch SSW formed many complex strategies fighting off compulsory Redundancies and major policy changes to impact on terms and conditions. Attacks on staff, false allegations, inappropriate and failing disciplinary procedures. Sickness absences and Grievances at record highs in my 36 years service. Staff leaving in volume and dissatisfaction across the board. Favouritism, nepotism and cronyism the centre of the Working Links way and those enablers.
We still have some distance to go to see these practices extinguished in full. For me we are a long way from the full on dictatorial although some senior management still attempt the same traits and recent tricks sadly. We have taken local political action in the form of a council led motion against Working Links performance, well before HMIP took any notice. They only had to ask us three years ago plus it is not like we have been silent on the issues. The branch contributed to the parliamentary inquiries, the audit accounts and many other sources. We have taken Joint Secretaries action followed the two years of ACAS talks to failure. We disagreed within the union internal national ranks many times as their weak and short sighted agents wanted to form inappropriate agreements. This included most other union officials. I have been complained about from all sides and many times over from them (so what!). It is a tough role and at one point I had to take my own national union to the Certifications Officer for their gross incompetence and my team resoundingly beat them. Thanks to Dave Rogan et al from the outset saw what a staged and nasty game they played out at the members significant expense. All while holding our local team together. No, it has not been an easy journey.
There have been many changes in the staffing reshuffles and reorganisation nothing short of some real professional and well managed Seetec HR interventions that have gone a long way to securing contractual compliance and staff protections. The changes are set and processes are agreed. We are moving directly away from the previous disasters and the joint unions have contributed with that new direction of change. With this in mind it took a new management to relieve us all of the impasse that had locked progress. We have forged new positive understandings. The future is set to amalgamation and a second TR2 by which we will be splintered further as the bulk of staff return to what is seen as the central activity of case management. It is clearer to me at least continuing in the role of Branch Chair now that the main fighting is over would go against my announcement in the branch AGM in June 2019 that it would be my last as the chair of the SSW branch. Everything we have done on behalf of our SSW members has been vindicated over this arduous 5 years. That is now assured given the agreements are in train to protect staff and work through to transition. In January the executive will look to see how we organise election processes.
In the meantime It is Christmas and the customary Chairs message is to enjoy your time off whatever you celebrate or not. To thank all of the SSW branch executive, those special members (secretary) in that team who have started a different direction as a result of the changes. Hoping all goes well as we all move into what effectively will become the last full year of the CRCs. Have a restful and enjoyable break.
Dino Peros
Napo Branch Chair SSW
"Attacks on staff, false allegations, inappropriate and failing disciplinary procedures. Sickness absences and Grievances at record highs in my 36 years service. Staff leaving in volume and dissatisfaction across the board. Favouritism, nepotism and cronyism the centre of the Working Links way and those enablers... We disagreed within the union internal national ranks many times as their weak and short sighted agents wanted to form inappropriate agreements. This included most other union officials. I have been complained about from all sides and many times over from them... It is a tough role and at one point I had to take my own national union to the Certifications Officer for their gross incompetence... In my view we are now travelling a different journey and at the least a renewed direction. The General Election outcome will have sealed the future contractual plans for TR2 and a further split for interventions."
ReplyDeleteAs ever Dino provides a warts-&-all account of events which is far more palatable than rainbows & unicorns.
Dino is an amazing rep and been working hard for many never giving up on issues our branch could not have done a fraction without his leadership
DeleteYou were lucky - we had reps who did deals with management & sacrificed members' best interests for NPS manager jobs.
DeleteDino has been an amazing unyielding force in achieving the best for his members. His resilience has seen off the most unbelievable and undeserving nasty attacks not just from the employer but from Lomaz, Lawrence, Rogers and the rest of the leadership team of 2018/19. They should feel ashamed as should others for attacking their own colleagues in the workplace for self rewards.
Deletea warts-&-all account I think that should read WARS with what is said in this report. It was once said this branch was lead by a controversial character. Courting trouble perhaps? However, their accomplishments in the SW branch has remained the go to place for information strategy and can do approaches than those of the cant do or wont do brigade. Not heard the SW saying the best that can be achieved as an excuse for failing. Controversial perhaps but they do appear to achieve in that branch. They have not let up in the years of TR I did a search and this blog is prolific with vitriolic reports and assertion of their trade union position. That has to be a good thing when you read the awful account of the several Murders. Those SFO happening while the known failing working links exposé by that chair has been on-going. These tragedies and failings of the privatised management of services are clearly to blame and this branch had the foresight it seems to have registered their formal dispute. It is clear no one in authority was prepared to heed the NAPO branch chairs warnings. It might also be a record in running a dispute for the years Working links tried to hold onto government funding. It would have been a phenomenal fight against TR had this confidence or tenacity with the strategic outlook. Had that been deployed nationally to all branches what might have been?
DeleteWhat an astonishingly hard working and resilient NAPO SW Branch Chair!!!!!!
DeletePerhaps National Officials should take a leaf out of his book.
I am proud to have witnessed the incessant work rate and the torture endured by this shining light for the rights of SW NAPO employees.
Despicably attacked by the heirarchy of NAPO (alleged colleagues).....who were then to their cost found wanting by the Certification Officer.
Despised and alienated by the Working Links Company......who then collapsed into administration.
Countless representations for NPS and CRC members amid unprecedented grievances, disciplinaries, overwork, sickness absences.
Tirelessly travelling across all corners of the south to support the needs of members.
Instrumental in now repairing the damage caused by the incompetent previous contract holder and its unable and wanting senior management(some still present) to provide a forward thinking and innovative system to support and protect the needs of the employees in TR2.
To you Dino Peros and the SW Exec Branch which you have led with passion and integrity......I hold you in high esteem for what you have achieved and for the advice and information you give.
https://www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-wales-51008205?amp_js_v=a2&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQCKAE%3D#aoh=15783954801390&_ct=1578395276048&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s
ReplyDeleteThe family of a man murdered at a caravan park by a serial offender was refused access to details of the killer's probation monitoring for over a year, an inquest has heard.
DeleteConner Marshall, 18, was beaten to death at Trecco Bay in Porthcawl in March 2015. Killer David Braddon, who was 26 at the time, pleaded guilty to murder and is serving a life sentence. Braddon was subject to two community orders at the time. He had been convicted of two drug offences and assaulting a police officer, but probation staff were unaware he had previously been convicted of beating up a partner.
Nadine Marshall told the inquest in Pontypridd they were only told Braddon was under supervision five months after her son's death. She said it took eight months of "pleading" with the Wales Community Rehabilitation Company to get a summary of the details of Braddon's case in April 2016, and was refused access to the full probation report.
She and her husband went to the Ministry of Justice in London in the end to request the report and were again told they were not entitled to it, but the day after their visit they were told they would be allowed to see it after all. However they did not receive a copy until November 2016, seven months later.
Assistant coroner Nadim Bashir said "too much reliance on self-reporting" had meant staff had not known of Braddon's prior conviction for battery in 2009.
Probation officer Katherine Oakley said she had been "overwhelmed with work" as there were often lots of people off sick and she had not carried out a risk assessment on Braddon. "I was sometimes dealing with 15 to 20 cases a day. Because of this I didn't have time to carry out every risk assessment," she told the inquest.
Braddon had told Ms Oakley he was suffering from anxiety and depression and had been diagnosed with psychosis but had stopped taking his medication. He had missed six rehabilitation appointments, but Ms Oakley said there would be a "substantial reason" to miss one.
"I'd usually require documentary evidence such as a doctor's note. If it was childcare issues, we'd rearrange appointments," she said. "If he used that reason more than once. I would get suspicious and not accept it as a reason."
Outlining the events leading to Mr Marshall's death, Mr Bashir said the attacker had taken a cocktail of drugs and alcohol, including cocaine and Valium. He had been staying at the caravan park with his estranged partner and their children when a row erupted over an ex-boyfriend.
DeleteBraddon armed himself with a kitchen knife and said he was going to look for the ex-boyfriend and kill him, the coroner's court heard.
Mistaking Conner Marshall for that individual, Braddon launched a frenzied attack when "the red mist descended", he told police in interviews. He admitted striking the teenager with a pole and repeatedly punching him, before stripping him naked to humiliate him.
Addressing the inquest, the murder victim's mother Mrs Marshall described the past few years as going through "the depths of despair". She said she missed the nightly text messages from her son telling her: "Nos da - caru chi" - Welsh for "Good night - love you".
Mrs Marshall, from Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, said the whole family now felt anxious and nervous about the most simple daily tasks. "I feel we failed to protect Conner, but giving your children as they grow up independence is so important - but equally hard," she said.
The inquest is continuing.
Fuller coverage at Wales on Line - including muddling the headline about a probation officer who was actually a probation service officer.
DeleteWhat an awful piece of work to need to be involved with - an inquest - it could happen to any of us - I was very fortunate to avoid such a public investigation of my probation pracise.
I wish her well and hope she is well supported.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/live-updates-inquest-death-conner-17517514
Senior civil servant stole £1.7m from Ministry of Justice
ReplyDelete---------------------------------------------------------
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/senior-civil-servant-stole-17m-from-ministry-of-justice-a4328096.html
A civil servant who stole more than £1.7 million from the Ministry of Justice to buy a lavish home and cars has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.
DeleteAllan Williams, 37, masterminded a “sophisticated” fraud by setting up payments to a fake company for two years.
Williams, who as a Grade 7 civil servant would be earning £50,000-£60,000 a year, used the cash to buy an Audi SQ5, an Audi A3 and a five-bedroom manor house with 1.1 acres in Hampshire.
Before the fraud he had been living in a £290,000 three-bedroom semi-detached house in Essex with his family. At Williams’s sentencing yesterday, prosecutor Gregor McKinley told Southwark crown court: “This was a sophisticated fraud … and would have resulted in further loss to the taxpayer if it had not been discovered.”
On July 23, 2017, Williams created a £7 million purchase order for an “IT services contract” from “Sopra Business Consulting” and set up a monthly payment to it. But the firm was bogus, created by Williams. The money was transferred from the company’s bank to his personal account. He was caught when a junior civil servant became suspicious of a transaction in July 2019. Williams, a manager in the MoJ’s commercial and financial control sector, tried to convince him the payments were legitimate, the court heard. But the employee reported them. Police found Williams had transferred almost £1.4 million of MoJ funds to himself and £400,000 was in the fake firm’s account.
Williams, of Bentley, Hampshire, pleaded guilty to fraud and transferring criminal property. Judge Joanna Korner QC told him: “You conceived of this plan to make yourself richer … It was both sophisticated and greedy.”
An MoJ spokeswoman said Williams “used his knowledge of our controls to circumvent them”, adding: “We have since carried out a further review to ensure it would be even harder to commit such an offence.”
A whole new meaning to insourcing?
Delete'Getafix
Why is this relevant to the original blog post. It always wanders off topic.
DeleteIt's how we do things here - mix in news as it happens and those who want to contribute to the original thread just go round it. It's not so much a 'wander' as a 'noted'.
DeleteThank you editor it is a lot of meandering rather see focus on the story in hand.
DeleteNapo needn't worry about criticism of inaction or leaving others to carry the can - some notable dimwits also suffer the same fate:
ReplyDelete"Boris Johnson has faced MPs for the first time since missing a crunch vote over the expansion of Heathrow. The Foreign Secretary, who previously pledged to lie in front of bulldozers to stop a third runway, was absent from the vote on Monday night"
"Frosty relations between Channel 4 and the Tories went sub zero tonight as the broadcaster replaced Boris Johnson with an ice sculpture in a climate change debate."
“Where is Boris Johnson?” “Is the Prime Minister OK?” These were the questions Downing Street was forced to bat away on Tuesday as it emerged Mr Johnson hadn't been seen in public for 11 days.
The Prime Minister returned from his New Year holiday in Mustique... Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been the public face of the UK's response to Iran... In the House of Commons on Tuesday, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace delivered the government's first Parliamentary statement on the most serious foreign policy crisis in years.