"And then supposedly you have to 'switch off' and go home"... except that at the moment much of this work is being done in our homes on the phone.
The psychological impact of having the trauma in your home is significant. The journey from kitchen table to kettle by way of a commute is not enough of a transition from the day job to the evening off. I am now at the point where when our leadership pile on the praise, thanks us hidden heroes for what we are achieving, as they did in my area on a zoom "event" last week, I have to fight the impulse to throw my computer through the window.
They bung out "well being" stuff, and talk about being kind and flexible, but I don't see any evidence whatsoever that in these circumstances workload relief would be in order. Staff who are minding young children at home are working as best they can amongst the demands and lego, and then slogging away in the evening. It isn't right and it is clearly not sustainable as evidenced by high levels of work related stress.
Of course there are staff shortages, so there is nowhere to offload excessive workload to. Yes there is! Just take a big black felt pen and score out any number of processes and activities that don't have an immediate benefit. Get the courts to grant an amnesty by way of eg, taking all Unpaid Work orders who are more than half way through the hours, and say half way through the order, where there have been no further offences, and revoke them in favour of Conditional Discharges.
In fact, take that approach across the piece in some form. Stop quality auditing for heavens sake. There is more scrutiny than before the pandemic. It's using up officer and manager time pointlessly. WTF is the new MAPPA Q review process about? Another humongous document completed entirely by copying and pasting entries from existing assessments and records, when in the main "NO CHANGE" would be a perfectly satisfactory entry.
******
Possibly the best & most important contribution of recent times. Unfortunately most of the perfectly reasonable, sensible & common-sensical points you make will carry no weight with those who define themselves as 'managers' or 'leaders'. A toxic combination of incompetence, insecurity & indifference renders them incapable of any chance of understanding what you have described because they think it doesn't affect 'them'. And on their salaries, with their mindset, it probably doesn't. For example, if anyone has bothered to read any of Romeo's tweets since she returned to the MoJ, it's all about her own career & achievements.
Possibly the best & most important contribution of recent times. Unfortunately most of the perfectly reasonable, sensible & common-sensical points you make will carry no weight with those who define themselves as 'managers' or 'leaders'. A toxic combination of incompetence, insecurity & indifference renders them incapable of any chance of understanding what you have described because they think it doesn't affect 'them'. And on their salaries, with their mindset, it probably doesn't. For example, if anyone has bothered to read any of Romeo's tweets since she returned to the MoJ, it's all about her own career & achievements.
Management follow directives. Sometimes they clash. For example promoting well being is a directive and so is getting people to work more productively. In an ideal world the means and resources would be available to support both objectives. But they are not. Add in an organisation's culture and the mix is set. No mystery.
ReplyDeleteYes, "managment" are having as awful a time as the rest of us, its those who are issuing the directives that need to change their approach radically.
ReplyDeleteWhen I voiced frustration to my manager about the endless directives about recording, assessing, reviewing etc etc etc he said that he actually found it quite useful as it made reporting back up easier than having to dredge the information from the databases where it already is. Or "evidence the work".
I think people need to be realistic about what managers (and that includes senior managers) can actually do.
ReplyDeleteThe suggestion above that "Get the courts to grant an amnesty by way of eg, taking all Unpaid Work orders who are more than half way through the hours, and say half way through the order, where there have been no further offences, and revoke them in favour of Conditional Discharges".
That's not something that anyone in probation has any control over whatsoever as it would require legislative changes and I doubt parliament would be in a position to ram that through at the current time.
People seem to forget that probation has a statutory requirement to provide services. This isn't like a bakery that can just say "sorry, we're not taking any new cake orders".
At what point do statutory requirements become too difficult or impossible to fulfil?
DeleteAm I reading these posts right, or am I mis-interpreting what's being said here?
ReplyDelete1. Managers are only doing what they are told - a popular defence used by collaborators
2. Managers have little or no power - another popular defence used by the weak, characterless & uncaring
3. Managers are having a dreadful time - a manipulative 'get alongside' strategy used to deflect from the reality
So what *do* managers (and no, its not all of them, but it is many of them) do while frontline staff are collapsing under the many competing & conflicting demands for their time, with directives focused on endlessly recording data multiple times:
[my manager said he] "found it quite useful as it made reporting back up [chain of command] easier than having to dredge the information from the databases where it already is."
or... "my manager gets me to do his/her job for them which means I don't have time to do my own job, let alone do it properly, which leaves me fearful of capability proceedings brought by ... my manager - whose job I'm fucking doing for them!!"
Its Kafkaesque; its Catch-22; its abusive; its wrong.
Here are some thoughts:
i. let admin & IT specilaists deal with the admin & IT
ii. let qualified probation practitoners deal with those they are trained & paid to supervise
iii. replace the eager-to-please layer of faux management with those who truly understand (a) what the probation task is, (b) how to achieve the best from staff, (c) where lines must be drawn & are prepared to push back, such that political imperative does not impact upon the task-in-hand
iv. heal the divisive nature of the organisation; sweep out the ashes that are choking everyone & build a new fire, one that will burn brightly & effectively.
We have a couple of working models-in-progress we can observe about 3,500 miles west. The GOP need to sweep out the ashes, as does Biden.
TR1 put a chokehold on probation practice and left it weak, floored & desperately gasping for air.
TR2 will be less merciful. It will snuff out ANY chance of future probation independence.
"1. Managers are only doing what they are told - a popular defence used by collaborators"
DeleteWhat a ridiculous comment, 13.44. Everyone in every job is doing what they're told! That's how workplaces work you're manager tells you what to do. And your manager's manager tells them what to do. And your manager's manager's manager tells them what to do. Anything else would be anarchy or chaos. So it's hardly the defence of a collaborator is it? Probation Officers get told to do OASYS, if they didn't do any they'd get fired. Does them doing OASYS mean they're collaborating? No, it just means they're doing what they get paid to do. It's no different with managers.
Managerial responsibility flows down aswell as up.
DeleteIt's not all about doing the masters bidding, there are also obligations to the care and wellbeing of those they manage.
Keeping those above who bark their commands happy is only half the job.
Yes! This! Why its called middle management. Also, lets petition HMPPS (and any other employer tbh) to have as their second from the top - top being Profitable/Hit the targets depending on sector, to score highly on worker satisfaction matrix. C'mon, why not
DeleteThe dictatorial leader traits are: all decision-making power is theirs, unrealistic in demands, uses excessive discipline and punishment, does not allow others to question decisions or authority
DeleteA more passive style of this is: all decision-making power is theirs, unrealistic demands clouded in humor, subtle forms of discipline and punishment, allows questions about decisions (on the surface) but ignores them, pretends to be your friend only to get their way.
OR
The authoritative leader traits are: seldom lets others make decisions, feels he/she is the most qualified and experienced, considers his/her views to be most valid, lacks confidence in others abilities, critical of differing opinions, rarely gives recognition, is easily offended, uses others for his/her benefit, action oriented, highly comtetitive
The biggest weakness of this style is the failure to recognize the skills and abilities within other people. They are often denied opportunities to use or exhibit their skills in decision-making venues.
Yet, the greatest strength of this style is to produce action when it is needed.
Some more 'no shit' moments from the world of media:
ReplyDelete"Covid deaths higher among low-paid workers in England and Wales, analysis shows"
"English and Scottish get drunk most often, 25-nation survey finds"
"Covid leaves Boris Johnson with an expensive 'levelling down' problem"
and that's just from the Guardian!!
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-55793575
DeleteUseless, desperately needy & eager-to-please lump of lard makes empty promises on the hoof - again:
ReplyDelete"The news that the prime minister is looking at easing some restrictions by mid-February came as a surprise to many reporters – and to No 10.
The slip by Boris Johnson went against what insiders have been briefing for many weeks: that the easing of restrictions is a long way off and that this time there will be extreme caution."
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mhcs-open-session/invitation-to-mhcs-open-session-22nd-february-2021
ReplyDeletehttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mentally-disordered-offenders
And in case you missed them:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/policy-frameworks-index
https://people.nhs.uk/guides/conversations-about-painful-subjects/steps/trauma-and-moral-injury/
ReplyDeleteTrauma and moral injury
It’s helpful for non-specialists to understand a bit more about trauma. Trauma can be defined as the experience and effects of overwhelming stress. Trauma overwhelms a person’s ability to cope when faced with threat, or when they believe there is a serious threat confronting them.
Moral injury is defined as “the psychological distress which results from actions, or the lack of them, which violate someone’s moral or ethical code”. Unlike formal mental health conditions such as depression or PTSD, moral injury is not classified as a mental illness. However, those who develop moral injuries are likely to experience negative thoughts, often about themselves and others involved in the traumatic incidents which have triggered their distress. These can range from guilt and shame, through blame and disgust towards others, to fear and loss of self-confidence. Read more on moral distress in Health Education England – NHS Staff and Learners’ Mental Wellbeing Commission Report (2019)
Trauma, and the distress it causes, is determined from the perception of threat rather than by the magnitude of the event/s. This means that it can arise from what may appear to the outside observer to be relatively minor triggers.
The role of perception reveals why contrasting experiences can be traumatic, and why some experiences may be traumatic for some people and not for others. Differences between people and context, such as a person’s, prior experience/s, and the extent and duration of the stress affect a person’s capacity to respond. So, too, do their resources, including their internal resources.
This point is very significant and underlines the importance of hearing accounts of trauma and moral injury in a non-judgemental way, respecting the staff member’s experience and narrative. In addition, it relates to the complexity of some experiences of trauma which will require patient listening and a degree of skill in structuring conversations. To give two possible examples related to the current pandemic:
A black staff member who had suffered discrimination in their life before Covid-19, may be struggling to cope with their experience of working through the crisis – in other words, suffering trauma on top of trauma
A staff member required to “shield” a family member, therefore confined at home in self-isolation, may suffer acute guilt at not having “played their part”.
Such experiences are already coming to light.
Remember, as managers and leaders we are often not privy to the experiences that our staff have been subject to in their personal and work lives to date. We are all at risk of trauma and moral distress. This does not make one person stronger/weaker than another.
"iii. replace the eager-to-please layer of faux management with those who truly understand (a) what the probation task is, (b) how to achieve the best from staff
Deleteiv. heal the divisive nature of the organisation"
OR
"The authoritative leader traits are: seldom lets others make decisions, feels he/she is the most qualified and experienced, considers his/her views to be most valid, lacks confidence in others abilities, critical of differing opinions, rarely gives recognition, is easily offended, uses others for his/her benefit, action oriented, highly competitive... the greatest strength of this style is to produce action when it is needed."
Or perhaps have any management skills whatsoever??
DeleteHow to energise them, is the question. Or more importantly, how to energise potential managers who have the - I hope still remaining- values of probation in their hearts. Nothing will tempt the valiant into the fray at the moment, given what is prized and rewarded
ReplyDeleteManagement reflect the organisation we have become. Sanction focused authoritarian control monitoring and direction. Donation values are long gone not that many followed them, they have become whining by words of a past golden age that actually was not that good. Wake do the job required that is what you work for the pay. Look around thousands losing their jobs.
ReplyDeleteThe UK death toll from Covid has topped 100,000.
ReplyDeleteThe data from the UK's national statisticians show there have been nearly 104,000 deaths since the pandemic began.
The figures, which go up to 15 January, are based on death certificates. The government's daily figures rely on positive tests and are slightly lower.
Two big drivers of that were the timing of the first lockdown and the terrible numbers of deaths in care homes.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55757378
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/26/covid-in-the-uk-how-first-cases-exposed-flaws-in-response
Deletesecure UK borders?
DeleteSo how many are still coming into the country?
"The airport, and others, are tight-lipped about publicly stating current numbers, and the Home Office and the Department for Transport were not able to provide recent figures.
At Heathrow on Monday, the first flight to arrive was BA flight 74 from the Nigerian capital Lagos, at 4.44am – a Boeing 777 with typically 250-300 seats. Others followed from Hong Kong, Singapore, Ghana and Kenya, before a second morning wave, largely from North America and the Gulf – but only 30 services in total by 9am, when traffic had peaked. By the afternoon only a handful of international flights arrived every hour at what was once Europe’s busiest airport... Heathrow’s numbers nonetheless far outstrip others: at London Gatwick, which is more oriented towards leisure travel, there were only six in-bound flights scheduled on Monday – two from Dublin, plus Belfast, Kyiv, Riga, and Madrid. London Stansted had only five incoming flights scheduled for Tuesday, from Ireland and eastern Europe... "
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/25/why-are-people-still-flying-into-the-uk-despite-covid-rules
common sense? Or cynical opportunism?
ReplyDelete"A 40-year-old Conservative MP who received the coronavirus vaccine after spending an afternoon volunteering at a local hospital has said this happened because there were some left-over doses, which would have otherwise gone to waste."
“I have just started volunteering at a local vaccination centre in my constituency,” he said in a statement. “At the end of a day of volunteering there were some left-over vaccinations and rather than letting them go to waste they offered me a vaccination so I don’t put people at risk while continuing to volunteer.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/25/forty-year-old-mp-says-he-received-left-over-dose-of-covid-vaccine
Perhaps he is but he has just impuned the health service . Suggesting a vaccine would be wasted is outrageous and needs investigation.
Delete"Debenhams deal and Topshop talks put more than 20,000 jobs at risk"
ReplyDeleteOnce again, proof positive that the capitalist model prioritises money for the wealthy over welfare of the nation. These deals look after shareholders whilst throwing thousands under the unemployment bus.
And the fear of losing a job & all that means results in quality being scarificed for compliance with the organisation's demands - however unreasonable or inappropriate, e.g. you will work in the office during the pandemic or you will lose your job.
It is, of course, far more complicated across the board - but in principle that is exactly what is happening because of the structures of our society, the focus of this government and the concentration of wealth with a relatively small number of people.
"It’s not right that the world’s 10 richest people have amassed £400bn since the start of the pandemic while billions struggle"
https://www.theguardian.com/news/commentisfree/2021/jan/26/covid-inequality-worse-squeeze-super-rich
oh, the poor darlings, what a dreadful pickle! No money, no job, about to lose their home, family torn apart by covid-19... or have I mis-read the story?
ReplyDelete"Jessica Gold, from London, has been trying to get home from South Africa with her mother, 77, and son, 13, since 1 January - but their flights home have been cancelled three times.
She says the idea of having to quarantine in a hotel when she eventually manages to get home is "absolutely absurd".
"Now we are booked to return on 16 February, and there is no way we can or will stay in a hotel to quarantine when I have my own place and we can quarantine there, as we have done in the past," says Jessica.
She flew out to South Africa, where she owns a safari lodge in Greater Kruger National Park, at the end of November. Her son and mother then joined her for Christmas.
Jessica, 42, wants the government to get tougher on enforcing travellers' home quarantines, rather than bringing in the hotel rule - which she describes as "ridiculous and an extra unnecessary expense during these very tough times"."
The unfairness & cruelty of life for these poor people!
How selfish can people be? try this:
Delete"The CEO of a Canadian casino company valued at nearly $2bn (£1.6bn) has quit after he and his wife were charged with misleading authorities to get a Covid vaccine.
Rod Baker, of the Great Canadian Gaming Corp, and his wife Ekaterina had travelled to the remote northern Yukon territory for the jabs.
The region, home to many indigenous people, has a faster vaccination rate than in the rest of Canada, data shows.
*** The couple had posed as motel workers*** "
+++++ Important Public Information Notice +++++
ReplyDelete"The NHS has warned people to be vigilant about fake invitations to have the coronavirus vaccination, sent by scammers.
The scam email includes a link to "register" for the vaccine, but no registration for the real vaccination is required.
The fake site also asks for bank details either to verify identification or to make a payment.
The NHS says it would never ask for bank details, and the vaccine is free.
I've been battling & struggling with feeling low of late, and the final admission of 100,000 lost lives hasn't helped - but it has galvanised some into starting to make challenges to the useless bastards who claim to be 'in charge'.
ReplyDeleteHearing lardy boy stress he & his government have done everything within their power to minimise deaths & address the pandemic made me physically sick.
I've now cleaned up the pile of wretched puke, turned off the telly and retreated to the attic.
They are beyond reprehensible. They are beyond contempt. They are criminals. They are lying, cheating fraudsters.
What a day... John Crace was gentle on Johnson:
Deletehttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/26/learn-lessons-boris-johnson-promised-far-too-late-for-many
sounds like jenrick is making a play for next-in-line leadership role with his weasel words this morning. sorry but i cannot treat his words as genuine; words from a man who lies & cheats repeatedly to get his own way.
DeleteBy any measure, the UK has passed the milestone of the loss of 100,000 people
ReplyDeleteAbstract information: Daily number of deaths within 28 days of first positive test, reported on Tuesday, 26 January 2021 = 1,631
Abstract information: Total number of deaths within 28 days of first positive test, reported up to Tuesday, 26 January 2021 = 100,162
Abstract information: Weekly number of deaths where COVID-19 is mentioned as a cause on the death certificate, registered during the week ending Friday, 15 January 2021 = 7,766
Total = 103,602
MY SISTER IS NOT A STATISTIC
Tomorrow, when the latest Deathometer of Covid is announced
in sonorous tones,
Whilst all the bodies still mount and curl towards the middle of the curve
Heaped one atop and alongside the other
My sister will be among those numbers, among the throwaway lines
Among the platitudes and lowered eyes,
an older person with underlying health conditions,
A pitiful way to lay rest the bare bones of a life.
MY SISTER IS NOT A STATISTIC
Her underlying conditions were
Love
Kindness
Belief in the essential goodness of mankind
Uproarious laughter
Forgiveness
Compassion
A storyteller
A survivor
A comforter
A force of nature
And so much more
MY SISTER IS NOT A STATISTIC
She died without the soft touch of a loved one’s hand
Without the feathered kiss upon her forehead
Without the muted murmur of familiar family voices gathered around her bed,
Without the gentle roar of laughter that comes with memories recalled
Evoked from a time that already seems distant, when we were connected by the simplicity of touch, of voice, of presence.
MY SISTER IS NOT A STATISTIC
She was a woman who spanned the seven ages.
A mother
A grandmother
A great grandmother
A sister
A friend
An aunt
A carer
A giver
MY SISTER IS NOT A STATISTIC
And so, she joins the mounting thousands
THEY ARE NOT STATISTICS ON THE DEATHOMETER OF COVID
They are the wives, mothers, children, fathers, sisters, brothers,
The layers of all our loved ones
If she could, believe me when I say, she would hold every last one of your lost loves, croon to and comfort them and say – you were loved.
Whilst we who have been left behind mourn deep, keening the loss, the injustice, the rage.
One day we will smile and laugh again, we will remember with joy that, once, we shared a life, we knew joy and survived sadness.
You are my sister........ and I love you.
Dorothy Duffy
4TH APRIL 2020
This poem -a tribute and a lament for my sister was written in the hours after her death amidst the swirl of news briefings announcing the daily C19 death toll.
MY SISTER IS NOT A STATISTIC
You can hear Dorothy Duffy read her poem here:
Deletehttps://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/my-sister-is-not-a-statistic-coronavirus-victim-from-mayo-remembered-in-a-poem-1.4228879
It was also played at the start of R4 PM programme again tonight.
Please listen to her words as she reads them.
It will be as many feel and a thoughtful poem for us all to reflect. It could be anyone now as it changes. Boris still no contrition for his delays farming out cash to private track trace failures. Failing to close ports early as march 1 and still will continue to kill more innocent people. Johnson is a killer . May have a weapon it his incompetance is all he needs and I suspect we are just half way yet. Johnson needs be got rid of Tory scum kill the less fortunate and have billions stashed.
DeleteBreaking news from Washington DC tonight, confirmation that Donald J Trump will be acquitted in the Senate. He will not, I repeat not be convicted. Only 55 Senators voted to proceed with the trial, with 45 opposing. Those 45 opposing cannot possibly now vote to convict. 67 Senators are required to convict, the Democrats do not have the necessary numbers.
ReplyDeleteWe'll have more on his breaking story as we get it but the headline tonight is that Donald J Trump will be acquitted and will be free to run again in 2024.
We can only hope that the cowardly GOP will get what's due to them in other ways; and hopefully Trump will find himself 'unavailable' to campaign or be a candidate after criminal convictions.
DeleteIts a shame, its a disgraceful state of affairs - but perhaps there's a hidden gambit in play that we are not aware of...?
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
ReplyDeleteThe poor stay poor, the rich get rich
Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows that the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
Like their father or their dog just died
And everybody knows that the Plague is coming
Everybody knows that it's moving fast
Everybody knows the deal is rotten
Old Black Joe's still pickin' cotton
For your ribbons and bows
And everybody knows
Songwriters: Leonard Cohen / Sharon Robinson
Everybody Knows lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Not too sure what this is about, but it doesn't really seem to be part of 'renationalisation'.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ukauthority.com/articles/moj-considers-digital-service-for-probation-recalls/
'Getafix
Its the inevitable development of all those electronic data mining tasks you perform each day, the birth of the algorithm to replace the incompetent humans who cast doubt upon & undermined her previous successful TR1 project:
DeleteTR2: Romeo's Revenge - this time its personal.
"MoJ says the purpose of the work is to understand the needs of probation staff in making appropriate and timely recall decisions and whether a digital service could help. Staff to be able to see relevant information about parolee and understand the procedures and guidelines for making recall decisions."
Is this sort of Inevitable to are they weeding failed decision makers and bad missing actions on cases. Won't this be a good thing to protect the public.
Deletehttps://www.google.com/amp/s/www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/covid-contracts-private-companies-foi-elizabeth-denham-b901187.html%3famp
ReplyDeleteThe health and safety officer appeared quite dismissive of my concerns. She did however measure my desk and reluctantly agreed that there was not 2 meters between me and my colleague but 1.5. I was informed that the track and trace representatives have been off sick, and so had the replacement. Hence the poor communication. such as not being informed of my colleague testing positive. I was also told I am fortunate, as in the community only one meters plus social distance is required. I am unclear of the exact rules.I had hoped to be protected to some extent by my employer. I relayed this at a meeting in the afternoon. Only to be interrupted by a member of staff having to leave the meeting due to a positive test. I returned to my desk to find out via gossip that the health and safety officer had also had to leave due to a positive test!
ReplyDeleteI saw this article this morning on the BBC website re outbreaks in offices https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55843506. Hopefully management will stop trying to tell me, "I am at more risk in the supermarket".