Napo AGM 2021Motions

The Napo AGM is fast approaching and members have until noon on September 30th to vote on the order in which submitted motions will be discussed. I've particularly noted the following:-

5. SFO – integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality! 

The civil service code sets out standards of commitment to the civil service in its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality. These values cannot be brought to the SFO investigation as this is an internal process which too often results in the scapegoating of individual practitioners and a failure to properly consider any organisational failures. Without this being remedied, individual staff members will continue to be traumatised and scapegoated and organisational learning will not take place. 

Napo will campaign for the practitioner to be properly informed and to have full and immediate access to any SFO report in which they are mentioned, alongside access to the complete Action Plan. Napo will also campaign for the SFO process to be independent and external, for instance undertaken by HMIP or Probation Institute. 

Proposer: Napo Cymru

6. Devolve Probation in Wales 

First Minister of Wales, Rt. Hon Mark Drakeford, made the case for Probation in Wales to be a devolved matter in his Bill McWilliams Memorial lecture to the Cambridge Criminology Institute in July this year. Probation should be locally based, freed from the centralised control of Westminster and unshackled from the Prison Service as an agency in its own right, accountable to, but independent from, government. All these factors are included in the proposal outlined by the First Minister. Napo is already committed to these principles in England and in Wales. In Wales there is Welsh Labour policy that Justice as a whole should be devolved. This was the recommendation of the Commission on Justice in Wales published before the pandemic, to which Napo Cymru contributed. Mr Drakeford has been clear that the wholesale devolution of Justice, while an aspiration, would be a long time in the execution. It would therefore be both principled and practical for Probation in Wales to be a devolved matter sooner rather than later. 

Napo will campaign for the devolution of Probation in Wales and will take every opportunity to contribute to discussions and planning in this regard.

Proposer: Napo Cymru

7. Unified probation service, independent and in the public sector 

This AGM welcomes the unification of our Probation Service and sees this as a positive step in the right direction. However, whilst we are pleased we are united and in the public sector, Napo agrees to campaign for the Probation Service to become a local community based organisation free from civil service control, accountable within the structure of local communities and in the public sector. 

Proposer: Thames Valley Branch

8. An independent probation service 

This AGM notes that while substantial success has been achieved around the recreation of a unified service, other aspects of Napo policy have made much less progress. The Service remains enmeshed in the civil and prison services. Nor has there been a concerted effort to debate the propriety of the Service continuing to allow itself to be described as a Criminal Justice Agency that prevents reoffending when the evidential basis for this claim is so slender. Napo resolves therefore to redouble its efforts to campaign for the Service: 

• to be devolved to local regions and Wales; 

• examine critically its crime prevention role; and 

• strengthen its claim to be an agency of social justice as proposed for Wales by Mark         Drakeford, built around a reinstated probation order. 

Proposer: Chris Hignett 

Seconder: Sue McConnel for the Campaigning Network

11. Reverse the Government’s proposed expansion of prison places for women 

This AGM views with alarm recent government plans to spend £150 million on building new prison places for women. This blatantly flies in the face of the recommendations of the Corston Report and other inquiries and reports over the past 20 years, as well as the government’s own ‘female offender strategy’. They have all concluded that prison is rarely a necessary, appropriate or proportionate response for the majority of women clients.

At a time when women’s centres, which support vulnerable women and keep them from entering the criminal justice system, are severely constrained by lack of adequate secure funding and when women’s refuges are having to refuse places to desperate women, to build prisons now is to turn our backs on the very services that keep women out of prison. 

We call on conference to oppose this wasteful and needless expansion, and for such investment to be directed to supporting alternatives in the community. 

We also call upon Campaigning Network to work towards ensuring that the public and sentencers are better informed about the causes of women’s imprisonment, so that proper investment in a national network of women’s centres is seen as the way ahead and not new prison places. 

Proposed: Deb Borgen (London Branch) 

Seconded: Mike Guilfoyle (London Branch)

12. Second Class Citizens 

Many of our members have been left feeling like ‘second class citizens’ as a result of the staff transfer out of CRCs. It seems that for a significant number of members it has not been the smooth ‘lift and shift’ process promised, with many finding themselves facing unexpected challenges such as role alignment problems, last minute news of down-banding and other unwelcome changes impacting on their jobs, careers and future income following the cessation of pay protection. Appeal arrangements appear to have been ineffective and inflexible. 

This AGM requests that Napo conducts a full investigation into the impact upon and detriment suffered by staff transferring jointly, if possible, with other trade unions. Napo should also seek to find out, factual information by survey or other means, such as how many former CRC employees were left dissatisfied with their role alignment, how many appeals were undertaken and not upheld, and how many employees have either registered a formal grievance, and/or have been signed off sick during the weeks and months following transfer. 

This AGM further requests that when this investigation is completed that, media releases are prepared, and that the findings and recommendations are published widely. 

Proposed: Paul Fairbrass (London Branch) 

Seconded: David Raho (London Branch)

16. Staffing Levels 

This AGM notes there are increasing pressures being put on staff which have become untenable making staff retention impossible. In some areas staff numbers are so low it has led to some Probation Delivery Areas being designated as HMPPS ‘Red Sites’ and others hovering close to the Red Site criteria. Although emergency delivery measures and contingency plans have been discussed they have been slow to be put in place leaving staff in understaffed areas overworked, stressed out and feeling overwhelmed and under protected. 

This AGM believes that there need to be clear processes in place that are activated whenever an area becomes a Red Site. These should include measures to protect overworked staff from the Serious Further Offence ‘early look’ and ‘review’ processes, by clearly stating where Corporate Responsibility would apply. 

This AGM urgently requests our National Officers and Officials to take immediate action to protect our staff through any and all means available including industrial action. 

Proposer: London Branch

18. Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL) – another financial mess… 

This AGM understands that many members have been presented with financial issues, including overpayments, underpayments or indeed non-payment as the case may be. In addition, members have experienced issues with expenses, pensions, changes to their Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVC) and income tax. An already struggling SSCL is seemingly out of their depth and unprepared for the reunification of Probation Services, often leaving the onus on the individual member to attempt to sort out their specific issues with little or no support. 

This AGM believes, given the number of ongoing and growing problems with SSCL, that each Probation region should have its own department set up specifically to deal with these issues to ensure local and early resolution. 

This AGM compels the National Officers and Officials to negotiate with the Probation Service to put in place a Regional Financial structure, which will act as a single point of contact for all staff financial matters. 

Proposer: London Branch

21. Workloads 

This AGM is concerned that Probation Service members from all grades are reporting feeling burned out and unable to cope with the ever increasing and unreasonable demands put upon them. We seem to have a workload measurement tool that is not fit for purpose, with many new tasks and onerous processes not being accounted for. Not only that, the tool neglects many members such as admin, SPOs, AP staff and those facilitating unpaid work or delivering programmes. 

This AGM therefore instructs Napo to insist on openness and transparency from the employer regarding the formula for determining establishment figures. Furthermore, this AGM requests that Napo national Officers and Officials use this information to push for proper measurement and management of workloads for all members. 

If no progress is made by 31st December 2021, this AGM requests that Napo registers a Workloads dispute with our employer. 

Proposer: South Yorkshire Branch

22. Save Our Specialisms 

This AGM is concerned that the end state model of the Structured Interventions Model subsumes Divisional Sexual Offending Units (DSOUs) into a generic Interventions Team with the intention that facilitators will deliver a variety of offending programmes across the board.

Dilution of roles in relation to multitasking across programme delivery could risk burnout: multitasking is known to increase stress and susceptibility to errors. Specialist knowledge increases resilience and enables staff to deliver continuously to a high standard. 

DSOUs have a significant amount of expertise in working with men who have sexually offended and it is our belief that the proposed model will significantly dilute the expertise and support that DSOUs provide to the Probation Delivery Units (PDU), particularly in relation to consultation around risk assessment, risk management and delivery of training/consultancy.

This AGM requests that Napo negotiators make the strongest representations in relation to the importance of maintaining the current structure, roles and pay grades of the DSOUs within the new Interventions model and emphasise the likely risks associated with the potential dilution of the DSOU service currently provided to the PDUs, should the proposed end state model be adopted. 

Proposer: London Branch

26. Core Probation learning must be delivered by experienced Probation staff 

This AGM understands that the National Training Team, now part of MoJ Learning and Development, has adopted a policy of recruiting National Trainers who do not have, as a minimum, probation qualifications or experience. 

National Trainers, now referred to as Learner Coach or Facilitator, deliver core learning to PQiP learners and other new entrants, as well as continuous professional development to experienced practitioners. However, recently recruited trainers include those with no previous experience of working in the Criminal Justice System. This means that core skills in engagement, interviewing, and even risk assessment, are now being delivered by those who have never set foot in a probation office or sat opposite a person on probation. We understand this is not done in error and further recruitment will use the same job descriptions. 

This AGM believes that allowing inexperienced and unqualified staff to teach inexperienced and unqualified colleagues can only erode their learning opportunity and impact on their preparedness for the role. Our new colleagues deserve better; our professional integrity deserves better. This AGM calls for Napo to organise and campaign to ensure that only those who are appropriately qualified, probation trained and experienced are employed as National Trainers. 

Proposer: Western Branch

27. Pre-Sentence Reports (PSRs) 

This AGM welcomes the fact that the Secretary of State for Justice has recognised the need for a greater investment in the quality of Pre-Sentence Reports. The Magistrates Association has also stated that it is vital these documents are of sufficient standing to inform the sentencing process. 

This AGM calls for an end to unachievable targets for the completion of ‘on the day’ reports, where vital information on risk, particularly relating to DV and child protection, are more likely to be missed. Adequate time to properly assess vulnerability, e.g. in relation to trauma and/or mental health needs is also essential. 

Probation court staff require workload weightings which properly reflect the time needed to complete high quality report and risk assessments, i.e. ones that meet the professional standards associated with PSRs before the implementation of ‘speedy summary justice’. These weightings must also take into account the increasing amount of work involved in completing the many other assessments needed, in addition to the PSR, which ensures that the finished article meets the demands of ‘quality assurance’.

This AGM directs the Negotiating Committee and Professional and Training Network to press the relevant directorates to implement these realistic and fair workload weightings. 

Proposer: Steve Bradley 

Seconder: Marion Kockelbergh