Despite the recently published HMPPS propaganda, there is widespread evidence that the probation workplace has become an increasingly toxic environment under their command and control and therefore the two following developments will be of interest to all staff:-
The Government must recruit more probation officers, increase funding for probation services and conduct an urgent review into working conditions for staff. We believe the Probation Service is critically past its maximum capacity to manage dangerous offenders and staff are burned out.
We are concerned that health and safety risks to officers, some holding caseloads close to 200%, are being ignored. With many leaving, or on long term sickness, we believe a rise in serious further offences is inevitable. The Government must act to improve the work-life balance of staff without further detrimental impact to staff health and well-being, and the impact on their families. Probation work needs to be condensed into a more manageable, effective framework to lessen the burden on staff..
--oo00oo--
As we leave 2023 behind, we wanted to acknowledge how aware we are as joint leads for Napo on Health and Safety, of the working environment staff find themselves in at this time.
Our Officers and Officials are receiving many reports of how excessive workloads are impacting on our members and manager member’s health. This, along with staff shortages, lack of resources and 100+ % caseloads are taking their toll. Despite the efforts to recruit new staff (which Napo fully supports), members tell us that morale is at an all-time low. Staff sickness figures as a national average, show little real sign of improvement and departure from the service is still alarmingly high.
What can you do?
No matter what your grade, whether you are a receptionist or a manager, you are all in this together. As a member of Napo, you are able to seek assistance if you are experiencing the following issues
- Feeling bullied within the workplace
- Being subjected to racism, cultural prejudices, faith prejudices, ageism, disability discrimination, gender discrimination, sexism, or any other forms of toxic or unacceptable behaviours
- Being expected to do work that takes you over your contracted hours – (without so much as the offer of overtime payments). By using the contact details below in confidence, you can help us monitor the number of extra hours staff and managers are doing each week in order to try and cope with your workload.
- Being in receipt of a warning letter on your return from sickness absence or having to issue these against your better judgement .
- Not being heard when you state that you cannot (or your staff cannot) take on more work, and how management respond to this
- Feeling overwhelmed and traumatised
- Having had to seek medical intervention to help you manage work-related stress / depression
- Anyone who feels they are working within a hostile office environment
- Current concerns that you may have over potential SFOs and high/unmanageable caseloads.
As noted above, we’re aware that members, of all grades, are working in excess of their contracted hours due to excessive workloads. We would advise all members to ensure that this is recorded and that you request that your manager advises you on the priorities of your work, please ensure that this conversation is clearly recorded. We would advise our manager members to also ensure that they inform their manager when they are aware that staff are working excess hours.
Health and safety within the workplace is of the utmost importance so that staff can protect themselves and their well-being. we recognise that public protection becomes less and less possible when staff are struggling in unmanageable circumstances. The purpose of asking people to come forward, and speak to us confidentially, is so that we can try to address the impact that current workloads are having on staff and managers, mentally, emotionally, and physically.
By helping to contribute to the wider picture, we can consider how best we can support people in this difficult time. We are also aware that each area may have its own unique issues, while all areas will have some shared concerns and difficulties. The issue of Workloads should also appear on Regional JCC agendas so that regular dialogue is maintained with management.
To contact Napo you can email or call us on the Central Napo contact details below, or to find out your local Napo branch representatives for your area.
Phone: 020 7223 4887
Email: info@napo.org.uk
To join Napo please email the address below:
membership@napo.org.uk
More Napo diarrhea Napo FFS don't tell us to work these hours then add to work by recording chit chat. The only regulatory advice you should be providing is NOT working in excess of contracted hours go take breaks go home on time break vdu gaze. Don't worry this is not industrial action it delivering your terms. Make them do their side. Get your eyes tested in work time. Make them pay for the lenses vdu tool. Don't travel free . Don't use your own resources. Napo grow the fuck up or fuck off . Members need protection you thickos.
ReplyDeleteSo what are you doing to support staff
DeleteNAPO have been telling people to only work their contracted hours for at least 20 years. Staff continue to work over their hours because they’re afraid. That’s on staff, not NAPO. Given that staff won’t clock off at 5pm, the only advice NAPO can then offer is for staff to record their excess hours and inform their managers, and put the onus of work priorities back on their managers.
DeleteIf staff continue to work over their hours instead of handing work back and saying it’s not possible to do within their contracted hours, then no union or anyone else can stop them. Staff need to stand up for themselves and say no to working over their hours. If enough people did this, the service would SEE that the workloads are unmanageable. They would have an excessive amount of work not being completed. Instead staff (conscientiously so) continue working evenings and weekends, which allows the overflowing work to be completed. Hand it back. Say it’s not feasible. How they manage that is on them, not staff. They cannot physically force people to do it. Any threats of formal procedures wouldn't stand up in a tribunal. Staff need to stop being afraid of management and start taking responsibility for their well-being, instead of adding to their own stress. It’s easier said than done, but if all staff did this, things would change. The entire service cannot all end up on a capability procedure. If nothing else, it would highlight the failings of the service, and they aren’t going to hold themselves up to that kind of scrutiny.
People need to remember that targets are service targets, and not their own individual targets. Staff work for a service that have targets. None of those targets would ever be met without the staff, so staff need to unite and refuse work that takes them over their contracted hours. There is nothing in anyone’s contracts saying they have to work for free.
Same old, same old.
ReplyDeleteThe Probation Service needs to pay staff better. Petition that! Better pay = more staff!
Probation and unions need to act on the widespread problems already known and reported about working in probation. More feedback, surveys and training are not solutions!
Nothing will change. It never does!
Why don’t you put a petition together for better pay?
DeleteThat is not a NAPO petition. That’s a staff petition created by staff.
DeleteNAPO reps do their very best for the people they represent (and no, I’m not a rep). Their leadership structure deals with all of the stuff written above. Reps simply do their best to support staff, (despite their hopeless leader) and many reps also end up needing that support themselves. They also face discrimination and veiled threats when they defend staff. They’re some of the few people the service does actually have who are willing to stand up and challenge problems using their own voices, their own names and their own faces, and not do it anonymously. Reps do their best whilst wearing a very clear target stamped on their own backs for doing it. They are also staff, which makes it that much harder for them. But they still do it, and go on record doing it.
If you want change, sign the petition. Its aim is to act on the widespread problems already known and reported on working in probation. It’s a starting point, and without a start, you’re right, nothing will change.
“we are as joint leads for Napo on Health and Safety, of the working environment”
ReplyDeleteNapo, you’re telling us to seek assistance from you for this environment staff find themselves in at this time instead of telling us why you failed to prevent it.
Totally useless union. How exactly can you “support people in this difficult time?”
I’m sick of this napo bashing - if you think you can do better why don’t you be a rep
DeleteI'll second that. Myself and fellow reps are working hard, and getting results too. All this whinging does is undermine us.
DeleteI read somewhere recently: dont be an optimist, dont be a pessimist, be an activist. I might fashion a coat of arms for myself with that as the motto. Not that I am heading for House of Lords any time soon.
Probation workers raising valid concerns is not whinging. Members pay subs fees for good support. They shouldn’t expect to do it themselves.
DeleteWith enough cases of racism, discrimination, bullying, toxic work environments and staff sickness etc reported to them, they would have the up-to-date data and figures to push for policy changes on the grounds of health and safety. Without that relevant data, they’re going on assumed numbers which holds no weight. People don’t report their situations enough, and so NAPO are stuck with going on what a few people are telling them without details. They need evidence to prove their case. It has to be evidence based. Without it they can’t push for change, even if they want to.
DeleteIt seems to me that we now sit in several camps, all oF which suit the great leaders - the NAPO attackers , the NAPO stalwarts (at least at ground level) and those who just bleat, have no sense of unity, let alone internationalism but bleat and bleat. We need more of the Yorkshire man’s attitude- BUGGER OFF - or foxtrot alpha to management !! I do, and will continue to work,my contracted hours but beyond that you can kiss my arse, my 16 years of goodwill means nothing to you. Indeed I doubt many of you lip smacking senior leaders even knew what probation was 16 years ago. FOXTROY ALPHA. My notice is in and I feel euphoric, my partner is delighted. I cannot however erase my concern for colleagues and service users, all of whom deserve so much more. Thank you for your blog Jim! Thanks to your tenacity, apparently a trait of “old school POs, and the internet means this history is written.
ReplyDeleteThis comment right here. Work your hours and nothing more.
DeleteYes good work JB .
DeletePart of the problem is when probation officers and probation service officers start referring to themselves as probation ‘workers’. You all qualified at whatever level you did, and you have a professional job title. Don’t demean yourselves by removing it and replacing it with ‘workers’. You have nurses, doctors and consultants depending on their level of qualification. Teachers, lecturers and professors. Chefs, sous chefs and head chefs. This isn’t about dividing staff. It’s about owning the fact that everyone worked damned hard to qualify for their positions, whatever that position might be, and everyone should own their hard work and professional title. HMPPS would like to call all staff ‘workers’ because it breaks people down. It devalues people’s hard work. It undermines their daily struggles. Own your achievements and be proud of it. As someone once said “don’t put yourself down - there are plenty of b*t he’s out there that will do that for you. Own your achievements and be proud of them.”
ReplyDeleteOnce you do that you will find your fight and unity together as staff. Lets be clear - when they say ‘workers’ they aren’t talking about SPOs and PDU Heads. They’re talking about frontline staff. The people that hold this failing service together and stop it sinking into and under the bog it’s been built on. So use your professional titles and don’t let them downgrade you to mere ‘workers’. Nobody needs a qualification to stack shelves (for the record I’ve nothing against shelf stackers, it’s just an example). But if probation staff were just ‘workers’ then SPOs and PDU heads would be included by that. They aren’t. This is just another way for them to break down the confidence, identity and fight their staff have so staff don’t challenge those above them. We have never been ‘workers’. We are officers. Just as the police aren’t ‘workers’. They’re officers and would never refer to themselves as ‘workers’. We are not ‘less than’. Don’t help them break you with their language. Use your own language, not theirs. By using the term ‘workers’ there is an instant divide between PDU Heads SPOs and frontline staff. It’s essentially them putting people in their place with ‘you’re just a worker, do as you’re told and fall in line.’ You’re not just workers. You’re strong individuals that deal with barrel-loads of shit on a daily basis to keep things afloat while the higher-ups continue to pile on the pressure and ruin your mental health and impact on your home lives. Claim back your identities. You are not ‘just’ workers. You are officers. Hold onto that before that’s gone as well. When people are willing to own their achievements, they can stand together as a wall and say ‘no’ with a loud voice. Stand together and stay loud.
Power to all frontline staff.
OM, PP, Com. These are the downgraded titles.Dont use them. We are all probation workers and probation staff. Be proud to say you’re a Probation Officer.
DeleteIts probably much more feasible now to take the "do my hours & go home" approach than ever before because the work is so controlled, the facetime with clients is minimal & the extra hours are spent filling in forms arsecovering &/or feeding the hmpps data machine.
DeleteTime was someone might come into the office in a very distressed state at 5pm & it could take until 9pm or longer to unravel the mess, make contact with relevant professional/s or otherwise help resolve the situation, e.g. just been released from police cells, just been evicted, having a mental health crisis, taken an accidental overdose or intentionally tried to take their own life. They saw the probation office as a safe place, their probation officer as someone they could seek help or advice from. More than once I've taken someone to a B&B at 10pm on a Friday & paid for a weekend's accommodation (hoping to claim it back from the Vicars' Fund or similar).
But back then we had pay that was comparable to other professionals, at least 33 days annual leave + public holidays, the opportunity to claim for out of hours working (not always approved), travel & subsistence payments, funded professional development opportunities, honorariums for specific pieces of work... we felt like valued people in valued jobs doing (mostly) good things.
I know the feeling. One example from experience:
DeleteTrain delayed for case being released on a Friday; she rang at 4.45pm to advise she was on her way to the office as she had missed the cut-off time for reporting to the hostel, had been refused entry (licence stated 2.30pm appt) so had nowhere to stay AND had missed the chemist so had no medication (prison had provided a prescription but not issued any meds).
What to do?
I rang train station & confirmed the train was delayed. I rang the hostel & negotiated her being accepted on the Monday morning. Rang a local B&B, paid for a weekend stay including evening meals & agreed I would deliver her to the B&B. I then rang an out-of-hours chemists & got them to agree to honour the prescription.
Case arrived at 5.30pm. A colleague had kindly agreed to wait with me so there were two of us in the office. I then took case to the chemists & on to the B&B. Got home just before 9pm.
Case was successfully admitted to the hostel on Monday, licence period subsequently completed without a hitch.
Going the extra mile wasn't always so successful, but at least the opportunity was there...
C4 news on homelessness - Andy & his dog Bailey. Andy says about his dog "Its having another heartbeat that's on your side"
DeleteThat's what the above posts say to me. No bullshit, no posturing; just letting someone else know that there's another living being who recognises & acknowledges them.
Thank you Andy & Bailey.
I think issues have become conflated.
ReplyDeleteOn one hand (and rightly so) is pay and condition and workloads for the individual within the organisation.
On the other hand there's the identity and purpose of the service itself.
Whilst I'm in broad agreement with annon@04:11, I don't recognise todays probation service as having anything to do with probation at all.
If it's all to be about policing and enforcement and recalling to custody the non compliant, then there's no real need for probation officers, or even probation workers, the multinationals G4s and Serco could manage that alongside their tagging contracts and pay national minimum wage to their employees.
I think it's no accident that probation has been shaped in the way it is today. But just some food for thought (and again I sit with annon@04:11), if probation doesn't do probation anymore, if it cant retain a proffessional standard, then why would there be any need for probation officers at all?
'Getafix
4:11 here. Getafix is correct. The service lost its identity a long time ago. Probation officers are supposed to do rehabilitation work that helps people make positive changes, which then goes towards protecting the public from harm. We aren’t doing that anymore. We haven’t done it for a very long time. All we do is an ever-growing mound of admin at asks. Rehabilitation was always the purpose of our work. It doesn’t happen anymore. All we do is shunt people from courts to prisons and back again. We need unity in order to regain our identity. Everyone trained hard to become probation officers and probation service officers. We need to stand up for what we believe in. We trained because we believed we could enable positive change. We need to re-establish ourselves as Probation again and not unidentifiable civil servants. How that comes about? I don’t have an answer but it starts with saying no to being disempowered. Not working more hours than we are paid for. Not being afraid to speak up and challenge those in a position to do something about it. Words without action changes nothing. Staff of all grades need to come together. The Probation service I trained to be a part of is non-existent now.
Delete‘Getafix,’ the need for probation officers is obvious.
ReplyDeleteSomebody has to take the blame when it all goes wrong.
I agree annon@11:00.
DeleteIncreasingly, I'm thinking that may be it's only purpose.
'Getafix
From Twitter:-
ReplyDelete"Agree that NAPO are only as strong as their membership but in addition I think that NAPO need to be more open about the discussions they are having with the leadership team in HMPPS on workload and countering some of the narrative from them. Confidence is an issue for all."
This is your probation . A mate of mine a Solicitor in wales , probation asking for a remand in custody for a 7 months pregnant woman who breached PSS non violent offence . Think about that
ReplyDeleteAnd if the probation officer doesn’t follow the enforcement expectation of the organisation and the offender gets involved in any way in a serious offence, that probation officer will be thrown so far under the bus they’ll be as worse off as the pregnant woman facing prison.
DeleteThink about that!
From Twitter:-
ReplyDelete"... no one dares 'like' or comment 🤔 because they 'aren't allowed' In plain sight or what - like so many other things going on. Workers have kids to feed, mortgages to pay, bills left right and centre. A chain of abuse that 'gets off' scot-free because THEY CAN 😪"
Insomnia again. This job has become @@@king impossible! Could work double my hours and not keep up with the demands. Get more empathy from some of those on probation than the service. Not that that surprises me one bit! Cornwall is well and truly @@@ked with hardly any experienced PO's and floundering PSO's with massive caseloads and PQUIPS jumping ship. Think I'll join them rather than rot in this hell hole of beauracracy, targets and being turned into a recall/enforcement machine. Is anyone on high actually listening? Cannot take any more. Happy F****ing Christmas and thanks for the Christmas cheer, missed target reminders and reminders to turn the out of office on before we crawl home at some crazy time to enjoy our break worrying about what's in store when we return next week! In the words of Arnie, I wonbe back so enjoy transfering my caseload to the office cleaner, the last person standing probably ......
ReplyDeleteThe complete management structure are just following the millgram experiment and whatever the screams just keep applying the voltage . Thanks sscl and the monsters management have become.
ReplyDeleteI am an NQO currently working on 194% WMT. My managers are supportive. They understand this isn't sustainable or healthy. But the entirety of probation is hostile to me. Where are the cases supposed to go? We are all still overworked. I can't manage risk at this level but if something does go wrong it will be my fault. I can't cope and I want to leave but I love this job. When it goes right we have such an amazing opportunity to help people. But when do we ever have the time???
ReplyDeleteFrom Twitter:-
Delete"This seems all too familiar - when on PQiP, with maybe fifteen cases or so, I had time to prepare RAR sessions, plan upcoming appointments, support drug / alcohol interventions. Just not possible once juggling 45+ cases, and duty etc."
"I am an NQO currently working on 194% WMT. My managers are supportive. They understand this isn't sustainable or healthy."
ReplyDeleteHow can your managers be "supportive"? in that situation? Presumably *they* allocate the work?
If *they* understand it isn't "sustainable or healthy" why are they imposing that workload upon you?
That's pure sadism.
Its abuse.
It is what I called it at least ten years ago - a coercive & abusive relationship. I remember I received some serious criticism on here for drawing that analogy. .
I note others are now also saying similar.
And its true. Staff are being gaslit, they're being abused on a daily basis - mentally, emotionally & financially.
I say again - as an organisation that is supposed to be able to challenge such abusive behaviour in others, why is everyone so compliant when they're being treated this way?
Sadly we have to acknowledge things have changed for the worst since I first drew the comparison; the abusers-in-chief are now in total control. They have direct line management of all the mechanisms; they own the means of regional, area & local delivery. Any dissenters will be toast.
I will always be haunted by the case who was on & off my caseload for a range of offences - mostly shoptheft & drink-driving. She was a ward sister. Her husband was a very senior manager with a big reputation in a huge organisation. They lived in a large, fine detached house. When it suited him he chained her up in a shed like a dog in an outside kennel - often naked - when she wasn't wearing just an apron to cook & clean for him. Her bruises & sprains & breaks were, he said, a consequence of her drink problem. He placed a bottle of vodka in the shed every day. When her circumstances became apparent during supervision we did some signficant work to try to unravel matters, although she often said she didn't want to cause any upset or change things. We were making some progress with her self-esteem when her husband decided "enough was enough". Firstly he complained about me "interfering in their relationship" to the service I was working for, which took several uncomfortable months to resolve because they believed his lies. Then he ramped up his behaviour towards his partner, which led to a hospital admission for serious injuries: "she fell all the way down the stairs in a drunken stupour". He took out legal proceedings to secure sole custody of their child & started a divorce petition. With the help of a womens' support organisation we managed to keep her safe while in hospital. Once she was fit enough to be discharged she went straight back to the family home & agreed to live in the shed "because I love him" and so she could see her child. I reported further matters to the police, although my manager didn't want me to (?!) and eventually offences were laid & charges pressed. He was given a conditional discharge for an ABH. He promised to ruin my career & break my neck in front of the CPS solicitor at court, but the solicitor wouldn't make a statement. Not long afterwards my client - not subject to any supervision at the time - was found dead in her car. The cause of death was said to be a tragic case of an alcoholic succumbing to alcohol poisoning, her injuries consistent with repeated falling whilst intoxicated.
"but if something does go wrong it will be my fault."
Anon 09:43 Blimey! Do you think you could find your posting from way back on here?
DeleteI'll try...
Delete... but I've had little success so far, sorry JB.
DeleteThere's **sooo much** to trawl through & I've never kept copies of my posts.
No worries - 'twas a long shot! Take care and have a good break.
DeleteCheers - MX & HNY
DeleteMuch of the issue with high workloads are 'side deals' or dealing with long-term mental illness that other POs/PQIPS/PSOs/NQOs are not privy to. Also if you start in an PDU you don't know what the organisational culture is like. There are very qualified POs who don't have to see high risk cases anymore because of the strain on their mental health, but that means, 'fresh meat' in the form of new staff bares the brunt. I can totally understand why SPOs would protect those individuals who have had long-term sickness- there's a duty of care aspect, if nothing else-, but to remove them from any high risk work, risks making others' stressed out and sick- the vicious cycle perpetuates. Not enough is done to audit cases or to be smarter about giving Low and Med cases to PSOs or NQOs or PQIPs. PQIPs caseloads whilst training have been reduced because of the high profile cases that have led to tragic murders. I still think SPOs often lack empathy towards staff, but expect it from POs to be given to service users, but are also suffering their own difficulty coping. It makes for a disconnection that, as the person before has said, you feel gaslit. Just because you're good at your job or love it or can prove that you can do it doesn't mean you're not carrying a build up of stress and other illnesses often psychosomatically rendered and then the cycle starts again and you go sick. Rather than patch and mend, we have to seriously tackle workloads- it's putting everyone connected with criminal justice at increased risk.
DeleteNice to see that our ministerial rape fantasist has outed himself; hopefully out of office before the end of the day!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-rape-jokes-contribute_b_5240592
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/carl-benjamin_uk_5cd3fa78e4b0229b94674301
https://www.strath.ac.uk/whystrathclyde/safe360/gender-basedviolence/gender-basedviolencepolicy/appendix1gbvharmfulbehaviours/
"Gender-based violence can affect children, young people and adults and can occur in diverse settings... Sexual bullying or harassment, for example: making sexual jokes or threats e.g., rape jokes or sexual innuendo"
Like humiliating one's wife by referring to the use of date-rape drugs to keep her faithful because, obviously, *she* is going to sleep with everyone else & *you* have to control her voracious sexual appetite
That is a very good post and helps me appreciate what's the depths are thank you. It is bad and he should go now .
Delete