What Probation Has Become

I published this cartoon from Private Eye on October 9th:-

This came in over night:-

In all my 20 years in probation I've not heard of serious incidents from people on probation to staff....in the past 6 months I've heard of 2. There are posts above about how the recall, tick box, authoritarian, breach first and so called risk management culture leads to resentment, combative practice and poor decisions. We have poorly trained staff led by power hungry monsters. It's not scanners and bag searches we need...its properly trained staff and an overhaul of our entire approach and culture. 

This organisation is sick and unhealthy for both the people working for and using the service. I've literally had my motivation and vivacity sucked out of me by this organisation. Of course I have compassion for the employees involved and such incidents are horrific. But as a good probation officer I want to fully understand what has led two people to making such horrific choices in the past 6 months. Sadly I have no faith that this organisation has the ability to self reflect on its own potential contribution to such terrible acts and behaviour.

On October 9th I published this:-

It was an interesting discussion, I clicked on it when Jim put it up in a previous blog. Gaie Delap used the term "moral injury" to describe the trauma of the injustice she experienced. This term occurs to me whenever I read the comments section in this blog, or when I reflect on why I am still raging at the damage to my profession after retirement, or when I speak with colleagues still in work. 

Just recently one of them, talking about the terrible morale in their office, said "even the new staff, they're hating it. They just dont feel they are helping anyone" It was sort of encouraging to hear that the new recruits, who have never known any different than HMPPS, are there because they want to HELP people, not batter crap into a laptop and breach and recall. I mean, there's the poor pay, and the vicious blame culture too, but right at the centre is the yawning chasm where a solid set of values and sense of justice should be.

Anyway, back to Moral Injury, which depending on where you look for a definition, is a form of PTSD,. Collectively and individually, Probation is a traumatised organisation, and it is playing out in front of us. It plays out in this blog; the rage and the grief, the fury aimed at any and everyone who might have prevented or softened the damage. It plays out in work, the bullying and intimidation meted out by an organisation that, at least at the top, is run by people who sold their souls and they know it. 

Run by "leaders" (now that is a trigger word for our shared condition to flare) who spout guff about "trauma informed practice" but can't or wont translate that into what they do to their staff, like it doesnt tanslate into the work we are told to do. So it plays out in long term sickness and people just voting with their feet and leaving at the first viable opportunity. 

Heaven forfend Probation staff are instructed to name and shame their clientele in public. Such a stark horrible reminder of just how dismal the whole thing is, and where its heading. Question is, can anything be done to turn this tanker around? If so, what?