A Fairy Tale

One thing all probation practitioners know without hesitation is that lack of settled accommodation is the single most serious problem faced by those under our supervision and therefore a major impediment to the prevention of further offending. 

Despite all the warm words and supposed initiatives, homelessness has been a growing problem for decades and with emergency Covid 19 measures in the process of ending the situation will visibly and disgracefully re-emerge on our streets. But we hear the shortage of housing generally is going to be urgently addressed with Boris Johnson's cunning plan to 'build, build, build' out of the pandemic. Just like magic, total reform of the planning system is going to deliver 'more homes, quicker, cheaper and more beautiful'. Who writes this shite and more importantly, who seriously believes it?

The Daily Telegraph is of course the favoured mouth piece of the Tory Party and it's worth quoting in full Robert Jenrick's fairy tale from last Saturday:-

Radical and necessary reforms to our planning system will get Britain building

We are introducing a simpler, faster, people-focused system to deliver the homes and places we need

During lockdown many readers will have spent more time at home than ever before; a home can be a haven, that provides financial security, roots in a community and a place that a family can call their own. But our country’s outdated and cumbersome planning system has contributed to a generational divide between those who own property and those who don’t. Half as many 16-34 year olds own their own homes, compared to those aged 35-64.

While house prices have soared since the Millennium, with England seeing an increase at one of the fastest rates in Europe, our complex and slow planning system has been a barrier to building homes which are affordable, where families want to raise children and build their lives.

It’s resulted in delays to vital infrastructure projects that come with new housing. Communities are missing out on new hospitals, new schools and improved roads and restrictions have left derelict buildings as eyesores and empty shops on our high streets, instead of helping them to adapt and evolve.

Local building plans were supposed to help councils and their residents deliver more homes in their area, yet they take on average seven years to agree in the form of lengthy and absurdly complex documents and accompanying policies understandable only to the lawyers who feast upon every word.

Under the current system, it takes an average of five years for a standard housing development to go through the planning system - before a spade is even in the ground. Seven years to make a plan, five years to get permission to build the houses and slow delivery of vital infrastructure.

This is why the Prime Minister has been clear that we need an ambitious response that matches the scale of the challenge in front of us. A once in a generation reform that lays the foundations for a better future. So this week I am bringing forward radical and necessary reforms to our planning system to get Britain building and drive our economic recovery.

We are introducing a simpler, faster, people-focused system to deliver the homes and places we need. Under the new process, through democratic local agreement, land will be designated in one of three categories: for growth, for renewal or for protection. Land designated for growth will empower development - new homes, hospitals, schools, shops and offices will be allowed automatically. People can get going.

Renewal areas will enable much quicker development with a 'permission in principle' approach to balance speed while ensuring appropriate checks are carried out. And protected land will be just that - our Green Belt, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and rich heritage – will be protected as the places, views and landscapes we cherish most and passed on to the next generation as set out in our manifesto.

Our reforms seek a more diverse and competitive housing industry, in which smaller builders can thrive alongside the big players and where planning permissions are turned into homes faster than they are today.

Creating a new planning system isn’t a task we undertake lightly, but it is both an overdue and a timely reform. Millions of jobs depend on the construction sector and in every economic recovery, it has played a crucial role. These reforms will create thousands of new jobs, from bricklayers to architects. We are cutting red tape, but not standards. We will be driven by outcomes, not process.

It is easy to see why so many people are wary of development, when streets of identikit, “anywheresville” housing has become the norm. This Government doesn’t want to just build houses. We want a society that has re-established powerful links between identity and place, between our unmatchable architectural heritage and the future, between community and purpose. Our reformed system places a higher regard on quality and design than ever before, and draws inspiration from the idea of design codes and pattern books that built Bath, Belgravia and Bournville.

John Ruskin said that we must build and when we do let us think that we build forever. That will be guiding principle as we set out the future of the planning system. New developments will be beautiful places, not just collections of buildings. Good design is the best antidote to local objections to building. We will build environmentally friendly homes that will not need to be expensively retrofitted in the future, homes with green spaces and new parks at close hand, where tree lined streets are provided for in law, where neighbours are not strangers.

We are moving away from notices on lampposts to an interactive, and accessible map-based online system – placing planning at the fingertips of people. The planning process will be brought into the 21st century. Communities will be reconnected to a planning process that is supposed to serve them, with residents more engaged over what happens in their areas.

While the current system excludes residents who don’t have the time to contribute to the lengthy and archaic planning process, local democracy and accountability will now be enhanced by technology and transparency.

Above all, these reforms will help us build the homes our country desperately needs by unlocking land and new opportunities. In so doing we will provide secure housing for the vulnerable, bridge the generational divide and recreate an ownership society, one in which millions more people can open their front door and say with pride, “welcome to my home”.

Robert Jenrick is the Housing Secretary

--oo00oo--

As with so much Tory propaganda it's just smoke and mirrors designed to grab a headline, based on grossly distorted facts and completely undeliverable aspirations - come to think of it just like the Transforming Rehabilitation fiasco of Chris Grayling or more recently the 'world-beating track and trace system' of Matt Hancock. Words are so cheap and bare-faced lies no longer seem to carry much in the way of risk. Somehow deregulating is going to increase citizen involvement in the planning process?   

The evidence shows that it's not delays in the planning system that prevent more homes being built at all. The truth of the matter is that the main reason is all the big house builders have vast swathes of land 'banked', planning approvals granted and in a capitalist world they only drip-feed new houses onto the market in such a way as to ensure steadily-rising prices. Despite all the usual bluff and bluster from Boris, he knows this perfectly well and of course the house builders are big donors to the Tory Party.

Talking of political donors, it will be recalled that Mr Jenrick has recently been in a spot of bother with his disgraceful and now unlawful London Docklands Westferry Printworks intervention that robbed Tower Hamlets citizens of £40million for public services, but handsomely lined the pocket of Tory donor Richard Desmond. For me this whole sordid episode goes to the real heart of the planning problem and that has its roots in the post-war settlement and the Town and Country Planning Act 1947.  

Essentially the post-war Labour government were determined to nationalise any 'betterment' that might accrue as a consequence of land increasing in value due to a change of use. A very simple and fair way of financing public services some would say, rather than allowing land owners to pocket large windfalls due to successful planning applications. But therein lies the dividing line between left and right; socialism and capitalism; Labour and Conservative. Sadly this aspect of the Act was revoked by a later Tory government and it's worth noting that the funding of public services has been problematic ever since. 

Rather alarmingly the Jenrick proposals are going to exacerbate the situation by removing the Local Authority's ability to extract some developer contribution via so-called Section 106 payments that until now have been a main source of funding for social housing. This from Inside Housing:-

Concerns for social rent as government unveils plans to scrap Section 106

Ministers intend to abolish Section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy planning agreements and replace them with a new overarching Infrastructure Levy as part of the move to a zonal planning system.

Housing commentators raised concerns about what the changes will mean for delivering social rented homes, with details limited as Inside Housing went to press on Wednesday night.

Melanie Rees, head of policy at the Chartered Institute of Housing, said: “The big question in my mind is what this means for social rented homes. Robert Jenrick has talked about people not being able to buy a home, but the planning system is about more than that. We’d like real reassurance that there won’t be a negative impact on homes for genuinely affordable rent as a result of this, and that’s a bit of a concern at the moment.”

Kate Henderson, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, said: “Any alternative to Section 106 must ensure we can deliver more high-quality affordable homes to meet the huge demand across the country. Any new system must also enable the ’levelling up’ of communities that have already been left behind, such as rural communities or places with a struggling local economy.”

Section 106 planning agreements see developers deliver affordable homes in exchange for permission to build and are the biggest contribution to affordable housing supply. In 2018/19, the mechanism accounted for 49% of all affordable homes completed in England.

Housing secretary Robert Jenrick claimed that the “once-in-a-generation” reforms will make planning decisions “simple and transparent, with local democracy at the heart of the process”.

The Infrastructure Levy will be a fixed portion of the value of the development, above a set threshold, with revenues going towards local projects such as new roads, playgrounds and discounted homes for local first-time buyers. It will represent “a new simpler levy to replace the current system of developer contributions which often causes delay,” the government said in a press release.

But Hugh Ellis, policy director at the Town and Country Planning Association, agreed, adding: “For a national land tax to work it’s going to have to be very complicated and it’s going to be have to be graduated if it’s going to succeed.”

Richard Blyth, head of policy and practice at the Royal Town Planning Institute, said that a flat rate charge may be difficult to create because of differing land values across the country.

--oo00oo--

As with many of Boris Johnson's current Cabinet, the Housing Secretary may be of limited experience and ability but that doesn't mean his views haven't been coloured by his own planning woes. This from June in his local paper:- 

Robert Jenrick the secretary of state for housing who is currently embroiled in a row over a planning decision has some previous experience with planning matters, reports The Times newspaper. Conservative councillors on Westminster council gave planning permission for an enlargement of Jenrick’s townhouse despite officers recommending the application be refused because it would harm the appearance of the building and the conservation area.

The Times reports that Jenrick’s wife submitted a planning application to build a roof extension on their home in Vincent Square, SW1 in August 2014 two months after he had been elected as a Conservative MP. Two previous applications submitted by Jenrick himself had been refused. Planning officers were recommending refusal of this third application but Steve Summers a Tory councillor and a neighbour of Jenrick made an official request that a planning committee take the decision and not officers.

In November 2014 the three Conservative members of the planning committee — Richard Beddoe, Robert Rigby and Paul Church — voted to overturn the officers recommendation and approve the scheme. Ruth Bush, the single Labour member of the committee voted against the application. The Times states that Beddoe, who chaired the planning sub-committee, did not respond to a request for comment, while Rigby and Summers both referred the newspaper to the council’s press department.

A spokesperson for Westminster council told The Times that “planning committees are entitled to reach their own conclusions” weighing up various criteria and on this occasion disagreed with officers. A spokesperson for Jenrick said that a normal planning process was followed.

--oo00oo--

Make no mistake, despite all the warm words and rhetoric, these proposals are all about further deregulation allowing the big house builders even more of a strangle-hold over housing provision and hence greater profits. Just look at what has already been happening with Permitted Development Rights allowing unsuitable conversion of office accommodation to residential use, by-passing the normal LA planning process. We are indeed creating the new slums of the future, not the deluded vision of tree-lined boulevards of 'beautiful' houses. The experts clearly agree in a joint letter from four esteemed institutes of architects and town planners:-

Use of PDRs 

It is in this light that we share our concerns around the use of PDRs, which should not be considered unless subject to clear space, building and design standards. You will no doubt be aware of the comments of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission, who concluded that PDRs had inadvertently created “future slums”. 

Automatic permissions for the conversion of office spaces to housing, without requirements relating to quality, size, sustainability and design, has led to spaces detrimental to the wellbeing of residents. We are concerned that further PDRs, including the ability to demolish and rebuild on existing sites — if implemented without significant safeguards—will lock in more unacceptable standard development, the consequences of which we will live with for generations or must rectify later at greater expense. We welcome the recent move, via a statutory instrument, to require natural light in homes created from office conversions.

However, this situation should never have arisen, and homes without windows, as well as other egregious example of such poor quality living conditions, must never be allowed to happen again. 

Our offer of help 

We have seen further announcements related to PDRs, including: 

• Extra storeys on residential building without the need for planning permission 
• Demolition of empty buildings if replaced with residential, without the need for planning permission 
• Further reforms to use class orders, to expand the commercial presences that can be repurposed to residential without planning permission 

We are concerned around how these PDRs will be implemented, and the potential impact on the quality of life of future residents and local communities. All PDRs must require minimum space, building and design standards, and should be implemented in such a way as to ensure they contribute towards affordable housing and community infrastructure. Having these safeguards does not mean delays in construction, it means that the homes built in the early 2020s will not become the social disasters of the 2030s. 

While we stand ready to advise on how to create the best possible outcomes under a PDR regime, we strongly urge proactive rather than reactive planning of this sort for the built environment. A longer term, more sustainable solution would look at interventions earlier in the building process, rather than retrofitting buildings that are fundamentally not suitable as housing. 

The creation of buildings which are properly suited to undergo various different uses during their lifetime would be preferable to the change of use of buildings which are not suited and which need proper conversion.

--oo00oo--

As with the probation 'reforms', these planning 'reforms' will not deliver the absurd claims; are a bad idea universally condemned by the experts; are driven by political ideology and will only reward big business and the usual friends of the Tory Party. But as this piece from the BBC highlights, it might yet all fall foul of the Tory faithful, typically residing as they do in the leafy suburbs and Shire Counties, all well-practised NIMBY's by nature who just might see some very unsavoury and unwelcome development in prospect in their back yard:-  

Robert Jenrick defends overhaul of England's 'outdated' planning system

Sweeping changes to the "outdated" planning system in England will make it easier to build much-needed new homes, the housing secretary has said. Robert Jenrick said local people would not be able to block developments in designated "growth" zones. The changes were needed to speed up the planning process, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. But critics say they could lead to "bad-quality housing" and loss of local control over development.

The government says it wants reduce the number of planning cases that get overturned at appeal by creating a "clearer, rules-based system". Mr Jenrick told Today local people would get a "meaningful say" at the start of the planning process, when local plans are drawn up, but will not be able to block new schemes after that. He claimed local people "did not have a great deal of influence" over the current planning system and that few people engaged with it.

He told BBC Breakfast: "We have a major housing challenge but also a major economic challenge and a lot of people's jobs depend on this industry. We think our new system will still be democratic, it will still have local engagement, but it will be much faster and help us to meet the needs of the next generation."

Mr Jenrick also wants to change the way developers contribute to the cost of building affordable housing and new infrastructure in every new project. The government will introduce a national charge for developers - replacing the existing Section 106 agreements and the Community Infrastructure Levy - to fund projects such as schools, roads and GP surgeries, and a fixed proportion of affordable homes in a development.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: "This is a developers' charter, frankly, taking councils and communities out of it. And on affordable housing, which is the critical issue, it says nothing. In fact it removes the initiatives that were there for affordable housing."

Alan Jones, President of the Royal Institute of British Architects said: "While there's no doubt the planning system needs reform, these shameful proposals do almost nothing to guarantee the delivery of affordable, well-designed and sustainable homes." He said that taken together with moves to allow more commercial premises to be converted into homes without planning permission, "there's every chance they could also lead to the creation of the next generation of slum housing".

Mr Jenrick said such criticism was "complete nonsense", insisting that "design and quality" were central to the government's plans.

BBC Political Correspondent Jessica Parker said there was disquiet on the Conservative benches about the government's proposals, with one MP predicting "quite a battle" on the issue. Conservative MP Geoffrey Clifton Brown, told BBC Radio 4's The World at One: "Whilst I'm all in favour of building more houses, they need to be good quality houses, we've got to be really sure we're not building slums of tomorrow by building today at low quality."

But the Cotswolds MP added that people in areas like his now realised more homes needed to be built so "their children and their grandchildren" can get on the housing ladder.

Read All About It

As has been said many times on this blog, the world of probation remains a complete mystery to most people and I suspect that's largely down to it featuring rarely in TV drama's. Strange that, because we all know 'all life is there', it's just that translating all the subtlety and nuances must be too difficult for screen writers. Possibly not for authors though and especially former PO's. Here's a handy list from yesterday's Guardian, ideal for those practitioners who just can't get enough of the day job even when it's holiday time:-     

Top 10 books about probation

When I started researching A Ruined Girl, I knew plenty about one of the two central themes and almost nothing about the other. I’d spent months working undercover in children’s homes for a documentary, so that part was covered. But my main character was a probation officer, which was new territory for me. The first stop was to stock up on novels fronted by POs – but as it turned out, the list was not long.

Not that there aren’t plenty of authors more than qualified to tackle the subject: Ann Cleeves, MW Craven, Mari Hannah, Ruth Dugdall and many others left careers in probation to become writers. Far fewer, however, choose to write about it: as Hannah told me, writing probation just didn’t appeal when her partner, a former murder detective “always had more fun than me”.

It’s no secret that probation has a bit of PR problem – with that perceived lack of excitement it’s hardly surprising that so few novels take the space between incarceration and what follows as their setting. By the time a convicted criminal is released on licence, most of the obvious drama is over. But that residue was exactly what I wanted to look at – the long tail of the crime, the aftermath for the people left behind. As any probation officer knows, the crime doesn’t go away when CSIs have packed up and gone home, and the TV cameras have disappeared from outside the courtroom.

My probation officer Wren Reynolds has her own reasons for needing to trust in the possibility of redemption and transformation. Although that ethos is arguably the key to success for the real-life PO, it’s not something she shares with all of her fictional colleagues. The clutch of probation officers here all share Wren’s fortitude, but the belief in the system is sometimes harder to spot.

1. Worst Case Scenario by Helen Fitzgerald
Glasgow probation officer Mary Shields’s personal life is being damaged by a brutal menopause and an out-of-control sex drive. She’s throwing in the towel, but during her last case – men’s rights activism poster boy and wife-killer Liam Macdowall – her career descends with horrifying inevitability into catastrophe as she makes one cringe-inducing error after another. Riotous, excruciating and utterly original, this was one of my books of 2019 and won Fitzgerald, herself a former prison social worker, a place on the Theakston’s crime novel of the year shortlist. If the pitch-black wit doesn’t get you, the humanity will.

2. The Man on the Street by Trevor Wood
I defy anyone not to develop a soft spot for Sandy, the probation officer described by Falklands veteran Jimmy as “mad as a snake, but you could talk to her. If you dared.” The camaraderie between Jimmy, messed-up, vulnerable Deano, and conspiracy-nut Gadge offers hilarity and uncommon tenderness, but Sandy also stands out as a bright spot in the gritty realism. Her near-clairvoyant perceptiveness is a source of constant concern to Jimmy in Wood’s blistering debut, but despite the sword she holds over his head, there’s no doubt that she’s ultimately on his side.

3. Slow Motion Riot by Peter Blauner
Steve Baum, a Harlem probation officer during the 1980s crack epidemic, shares a lot with my protagonist. Both suspect they’re fighting a losing battle, but refuse to let go of hope. As Baum puts it: “Here’s the secret, which I almost never say out loud: Every once in a while, you might just turn one of these guys around.” In this pacey, compassionate thriller, Blauner explores the conflict between intention and reality in Baum’s work.

4. Humber Boy B by Ruth Dugdall
PO Cate Austin tackles adolescent murderers, their eventual release back into society, and the conflict between their right to a fresh start and the enduring pain they caused as children. The eponymous young adult Ben is drawn with unflinching honesty by a writer with a masterful grasp of nuance and contradiction. Highly recommended.

5. No Beast So Fierce by Ed Bunker
Written while Bunker was in prison himself, this 1972 semi-autobiographical novel pits career criminal Max Dembo against his PO, Rosenthal. An avatar for the self-satisfied, somnambulant law-abiders Bunker clearly loathed, Rosenthal is a weak, flabby jobsworth, and Max takes great pleasure in scaring the shit out of him. Some wonderful observations here: “There was no forgetting that our relationship was essentially that of a knife held to a throat.”

6. Maximum Bob by Elmore Leonard
“I’m not your friend, I’m your probation officer.” PO Kathy Baker is just trying to chip away at her massive caseload when she unwittingly catches the amorous eye of local judge Maximum Bob, notorious for handing out unreasonable sentences. Her job gets a lot more difficult when someone sends an alligator to his front door, and several of her parolees appear on the suspect list. A badass with iron-clad boundaries, job-sick Kathy is the foil to the maniacal Bob in Leonard’s madcap yarn.

7. The Do-Right by Lisa Sandlin
Set in the Watergate era, Sandlin’s debut novel follows rape survivor Delpha Wade, newly free after 14 years in “Do-Right” (Southern slang for prison) after killing one of the men who raped her. Wade’s well-meaning parole officer goes above and beyond to help, but while the plot winds into delicious twistiness, it’s the study of Wade’s emotional wounds, inflicted both before and during her stretch in jail that gives this novel such gravity. With shades of James Lee Burke, Sandlin’s prose is smoky and knife-sharp, detailing Wade’s re-emergence into the free world as she gets used to “clear air around her, the streets stretching out, doors that open open open. She’d have to get used to wearing sky over her head.”

8. Dead Inside by Noelle Holten
Infused with an easy authenticity born of long hours as an actual senior probation officer, Holten’s debut features Lucy Sherwood: no-nonsense PO by day; fearful, abused wife by night. Things are already looking bleak when three ex-offenders in Lucy’s caseload are murdered, but when her own sadistic husband becomes the fourth, it’s the PO herself who’s drawing the heat.

9. Boy A by Jonathan Trigell
Closely aligned with the real-life James Bulger murder case, Trigell’s 2004 debut tracks an adolescent offender through his new identity, guided by “Uncle” Terry – “his parole contact, his only true friend”. Trigell presents a holistic panorama of the crime, drawing attention to its enduring reverberations, with Terry demonstrating unwavering, near-suffocating investment in Boy A’s success. Disturbing and bleak, but a unique, important read.

10. Drama City by George Pelecanos
Pelecanos doesn’t give probation officer Rachel Lopez an easy ride in this 90s gangland thriller, but then, she’s not the kind of woman who’d take one. What sets Lopez apart here is her humility, demonstrated most memorably at the Narcotics Anonymous meetings at which she bumps into client Lorenzo Brown. She’s genuinely rooting for her ex-cons but she’s also acutely aware of how easily she could have found herself on the other side of that desk. A slow-burning but utterly immersive slice of DC life.

A Ruined Girl by Kate Simants is published by Profile Books on 27 August. To order a copy, go to guardianbookshop.com.

Napo At Work in London

London remains by far the largest Napo Branch and they had their virtual AGM on Friday. Although not quorate, which is understandable given present difficult circumstances, the comprehensive Branch Reports and draft national AGM Motions provide much insight into current events and concerns as Probation enters yet another period of upheaval and uncertainty.

I'm extremely grateful to the reader for forwarding the following and although a long read, I'm sure much will be of interest to the wider probation community as well as staff everywhere trying to cope with many of the same issues covered here. Material has been omitted where I feel it would be of little interest or relevance to a wider audience. 

Motions for National AGM

Motion 1 : Virtual Supervision?

This Branch believes the relationship between a client and their Probation Officer is one best built on face to face contact. This Branch understands the MOJ has recently interviewed some staff currently working from home about the effectiveness of ‘remote’ supervision.

This Branch has been left with the distinct impression the MOJ interviewers had limited knowledge about the depth and skills involved in managing Probation clients and may be seeking ways in which to justify shutting offices and moving towards more remote working outside of COVID recovery. This contradicts the findings of recent Inspection reports criticising various CRC’s for poor risk management via remote supervision.

We believe long term remote working, instead of face to face Supervision, will seriously limit our ability to assess and manage risk and impact on building relationships within which “interventions” and influence can take place. Thereby damaging our effectiveness and our personal and professional reputations.

We instruct NAPO officers and officials to ensure any move to dilute face to face Supervision is vigorously challenged unless backed up by evidence and appropriate training.

Motion 2 : Re-Set Unconscious Bias Training

The Black Lives Matter campaign/movement has highlighted the important issue of race inequality within the Criminal Justice System.

Training should provide the basis of support and knowledge to ensure staff are culturally aware of the diverse needs of the various communities we work with.

This Branch believes that the current NPS E- Learning module on Unconscious Bias is insufficient to effectively challenge or enhance cultural understanding/anti-discriminatory practice within the rich, diverse working environment of Probation and Family Court staff.

This Branch believes, in order, to achieve a level of cultural competence within Probation and the Family Courts we need to have additional class room learning to support, embed and enhance the E-Learning which is on offer. Truly effective race equality/anti-discriminatory practice training requires the opportunity to challenge and exchange individual experiences.

This Branch instructs Napo Officers and Officials to work alongside the Professional and Training Network to impress upon the HMPPS Learning and Development team the need to improve and enhance the learning experiences of all staff in Probation and Family Court settings.

Motion 3 : Homeworking

This Branch believes homeworking, across Probation and Family Court Services is becoming the ‘new normal’ as the result of the pandemic.

This Branch understands whilst homeworking has benefits for many it needs to be recognised not all people are able to work effectively from home and need better support and sometimes adjustments to workloads when required to.

We also note there is a vast difference between voluntary homeworking and lockdown homeworking.

This Branch instructs NAPO Officers and Officials to develop better, inclusive homeworking policies to support all staff under both voluntary and enforced homeworking situations and campaign and negotiate with our relevant organisations for their adoption.

Motion 4 : Prison OM Role Boundaries

This Branch believes probation staff working in prisons are not being properly recognised or valued for their roles and their role boundaries appear to be unclear to many probation, prison and parole board staff and colleagues. We believe all our staff should be equally valued.

This Branch notes redeployment of Prison Probation staff as part of the COVID-19 EDM demonstrated the lack of importance placed on their day to day work by the Organisation. Requests from Parole Boards indicate they are viewed as administrators. Other colleagues have used them as messenger services.

This Branch views reunification as an opportunity to clarify and reinforce the roles and boundaries for Prison Offender Managers.

We instruct the NEC, Officers and Officials and Probation Negotiating Committee to ensure that role boundaries are better defined and communicated to other agencies to ensure instructions and requests are role appropriate.

Motion 5 : Disability Support?

This Branch believes that it is unacceptable that disabled members continue to be discriminated against by our employer.

This Branch understands Disabled staff continue to suffer from significant delays in obtaining agreed equipment for reasonable adjustments. This is leading to unfair treatment with some staff being placed into capability procedures due to the delays. PQiP students continue to be suspended from the programme after 6-12 months of undertaking the training when the service has failed to provide identified equipment designed to level the playing field between disabled and non-disabled PQiP students. We believe this is discriminatory practice that NAPO needs to challenge.

We call on NAPO to ensure Reasonable Adjustments and procurement/purchasing procedures are included and given a high priority in the reunification process. We also call for NAPO to push for the uncoupling of HR policies from those of prisons and for HR policies to return to be the remit of Probation and Family Court only.

Motion 6 : The Rocky Road to Recovery: Health & Safety in the COVID Workplace’

This Branch notes: As we start the recovery stage, there is an unseemly rush to open offices, courts and other premises. Building risk assessments are being undertaken by sometimes Inexperienced managers with little or no health and safety knowledge or experience often without consultation with the union reps.

We believe this places staff and client safety at serious risk as necessary protections are being overlooked in the rush to return to ‘normal working’

This Branch views the recovery as an opportunity to clarify and reinforce the roles and boundaries for Napo H&S reps.

We instruct the NEC, Officers and Officials to ensure that H&S issues are clearly defined and communicated to all managers to ensure that legal requirements are always adhered to.

This Branch instructs Napo to work to ensure that staff safety is paramount in formulating the future move forward from the emergency measures and to take immediate action where this is not happening.

Motion 7 : Paperless Office At What Cost?

The current pandemic has seen a rush to remove filing cabinets. Admin staff are scanning remaining paper files into NDelius and discarding the file contents.

Staff have seen handwritten notes from recent interviews and historic information not included in the ‘documents to be scanned list’ discarded and lost.

This information for the most part is irreplaceable. Repeating an interview due to missing notes can cause damage to the OM /client relationship as well as delays to Parole reports and other assessments that can damage professional reputations.

This Branch believes we need to include the case managers in decisions about what is scanned into the electronic case file. Admin staff need better training and guidance in what information needs to be retained. Case managers need to write notes and there must be a way they can retain them safely until such time, as they are incorporated into their work. We feel this situation could escalate with reunification and the amalgamation of different information from different companies and different working practices.

This Branch calls for Probation negotiators to raise this matter at reunification meetings to improve processes for scanning information whilst retaining hand written information in accordance with Data Protection measures.

Co-Chair CRC Napo London Branch AGM 2020

Introduction

Looking back over the last 12 months it would be an understatement to say that a lot has happened, but we should look back a bit - perhaps not as far as the start of TR in 2014 but rather to 2018. Few people seem to discuss this stuff so if you find politics boring simply skip this bit and feel free to read it whenever you have difficulty sleeping.

A bit of history

In April 2018 Napo secured NPS employees a significant pay rise that sent shock waves around the probation world because most CRC owners were not in a position to match it although some, including MTC, said they would if they could afford it but they could not. July 2018 when the then Justice Secretary David Gauke announced that CRC contracts were to end two years early in 2020, greater alignment between CRC and NPS areas and more money to keep services going we knew that TR1 was pretty much at and end not least because no commercial operation can deal with a couple of years hacked off the end of a contract like probation with no prospect of renewal. The complexities of contract culture make that situation unviable. It certainly was not the u turn many had hoped for, but it was perhaps a sign that the tide appeared to be turning. From a CRC perspective plans to work differently and innovatively that were supposed to be up and running earlier were now being rolled out later with the prospect of being abandoned before they had been completely rolled out and tweaked – but things still trundled on requiring huge efforts from CRC staff in London in particular.

Then just as we were getting used to one change then there was another big change. In May 2019 Gauke made a further announcement tearing up what were termed ‘irredeemably flawed’ reforms. It meant some services returning to the public sector but not all. So began the planning for TR2 with all the great effort that that has taken. Most of us thought that that was as far as the government were willing to go and that although probation was not going to be completely unified at least most of the core work would be undertaken by those working in the public sector with a significant number of staff prepared to stay in the private sector and continue to develop services such as Community Payback and Interventions including programmes and resettlement. However, as evidence continued to stack up that Transforming Rehabilitation had produced enormous problems pressure increased on ministers to act.

Most of the irredeemable problems seemed to be as result of the split in services as well as some service providers attempting to provide services despite the fact, they did not have adequate resources to do so. Commercial operations cannot run without some significant profit or at a loss for long as those with vested interests get twitchy. For the CRC owners there just was not any money in it and it was not sustainable. Probation was always run lean. Although there are ways to run operations leaner commercially using technologies etc when you are delivering a quality service that relies heavily on human relationships to bring about desired changes and you need to keep the workforce happy and motivated in order to work with their emotions effectively you cannot also pile on the work relentlessly and pay your staff less than their friends and colleagues doing a very similar job in the public sector – even if they are pseudo civil servants.

None of us truly thought BREXIT would cause the seismic changes that it subsequently did in the political landscape propelling Boris Johnson to power let alone the impact upon our little corner of the criminal justice system. In July 2019, Robert Buckland (former Solicitor General and Minister for Prisons and Probation and an ardent Remainer turned equally ardent Leaver) was appointed Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor by incoming Prime Minister Boris Johnson for his eventual BREXIT loyalty as Johnson set about purging his new administration of any who were still supportive of remaining in the EU leaving himself a reduced pool of talent. Buckland did at least have experience before taking his place as fifth
Justice Secretary in three years and the first barrister to take the role since Ken Clarke (who was shuffled off to the back benches in 2012).

Buckland was therefore in danger of being the first Justice Secretary since Clarke who knew anything much about the criminal justice system and had actually met probation staff when he was a working lawyer. Another significant development was the appointment of South East Cambridgeshire MP Lucy Frazer who transferred from Solicitor General, a role she had taken up in May, to take up Buckland’s former junior minster brief with responsibility for prisons and probation. Fraser has followed Buckland up the greasy pole. Napo were keenly interested in what might transpire with BREXIT dominating the agenda and little expectation of the Ministry of Justice pushing forward much of a policy agenda. Early indications from Buckland were that he was his own man with his own ideas but most thought that unlike his
predecessors including Gauke and Rory Stewart he was not expected to do anything, brave, surprising, or radical.

The surprise came of course in June 2020 when it was announced that probation services in England and Wales would once again return to the public sector as part the NPS. This was a cause for initial celebration for many, who just want to be back working with their friends and colleagues, but also something of a disappointing blow and not an entirely satisfactory outcome for those who were working hard to establish innovative services that would remain in the private sector and also the growing number of people who dread becoming pseudo civil servants rather than local government officers - but again this development was more than was expected. Others lament the expected loss of CRC developed cutting edge software tools such as OMNIA and do not trust the MoJ to come up with anything as good in the near future.

Consultations

Before the announcement last month there have been several consultations that have taken place over the last 12 months including a reorganisation of CP that resulted in no redundancies for members. The resulting new structure was agreed in consultation with the unions and features strong H&S support. The new structure was broadly welcomed by members and the wider CP staff group. An interventions consultation has just restarted after being put on hold due to COVID

Representations

All members who requested representation and were eligible were at a bare minimum provided with advice and support and usually a much higher level of support. The quality of representations remains high and all representations carried out by Napo Reps in London and indeed Napo’s hard-working National Reps have been conducted with the utmost professionalism getting satisfactory outcomes for members in all but a very small number of instances. We have successfully appealed both disciplinary and ill health retirement matters, helped resolve numerous disputes, and negotiated hard for individual members to get settlements they would not otherwise have been awarded.

Representatives

We are short of union representatives on the CRC side and it is not hard to imagine why there are fewer union reps in a private company than in the public sector. However, we do have activists throughout the CRC that are supportive of the union in other ways without necessarily stepping into the spotlight. I am grateful to Christopher Morris for being an excellent Vice Chair and safe pair of hands and who has taken on every representation task with enthusiasm.

Pay Negotiation

We have made relatively little progress on substantive pay mainly because MTC have not been able to match or come sufficiently close to the NPS pay deal – that remains Napo’s benchmark – despite indicating that they would like to do so. Unions have persuaded MTC to improve upon offers made but the 2017-18 pay settlement remains unsettled and the 2019-20 settlement is still being negotiated. We will continue to discuss with employers how they might be in a position to move closer to matching pay with other CRC’s and with the NPS before transition. The departure from Napo of Assistant General Secretary Dean Rogers did impact on pay negotiations as it does take a while to build up a rapport with employers and Dean’s advice was always invaluable but I am grateful to General Secretary Ian Lawrence for picking up the baton and more recently AGS Annoesjka Valent.

Transition

As you would expect we are engaging with the employers regarding Transition. Everyone in Napo wants a satisfactory Transition agreement that will see a smooth and fair transition. It would be an understatement to say that there is lots to consider, lots of unanswered questions, and lots to do and the months ahead are going to need all the experience and negotiating skills Napo has available as the devil is always in the detail and there are lots of contractual and other complexities to sort out and not many of us to do it. We have some good relations with HR and senior leaders, so I am hopeful we can get through this. The good news is that the employers seem to be realising at this stage that they will very much need the unions on board from the outset at every level of the process or they may risk making their own tasks a lot more onerous. We will of course continue to safeguard the interests of all members and meet every challenge head on.

BLM

One of the more positive things to come out of the appalling murder of George Floyd is that the spotlight has been turned on the criminalisation and negatively differential treatment of BAME people in various jurisdictions including England and Wales. There have been several reports including the Lammy Report and the government’s own statistical analysis but the information available and the recommendations of reports have not been acted upon calling into question the seriousness of successive governments in tackling the problems discussed. What is needed therefore is not another report describing the problems but rather a commitment to act. I am happy that Napo and other trade unions are urging the government to act rather than commission yet another report. I am proud that Napo is a diverse and inclusive union that fearlessly stands up for our members who may have experienced prejudice or discrimination.

H&S + COVID19

Napo in both LCRC and TVCRC have been working with employers and UNISON to safeguard probation staff since March. As you know COVID19 presents a range of challenges not least because there are sometimes conflicting messages from official sources. MTCs response to the crisis has generally been well received by staff. Napo have been key in ensuring that the employers planned actions are pre- discussed, thought through, put safety of staff and Service Users (SUs) first, and are constructive in all cases. One of the positive things about MTC is that it has always invested well in health and safety with top quality H&S staff. This is understandable as CP for example traditionally generates most serious incidents. We also have HR staff in the CRC who are responsive towards what is going on both at the coal face and by policy and decision makers. We can also make decisions rather than being directed that makes managing arrangements to deal with a crisis a little easier.

Operations have continued with essential reporting of SUs taking place at hubs where I am told safety arrangements are working reasonably well. CP is now restarting in earnest, and this has been done in a planned careful and considered way with few concerns raised – there is always a human element and also pressures from further up the chain who may never have worked in CP to do things more quickly. The unions have obtained assurances that no one will be required to work in a workplace that has not been risk assessed and signed off as safe enough. Members can be reassured that safety comes first as we gradually return to business as usual but there is a long way to go and no doubt many more meetings to come. As you would expect the CRC being a little more technically advanced and faster paced in IT implementation are using technology to check on staff and track concerns including a tool called AssessNet that we can recommend.

That is all folks

I could probably go on for another thirty pages, but I really need to stop. I would like to thank all those members, who have been active in Napo as you are the union. We are a better union for you being an active part of it whether you are working in probation or retired. Now is the time to be in a union and encourage others to join. Many thanks to the rest of the Napo team in London and to, Katie, Ian, Annoesjka from big Napo and also Bev & Dean who have been good friends to London Branch over the years and who are missed.

David Raho
CRC Co-Chair London Branch
30/07/2020

Co-Chair’s Report (NPS) for Branch AGM 2020

This is my final report to AGM, in my current capacity as London Branch NPS Co-Chair. I am not sure where four years (two terms) have gone but it’s here.

To say this year has been strange, is an understatement. The last time we all met as a Branch was in November 2019. How I long for those good old days!! If you remember, the Brexit debate was in full swing and a General Election was underway. Well I will not comment about the election results, suffice to say, I was completely disappointed.

On reflection, I think my year became gradually worse, when faced with the reality that our wonderful Beverley Cole, was going to retire in January 2020. In addition to this was the warning notice from Terry Wilson, that he too was leaving to work closer to home.

By the end of December 2019, the world’s attention was drawn to China and the presence of the deadly Coronavirus. By January 2020, we all watched in dread, the spread of this virus as it moved around the world, infecting and killing people at an alarming rate.

Our decision to cancel the March Branch Meeting, was not made lightly. However, it was the right decision to focus on the health, safety and welfare of our members. London went into Lockdown a few days later as the Pandemic took hold.

The Branch reps, witnessed heightened anxieties amongst staff at work. The focus turned to our family/friends and keeping ourselves safe. I know some of us lost close work colleagues/family and friends and faced the reality of the impact of the new rules as it applies to funerals. I believe we have all become accustomed to the “new norm” with its terminologies, of ‘quarantine, self-isolation, shielding and social distancing.

The NPS restructured Service Delivery and implemented the Exceptional Delivery Model (EDM). This allowed staff to work from home, following strict guidelines, in terms of undertaking ‘Planned Telephone Contact’ with Service Users, in line with risks/control measures. I think it is fair to say, that this model brought more challenges to the daily work most Probation staff were already doing. Morning meetings on Skype/Teams, spreadsheets galore and the 4.00pm afternoon deadline became our ‘new norm’. It just seems that someone, somewhere in the centre dreamed up how to make us all work harder during this already stressful period.

HMPPS, issued various guidance covering lots of scenarios during the Lockdown period. However, confusion reigned amongst NPS staff when the notification came out about a range of COVID-19, Special Payments which were set up for Prison, Probation and HMPPS frontline staff. This was further complicated by the provision of an excess hours’ scheme which the NPS could access, but never did in London.

After much discussion HMPPS decided to pay all NPS staff members £150 (danger money) once they are on the rota in a Reporting Centre. True to form HMPPS/SSCL are yet to pay the full back dated amount to staff. It is important to note that Napo did not agree to this payment, as we would have preferred it for everyone to receive some recognition for efforts made during this stressful period.

In term of Branch work, this spiralled through the roof, before and during lockdown. All Napo Branch Officers and Reps have done their best to give timely advice and support to members via emails, telephone calls and over, Skype/Microsoft Teams. The one thing I have learned over the last six months, is the number of meetings one can fit into a day and a single week!!

Most of my 50% facilities time was quickly eroded trying to fit everything in. However, help was on hand from Charron, Peter and Richard, in particular on the NPS side. As a Branch Exec group, we have endeavoured to keep in touch via various social media platforms most Monday’s of every week.

Member Representations:

London continues to be a busy Branch. I have lost count of the number of representations that has come to the Branch. We appear to have a constant stream of colleagues, in need of support, and are subject to various formal HR processes. Attendance Management, Disciplinaries, Grievances and Performance Management continue to be the top four.

Over the past year we have seen an increase in Disciplinary cases from the ‘Early Look’ case review process after a Serious Further Offence. Please be warned that there is no easing of this process on the horizon and NAPO membership has never been more important than it is today. I do believe this Branch prides itself with the high quality of support/advice and representation to members across all staff grades.

Probation Reform – Reunification

The 11th of June 2020 will undoubtedly be a date to remember in Napo’s history. This was the day, the Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland MP formally announced that all Probation Services will be brought back into public ownership, including Unpaid Work and programmes. This was a complete U turn in government policy, and a “we told you so” bitter/sweet victory for Napo.

I know that some CRC colleagues, are not elated or jumping for joy, in terms of joining NPS. However, the one thing to admire is the way this union fought the Government and was literally the lone TU voice in the campaign against Transforming Rehabilitation (TR). The Great Mistake!! All that wasted money which could have been invested into back into the Service and Criminal Justice partnership agencies. I know the fight is not over yet, with more work to come to get the NPS out of the Civil Service and back into the public sector where it belongs.

Probation NPS Pay Award

It was really disheartening to learn in April 2020, that the NPS would not be able to pay the 2020 increment as promised in the 2018 pay modernisation award. In my view Probation always appears to be at the back of the queue, when it comes to our employers paying us what we deserve and on time. This has caused further misery to staff and has served to decrease staff morale. National Napo will continue to raise our pay concerns at the highest levels and we hope the matter is remedied sooner rather than later. They really need to get it right before the Probation Reform programme is completed.

National AGM 2019

National AGM 2019 was in Cardiff in Wales. Whilst we had booked forty rooms at the Travelodge Hotel in Queen Street, 38 members attended and each year I say with pride that we were the largest represented Branch at National AGM and indeed the most active. All London Branch Motions were carried and have become part of NAPO policy 2019/20. I have always gained a sense of pride to see our London members taking an active role by either contributing to the debates or moving motions.

However, it is all change this year. Due to COVID-19, AGM will not take place at Eastbourne in October 2020. The event will be a virtual event, so this will be interesting. I have now cancelled London Branch room booking with the Cavendish Hotel in Eastbourne.

NPS Joint Consultative Committee JCC

I have attended all the scheduled JCC meetings with Charron. Most of these meetings are now held on Teams and became a weekly occurrence during the first two/three months of lockdown.

We have continued to make strong representations on a range of issues regarding practice and workplace employee matters. Over the past four years, I have seen an improvement in the way we engage with the NPS. This Branch also has a good working relationship with our Director Kilvinder Vigurs and her Senior Leadership Team. Whilst it did not happen overnight, steadfast dedication, hard work, commitment and energy has helped to get us to where we are today.

We currently have a Senior Leadership Team that will listen to our concerns when they are formally raised within this forum. I have seen numerous changes in organisational practice, for example more completions of stress risk assessments (SRA), regular RAAP’s/Work place Passport reviews. All London LDU’s are tasked with collating monthly data, re: sickness, grievances, conduct and disciplinaries, so potential unintended trends in inequalities or potential discrimination can be quickly addressed.

In between the JCC meetings London Branch has been invited to participate in several NPS London All Staff Teleconference, which has been another way of raising the visibility/awareness of London Napo Branch and our activities. I have also taken part in an All London NPS BAME staff Teams event, as part of the organisational response to the Black Lives Matter movement. I was recently elected to the post of National Black NEC Rep in earlier this month. I have also contributed to the NPS Wellbeing Magazine, which is available to all NPS staff.

First Tier Trade Union and Management Meetings

It is now two years since NPS Director Kilvinder Vigurs devised a new structure of TU engagement across London with the aim of promoting TU engagement across the London Clusters. She also wanted to embed the practice of TU engagement with her Senior Management Team. These First Tier Meetings gives each respected HoS, the chance to Chair and resolve local employee related issues before the matter is escalated to the main JCC. We still want to encourage more members to become workplace reps to assist us in representing the two Cluster areas groups in London.

Lastly, I wish to congratulate and welcome the incoming NPS Co-Chair Charron Culnane. We have been together for a decade in the Branch and I dare say, we will be together for a few more years to come.

Unity is strength

Patricia Johnson
Branch Co-Chair NPS
30/07/2020

Annual Report - Vice Chair NPS

To say it has been a strange year is an understatement. Our Branch AGM last year was held in a real meeting place, with members able to attend in person with drinks and socialising afterwards. We are starting the new Branch year with a virtual Branch AGM via Zoom and for many of us this is the ‘new normal’.

The main challenge facing us last year was reunification. The challenges facing us now are how we safeguard the lives of all of our members and service users and meet their individual needs during the COVID-19 situation as we progress from lockdown to getting offices re open and staffed again as well as dealing with the reunification process.

The last physical Branch meeting we held was November 22nd 2019, at Mitre House. Understandably we had to cancel the proposed meetings in March and May due to the restrictions placed on public gatherings by COVID-19.

Pay:

As far as I am aware at the time of writing this report there is no news regarding the outstanding NPS pay award. I understand National NAPO are in ongoing negotiations. Emergency payments during Emergency Delivery Measures (EDM) are just for NPS staff who are front facing. This has caused some ill feeling within NPS with those forced to homework who feel undervalued. Our CRC colleagues are also feeling left out. These differences need to be addressed in future as they can lead to discord at a time we need to be unified. The proposed overtime agreements seem a little more inclusive for NPS staff but there was a very short response time that may have led to many not feeling able to participate.

Representations:

Most of my work this year has been supporting members with advice or representations. Initially we used to do the occasional rep meeting via telephone usually when we had been made aware of a meeting at the last minute. Since lockdown all of our representation work has been done over Skype or Teams. This has brought new challenges but seems to be working well in most cases. Usually when I visit an office for a rep case I tend to do a walkabout, introduce myself and NAPO and leave handouts as a means of profile raising. As we are now virtual we can’t do this and are having to find other means of getting NAPO awareness out there and ensure we continue to maintain visibility.

JCC:

Patricia and I have been attending meetings, via Teams, with senior management and our sister Unions on an almost weekly basis during the COVID -19 emergency giving us the platform to discuss safety concerns around new working patterns as well as support and wellbeing for all of the homeworkers and office rota workers delivering EDM. The meetings around reunification have understandably taken a back seat but are now resuming along with regular JCC’s. We have raised many issues brought to us by our members including home working, shielding, the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on BAME staff and problems with individual and workplace risk assessments.

Inductions:

Patricia and I were attending and speaking at corporate inductions in person. By the time of the Branch AGM we will have delivered our 1st virtual induction to PQUIPs. This is a vital means of raising our profile and recruiting new members.

Homeworking:

Most people are working from home now and those attending offices are only there one or two days a week at the moment. We have adapted but issues have arisen that now need new guidance and policies as a response. We have noted there is a world of difference between those who voluntarily work from home and those who have been forced to by the current situation. Some of our members have home environments that are not conducive to home working, and this needs to be acknowledged and supported by our respective Organisations. We have also noticed there is an assumption that if you are working from home you are available for Skype calls/ meetings etc at any time and members have felt pressured to work longer hours in order to justify, what they are doing.

Women:

I attended the Women In NAPO online conference via Zoom on May 20th 2020. This was a well-attended event. It was my 1st experience of a Zoom meeting with more than 10 participants and it was an eye- opening experience. I was very impressed by how well run it was and how smoothly the event was managed. It gives me confidence for our Branch AGM and the National AGM both being held this year on virtual platforms. I look forward to supporting the excellent work our Women’s Staff Liaison Officer. Sharon Brereton, is undertaking regarding raising awareness of the impact of the menopause on working women and the organisation. She has written an excellent article included in this Annual Report.

Black Lives Matter:

My report would not be complete without mentioning the Black Lives Matter campaign. All lives should matter equally. At the moment we are seeing clear evidence we are nowhere near attaining equality and Black lives need more support from everyone. NAPO has long recognised there are issues across all of the areas we cover.

Service Users are disproportionately from BAME backgrounds. Recall figures also demonstrate we are more likely to recall BAME service users. TACT measures are also disproportionate towards BAME clients especially the new measures put in as a response to the most recent London Bridge attack. Our organisational policies stem from a position of white privilege as does our law. The Union constitution is also one written from this viewpoint. NAPO is working with the NAPO Black Network to look at how we can recognise and remove any inherent racism in our system. NPS London already monitors the ethnicity of staff involved in organisational processes, there is work ongoing about SPDR’s and whether they discriminate against our BAME staff. There is also work ongoing about the impact of COVID -19 on staff from Black and Asian backgrounds in particular and how we can best protect and manage them during the ‘recovery’ period. The Unions are involved in all of this work and will continue to raise issues affecting our Black, Asian and other Ethnic Minority members. We are still at the ‘committee’ stage for a lot of this work and understandably many of our Black members are telling us we should be seeing action plans now not just talk. I want to thank Beverley Smith our Black Staff Liaison Rep for all her help and sage advice. I have a feeling we will be working very closely over the coming year.

National AGM:

I sit on National Steering Committee whose role it is to arrange business at AGM. This includes checking motions, allocating them to various committees or networks, compositing and arranging orders of business as we as overseeing Stewarding arrangements, ballots, emergency motions and constitutional advice for the AGM Chairs as well as timing and recording proceedings. This year is going to be a brand new challenge as we hold the 1st virtual AGM via a host platform. All of our Steering meetings have been via Zoom this year and we have got used to working in this way very quickly. Not bad considering the average age of Steering is 60+ If we can get used to new tech anyone can.

Farewells:

We have had to say farewell to several people who have passed away from COVID related issues this year from NPS and CRC’s across AP’s Court, Offender Management and the Prison Service. We have also lost friends and colleagues to non COVID causes whose loss we cannot mourn due to COVID restrictions. I will not name names but they will all be deeply missed and our thoughts are with their families at this exceptionally difficult time. One of the things NAPO has requested is when we do get back to ‘normal’ a memorial service is held to honour and celebrate all of those we have lost during this time.

Charron Culnane
NPS Vice Chair
20/07/2020

NPS Health & Safety Convenor Report for London Napo AGM 2020

This year has become all about COVID-19, the management response to it and trying to make sure that all members are being treated fairly and are safe, whether they are working at home or in the office. I have been working from home since the end of March and have been involved in H&S issues at the highest level within London NPS. All in all, I believe that we have managed to get the best possible outcomes for staff in terms of safety and preserving health across the region. Thankfully, the number of Covid-related casualties has been relatively low but we continue to be vigilant as the English government recklessly pursues policies which appear to be based on economic rather than public health reasons. Napo and Unison are both involved in policy and decision making ensuring that staff are best looked after. We are hoping to get more members involved in Covid based H&S work over the coming weeks.

In the longer term, it appears that there may be a shift towards more home working for staff and I have been pleasantly surprised that the NPS has been providing staff with all the equipment necessary for safer home working over the past few months. That said, I realise that people are finding home working difficult. Lack of space, lack of real contact with colleagues and the high levels of work are causing a great deal of stress and potential mental health problems to individuals and we are trying to stress the prevalence of this to management. The continued obsession with unrealistic targets throughout the pandemic is a great cause of stress and anxiety to many and this coupled with worry and anxiety about the virus has been taking its toll on staff. There are also many people who have not yet received the equipment they need for safe home working for a variety of reasons and this has resulted in a great many people suffering from musculo-skeletal problems. It is really important that everybody completes the Accident & Incident forms whenever they have problems as otherwise it is impossible to know the real extent of the problem and be able to raise it with management. One of the issues which has been raised is the disparity across the LDUs in terms of the management response to the EDM arrangements and staff wellbeing. These problems are now at the highest management level and we continue to hope that all managers will work to the policies rather than behave in a ‘maverick’ fashion, often to the detriment of their staff.

Prior to the pandemic, inspection of offices across London continued and the probation estate was generally in a sorry state. It does not appear to be getting any better although several offices have been closed, at least to NPS staff. However, some of those acting as hubs have been a concern with some offices having to be deep cleaned on more than one occasion since the EDM came into being. Conditions for staff continue to be unacceptable with some offices in serious states of disrepair. Heating and ventilation problems, rodent and insect infestations and just plain dirtiness still prevail unfortunately.

Overall, we still need at least another H&S rep in London as the volume of work is too much for one rep. There are currently negotiations with management regarding the need for Covid specific reps and the need for facility time.

As previously mentioned, workplace stress continues to be a major issue as does the issue of back problems being experienced by staff carrying around computers and performing ‘agile’ working. It is of great importance that members fill in Accident and Incident forms for all incidents and injuries including stress. I repeat from last year’s report that Kilvinder Vigers has said that the NPS has a duty of care to all employees wherever they are working whether the place is an NPS building or not; this includes staff homes now that many of us are actually working from our homes due to shielding etc.

The putting together of the CRC and NPS is going to be a huge exercise with regard to health & safety and one which does appear to have been acknowledged by senior management. The changes will also have an impact on the organisation of the Napo branch which, in terms of H&S and all other areas, will take into account the new structures.

I’d like to thank Ian Lander from the NPS for his swift response to requests and other issues throughout the year and particularly with regard to the Covid-19 issues. Also a big thanks to the other branch officers for their support and patience with me as I finally get to grips with remote meeting platforms such as Zoom and Skype. All these virtual meetings are fine but I really look forward to the time when I can meet you all in reality!! Even if we do have to socially distanced!!

I’d also like to thank the growing number of members who are contacting me regarding breaches of health & safety, as without them, many issues would be unknown, particularly at the moment when it is not possible for me to actually visit the offices.

Let’s hope the next year is less stressful and anxious than this one

Peter Halsall,
NPS H&S Convenor London Branch
Date: 30/06/2020

NAPO London Branch AR/ERO Annual Report

This is my first full year in post and it has certainly been a potentially progressive year. For society to require the death of a man for it to seem to start listening to the Black Lives Matter protests is a travesty and one many of us have seen gain momentum in previous decades to fade away with little progress being made. However, this feels different and I sincerely hope momentum can be maintained to make serious and long term sustainable change.

The COVID-19 crisis has added to the debate regarding disadvantage caused through links to protective characteristics and the undeniable data linking Black Asian and Minority Ethnic staff to an increased mortality rate need to be continually debated as to why. The argument linking disadvantages associated with protective characteristics to poverty, limited opportunities, crowded accommodation, multi-generational families living together as well as many other issues all relate to increased risk to COVID-19. To be a fully inclusive company lessons have to be learnt regarding all the disadvantages faced by people with protected characteristics so that plans can be put into place to make a move towards a more representative work force. There are ongoing issues that need to be resolved related to Black Asian and Minority Ethnic staff and staff with disabilities being disproportionately represented in staff receiving a ‘needs improvement’ grading in SPDR’s. This is an area that needs to be continuously discussed with senior management about what will be put into place to learn lessons and address this problem to understand why this is the situation. This will be an ongoing issue for me over the next twelve months.

There is an increasing amount of attention being paid by our employer to the wellbeing of us as employees, I’m pleased to say I have input into the monthly Wellbeing Core Groups and will be making clear points about how unfair treatment of employees with protected characteristics is a clear link to deteriorating emotional wellbeing with our members. It is unacceptable that members wait 6, 12 and sometimes 18 months for equipment for Reasonable Adjustments to be in place. It is further unacceptable that members are put on Performance Improvement Plans when Reasonable Adjustments are not in place or the Service has failed to purchase equipment to address disadvantage. This will be a focus of my work in the coming year and I intend to take a collective (anonymous) list of examples of this poor treatment of members with disabilities to the attention of Senior Managers to ensure that as a Service we are compliant with the Equality Act 2010. We cannot fulfil the MOJ’s desire to achieve Equality Accreditation if this practise continues. I hope I have your support to bring such examples to my attention at the earliest opportunity because if we address these issues early they are easier to resolve.

The branch has also paid for me to attend the National Discrimination Law Conference in January 2020. This was a fascinating opportunity which has provided me with a wealth of information related to legal precedents of discrimination cases lost by employers at Employment Tribunals to show the Service that their decisions are putting them in a vulnerable position. This has been a very effective way of making change happen.

Thank you for your time in reading this report and your ongoing support to make Probation an inclusive and supportive employer as we all deserve.

How about this, it is a bit of a political rant but it says exactly what I expect to be tackling in the coming twelve months.

Richard Clark
Disability Advocacy and Wellbeing Network (DAWN)
Area Lead for Probation: London
Date: 09/07/2020

Latest From Napo 218

Here we have the latest Napo mailout sent yesterday afternoon:-

Virtual AGM – more than just a Zoom!

As plans are now underway for our AGM in October we can share a little more about the format we are using. We thought long and hard about AGM in the context of the Covid-19 crisis and were trying to find ways that we could allow all members the chance to attend (as our constitution demands) while keeping us all safe. 

One way would have been to put on a hybrid event with some able to attend in person and others virtually. But a virtual event like this isn’t a Zoom or Teams meeting, our AGM needs to be interactive and to deliver on four elements: the formal business of accountability for the annual report and accounts, making policy by passing motions and constitutional amendments, professional input via speakers, professional sessions and fringe meetings and finally the opportunity to network and socialise. To deliver all of this virtually needs a professional infrastructure that has a cost attached to it similar to the cost of hiring a large venue for two days so this was simply out of our budget.

We did consider a fully in person event but numbers would be strictly limited for safety (completely at odds with the principle in our constitution that all can attend) and we would be at risk of having to cancel altogether if lockdown restrictions tighten. Some members would be excluded from participation due to their personal circumstances preventing them from travel or being in large groups (especially as many members have continued to travel to work and have contact with clients throughout lockdown) and we might have struggled to deliver all of the elements that members expect because of the need for social distancing and other safety measures.

The option we have decided on is a fully virtual event which will allow all members the chance to attend, regardless of their circumstances. We are convinced that the event will deliver all of the expected elements to members, just in a slightly different way! This won’t just be a really long Zoom or Teams meeting though, we are working with a professional event company who recently worked with the Civil Service on their Civil Service Live event. They will build a virtual event platform around our needs and members who register will be able to explore this before AGM to get familiar with it. The event hub will stream the live sections of AGM but also allow members to register for fringe meetings (we will have more than ever this year), networking sessions and professional sessions as well as exploring the exhibition space where many organisations will provide information, films, presentations, and more (an expanded version of the stalls we usually have).

When it comes to the interactive parts of AGM members will speak on motions, ask questions and vote via the virtual event platform. We will even have entertainment and socialising opportunities in the evening. We know that a fully virtual event will not be the same as our usual AGM and some members may be disappointed by that but the AGM team are working hard to make this virtual event as interactive, stimulating and social as it can be while keeping us all safe.

Some branches may want to arrange small gatherings of members locally (following all safety restrictions and guidance) to participate in particular parts of AGM, for example some of the networking or social elements or in advance of AGM to explore the event hub together. Where this is safe and sensible we encourage it, any members who cannot attend in person will still be able to attend fully remotely.

Our AGM is all about member participation and we must do all we can to make sure that is protected, despite the circumstances we find ourselves in. If you have an idea for a fringe meeting you would like to see or to run, or an organisation you think might be interested in exhibiting via our event hub please get in touch with Katie Lomas.

A letter from the Probation Minister, Probation Workforce Strategy and negotiations around the staff transfer from CRCs in 2021

We have received a letter from Lucy Frazer, Minister of State for Justice who has responsibility for Probation. We have quarterly meetings with the Minister but during the first half of this year we have met with her more frequently due to the Covid-19 crisis and the recent announcement about the future of Probation. The letter marks positive progress made in talks with HMPPS on various issues.

Over the past year we have been negotiating with HMPPS around the staff transfer and protections agreement that will apply to the transfer of staff from the CRCs in 2021. That work was ongoing when the new announcement was made last month and we have quickly changed approach to work on the basis of the new plan to transfer all core Probation work to NPS, always making the point that we believe all directly employed CRC staff should transfer to the NPS.

Negotiation is only half of the process and once we have gone as far as we can in those talks we will present the deal on offer to members and all CRC members will vote to accept or reject it. We hope to be in a position to do this very soon, members need to have the certainty as we all move into the next stage of Probation change and members in Wales who transferred to HMPPS in December 2019 have waited patiently since then to have their terms aligned. We keep details of negotiation discussions confidential until all sides agree we have reached the point that we will share them and we look forward to sharing the information very soon.

As part of the HMPPS project to fix Probation a new workforce strategy has been launched this week that introduces five objectives for the Probation Workforce. This strategy is promising and certainly reflects the commitment that HMPPS CEO Jo Farrar has made to focus on the people who work in Probation. It is yet to be seen if the resources and investment needed to implement this strategy will turn up, because fixing the Probation system will take far more than words.

NPS Pay

Of course a big part of workforce care is pay and we are all angry and frustrated at the failure of NPS to pay the promised progression due in April and you can be assured that we have shared these views with HMPPS. Payment of the progression due has been delayed by the need to follow Cabinet Office and Treasury rules and processes relating to pay before paying anything, even progression that is due. These processes have themselves been delayed by the December General Election but we are finally in a position to make a start. We issued our PAY CLAIM in March (Click for bulletin) and we will start negotiations on that in the coming weeks. Once we have gone as far as we can in those negotiations we will come out to members to share the detail and run a ballot for members to accept or reject it. Once a pay deal has been agreed it will be paid, along with the pay progression due. Both elements (progression and award) will be back paid to April 2020.

Napo HQ

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Dear NAPO, UNISON, and GMB SCOOP colleagues 

DRAFT NATIONAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN NPS TRADE UNIONS AND MINISTRY OF JUSTICE 

I am writing to thank you for your constructive engagement over the last year in our efforts to deliver positive reform of the Probation service. 

This has been particularly important as we launch the Probation Workforce Strategy, which was shared with you earlier this week. 

The strategy commits to investing in staff wellbeing, ongoing professional development and ensuring that probation is an excellent and rewarding place to work. You have been working hard with my officials on the details of a potential National Agreement which, if agreed, will give clarity to CRC staff on their arrangements upon transfer to HMPPS (NPS). By providing productive but robust challenge, you have helped ensure that we have the potential to reach the best outcome for our staff. 

I am grateful for all your work with colleagues on the Probation Reform Programme to progress the negotiation to a place where there is content suitable for a ballot. 

Should the work that you and my officials have put into the negotiations result in a positive ballot response, this will provide an important level of clarity for transferring staff well ahead of the transfer date. Whilst there will still be things to clarify and questions to answer, this will hopefully mark a significant and positive milestone for our staff. 

I look forward to your continued contribution and engagement as we prepare to deliver these critical changes to the Probation service.

Yours sincerely,

Lucy Frazer QC MP