Jim Brown
@jimbrownblog
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Jim Brown is a grumpy probation officer in a small town and he writes a blog
England
Joined February 2013
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"My heart goes out to the P.O. who was managing this case, it is our worst nightmare to have a high profile SFO, I hope management is supportive to you."
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"On Tuesday, my prison released 39 under the early release scheme. Having checked those names today, I can confirm that 10 have been recalled already. Each and every one of them for exactly the same reason - NFA on release = council couldn't provide accommodation."
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"Prisons are today no longer an institution where criminals are sent for punishment or reform. It has become an institution of failed social policy.
Prison no longer houses just criminals, it houses the mentally ill, addicts, the nuisance & the disassociated."
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"The probation service was built on the social Work ethos. Probation officers had to be qualified social workers. That was removed. Have you noticed the state the service is in now?"
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"Dear whoever the hell is actually in charge of the Probation Service, please could you spare five minutes of your meeting time to have a quick look at the connection between experienced staff leaving and the mess you have made of everything?"
#HMPPS
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"How I loathe the title Offender Manager. The absolute antithesis of how I see myself and my clients. We really do have an awful lot to repair."
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"Probation Officers have become so fearful of being "thrown under the bus" that many have taken to recording concerns about Management actions (& inactions) in Delius. This is surely a desperate reflection on the lack of trust that Probation Officers have in their own Managers."
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"I work in London. Probation staff HAVE voted with their feet. Numerous offices are 'red sites' and hundreds of offenders are unsupervised. Current advert out for 150 PSOs speaks for itself. The product of gross mismanagement at the highest level over 3 or 4 years." 1/3
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“How exactly does anyone "manage" someone else's offending behaviour?” This is the delusional thread currently running through probation work. It’s dangerous and conceited that probation officers are made to believe they risk assess and risk manage to “protect the public”. 1/4
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"When they do change it’s because of what they did, not what we did. People change because they receive support, consistency and access to opportunities, everything an understaffed and crumbling probation enforcement agency cannot provide." 4/4
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"The 'art' of the professional probation practitioner is dead. No time or opportunity to explore that 'gut feeling', to raise concerns in supervision, to knock on the door & discuss a case with experienced colleagues. Rush, rush, hurry, hurry, no time to say hello, goodbye...."
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"So the HMPPS apparently only consists of “hard working” prison officers. Do probation officers not exist anymore?"
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"It's often said that probation work is grounded in the relationship between the offender and the PO, yet if any relationship exists today it's one based on fear. One side of the desk perpetually fearful of recall, the other side perpetually fearful of an SFO."
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"How ironic that prisoners could be shipped abroad to serve their sentence yet refused permission to leave the country when on licence. Prisons and Probation are a joke, but nobody is laughing."
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"How the f*** did probation ever manage without OASys and Ndelius? How did the old timers ever manage without the computer telling them what to do? They didn't even have boxes to tick. How mad's that?"
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"The solution is social distancing, cancel face to face appts, stop dragging offenders across towns for appts & full protective gear for those that must be in a room together. Senior Probation managers & justice officials can decide this. Unions of probation can demand this."
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"Once upon a time there was a probation service who would be present at court, determine there was a need for an adjournment period to undertake a thorough assessment & prepare a detailed pre-sentence report." 1/2
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"The large numbers of prisoners that are now being released homeless reminds me just how vague and abstract the concept of rehabilitation has become." 1/4
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"Please spare a thought for the supervising PO who must be worried sick about the consequences of the SFO investigation. I hope it is fair and transparent and that the blame is not heaped on him or her." 1/2
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"Can anyone please help me. Is it spelt "shitshow" or "shit show"? I want to get my resignation letter just right....."
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"Probation has created for itself a perfect vicious circle. Blame culture leading to Probation Officers being more controlling of offenders leading to offenders concealing difficulties leading to more SFOs leading to more blame leading to Officers being even more controlling..."
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"I've left early too. Just couldn't bear it. I used to be so proud of being a Probation Officer, it became an embarrassment and an ethically compromising position. I believe passionately in what Probation can be, but right now it isn't that."
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"I can't regret joining Probation. It has taught me so much over the last 40 plus years. First decade or two, all about social justice, teamwork, decency, human dignity. Last fifteen: the horrors of managerialism and neoliberalism." 1/3
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"If they built 100 probation hostels with a capacity of 50 each. That would house 5,000 individuals. Just saying. Cheaper Better etc."
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"I don't think the Public realize how understaffed probation is and how dangerous this is."
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"My understanding is that there is quite a lot of evidence that it is the professional relationship with the Probation Officer that works."
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"Nationwide is giving staff a £1200 bonus to help with cost of living. Probation is giving its significantly underpaid staff a celebratory day where you bring your own cake and baby photo, dress in purple and pretend you “belong”. It’s insulting."
#ProbationDay
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"Probation hasn't changed. Probation is a profession. A glowing set of values and principles, built on a bedrock of academic research and evidence. What has changed is the environment in which it is struggling to survive. A hostile environment, to coin a phrase."
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"We no longer have 'leaders', managers who listen, learn from their staff team, value and respect them, what we have (as this blog sadly highlights) is a management structure of nodding narcissistic dogs who will do their masters bidding in a heart beat."
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"We are long overdue a rethink about the purpose of prison. We have the highest prison population in Western Europe per capita. And politicians want to add to this estate!? It's uncomfortable for society to consider the reasons for this." 1/5
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"Probation is a complicated business, best left to professional practitioners. What we've seen in the last few years is not probation, its absurd political theatre."
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"Probation has adopted a punitive approach and its destructive. It's a million miles away from being the gold standard service it once enjoyed being. That's not because of Chris Grayling or TR, it's because of the punitive culture that's grown within probation." 1/3
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"What is the point of the workload measurement tool if at 141% I'm still being allocated cases?"
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"Probation today operates like a mega open prison estate. The people it receives from custody are not really seen as members of the public, but are viewed more like prisoners on a period of extended ROTL." 1/8
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"I would take a lower paid job if it meant less stress, fewer unachievable targets, micro-management and more human interaction rather than glued to Delius and OASYS and bombarded with emails and more requests for blood from managers/ faceless people at HMPPS."
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"Good to know 'public protection top priority'. If I had a quid for every time I heard that could pay Steria to get Delius working properly"
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"I’ll put it in simple terms so you don’t overthink this too much. I became a Probation Officer because it’s what I chose to do and initially I loved it, but now I don’t. Tomorrow I’ll turn up for work with a 170% caseload of 60 mostly high risk offenders." 1/5
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"I'm starting to think the Government has no intention of releasing 4000 prisoners. I think they've just plucked a number out because they have to be seen to be taking action, but quietly keeping their fingers crossed that prisons won't be affected as much as predicted." 1/3
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"One of the everlasting sadnesses for me is, & will always be, that Probation Management - Boards, Chairs, CEOs - could have collectively said "No" to Grayling & Spurr."
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"I am one of those experienced probation officers who reached the top of the scale the hard way 15 years ago. I am consistently referred to as the most experienced and reliable 'go to' member of the team." 1/4
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This is astonishing! "Recent senior leadership conference for both NPS and CRC, David Gauke asked the room why nobody spoke up to warn the Gov that TR was a bad idea. Room apparently fell silent."
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Today has been a good day. Nearly 6pm and 1408 visits to the website. 1410 yesterday. Despite best efforts, Probation as many know and love it refuses to die. Everyone who cares, thankyou!
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"One way for them [staff] to be valued would be for them to value themselves and stop working for nothing. I know of colleagues who work up to twenty hours per week in excess of their contracts for free. Not even cheap Labour, free Labour!"
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"I fully agree that PSS was a huge mistake and should go. Also that Probation needs to be cut out of the Civil Service which is completely unfit to run Probation and far too bureaucratic. I will likely be gone by the time this happens but I'll definitely celebrate that occasion."
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"At my desk throughout the lockdowns, holding the fort. Every pay deal has been a further kick in the teeth because heaven forbid they pay anyone more for hanging in there." 4/4
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"Remember those days when anyone at risk of imprisonment had their case adjourned for a 'pre-sentence report' which considered *all* aspects of the soon-to-be-jailed person's circumstances in a one-to-one interview?" 1/3
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Jealously guarded in any office!
Many thanks to
@DavidRaho
for sourcing me, what now seems to be a rare collector’s item. Probation Directory with full lists of all offices in 2013.
#probation
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"Did anyone else who's spent time interviewing sex offenders get a sense of deja vu during a recent tv interview?"
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"If leaving prison with a tent, no medication for addiction, mental health problems, £46 to last a month & a half, no access to healthcare & subject to supervision by a private company that only wants you on the books for no cost, not surprising deaths on supervision is rising."
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"I'm a fairly new SPO. Workloads are just unmanageable. I spend my day dealing with burnt out staff, I have never known so many staff to have mental health issues. I'm trying my best to keep them in work and wrap as much support around them as possible..." 1/5
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"The value of Probation is and always has been the relationship between the practitioner and the offender. Until that relationship is put at the centre of the operating model, it will be all hot air."
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"Amazing how the demand for transparency with regard to the Parole Board is such an urgent priority, whilst all the failures of privatised probation services can be hidden away under the guise of corporate confidentiality. Transparency should be essential to all public services."
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"They all had thousands of excuses and reasons to give me for their offending, but never once did anyone say that they did it because the OASys wasn't up to scratch." 2/2
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"I would like to point out the immense amount of talent & experience lost to the Probation Service as a result of TR. Talent & experience that was matured by years, often decades, of personal dedication & by the profession, a public sector profession." 1/2
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"Probation needs to redeem its professional status, and stop been seen as just a job that anyone with keyboard skills can do. Being able to complete an OASys on time doesn't make people probation officers." 4/4
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"Probation work is about helping people to change for the better. People change when they feel ready, not because a probation officer demanded it, not because of an accredited programme, not because of what’s written in case records." 3/4
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"If you are reading this please know that we care and should all stand up for your right to be supported and not thrown to the wolves. I can't identify myself here but I am Spartacus." 2/2
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"Staff are the greatest resource in the Probation Service yet receive the least recognition. The silent frontline are rarely recognised or rewarded when working until 10pm at night trying to keep on top of excessive workloads and the infinite 'To Do' list." 1/6
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"There aren't enough houses, police, social workers, mental health staff, educators, advocates, There are no resources and there is no kindness. There isn't enough of us, and we are now poorly trained enforcement workers. I don't want to be part of that." 3/3
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".....and your health is important and I no longer believe that probation/HMPPS see that is in their remit. Please take care brothers and sisters." 6/6
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"In reality probation pays a shit salary, expects free overtime, gives qualifications that do not transfer to other professionals, and conducts intrusive background checks on probation staff."
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"I think we need to think about our Probation Service Officer colleagues in CRCs. They have faced increased responsibility & increased workloads with decreased training, supervision & reward."
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"I'm a PO in the CRC. Unless there is a matched offer from my employer then I, along with at least 6 other PO's will be applying for a role in the NPS. It's not what we wish to do but we all have a family and bills which our current income barely covers."
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"It seems clear to me. We have two years to either get rid of this government or persuade them to adopt the ‘Welsh Model’ across England as well. Please everyone make sure they contribute to the consultation paper. We need to keep the pressure up, we are winning the argument."
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"Good will continues to prop up a failing Service. If we all took this simple action change would be expedited. As I start my 4th decade as a Probation Officer with, I hope, integrity and traditional probation values, I have never felt so alone." 2/2
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"Probation is a rotten service. I regularly see emotionally distressed PQiPs and NQOs with the sole aim of leaving. Recently saw probation colleagues leave with 20-30 year service without even a goodbye from managers." 1/2
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"CRC owners bought off-the-shelf organisations, staff & assets, as designed & owned by Grayling, for £1. They proceeded to asset-strip, dump 'expensive', i.e. experienced qualified, staff & abandon local offices in favour of phone calls. Profiteering & rehabilitation DO NOT MIX."
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"So many good people with so much knowledge, talent, experience & goodwill have simply been sidelined, damaged &/or discarded by a cabal of absolute tossers who know fuck-all about Probation."
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"it's so lonely as an old Codger in NPS. And when we reunify-ish there will be empty chairs where experienced colleagues should be. Lucky to still be in work. Even if the work is dispiriting. It was so arbitrary, where the axe fell."
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And this surely goes to the very core of the probation ethos right from its beginning and why it's something we must return to.
When we talk about “second chances” in this context, we all need to have the humility and compassion to recognise that many people in prison never had a decent first chance.
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"As long as probation continues along the road of processing its case load rather then engaging with it, the number of SFOs will continue rise, and blame for them happening will continue to be attached to (often undeservedly) those at the lower end of the conveyor belt." 3/3
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"The Advise Assist and Befriend model of probation recognised the offender as a person. Todays enforcement model of probation recognises the offender as a type. That's a huge barrier to stopping reoffending. You work with people. You manage types."
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Scrap Post Sentence Supervision as well!
@SPOoldskool
The only real way to deal with the PS staffing crisis is to scrap OMiC and redeploy the staff back into the community.
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"This probation day stuff just feels like psychological coercion. We're being made to take part in pointless activities where the goal isn't better pay and conditions, but change your attitude and be happy with your lot.
They're mugging us off."
#ProbationDay
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"Work to rule. The service has always run on goodwill, that has now gone. If people work the hours they are paid to work and only those, the service would fall apart." 1/2
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The recruitment principles include, surely, mandatory minimum qualifications and experience? To appoint a NQO to an SPO role and to justify this in the name of anti-discrimination illustrates what is wrong with this entire organisation." 2/2
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"The probation Service is now a dysfunctional organisation, with dysfunctional management, run by an out of touch, ignorant and utterly dysfunctional government. As a result, nothing that staff say nor NAPO do will make a shred of difference." 1/3
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Take note.
No one should be profiteering off of our criminal justice system. That’s why today, I ordered the Department of Justice to end the use of private prisons by the federal government.
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"There'll be a lot of overloaded, stressed-out, shit-scared probation people in an ultra-sensitive risk-averse trawl of caseloads over the next few days. Napo need to be on their mettle; the HMPPS/NPS hang'em-&-flog'em brigade will be out in full dress uniform..."
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"Two-thirds of staff report unmanageable workloads, yet the CRC has 'strong leadership'. I don't know how this equation works in the mind of the inspectorate, but any business exploiting staff & imperilling their health would not be complemented as 'strong' but 'ruthless' fits."
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"Dialled into a briefing today on the changes to parole (not being allowed to make recommendations) and it was cancelled as there has been a legal challenge made. Anybody know more about this? Trainer told us all the guidance my have to change if this legal challenge is upheld."
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"Probation is expecting workers to supervise people & to see them face to face in probation offices & hubs. We are not emergency workers. We do not have protective wear." 1/2
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"Wasn't the whole 'offender management' malarkey about managing the offender, rather than the behaviour? That, for me. was the shift in emphasis. It stopped being about helping folk to stop committing further offences & more about social engineering." 1/4
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"This is not and never has been about individual probation officers. Somebody can easily be at the high end of ‘Medium,’ and be as risky as another person at the ‘Low,’ end of High. (assessing risk as broad brush strokes.)" 1/6
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"I don't want a career pathway, I want a lower caseload, and some very competent administrative support to deal with the IT which increasingly leaves me bemused and deskilled." 1/4
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"Senior and line management obsession with performance management and so-called quality assurance has condemned the workforce to a life of unbearable stress and a laptop probation service. Result: exit experienced and newly-qualified staff under demoralised mega-stress."
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"Here in ProvincialBackwater LDU we have adopted a paper based work-around. Offender details are typed onto white A4 paper. We call this a Part A. Sentence Plans & Reviews on pink A4 paper. We call this a Part B. Day to day recording is on white A4 paper. We call this a Part C."
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"The exhaustion is a real issue. It is a moral exhaustion as much as a physical one. To keep [doing] the right thing with no encouragement whatsoever, bar professional pride, a set of values, & a sense of duty is tough going right now."
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"Why don't they stop creating more crappy forms and pointless processes and let us see offenders rather than be chained to a computer which now also involves monitoring others work by more crappy forms."
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"I have recently started training as a probation officer and I am considering leaving already. I can see the POs are hard-working and trying their best but the morale and office environment is shocking. They are all looking for new jobs and look exhausted. 1/3
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"No Probation Practitioner should work more than 37hrs per week or take their laptop home at weekends. I don’t and my manager knows it. Yes this might mean that Service Users don’t get an effective or timely intervention but do they anyway?" 1/2
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"Have voted to reject the offer. We've had 1% pay rise over 10+ yrs, & inflation has averaged just over 2% per year. So we're already at least 20% down in real terms, &this offer over 3 years will see that, based on expected inflation over 3 years, about another 15% to 20%." 1/2
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"An old git of a PO used to always tell me that when a defendant was in court facing sentencing they were on a hiding to nothing from all sides, that the only chance of an independent, impartial voice being heard was if a well-written PSR was available."
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"Probation should not have been outsourced or privatised. Responsibility in punishment, public protection & penal processes & the social services to address the causes of offending behaviour should be a solemn undertaking held fundamentally by state apparatus & accountability."
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"I know there are probation officers in Interserve that have had NO laptop access for over 2 months, new ones were broken. Some staff work part week in satellite offices seeing service users with no access to delius so can't check enforcement or conduct referrals? It's carnage."
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"'When we get probation right, we have the ability to change lives, rebuild families, prevent victims & create better communities.' Unfortunately we appointed Chris Grayling & he managed to get probation wrong - so very wrong that we have changed lives, but not for the better."
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Don't forget the Probation Service.
After the effect of 'Mr Bates vs the Post Office', let’s hope Toby Jones is also working on new TV dramas about water pollution, climate change, covid, PPE contracts, the refugee crisis, the cost of living, energy prices, and the NHS
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"Dear Dr Jo Farrar this dreadful McCann case is symbolic of the shitstorm you have inherited from Spurr, Grayling & all the eager civil servants that merrily expedited TR. It embodies all of the worst fears expressed by opponents of the vanity project." 1/5
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"But.. Someone needs to keep a close eye on what the privateers do between now and the end date because their only mission now will be to strip every penny out that they can before they go."
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