HMI PROBATION SLAMS LONDON CRC

‘It couldn’t get any worse as these things go.’ That was my opening line in the full and frank meeting yesterday between the trade unions, MTC Novo and the Director of Probation.

It was an honest exchange of views where the unions heard about the urgent remedial steps that MTC Novo are putting in place to try and deal with the litany of abject failure that they have presided over and which has given Dame Glenys Stacey so much to report on.

www.napo.org.uk/blogs/hmi-probation-publish-damning-report-london-crc 

So where next?

We also went to see the London Deputy Mayor for policing this week to explain our views about the report and what might happen in the future and the narrative went something like this.

• The London report whist appalling was horribly predictable and the responsibility must rest as much with the MoJ as with MTC Novo. It was the MoJ who were responsible for testing the operating models and the MoJ who assured parliament and the Courts that no contracts would be let without a safe operating model being in place.
   
• MTC Novo have recognised the complexity of what they’ve taken on and we are of course now committed to working with them more closely in developing a new and more sustainable operating model that helps our members deal with the situation on the ground; but grave concerns remain about the sustainability of this and other CRC contracts without significant further investment.
   
• London probation was a challenging environment before, and this report exposes more clearly the underlying flaws in this contract as well as those elsewhere. These challenges must now be taken seriously and addressed urgently not just by MTC Novo but by the Minister and by engagement with all stakeholders.
   
• We have written to the Justice Select Committee this week to say that the Probation Systems Review cannot wait until April. We all know there is already a prison crisis but you cannot tackle that long term without sending fewer people to prison and you can’t address prison numbers without getting probation right first.
   
• The MOJ can’t be left to do this review in secret with the same leaders who let these contracts looking for quick fixes. There has to be more urgency and more transparency with input from HMIP, ourselves as the professional association and union, parliament and other stakeholders in London and elsewhere - local solutions, local engagement and local accountability are needed across probation and have been lost since the part privatisation and part nationalisation of the service just over 2 years ago.
   
• Finally, and without putting too fine a point to it, we said that if it (London) can’t work then the London Mayor should take control.

Pay developments

This week the unions noted the payment of the incremental award that is due to probation staff below the pay maximum and agree, on a without prejudice basis, a non-consolidated but pensionable 1% award to those at the top of their pay bands.

Whilst we consider the value of whether or not to join with Unison in a combined pay claim, we have published our 5 key pay principles which form part of Napo’s launch of our specific pay campaign.

This was mailed directly to members, but here is the link for what is a comprehensive analysis of the problems, and where we have got to in the pay negotiations that have been going on for some months now. 

https://www.napo.org.uk/probation-pay-campaign-news

The Children and Social Work Bill

Just like ‘Jaws’ its back and lurking again.

Carolyne Willow Director of ‘together for Children’ which are supported by Napo tells us:

‘Thank you once again for signing the petition to defend the rights of children and care leavers.

You will recall that the Children and Social Work Bill included clauses which allowed individual councils to be excused from their social care statutory duties to children and care leavers. Ministers call these the ‘innovation clauses’; we call them the ‘exemption clauses’, because they seek to exempt councils from their legal obligations. Back in November, the House of Lords voted to remove the exemption clauses and our massive petition was mentioned twice in the debate.
'

They need your help again.

Last week, the Government tabled amendments to reinstate the exemption clauses. They propose to keep six sections of two Acts of Parliament safe from exemption. Every other statutory duty is up for removal in particular areas for up to six years. This ‘testing’ is to help the Government decide whether to permanently remove the duties from all local authorities.

The exemption clauses propose the biggest and most radical change to children’s social care since the welfare state was created.



A Committee of MPs is considering the Bill. Members of the public can give written evidence.

Please submit evidence from your personal and/or professional life which explains why it is vital all local authorities have the same statutory duties in children’s social care.




• Your submission could describe your family situation, and how local authority duties in social care help your children or grandchildren, for example.
• Or it could describe situations where you have protected, cared for and supported children and young people in your professional life.
• If you are a young person who has direct experience of social care - if you are, or have been, in care for instance - your expert advice could be really helpful to the Committee.

The focus of your submission should be why the law is crucial and what could happen to children and young people in the future if individual councils are allowed to opt out their duties. Please ask the Committee to not allow the exemption clauses to be reinstated.’



Your evidence should be sent by 6 January 2017 to scrutiny@parliament.uk, headlined Children and Social Work Bill: power to test different ways of working (new clauses 2 to 9). 


IMPORTANT

• Submissions must be sent in a Word document
• Submissions must not exceed 3,000 words but they can be much shorter
• A summary should be provided
• Paragraphs should be numbered
• Pages should not be numbered
• Submissions must be dated
• Please include in the covering email the name, address, telephone number and email address of the person responsible for the submission.

Find out more here, including rules about publication and what will happen to your evidence: http://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2016/december/have-your-say-on-the-children-and-social-work-bill/

I hope that there will be a number of Napo members who might want to make a contribution to the campaign.

Napo’s heroine of the week award

No contest here, as the prize goes to National Co-Chair Yvonne Pattison for her timely and thoughtful action in assisting and resuscitating a member of the public who suffered a heart attack and collapsed in Central London yesterday.

Yvonne’s prompt intervention before the emergency services arrived, was typically selfless, and made what we hope will be a life-saving difference for the unfortunate gentleman involved.

Unison Official awarded new role by Minister?

Yes ok it’s the silly season, but I could not resist sharing this gem with you all after UNISON National Officer Ben Priestley showed me the envelope bearing a Christmas Card to him from Elizabeth Truss.

Not quite on the scale of the recent 'Barking Dogs deter Drones' faux pas but good all the same.