A message from Pat Waterman, Chair Greater London Branch

A message from Pat Waterman, Chair Greater London Branch

NAPO @ilawrence @tomrendon et al has been asking to see Chris Grayling's (#failinggrayling ’s) risk register for ages so I was glad to read in The Observer this morning that they have seen it. The MOJ's own internal assessment spells out "how the government's plan to allow the private sector and voluntary groups to run its offender management programme is in danger of going off the rails."

A probation expert, Harry Fletcher @hfletcher10 , is quoted as saying that the government's plans will compromise public protection.

NAPO has been saying this since these plans were first mooted.

But still the madness continues.

This weekend some members of staff of London Probation Trust received letters advising them of their assignment to either the National Probation Service (NPS) or the Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC). Others received letters asking them to express a preference for which organisation they wanted to work for in just over three months time. 

Given the lack of information about these organisations and what the future might hold how are any of my members supposed to make a decision?

To paraphrase Professor Harold Laski, my members are being asked to exercise their judgement in a miasma of distortion. As he also said, trying to do so is to ultimately go astray.

I do hope that all members of NAPO will refuse to engage with this nonsense and will ,at the very least, register their concerns with their employers by lodging a grievance. Anybody who chooses to express a preference or accept an assignment without comment is, I am afraid to say, colluding in their own oppression.

The Board and Senior Management of London Probation Trust are waving goodbye to all their staff. I hope that they don't add insult to injury by wishing them all a Happy New Year.

Your comments as always are welcomed.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/dec/15/probation-reforms-put-public-at-higher-risk