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February 01, 2008
NAPO NEWS: WORKLOADS, NOMS, SICKNESS POLICY
WORKLOADS: We had meetings earlier this week to discuss the new workload weighting tool and the revised staff care agreement. They are both critical policies that to be effective must work together - two sides of the same coin. The two meetings were useful and whilst we are not yet at the point of reaching agreement, both sides to the discussions are more or less traveling in the same direction. We are content to see the proposed model piloted and that will be undertaken in Southampton, Portsmouth and Havant, but this is because we want to see what data it gathers and we will want to hear from members whether the feedback they receive on their workloads reflects the working reality. We need to emphasise that the tool being piloted has not been agreed with the Unions. It's a pilot that will hopefully aid developments and discussions - towards agreeing a final version. The tool records; it's the staff care policy and procedures that manages the workload information and seeks to ensure there is a match between workloads and resources.
NOMS: It is difficult to know what to say about the latest twists in the sorry tale of NOMs. How many times can it be reincarnated? Four years on from the Carter Report and the heady days of metamorphoses, the only thing that has really been going through the repeated birth agonies is NOMs. It is estimated that NOMs has cost 1.5 billion since 2005 - Napo says the NOMs budget has risen 556 per cent since 2005. NOMs employ 1600 staff and it's difficult to see what benefits frontline services have gained from its 900 million administrative budget. Against these inflated figures the probation service faces 12 per cent cuts over the next three years.
The new head of the 'restructured' NOMs is the former director general of the prison service. Whitehall sources are saying,’ its game, set and match to the prison service.’ The ROMS will be merged with area prison managers; there are reports that the purchaser-provider split for the probation service have been further downgraded, and that end to end management may not apply to all offenders. But all is bound to become clearer once the mud settles.
SICKNESS POLICY: This is a reminder that it is in your interests, whether short or long-term sickness absence, to get advice before agreeing to arrangements with your employer. You can get advice from HR if you are unclear about something, though you should always ask for written advice. We hear of cases where members go it alone and in simple cases that may be all fine and well, but it never does any harm to seek advice beforehand. If you get into a pickle or regret agreeing to something down the line then you may well find yourself with chickens coming home to roost.
Posted by Hampshire at February 1, 2008 05:52 PM