Herding Cats

Author Message   Myob New member Username: Psiman Post Number: 11 Registered: 07-2006 Posted on Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - 05:10 pm:    Anonymous, you're absolutely right in several respects, but I think there is still space for managers to manage. Yes, we can't fit the quart into the pint pot, and too much is expected centrally, given the limited resources that we have. Unfortunately corporate bullying or not, we have to accept the reality of our situation. The pragmatic view says that "contestability" is going to be forced upon us, and if we can't show what we are doing against our targets, then we will lose out to the corporate fat cats. I believe that what we must do is play the bean counters at their own game, hit the easy targets wherever we can, ensure we measure every last favourable thing we do, and still try to ensure POs have the space to do what they are trained for and best at (ie actually work to rehabilitate offenders). The trick of managers then becomes one of ensuring the measures are met, the workload reasonable, and staff are given that space. It may sound ridiculous to some, but the fact is that there are SPOs out there who achieve this by a combination of being fiercely protective of their teams, clear to senior managers about what can be achieved, clear on how to meaasure what we do best, and honest about the position they are in. It has to be said that having brilliant SAAs is pretty much a requirement as well. I know I am sounding perhaps more positive than some might expect, but I think that we need to recognise that we have some exceptional managers out there, including some senior managers. (And Bills Mate - it is them that also agree with us on the fact that the rest of those hours are yours). Yes, they are usually undertrained in management skills, and often have to rely on those that are already present, but that is just the reality of the situation, and the Probation Service is by no means alone in this area. As for the "tin pot organisations", I can't say I have come accross any. I have found almost every partnership agency I have worked with (with the exception of privite industry prison/security) to be highly professional, and dare I say it, effective. Am I ranting now?   Bills Mate New member Username: Bills_mate Post Number: 24 Registered: 06-2006 Posted on Tuesday, July 18, 2006 - 05:18 pm:    Anon,It is a pity that we dont have senior managers / Directors who have the bottle to stand up to ROMs or who ever instgates the directives and say "Stop" we can t do this we dont have the staff. If you force it through satff will suffer.But which Senior manager or ROM is willing to stand up for office sataff.The excuse that we must do it because it is cash linked is, in my opinion, corporate bullying. We are made to feel guilty if we dont reach the target.We only work X numbers of hours each week. I believe the rest belongs to me not the service.   Anonymous   Posted on Tuesday, July 18, 2006 - 11:28 am:    I think we are missing the point, people. SPOs are NAPO members too and don't deserve to be slagged off, particularly in this forum. Manager bashing is too easy and incredibly naive. The problem I was highlighting relates to the fact that managers AREN'T ALLOWED TO MANAGE. I have been an SPO for 6 years and have had some training (I have a certificate, so there). I can manage staff and all the other things I am required to do. The problems stem from the fact that a, managers, however well they are trained, cannot fit quarts into pint pots, b, cannot CREATE professional partnerships where the only providers available are set up and torn down in the blink of any eye and who are staffed with people that are less able (and even more poorly paid) than our own and c, are not allowed to make choices about what we don't do when we have too many tasks and not enough staff without suffering financial penalties that furhter undermine our ability to meet the targets we have already failed to meet. We are repeatedly asked to engage in activities that have little merit in terms of achieving our ultimate objectives of reducing re-offending. We are repeatedly forced to further reduce the time we spend actually engaging with offenders and IMPLEMENTING risk management plans in order to focus on targets that are often little more than exercises in basic arithmetic. Our managers have little choice in this because the drive to ensure our funding for next year, or to evidence our efficicency to ROMS (who?)is becoming the overiding factor that defines our existence. I am ranting now so I will stop.   J. D. Dawson New member Username: David_dawson Post Number: 41 Registered: 01-2006 Posted on Tuesday, July 18, 2006 - 01:14 am:    10 middle managers appointed under the guise of practice developers in the last three years. Some with only two years experience. The coal diggers left with caseloads in excess of 60. Pso's with case loads in the 80's.Probation officers, to my mind, joined to be Probation Officers. P.O's should be good with punters, but most of them who have hit the high life, as so called managers, I wouldn't let them take my dog for a walk.   Bills Mate New member Username: Bills_mate Post Number: 21 Registered: 06-2006 Posted on Monday, July 17, 2006 - 04:50 pm:    YOU ARE NOT WRONG. Sadly management skills are laking in probation. Most Probation Managers are only promoted POs. They have never undergone any formal managent training and as a result lack the skills and qualifications needed to run an organisation. This is also evident in a field office with SPOs. One day a PO the next a manager. no wonder at times we are rudderless and left adrift. If you want to manage you need the qualifications.   Anonymous   Posted on Monday, July 03, 2006 - 10:56 am:    Is anyone else concerned at the fact that Probation Managers (right up to Chief Officer level) are increasingly being denied the flexibility to manage anything but that, more importantly, or less so (depnds on your perspective), are being required to spend more time managing things that have little practical bearing on the job in hand (i.e. reducing offending). I am thinking primarily of the time we waste facilitating (i.e spending 5% of our budgets) partnerships with tin pot organisations made up of unqualified, barely competent people doing things we don't really need.... After two decades, I am at last beginnig to question the point of it all (I didn't before NOMS and contestibility). Its going to get worse, isn't it? Someone tell me I am wrong.

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