Napo Magazine
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DECEMBER 2019 Even more news online at www.napomagazine.org.uk Magazine #YourUnion AGM Issue Meet your Napo’s 2020 Creative union Operational Plan Writing p.6 p.10 p.18 IAN LAWRENCE WRITES ... As the year draws to a close, it’s hard not a £150 voucher for a prize draw we will to look back at all of the things that got be running for all CRC members who us to the point where we are at today. make the switch in time. The victories we have secured over the At the time of writing this, a general year have been well documented, and election looms and I hope you all take you can visit our Youtube channel, Napo the time to vote on 12 December. Your News TV, to hear me talk more at length voice matters. about them. But with all that being said, now is not the time to get complacent. Those of you who were at AGM would have heard the sad announcement that Flexible savings Membership is rising but we need more AGS Dean Rogers will be leaving us for if we are going to maintain and even pastures new. Dean will be sorely missed increase the impact we have. This is why by his colleagues here at HQ – he has and loans with at the top of the year we launched the played a pivotal role in many of the wins recruit a friend scheme with members Napo has seen this year – but we still being rewarded £25 when they recruit wish him all the best. repayments from a colleague. For December only, we are also giving £25 to the recruitee. Take a I also want to take this time to personally look at https://www.napo.org.uk/recruit- thank everyone that has helped Napo your salary friend for more information and to claim get to a point where we can look your reward. forward to endless possibilities in 2020. Staff at Napo HQ, Officers, activists In a similar vein, we also need to keep and members – it’s the comradery and the members we have. That’s why we are determination of all of you that has Passionate about asking all members working in a CRC, made me so proud to be your General improving the financial particularly Wales CRC, to make the Secretary. switch to direct debit by 1 December resilience of those who 2019 so that employment changes do serve and protect. not affect their membership. Our friends at Virgin Experience have even donated prisoncu.co.uk 3 FEATURES Napo Magazine Published by EVERYTHING ELSE Napo 160 Falcon Road London SW11 2NY 8 | Dean Roger’s leaving www.napo.org.uk note [email protected] 020 7223 4887 18 | Creative writing with Jeremy Cameron Social www.napomagazine.org.uk Twitter: @Napo_News 22 | Police Spies out of Lives Facebook: NapoHQ 10 | Napo’s 2020 Operational Plan The ongoing strategic aims and objectives of 24 | Napo Extra Christmas your union Editorial Team Special Taytula Burke Kath Falcon [email protected] 28 | Tag Team 30 | Time to Shout Out Design Number Violet www.numberviolet.com Print Premier Print Group 26 | ACEs in the Shadows Highlighting the science of Adverse For advertising Childhood Experiences and the link opportunities to physical and mental health [email protected] 4 5 Finance Officer A warm welcome to A sad farewell to Dean MEET YOUR Theresa Boorman Jermaine Ngobeh Rogers Finance Assistant Jermaine recently joined Many of you will have Liz Manville Napo as admin assistant heard by now that UNION and has hit the ground Assistant General Office Operations running. Jermaine works Secretary, Dean Rogers, Manager across membership, will be leaving Napo Keith Waldron training and comms, and to pursue an amazing those of you who have opportunity at another Administrators called into HQ may even organisation. Dean’s input Anne Burbidge have spoken to him on over the past six years Taytula Burke the phone. Jermaine has been invaluable, Kath Falcon says: “The personalities in particularly around the Cynthia Griffith the office are very diverse Shared Service and Jacqui Paryag and the variety comes pensions failures and Shireena Suleman with great chemistry. For Napo’s Strategy for Annoesjka Valent me Napo HQ feels like Growth. Dean will be home and I enjoy being a sorely missed, but we Administrative Assistant part of the team.” wish him all the best in his Jermaine Ngobeh future endeavours. ULR Manager (Wales) More from Dean on KATIE LOMAS IKKI BHOGAL DENICE JAMES Aziz Bouleghlimat pages 8 - 9. CHAIR VICE CHAIR VICE CHAIR Napo HQ staff (General Secretary) Ian Lawrence National Officials Tania Bassett (Press, Parliamentary, Campaigns) Sarah Friday (Health and Safety) Ranjit Singh (Equal Rights, Trade Union KEITH STOKELD SIOBHAN FOREMAN Organisation) VICE CHAIR VICE CHAIR 6 7 He also cites increasing the He thinks this is critical as our operating awareness of what FCAs do amongst environment will continue to be NAPO NEWS: parliamentarians as one of his proudest challenging. He says: “Family Court successes, saying: “This has helped members are marooned in the MoJ, far secure the review of legal aid recently from the Ministers with responsibility AGS MOVES ON announced”. for children and families which makes no sense. It makes it harder to get the However, Dean thinks his biggest resources they need to avoid tipping impact has been helping steer over – a risk everyone associated with Napo’s internal changes following TR, Family Courts on all sides recognise. Napo’s Assistant General Secretary, leading Napo’s Strategy for Growth Dean Rogers has left Napo to take up – which includes our new integrated “In probation, we are now the counter- a new post as Director of Industrial membership and case management revolutionaries. Those in power Strategy and Member Relations at system; changing our legal contract have recognised CRC staff need to the Society of Radiographers. Napo to include a Members and Reps be moved out of the building that’s Magazine talked to Dean about his Helpdesk; and our radical Activist unstable, unsafe and in danger of reflections on his time with Napo and and Representative Training (ARTs) collapsing but are evacuating people his thoughts about the immediate programme which all activists now do. into a building we can see is already future for Napo and our members. on fire. Probation cannot be run safely “As well as challenging employers by the MoJ. It has to be re-localised “It’s been a tumultuous six years, having we’ve had to be brave enough to – publically funded not for profit joined Napo just as the TR campaign challenge ourselves to change. We’ve but locally accountable and locally started and legal aid cuts were about made some big changes to what and responsive. Thankfully members still DEAN ROGERS to especially hit Family Courts. These how we do things, built around some have Napo making this case and ASSISTANT GENERAL had a huge impact on Napo – it was big investments at a time when our protecting them going forward.” SECRETARY like being hit by an earthquake with income has been falling. This is never on-going aftershocks. When I started, easy for any organisation, especially He signs off saying: “I’m moving on the first question from everyone I spoke very proud to have played a part in the one with a long and proud history but because an opportunity came up to to, employers and other union leaders survival.” what holds all these changes together have a similar impact in another bigger across the TUC, was: ‘Who will Napo be is that they’re anchored to Napo’s union, in a new sector. That was too merging with?’ Not ‘if’ but ‘when’ and Dean has led some critical Napo values and core principles. These good to turn down. It’s sad to leave but ‘who’. Grayling even deployed Senior victories that have demonstrated the haven’t changed, namely - involving exciting at the same time and it’s easier Civil Servants to study our books to see difference we make for members, citing every member whenever and wherever to move on knowing Napo is in a good how he could close us down. particular pride in the recent PILON ET possible; not just telling but listening; place.” win, helping design and steer through and reflecting this in everything we do. “Not only have we survived but we’re probation pay reforms, and winning By framing and testing changes against now growing again. Since January the argument for common professional these values people have bought in 2018, 19 out of 23 branches have grown standards framed within a license to and Napo is in a much stronger place with seven branches – almost a third – practice that will protect all probation to carry on growing, whatever gets showing more than 10% growth and members whatever structures thrown at us.” a couple not far off 20%. I’ll always be Government introduce next. 8 9 9 9 DRAFT - OPERATIONAL PLAN 2020 Napo has set out it’s draft operation Probation plan for 2020. This plan is based on the ongoing strategic aims and objectives • Ensure that the Workload of your union, and includes resolutions Management Tool (WMT) is passed by members at the AGM in discussed in the SFO process and Cardiff in October. Your NEC will have be included in any documentation the opportunity to make any comments or report on the findings of the SFO or amendments to the document at (Resolution 1) their next meeting. • Negotiate with the employers that officers should not, in any circumstances, be allocated OBJECTIVE 1: PROMOTING AND over 100% for any length of time PROTECTING MEMBERS’ INTERESTS (Resolution 2) • Ensure that staff safety and seek the replacement by a publicly Agreement for the transfer of Securing the promotion and protection building suitability are key parts accountable body (Resolution 8) staff from CRCs to the NPS in of members’ interests at work.