Professional Service Centre (PSC)

Devolution of the PSC

PSC Staff

By end of January 2022 all Unpaid Work (UPW) stand-alone activities and all administrative services currently undertaken in the Professional Service Centre will move to the regional models for administration and Unpaid Work in YaTH, NW, EM, GM and SC. This is being done to ensure that the UPW and administration models align to the ambitions of the TOM.

If I am working in Cunard House the tasks, I completed around the allocation of cases will start to move from me to the five regions from October 2021. Some services will move from the Wakefield PSC office to the Liverpool PSC (based at Cunard House) as the allocation work moves from the Liverpool PSC to the regions. These services will be Terminations and Attendance Management in October and Standalone UPW allocation in November. If I am not already undertaking these task, I will be briefed on them by the management team in Cunard House.

If I am currently based at Cunard House I will no longer work from that building from November 2021 as the building lease ends however, as I am currently not travelling into or working from Cunard House office this should not mean any immediate change for me. My new base will be confirmed with me as part of a wider preferencing process.

If I work in the Liverpool office, I will move to take up a role in the North West Probation Region and if I work in Wakefield, I will take up a role in the Yorkshire and Humber region. The process for my redeployment will be conducted in full consultation with the recognised Trade Unions and myself.

The union consultation was launched in October and following their feedback consultation with me as part of the PSC staff group will begin. This will be done locally by the regions in which I current sit: Liverpool by the North West Region; Wakefield by Yorkshire and Humber Region.

Throughout this period, I will be briefed and kept up to date by both my manager in the PSC as well as the regional HR team.

As part of the consultation I will be asked to take part in a location preferencing exercise, this will be conducted by my line manager and regional HR and will take place in October/November 2021. If I must change location this will be done in line with the Probation Service Mobility Policy.

PSC and the North West

From October 2021 the allocation process of former CRC type cases for the North West will have moved from the PSC to the North West region to complete, these will follow the existing regional processes. If I have not undertaken this process before I will be briefed on it locally.

By November 2021, North West, South Central, Greater Manchester and East Midland services will be delivered by the PSC team based at the Cunard Building, Liverpool, all of Yorkshire and the Humber services will be based in Wakefield.

By end of January 2022, all work currently completed at the Liverpool PSC will move into the North West region. This will include, case allocation, UPW admin and standalone case management, terminations and UPW attendance management.

For the majority of staff working at The Cunard Building (Liverpool) as part of the PSC they have been asked to take part in a preference exercise. This will give them an opportunity to indicate their preferred working location. In some of the locations offered as part of the preferencing, the roles undertaken there may complete different tasks from what they are completing in the PSC. They will be supported in adopting these task locally and support their colleagues in learning new tasks.

During October the NW region has begun to engage with staff through a series of events. These will inform these staff of the consultation steps, preferencing system and allow them the opportunity to ask questions.

On the completion of my preference exercise these staff will be advised of their new office location and/or changes to role. They will be supported locally to learn any new operational processes and their manager will ensure these staff have the support and tools to undertake their new roles and tasks.

PSC and Yorkshire and The Humber (YaTH)

Services previously completed at Cunard House (Liverpool PSC) on behalf of the YaTH region will move to be completed at the Wakefield site. This will have been completed before November 2021. This may mean that I may be required to complete new tasks. I will be supported in this by my manager in Wakefield PSC and the region. If I have not undertaken this process before I will be briefed on it locally.

From October 2021 the allocation process of former CRC cases will have moved from the PSC to the YaTH region to complete and these will follow the regional processes.

If I am working within an UPW team the UPW administration will be moved from the PSC to the administrative support aligned to that team.

If I am an administrator aligned to the UPW team I will begin to support PoPs and the officer in placement on projects and confirming attendance. I will also assist the PoP to access their online learning. This will all help to ensure that the PoP is engaged with as early as possible in their order which will assist with their compliance.

PSOs have already been recruited to take on the UPW orders in my area and are currently waiting on the confirmation and completion of their vetting process, as well as PSOs being redeployed from other areas of the business in YaTH. This will ensure that the unpaid work orders and caseloads in the YaTH area are commensurate with the national model and that PoPs have a local service delivered to them.

During October the YaTH region will engage with me through a series of events. These will inform me of the consultation steps, preferencing system and allow me the opportunity to ask questions. The preferencing exercise will give me an opportunity to indicate my preferred working location. In some of the locations offered as part of the preferencing, the roles undertaken there may complete different tasks from what I was completing in the PSC. Any queries regarding negotiations I will address to my union representative.

On the completion of my preference exercise I may find that I have moved office location and/or there are some changes to role/task that I will complete. I will be supported locally to learn any operational process new to me and my manager will ensure that I have the support an tools to undertake my new role or tasks.

PSC and East Midlands

If I work in East Midlands I will have seen that a recruitment campaign has been launched to ensure that we have staff resources to absorb the general PSC administrative work and UPW administration that will move into the region from the service centre.

From October 2021 allocation process of former CRC cases will have moved from the PSC to the EM region to complete these will follow the regional processes. Learning on any new process will be delivery to me locally within the EM region.

If I am working within an UPW team the UPW administration will be moved from the PSC to the administrative support aligned to that team.

PSOs have already been recruited to take on the UPW orders in my area and are currently waiting on the confirmation and completion of their vetting process. This will ensure that the unpaid work orders and caseloads in the EM area are commensurate with the national model and that PoPs have a local service delivered to them.

PSC and Greater Manchester

From October 2021 allocation process of former CRC cases will have moved from the PSC to the Greater Manchester region to complete and these will follow the regional processes, with the exception of, Stand-Alone Community Payback allocations. All services currently completed by the PSC will move into the Greater Manchester area by end of January 2022; Terminations, AAMR/EMS, TTG, Enforcement, Attendance Management, Standalone UPW Sentence Management and Community Payback Operational Administration

As a Case Administrator aligned to the UPW team, I will support the team and People on Probation (PoPS) in the placement of individuals on suitable projects. I will administer all elements of the case, including assisting PoPs to access their online learning, this will ensure that the PoP is engaged with as early as possible in their sentence and assist with their compliance.

Greater Manchester will have created a regional Enforcement Hub by March 2022 and the processes between legacy NPS and legacy CRC will be reviewed during the first quarter of the calendar year to ensure there is a streamlined approach to managing enforcement processes.

A recruitment campaign is currently ongoing to ensure that GM have the right number of staff to support the work moving into the region. PSOs have already been recruited to take on the UPW orders in my area and are currently waiting on the confirmation and completion of their vetting process. This will ensure that the unpaid work orders and caseloads in the GM area are commensurate with the national model and that PoPs have a local service delivered to them.

The region will also align administrative process to ensure that service is standardised across the regions, these processes will be available to me on EQIP

I will be supported locally to learn any operational process new to me and my manager will ensure that I have the support an tools to undertake my new role or tasks

PSC and South Central

All services currently completed by the PSC will move into the South-Central area (SC) by February 2022: Allocations, termination, AAMR/EMS, TTG, Enforcement, Attendance Management, Standalone UPW case management. In addition, services currently completed at the London Service Centre (Norwich and Bromley) on behalf of SC, will also move into the region from February 2022 onwards. In order to support this the region are recruiting additional staff. As part of this exercise the region will align administrative processes to ensure that service is standardised across the regions, these processes will be available to me on EQIP. Briefings will take place from October on any new processes that impact my role.

If I am working within an UPW team the UPW administration will be moved from the PSC to the administrative support aligned to that team. If I am an administrator aligned to the UPW team I will begin to support PoPs and the officer in placement on projects and confirming attendance. I will also assist the PoP to access their online learning. This will all help to ensure that the PoP is engaged with as early as possible in their order which will assist with their compliance.

The SC region is currently in the process of recruiting PSOs to take on the UPW orders in my area. This will ensure that the unpaid work orders and caseloads in the SC area are commensurate with the national model and that PoPs have a local service delivered to them.

Administration in the region will be based on a model of local POD based and virtual support and the structure of this will have been communicated to me. The UPW administration will move from the PSC to the SC UPW team by the end of January 2022.

If I am an Administrator in the region I will be trained on completing the first five pages of the OASys system this will ensure that all PoPs have accurate and up to date records, and will also ensure that the practitioners in my region are able to complete their assessment with the PoP within 15 days of the Order/licence commencing. An early collaborative sentence plan will help to ensure engagement and compliance.

By the end of November all SC UPW Orders will have moved to from the PSC to the SC UPW team. This will ensure that the unpaid work orders and caseloads in the SC area are commensurate with the national model and that PoPs have a local service delivered to them.

A recruitment campaign is currently ongoing to ensure that SC have the right number of staff to support the work moving into the region.