Please find attached advice and a ballot paper with instructions. If you haven’t received one via an email it is because we do not have one or valid one on your record. You can contact the branch at unison20085@hotmail.co.uk to update your details
Dear Unison member
About 700 CRC, CRC parent company and CRC sub-contractor staff are on pay protection in the Probation Service after transferring into a lower graded substantive role in the Probation Service.
All these staff are eligible for a 6 month post implementation review of the job evaluation outcome of their new Probation Service job.
In order to prepare for this Unison need to start pulling together a list of the downgraded jobs into which members have transferred.
Currently in the North West we have identified the following roles;
Hub Admin Manager – downgraded to Senior Case Admin
Programmes Manager – Down banded from PB5 to PB4
Treatment Manager – Down banded from PB4 to PB3
UPW Manager – Down banded
If you have been down banded/graded on transfer please identify yourself, your role and what has happened to you in terms of role/banding
Please email as a matter of priority and in confidence to unison20085@hotmail.co.uk
Dear Probation Member, it is now more important than ever to check whether your details are correct. This will become apparent very shortly and we need to communicate effectively to you as the membership
If you wish to check and amend any of your details you can log on to My Unison to do so.
The link is https://www.unison.org.uk/my-unison
If you need your membership number or wish to send your details i.e home and work address, preferred email address and contact number please email to the branch at unison20085@hotmail.co.uk
Social Work England (SWE), the regulator for social workers in England, is consulting on proposed
changes to their requirements for social workers carrying out and recording continuing
professional development (CPD). They are proposing to implement these changes from 1
December 2021.
The Service Group has designed an online survey to get members views on SWE’s proposals.
Branches are asked to email the survey link to their social worker members, encouraging them to
complete it. A model branch email to send to members with the survey link is attached.
The deadline for members to complete the survey is Friday 30 July. Member feedback will help
shape UNISON’s response to SWE on behalf of all our social worker members.
Changes proposed by SWE include:
increasing the CPD requirement from 1 to 2 pieces per year, with a set theme for 1 piece
including an element of peer review
merging the unstructured and structured forms into a single form
making changes to our validation process, including focusing on specific parts of
the sector (as opposed to a random selection)
This consultation is important for members’ careers. Social workers are required to record CPD
with SWE to renew their professional registration. The consultation comes at a time when social
workers are under immense caseload and workload pressure, exacerbated by the pandemic.
Changes to working practices such as home working have reduced opportunities for peer support.
The survey results and UNISON’s response to SWE will be circulated to branches in due course.
Many thanks for your help.
With best wishes
Jon Richards
National Secretary
Local Government, Police and Justice Section
TAKE OUR SURVEY HERE: https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90355378/Social-Work-England-CPD
Your feedback will help shape UNISON’s response to SWE on behalf of all our social worker
members
We will share the UNISON consultation response with members.
SWE aim to publish their consultation response and updated policy in autumn 2021. The new
requirements will come into effect from 1 December 2021, after 2021 registration renewal. This
means any changes will not affect this year’s renewal or CPD requirements. The requirement for
registration in 2021 is one piece of CPD.
If you want to view SWE’s full consultation proposal here is the link:
https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/about/consultations/cpd-consultation/
UNISON have published some information on this and you can read more here https://www.unison.org.uk/news/article/2021/06/unison-joins-the-fight-over-proper-use-of-health-data/
However please note that the date has now been put back from 1 July to 1 September 2021 as detailed here. https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-collections-and-data-sets/data-collections/general-practice-data-for-planning-and-research . This link also gives a bit more information too.
In simple terms if this is of concern to you then you can opt out of the data sharing.
The attached bulletin from UNISON and Napo advises members who fall into one of the three categories below to submit an appeal to protect their position going forward.
1. People aligned to a role that is not banded, both in unpaid work and corporate services.
2. Staff aligned to jobs that just don’t feel right. e.g. Corporate services admin aligned to case admin. Admin/reception aligned in to HR type admin roles.
3. Staff where there is a mistake in the letter which is both obvious or not.
Are you a UNISON member who worked as external sessional staff (i.e. not current NPS employees) who lost earnings as a result of covid-related changes to working patterns during 2020?
The civil service guidance on this is attached. Please note that this scheme was time limited in 2020 and is no longer in place.
UNISON can follow up any individual cases with the NPS for members who are external sessional workers and who believe that they suffered a loss in income during the first covid lockdown in 2020.
Please contact the branch if you feel your case warrants investigation at unison20085@hotmail.co.uk
Dear Colleagues
CRC staff who do not meet the nationality requirements for civil service employment face likely dismissal from NPS following the transfer on 26 June 2021. CRCs were asked to identify such staff to HMPPS last year and now we understand that meetings have been convened with affected CRC staff to explain this position to them.
Branches are asked to let this office know if there are any UNISON members affected by this. Members who find themselves in these circumstances should reserve their position and not enter into any agreements with their CRC or the NPS without first taking advice from UNISON.
Any members affected should as a matter of urgency contact the branch via email unison20085@hotmail.co.uk
