Access to Mental Health services for Deaf people

Conference notes that Deaf people are twice as likely as hearing people to experience mental health problems, yet they do not have equal access to services. Mental health services are often inaccessible for Deaf people. For example members have reported that they are referred to counselling services where the counsellor does not sign and therefore […]

Awareness of Access To Work

Access to Work aims to support disabled people start or stay in work, providing financial and practical support. We believe awareness of this programme is lacking amongst some members, especially if you’re new to disability, meaning our members may not be getting the support they need to stay in work and reach their potential. Conference […]

Disability Passports in the Workplace

Many of our members are not receiving the reasonable adjustments they need in the workplace environment, whether it be removing physical barriers or providing additional support for a disabled employee to protect against substantial disadvantage. A way to encourage the introduction and continuous support of reasonable adjustments would be a disability passport document. A disability […]

Meaningful Annual Disability Employment Statistics

Conference notes that in November 2018 the Department of Work and Pensions and the Department of Health & Social Care jointly launched a Framework on the Voluntary Reporting on Disability, Mental Health and Wellbeing. This compliments the Public Sector Equality Duty. The Framework is a voluntary scheme – aimed at large employers with over 250 […]

Accessible Public Toilets

Conference notes that less than 10% of people who meet the Equality Act 2010 definition of a disability actually use a wheelchair which is the traditional symbol for an accessible toilet. For a range of reasons many disabled people face barriers to using a standard toilet. Conference notes that Council spending cuts have led to […]

Career progression for Police Staff

In the recent survey that UNISON undertook into wellbeing amongst Police Staff nearly 80% of respondents said that they had no defined career structure. Conference rightly agrees that this is unacceptable to both the individual staff members and also the forces. Forces need to work harder to retain talented and hardworking police staff. Conference also […]

Supporting LGBT+ members in police and justice

Conference notes that despite the government telling us that ‘austerity is over’ cuts to our public services continue, with lack of funding to police and justice services causing mass job losses, department closures, and outsourcing. Whilst UNISON leads the way in the fight to save jobs there are times when jobs cannot be saved, such […]

Privatisation of Approved Premises

Conferences notes that… Approved Premises or AP’s are one of the core elements of the Probation Service’s responsibilities. They accommodate, in local communities, recently released prisoners to support and enable them to return to society post release from custody, most often from lengthy sentences. The National Probation Service (NPS) is moving its AP estate from […]

Serious Further Offences

Conference notes that the current process for Serious Further Offences (SFO’s) in the National Probation Service is to assess the quality of practice in the management of an individual case leading up to the SFO. Conference further notes that during this investigation, information is gleaned in order to improve future practice. The process is not […]

National Collective Bargaining and Protecting Members’ Terms and Conditions

Conference recognises the importance of national collective bargaining for the protection of members’ terms and conditions across all sectors in the Service Group. The Police Staff Council for England and Wales and the Police Scotland and the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) negotiating machineries are essential for this protection. National collective […]

Custody – Is it Time for a Detention Officer to Cell Capacity Ratio?

Conference will recognise the devastating impact on staffing levels in the police service as a result of Austerity led reductions in funding to the service. Many cell blocks have been closed and staff made redundant or not replaced when they leave to save money. As a result, our members in Custody are often being forced to […]

Bring Back All Probation Work into the Public Sector at Local Level

Conference notes that the government intends to leave unpaid work, programmes and other rehabilitative services out in the private or voluntary sector when offender management is transferred into National Probation Service (NPS) Wales/NPS in 2019 and 2021. Conference is totally opposed to this latest arbitrary split in probation which will only serve to extend and […]

A Call to End Overly Intrusive Vetting Practices

Conference recognises the necessity for all police staff and officers to undergo vetting checks before a career in the police service begins. It is also acknowledged that these checks need to be reviewed at regular intervals, for the safety of staff, the public and the police service. However, many Forces are overreaching their authority by […]

Time for a Police Staff Mobile App

Conference will note that since the introduction of the revised Police Staff Council Pay & Conditions of Service Handbook in April 2017 many of our members continue to struggle to understand their workplace rights. Our members often have to make immediate decisions and will most likely not have quick access to the Handbook and Guide […]

Future Model of Probation

Conference notes the Government’s intentions to dismantle its failed Transforming Rehabilitation reforms by bringing all offender management work currently undertaken by the private Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) under the control and direction of the public sector National Probation Service (NPS). Whilst Conference welcomes the return of this important part of probation to public ownership, Conference […]