Work, employment and engagement conditions in a female‐dominated public service occupation after restructuring/outsourcing

Abstract

Most research on the phenomenon of public service restructuring/outsourcing focuses on lower skilled work in peripheral activities and typically provides an overview of effects on work, employment and employment relations. Through an in‐depth case study of probation, the intention of this article is to explore professional worker experiences of the restructuring/outsourcing of a core public service activity where the workforce is female dominated. The article highlights three dimensions of job quality that all suffered deterioration—work, employment and engagement. The case of probation adds to evidence demonstrating that employees experience adverse effects even though transfer regulations and union agreements supposedly protect workers. Probation also stands as an exemplar of impoverishment processes in a female‐dominated occupation which reinforces the view that public services can no longer be relied upon to provide high‐quality jobs for highly qualified women.

‘Within my work environment I don’t see gender as an issue’: Reflections on gender from a study of criminal justice social workers in Scotland

“…A small number of UK and US studies map what has become referred to as the ‘feminisation’ of probation in the late 20th century, a term used to describe significant increases in the number of females entering the profession, including across senior roles, and the impacts of these shifts on probation’s developing identity, standing, and practice (Annison, 2007; Kirton and Guillaume, 2018; Mawby and Worrall, 2013; Zettler, 2019). Annual data produced by the Scottish Social Services Council indicate similar shifts in Scotland.…”

“…For example, Mawby and Worrall (2013) reported that the increasingly ‘female voice’ of probation may have resulted in its absence at more senior male-dominated levels of the criminal justice system. Further, Kirton and Guillaume (2018) speculate that the recent reorganisation and outsourcing of the probation service in England and Wales has served to devalue probation work, primarily now women’s work, somewhat deprofessionaling it.…”

Transforming Rehabilitationduring a penal crisis: A case study ofThrough the Gateservices in a resettlement prison in England and Wales

“…7 Similarly, calls to review the current contractual requirements in order to provide increased funding to greater incentivise the CRCs (CJJI, 2016: 9) do not go far enough in our opinion and only serve to further embed the link between punishment, social control, and corporate profits (Gottschalk, 2014). There are indications that there has been a reduction in performance and detrimental impact on staff morale, within both the CRCs and NPS, following the dissolution of the former Probation Trusts (HMI Probation, 2014, 2015a, 2015b, 2016; Kirton and Guillaume, 2015). Extending the scope of private enterprise to address problems created by the break-up of the public probation service therefore appears counter-intuitive to say the least.…”

Post-sentence supervision: A case study of the extension of community resettlement support for short sentence prisoners

“…Previous literature regarding TR outlined emerging cultural differences between CRC and NPS practitioners, that contributed towards a perception that the CRC inhabited a second class status (see e.g. Clare, 2015; Kirton and Guillaume, 2015). Findings from the case study CRC posit that the fragmentation and legitimacy concerns position TSO practitioners as a perceived ‘third class’ of offender management, operating at a level below those of CRC staff.…”