Public Servants Serving Our Society: Carole Steel
Hi, my name’s Carole Steel and I work as an Interventions Facilitator at HM Prison Isle of Wight (HMP IOW). Currently I work on the Kaizen delivery team and I am also a Prospect workplace representative.
What I do day to day
On a day-to-day basis under “normal “circumstances, you are likely to find me, from 8:00 prepping for a session. This involves going over the content for the session and ensuring that I have all the paperwork that is needed. Treatment areas are discussed in supervision with the treatment manager and so those areas that are relevant are factored into the work that we do. If group work is taking place, there could be up to 8 people at any one time. Recently, we have been doing 1-1 work which means we no longer have a co-facilitator present. I never realised how valuable this had been until it stopped due to the Covid pandemic.
When I am not delivering, there is a great deal of work that needs to be done. This includes interviewing on the wings or in the workplace, or someone may need an IQ test. Here at HMP IOW, I am one of two Facilitators in our department who can be called upon to complete one as a matter of urgency. When this happens, work in the diary needs to be rearranged to accommodate.
My role also includes writing Programme need assessments (PNAs). This is an extensive piece of work that involves several interviews with the prisoner. We gather as much information as possible for these. A PNA is generally 30 pages on average, it helps to determine which programme is likely to be most suitable for each potential group member. We all have different ways of learning, and some may have learning difficulties, this is all factored in so we get to work as best as we can with each individual.
Delivering a session, be it group or 1-1 involves many skills, for which we have been trained. To manage a group, we need to be as certain as we can that the dynamics are right and security alerts for each person are followed. Questions should be open to allow the best response. We need to keep in mind remarks that are made which could re-enforce unhelpful attitudes and beliefs, this will need to be brought to the individuals attention. Feedback is given throughout the programme, starting with the positive and highlighting areas in need of development. We need to be transparent, good at listening and model decent behaviour. We also need to be open and able to receive feedback ourselves.
Why being paid properly matters
Anyone who works should be paid a decent wage that allows us to eat, keep a roof over our heads and reward ourselves with a holiday. There are few jobs that pay the value of a person’s worth. Take the fire service for example, they put their lives on the line every time they have a call out. While the average person may struggle with a heat wave, imagine having to attend a fire in already uncomfortable heat, wearing heavy gear and carrying tanks!
Then you have the likes of me, what do I do? I sit in a room with people who have been found guilty and convicted of some of the most horrendous crimes you can imagine. I will have read through all the necessary paperwork that gives details of their offending, I need to do this to target areas that need to be addressed. In a group setting, I need to keep an eye on potential situations that could get out of control.
“You don’t have to do that job” I imagine some would say. “No, I don’t” I would reply. I could earn more in a supermarket; some staff have left to do just that! I have been here for 16 years and I love what I do. If one group member on a programme I have delivered gets released and does not re-offend, then I have done a good job. No one would know because we are hidden heroes that try our best to ensure someone living on your street who has been recently released, is able to be a part of the community without being a risk.
No one has to do this work but imagine life if we didn’t. We are worth so much more than we get. The general public may not want men who have been convicted of sexual offences to ever be released. I can’t change that, but the reality is that they are. Is it not better that we do what we can whilst they are in prison so they can come out a better person than when they came in? The pay we get does not reflect the value of the work we do. We need to feel valued.
Why being in a union matters
I am one of the Prospect reps here at HPM IOW. I took on this role as we didn’t really have anyone else who was representing members. I feel it is important that people in the workplace are given the correct information and support during times that may be difficult for various reasons. When I first started, there were a couple of staff members who were under investigation, none of us really knew what it was all about but we were sent an e-mail telling us that we should not be contacting those involved. They were no longer at work and so, in effect, cut off from colleagues. I was not in a union then, neither were they. It made me think about how that must have felt and how difficult it must have been. So, I put myself forward and did some training.
I have helped many people by attending grievances, FARM reviews etc. Sometimes, I am just someone to talk to in and out of work. I consider myself very lucky to have Prospect negotiator Claire Dent at the helm. She is always at the end of a phone or e-mail and when I don’t have an answer, so I see myself a as a go between for members and head office. When anyone new comes into the department, I approach them about joining. One of the main things about Prospect that appeals to me, and others, is the fact that they are not affiliated to any political party.
Being a union member helps you to feel a part of a large group of people who all have the same thing in mind – the rights of others and ourselves. Change doesn’t take place overnight, and policies take time to develop. If you are on your own, it would be highly unlikely that change can be made but if you have a group of like-minded people, imagine when many of that group have the know-how, experience and skills needed to bring about change – this is what a union provides. The Government listens to unions, and there is strength in numbers. The bigger the group, the louder the voice. No one in a workplace needs to feel alone. Think of it as a second or extended family. Both have your best interests at heart.
