Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of calls to the Tackling Unacceptable Behaviour Unit have been from staff reporting acts of (a) bullying, (b) harassment, (c) victimisation and (d) discrimination since that Unit was launched.
Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) takes the welfare of staff extremely seriously, which is why it supports staff to access a range of helplines and resources. The Tackling Unacceptable Behaviour Unit (TUBU) was established in August 2020 and works to support staff through a confidential helpline, mediation service and programme of assessments to surface and address unacceptable behaviour. In addition, a special investigation service is being developed to deal with the most serious cases involving bullying, harassment, discrimination or victimisation.
Staff can also access support from HR professionals in relation to workplace conflict through the Civil Service Early Resolution Helpline (ERH). The Employee Assistance Programme PAM Assist helpline offers counselling, support and information including signposting to external sources of support. This support can relate to a wide range of work and personal issues including trauma, bereavement, bullying and harassment, Childcare/Elder care, debt, relationships, alcohol and drug misuse and many more.
There is no place for any form of unacceptable behaviour in HMPPS. Such behaviour is contrary to its core values and will not be tolerated. All allegations of unacceptable behaviour are taken seriously, investigated and, where appropriate, disciplinary action will be taken.
The volume of calls for each helpline per month received from HMPPS staff since the launch of the Tackling Unacceptable Behaviours Unit on 24 August 2020 is set out in the table below:
| Tackling Unacceptable Behaviours Unit (from 24 August 2020) | Early Resolution Helpline (from 5 Oct 2020) | PAM Assist (Data provided from 1 August 2020) |
August 2020 | 26 | Not yet launched | 314 |
September 2020 | 55 | Not yet launched | 303 |
October 2020 | 34 | 5 | 315 |
November 2020 | 36 | 3 | 306 |
December 2020 | 29 | 0 | 268 |
January 2021 | 17 | 4 | 295 |
February 2021 | 19 | 2 | 242 |
Totals | 216 | 14 | 2043 |
The breakdown of calls to the Tackling Unacceptable Behaviour Helpline in relation to (a) bullying, (b) harassment, (c) victimisation and (d) discrimination is set out in the table below:
Issue raised in call | Volume (24 Aug 2020 – 28 Feb 2021) | Percentage of all calls |
Bullying | 89 | 41% |
Harassment | 29 | 11% |
Victimisation | 8 | 4% |
Discrimination | 31 | 14% |
(Note – not all callers will disclose precise issue of concern, and other types of issue than the four categories above may be recorded, such as unfair treatment or decision)