Education and Training

Abstract

This chapter considers the nature of probation officer training over the last thirty years. It places the current model of training within the context of increasing politicisation of probation practice, the associated impact of New Public Management policies, shifts in understandings of rehabilitation, and the semi privatisation of Probation in 2013. The chapter examines the value of the four forms of rehabilitation as a model that can inform the contexts and content of training and education in the Probation Service. The case is made for a model which emphasises the development of reflective practitioners, skilled at engaging with people on probation supervision and asserting a robust anti-discriminatory approach in their practice. The authors argue that current models of training can diminish a sense of professional identity, and that nurturing confidence in the (trainee) practitioner role is a key factor in the mastery of the skills required to effectively manage risk and support re/integration alongside transparent, flexible and supportive organisational structures.