Contemporary Probation Practice

Probation training: a summer perspective: the survey; the sample; the appropriateness of probation training; the probation costs; the quality of college teaching; the probation focus; the quality of college teaching; fieldwork placements and practice; students evaluate their training; some possible developments; personal prescriptions for the improvement of training; the recommendations in detail; skills learnt; the first year as a probation officier. Appendix I: methology; some notes on conversations with probation officiers who considered leaving the service during their first year. Becoming a probation officer: through training and into practice: Introduction the officer's view of training; learning on placement; assessment; the first year in probation service; induction training and supervision in the first year; confirmation - process and event; summary and conclusion; induction training and supervision in the first year; confirmation - process and event; summary and conclusions. appendix 2: focused interview schedule: the changing shape of hte probation: the changing shape of the probation service; the front-line fieldworker; the emergent specialisms; tasks and methods, knowledge, skills and qualities: an overview; levels of work satisfaction in probation practice; summary. Appendix 3: methodology: holding the balance between court and client: the unique role of hte probation officer: the survey and the sample; communication with clients; client assessment; mosels of intervention with clients; functioning as a probation professional; different skills in probation; conclusion. Appendix 4.1: Some notes om the observation of a piece of probation practice. Appendix 4.2: the core skills interview schedule. Probation training in the early 1990's: training for the 1991 Criminal Justice Act; anti-racist, anti-sexist and anti-discriminartory practice; changes in teaching content and style; programme partnerships; a wholly specialist probation stream?; the probation service perception of change in qualifying training. The socil work boudaries of probation work: introduction; from rebellion to pragmatism; from pragmatism to powerlessness; disaffection amongst service leavers; purpose and philosophy; the continued relevance of social work in probation; reconceiving social work on the care/control continuum; conclusion.