The Role of the Probation Officer

The principal responsibility of the National Probation Service is to protect the public from crime. Probation Officers work with some of society's most difficult, damaged and dangerous people - a role which demands a firm and disciplined approach, but at the same time a compassionate understanding of people and their problems. All Probation Areas work within a framework of policies and National Standards and are subject to regular inspections to ensure that standards are maintained.

The new National Offender Management Service (NOMS) will bring together and co-ordinate the work of the National Probation Service and other correctional services to ensure that court sentences are effectively implemented with the focus on end-to-end management of the individual offender.

In their work, Probation Officers will assess the risk an offender may pose to the community, and how that risk should be contained. The aim of probation supervision is to reduce the likelihood of further offending, to ensure the proper punishment of offenders, to rehabilitate the offender back into the community and thus reduce crime.

The National Probation Service is the only agency that is involved in every step of the criminal justice process - from the moment an offender appears before the court, when the Probation Officer may prepare a report to help with bail and sentencing decisions, to the end of the court order for supervision in the community, or the expiry of an ex-prisoner's period of supervision on licence. This complex work involves Probation Officers using a range of techniques to enable people to address their offending behaviour effectively. Some work is done individually, some through accredited groupwork programmes, and some in liaison with partnership agencies in the community.

Probation Officers work in a variety of settings. Most work in field teams preparing court reports and supervising offenders in the community. However, some work in specialist settings e.g. prisons, probation hostels, groupwork teams and drug/alcohol agencies.

Whilst the principal tasks and responsibilities of Probation Officers involve significant levels of interaction with offenders, victims and others, they can also not be performed without undertaking meticulous record keeping, review and adherence to standards.

Salary Scales for the main grade Probation officers start at £26,229. There is a pay spine covering more senior Probation officer grades.

National Probation Service Values
The tasks and responsibilities of a Probation Officer must be carried out effectively and efficiently. The Probation Service also affirms the importance of values that should guide its work in all circumstances. Probation Officers are committed to:

• treating all people fairly, openly and with respect
• a commitment to valuing diversity and acting in an anti-discriminatory way
• an uncompromising stance against the harm caused by crime
• a strong belief in the capacity of people to change
• the importance of taking personal responsibility for behaviour
• the necessity of learning from experience
  

Here are some of the tasks that Probation Officers undertake:

Make assessment to advise Courts and others, especially about the risk posed by individual offenders. Probation Officers prepare written reports for Court known as Pre-Sentence Reports. The report will set out relevant personal information about the offender, an analysis of the offences, as assessment of risk and will, in most cases, make a proposal about the manner in which the offender should be sentenced. Some officers work at Court most of the time and represent the Probation Service as Liaison Officers

Probation Officers have a responsibility to ensure that the Court's orders are carried out. In the course of a Probation Order, the officer will work to change the probationer's behavior in ways that make further offending less likely. This may involve, for instance, participation in group programmes (usually run by specially trained Probation Officers), which research has shown to influence behaviour in this way.

Work with prisoners during and after sentence to assist in their resettlement and to implement the requirements of their licence. Probation Officers assist in sentence management and make arrangements for release so that prisoners are settled in the community in a way that minimises the likelihood of their reoffending. Some Probation Officers work in prisons.

Work, directly and with others, to change offenders' behavior and to reduce the risk of harm. Officers work with offenders to change their attitudes and behaviour and also seek to address the needs that are linked with their offending. Although this is sometimes done directly by the Probation Officer, Probation Areas encourage staff to make full use of other agencies, with who the area may be in partnership and who may be better placed to undertake the necessary work.

Being a Trainee Probation Officer

… A Trainee's perspective

One Trainee Probation Officer (TPO), who has just completed his first year of training, has recently produced an account of his experiences to date on the programme. Having explained how, prior to applying for the role, he had already had some experience of the Service through work as a volunteer and then more lately as a Community Service Officer, he went on to say:

'I write at a time of incredible pressure; an academic and practice deadline is approaching and I am also co-tutoring a Think First programme. On reflection, I definitely made the right career decision!

In theory, 50% of my time is spent on study, 50% on practice (i.e. in the office). This is not, however, as neat a distinction in practice. In my previous career, I liked to plan my time as much as I could but there have been times as a TPO when this has not been possible and I have had to learn to be more adaptable.

I have to admit that when I joined the Service I felt that, although I wouldn't 'know it all', I would hit the ground running due to my previous experience. Although this has undoubtedly helped in many ways, it has not helped to the extent that I thought it would. This has been difficult to accept. There has been plenty to learn and I have noticed that some of my peers, with even less experience of the Service than myself, have been just as quick to pick up on the critical issues. In my previous roles, I simply 'did' and did not consider 'why'. Being a TPO has meant a thorough re-examination of why I do what I do. This has necessitated me thinking about issues from a wider perspective than I have in the past.

Underpinning the practice work we carry out has been a curriculum of distance learning via the university. This has been hugely enjoyable although much more demanding than I had considered. At the end of the process, however, I feel that the course that I am currently engaged on will not only have taught me the core subject areas but also how to study at a distance. This is something that I do not believe a traditional university based degree would provide.

Being a TPO has also meant that I have had to honestly 'get to know myself' in a way that I have not before. In former roles I intuitively developed my own value base as I progressed. As a TPO, however, I have had to focus on my values, on how they are aligned with those of the NPS, and on the behaviours and circumstances of offenders. The capacity of offenders to change is a paramount concept, as is the importance of ensuring that they are held accountable and responsible for their actions. As a Trainee I have noticed the reluctance that some offenders do have for taking responsibility. Indeed their resistance has on occasions been quite striking.

The journey that I have made from a volunteer to a TPO therefore has been much longer than I expected. I am confident that the 'pot of gold at the end of the rainbow' will be worth it.'

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