Probation services officer jobs

Probation officers are responsible for managing offenders in order to safeguard the general public and lower the rate of repeat offenses by assisting offenders in making more positive decisions in their lives.

You will deal with offenders in courts, in the community, and in detention as a probation officer. Your goal will be to make communities safer via this work. This requires consistent communication with lawbreakers, victims, and colleagues in the police and prison services, among other people.

In addition to working closely with appropriate statutory and volunteer authorities, you will also be responsible for managing residential facilities that are sanctioned for use by convicted criminals and former inmates. In addition to this, you will be responsible for the management and enforcement of the provisions of community orders, which are an alternative to a sentence of incarceration.

After their release from prison, former criminals in England and Wales are subject to community supervision by the newly unified Probation Service in those two countries. In addition to this, the statutory body delivers reports to the criminal courts to assist them in the process of sentencing.

The Probation Board for Northern Ireland is the organization that serves as the probation service in Northern Ireland (PBNI). As a result of the opening of a consultation in December 2021 on a review of the status and governance of the PBNI, it is possible that there will be upcoming changes.

Probation is overseen in Scotland by social workers employed by the various local councils' departments of social work.

Responsibilities

In most cases, if you want to be a probation officer, you'll need to:

Once you have obtained your entire qualifications, you will be able to handle offenders with low and medium risk, as well as high risk, including dangerous and prolific offenders.

courts should be provided with pre-sentence reports on those who have been charged with an offense to assist them in determining the appropriate sentence to impose.

safeguard the public by fostering fruitful partnerships with other entities involved in the administration of criminal justice, such as the police, the local government, the courts, the health services, the drug abuse services, the volunteer agencies, and the juvenile offending teams.

Conduct risk analyses and conduct evaluations on criminals in order to safeguard the general public from the possibility of continuing criminal activity.

oversee and carry out the execution of court orders pertaining to communal matters.

Encourage criminals to modify their attitudes and actions in order to cut down on their likelihood of committing more crimes.

supply prison governors and parole review boards with specialized studies that assist assess whether a prisoner should be freed and, if so, under what circumstances they should be released.

Help inmates who have been sentenced to a period of incarceration of one year or more, both during and after the term of their sentence, to become productive members of society.

incarcerated inmates are evaluated as part of the preparation process for their eventual release on license into the community.

To satisfy the requirements of the courts, assist convicted criminals in serving their community sentences.

Collaborate with people who have been the victims of violent or sexual crimes in order to look out for their wellbeing and make sure their views are heard.

oversee the management of permitted accommodations that provide shelter to those who are out on bail, on probation, or who are out on parole.

attendance in court, including possible testimony about written recommendations included in reports.

Salary

You will begin your training as a probation services officer (PSO), at which time you will be earning £22,924 per year in addition to a London weighting of £3,889 or a Market Force Allowance of £1,100, depending on whether or not you live in one of the home counties.

Your base pay will increase to £30,208 in addition to any allowances you get after you have successfully finished your training and qualified as a probation officer (PO) (Band 4).

The senior probation officers' wage range is between £37,166 and £41,020, according to the scale (Band 5).

Workers in Approved Premises (AP) residential properties get a base income of £22,000 or £26,000 in Greater London, with an unsocial hour premium added on top of that.

You will be eligible for a variety of Civil Service perks, one of which is a pension from the local government. Where it is appropriate to do so, a London weighting allowance is applied to pay.

Information on income obtained from the Department of Work and Pensions. The numbers are simply meant to serve as a guide.

Time spent working

You will work a typical 37-hour week, but there is a possibility that you may have to put in some extra time outside of regular business hours on occasion.

The maximum number of vacation days that may be used by probation officers in a year is 25, not including public holidays. After 5 years of service, the vacation day allotment is increased to 30 days.

There are chances for employment on a part-time basis as well as job sharing.

What may be anticipated

Your typical workplace might be an office, a jail, a court, or even a community environment; nevertheless, you will often travel locally over the course of the working day and may visit clients in their homes.

You could also spend some time working at authorized premises (AP), which are places that provide residential accommodations for people who have been convicted of a crime or who have previously been convicted of a crime.

At times, the task may be quite exhausting on an emotional level.

Find out more about what it's like to work in the probation department.

Additional information may be obtained from the following sources:

The Law, Order, and Public Safety Division of the Scottish Government

NI Direct: Criminal Activity, Legal Matters, and the Rule of Law

Qualifications

To be eligible for a position as a probation officer, you will need to demonstrate that you have successfully completed training for probation officers in accordance with the requirements of the Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP). Depending on your prior experience and education, the training will span either 15 or 21 months.

You'll need the following things in order to submit an application for the training program that lasts for 15 months:

expertise managing with difficult behavior and the appropriate experience

a recognized qualification that is at Level 5 or above on the QCF scale (for example an honours degree, HND, foundation degree, diploma of higher education or higher apprenticeship)

previous knowledge and comprehension in at least three of the necessary knowledge modules, which are as follows: the criminal justice system, an understanding of crime and criminal behavior, penal policy and the punishment of offenders, and the rehabilitation of offenders.

You are eligible to apply for the 21-month training course if you do not have any prior education or training in criminology, but you do have relevant experience and a certificate at Level 5 or above. During the first six months of the course, you will be responsible for completing anywhere from two to four of the necessary knowledge modules.

A competency-based questions part is included on the application form, and there is also an assessment center to attend. These are only two of the many steps that are included in the hiring process.

The training consists of both academically-based applied learning and the development of practical skills in order to provide you with the information and abilities essential for evaluating and managing offenders as well as writing reports. You will be working as a probation services officer while you are in the training program (PSO). You will be given an honors degree in addition to a Level 5 vocational certification Diploma in Probation Practice if you are successful in completing the program.

Check out the Train to be a Probation Officer page on the HM Prison and Probation Service website for additional details.

In order to serve as a probation officer in Scotland (where you would be known as a criminal justice social worker), you will require a degree in social work that has been recognised by the Scottish Social Services Council, whether it be an undergraduate degree or a postgraduate degree (SSSC).

The Probation Board for Northern Ireland is responsible for hiring certified social workers to serve in the role of probation officers in Northern Ireland (PBNI). You will need to have previous experience dealing with criminals, and you should submit your application to UCAS for a degree in social work. For further details, please visit the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) website.

Skills

You'll need to make sure you have:

a familiarity with and a grasp of the processes involved in the administration of criminal justice and the work of the probation service

exceptional people skills and the capacity to connect with and care for other people

the capacity to convince and sway the opinions of other people

abilities in both cooperation and collaboration

a compassionate attitude

the ability to work on cases and write reports

planning and organization skills

capabilities in decision making and problem solving that are very effective

a sense of purpose and dedication

resilience

sound discretion and the capacity to think quickly on one's feet are essential.

an awareness of, as well as a respect for, the principles of nondiscrimination and equality of opportunity.

Practice in the workplace

You'll need to have previous experience dealing with difficult behavior, which you may get via paid or volunteer work in a variety of contexts, including the following areas of focus:

authorized premises

services for visiting inmates in jail

services for assisting victims of crime

groups that work with young offenders

community service organizations

not within the jurisdiction of the community justice system

It is more essential to have a good experience than to have a lot of different ones.

Find out more information on the many types of work experience and internships that are currently offered.

Employers

The Probation Service, which employs probation officers in England and Wales, is a component of the Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), which is an executive agency supported by the Ministry of Justice. The mission of the Probation Service is to aid in the rehabilitation of criminals while simultaneously ensuring the safety of the general public by collaborating with all aspects of the criminal justice system.

In Scotland, the responsibility for the work of the probation service lies with the social work departments of local authorities (known as criminal justice social work). The Probation Board of Northern Ireland (PBNI) is in charge of the probation system in Northern Ireland.

Check for available positions at:

Jobs in Community Care, including openings with teams that work with juvenile offenders

Jobs in Prisons and on Probation Offered by HMPPS

My Job Scotland is the place to go for social worker positions in the criminal justice system.

Advisory Body for Offenders in Northern Ireland

Cooperate with criminals.

See How to Train to Become a Probation Officer for information on the many possibilities for probation officer training.

Advertisements for open positions may also be found on the websites of specialized recruiting companies like Sanctuary Criminal Justice.

Improvement of one's profession

You will get on-the-job assistance and training after you have qualified for the position. You will also have access to Public Service Learning, which offers a variety of courses and tools for improving skills that are common to all civil employees in the United Kingdom.

You will be able to specialize in a specific field of probation work after you have gained the necessary experience and training, such as dealing with sexual offenders or in the court system, for example.

Some probation officers take advantage of secondments to spend time working for other agencies, such adolescent offending teams or prisons. Others choose to stay in their home agency and focus on their own cases. Training to become a manager is another option open to you.

Prospects for one's career

You are eligible to seek for advancement to the position of senior probation officer if you have many years of experience in the field. Senior probation officers are responsible for the management of a team of probation officers as well as the evaluation of their work. You will also be responsible for the management of risks, the achievement of goals, and the collaboration with other organizations including the police and the prison service.

Getting promoted beyond the primary grade is dependent on your amount of experience and skill, and it often means advancing through the management ranks rather than continuing to deal directly with criminals. The management of senior probation officers and the overall operation of the probation service within a certain geographic region is within the purview of probation area managers. In most cases, they are engaged in the management of the danger that the public faces and have little to no interaction with the criminals themselves.

However, there are options to move laterally and specialize in a variety of various fields related to the job of probation, such as the following:

administration of permitted premises, which includes providing lodging for those who are out on bail, individuals who are on probation and struggle with issues such as alcoholism or drug addiction, and criminals who have been released from jail on license until the completion of their term.

The term "jail work" refers to the process of assisting incarcerated individuals in their readjustment to society, often within the context of offender management programs.

authorized program units - working with coworkers from different professions to provide engaging group work for those who are currently incarcerated

case management teams that specialize in a certain field, such as drug treatment and testing orders, public protection, or sexual offenses.