Working in Probation

The NPS offers a challenging, varied and rewarding career. Its practitioner workforce of Probation Officers and Probation Service Officers work in a range of settings including; approved premises (hostels), Courts, prisons, Youth Offending Teams, group programmes, with victims of serious crimes, and in partnership with voluntary and private agencies.  Staff at all levels work closely with the Prison Service, the Police, Courts Service and other Criminal Justice Agencies. The Service also employs; administrators, IT, Finance, HR and other specialists, and there are opportunities for career progression to management roles.

The primary aims of the NPS are:-

• To protect the public
• To reduce re-offending
• To provide for the proper punishment of offenders
• To ensure that offenders are aware of the effects of their crimes on their victims and on the public
• To rehabilitate offenders

It pursues these aims having regard to beliefs in;

the capacity of individuals to change,
the importance of individuals taking responsibility for their actions,
the constructive potential of human influence, and
the right of all individuals to be treated with dignity and respect.

Core tasks of the Probation Service are;

providing Pre-sentence reports to the sentencing courts,

supervising offenders on community orders and prisoners released on licence.

For more information about the work of the Probation Service, visit:

www.probation.homeoffice.gov.uk  and   www.noms.homeoffice.gov.uk

For information about Probation Qualifications please click here.

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