Probation Support Workers play an essential role in supporting individuals into transforming their lives. By supporting people with community service and prison sentences, and helping with rehabilitation once a sentence has been released – this is a critical role within the probation sector.
The role requires an element of flexibility from candidates as weekend or evening working may be a specification of the role.
Clients from within this sector often also request the following training of employees:
- Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA)
- Manual Handling
- Medication Awareness
- Basic First Aid
You may also be requested to undertake the following training:
- Working in approved premises (probation hostels)
- Community payback work
- Working with victims
- Substance misuse awareness
Job Overview
The role of a Probation Support Worker is to provide support and assistance to individuals with a probation plan. This role also requires individuals to work with other agencies outside of the hostel in supporting individuals.
A Probation Support Worker is responsible for:
- Gathering information and interviewing offenders
- Assessing risk that an offender may pose to the general public
- Preparing and co-ordinating court reports
- Delivering individual and / or group programmes to challenge offending behaviour
- Helping clients get work or training, housing or drug/alcohol treatment
- Arranging and supervising community work placements for offenders
- Providing education or employment support for prisoners in the community or before their release
- Keeping accurate case records
Skills
- Patience and empathy with a capacity not to judge individual cases and circumstances
- Excellent communication skills
- Flexible attitude
- Capacity to work under pressure
- Motivational skills
- Awareness of the importance of confidentiality
- Team player
- Organisational skills
- Computer literate
- Interest in social issues and the criminal justice system