I'm a probation officer ama

[Billyboo1]

As above

Do you have enough resources available to make a difference?

Yes. I specialised In female supervision for 4 years. It was so important and worthwhile but with many different challenges. You either do male or female unless you work in assessment in which case you do both

Yes we get training in gender related issues.

There are stringent and specific sentencing and imprisonment procedures for those who identify as differing genres or who are at different stages in their life

It's discussed so much at every level and taken very very seriously with all aspects assessed.

More resources would always be welcome but the skills. Training and experience of the staff that I work with is unreal

Taken very very seriously, as in the clients taken seriously or the safety of staff and other prisoners taken seriously. Is the ethos to believe the ‘self id’er’?

Protection of public and treatment of clients treated with the utmost seriousness. Priority and importance
With regular review

I was a Probation Officer and then Senior Probation Officer for 27 years, having left 5 years ago. I wouldn't recommend anyone going into the role as it currently stands. The Service is on its knees thanks to numerous changes in provision of service by the Government. Saying you could train and then leave if it wasn't for you is extremely naive. I'm not certain of the current financial outlay to train, not to mention time, for you just to decide you don't like it. The Tories are about to implement huge changes again which I'm sure will continue to have a negative impact on staff for some time yet. Most, if not all, of my ex colleagues/friends, had enough years ago but can't afford to quit. Working with offenders can be rewarding but recidivism rates remain high because the resources just aren't there to support those leaving prison or those in the community. There are areas where offenders phone in to have contact with their P.O. due to excessive and therefore unmanageable caseloads. Whilst you sound settled in your role OP, unfortunately I don't think it reflects the current climate in a lot of Probation areas. For those who are interested, the Howard League for Penal Reform is very informative of Probation as it currently stands.

Agree with the above, I have been in the Service for 14 years, and have seen so many changes and unrest. The recent announcements are again likely to cause further uncertainity. Are you CRC OP? You mention Assessment and only work with one gender if you're not in that area. This isn't the case in the NPS where generally caseload are generic. There are no doubts costs associated with training and just 'leaving if the job isn't for you.

Are you more conscious of protecting your family OP with the rise in Social Media etc?

To be honest, I left recently after nearly 20 years and what OP describes and how she describes it doesn't sound like my experience at all. Would be very interested to hear her answer mine and others in the field's questions.

Im also a PO/SPO that has left the service. I loved elements of the job but I'm so much happier now! IMO whilst it's a very worthwhile job it can be soul destroying seeing the same people (and families) coming through the system again and again.