Survey of the training models within the Confederation of European Probation (CEP)

Friday, 31 July 2015 09:15 |

Experts from Fund – IGA made a comparative analysis between the active programmes for training of probation workers in Bulgaria and the European practices with the aim to identify the main differences and discrepancies between the existing training programmes and the ones in the developed European member states.

The system for training of probation workers in Bulgaria has two components – in the first place it requires a specific education for the probation inspectors and in the second place – there is an obligatory entrance into office in Directorate General “Execution of Punishments”. Since the latter is a basic and obligatory training its contents was also a subject of comparison with the basic “clusters” of competences drawn from the other European member states.

In terms of contents the training of probation workers in Bulgaria to a big extent corresponds to that in the developed European member states. Despite this, however, there are some conspicuous basic elements that are scarce: training for recognizing different psychiatric problems with clients, training for copying with critical situations among clients with psychiatric disorders, training for efficient engagement and achieving a change with them; a bigger scope of the training for work with drug addict offenders and the ensuing problems for the clients and their reintegration; training focused on the probation workers themselves – copying with stress at the work place, improving psychological stamina, preventing occupational burnout.

The survey has been implemented within Project “European Standards in Probation Training”. The analysis is focused on achieving one of the specific goals of the project – survey of the existing system for training of the human personnel in the probation services in the country.