Results from an anonymous inquiry among probation workers

Monday, 17 August 2015 09:22 |

In relation to the implementation of Project “European Standards in Probation Training” focused on improving the knowledge and skills of the probation workers in Bulgaria according to the best European standards an anonymous inquiry was conducted among 215 workers in the Regional probation services in the country in the period June-August. 55% of the inquired were men and 45% were women from which 82% had a higher education and a medium age of 41 years. The inquiry card had 13 questions altogether. The analysis led to the following important conclusions.

At national level there is lack of permanent training of those working in the probation services in the country which generally does not satisfy their needs to maintain good professional standards for work and high motivation in the implementation of their duties.

Although their general education and additional qualification are at a high level they very often correspond to various professional spheres different from the sphere of work with offenders.

Especially characteristic is the probation workers’ need for communication and exchange of experience among themselves with a view to equalize approaches in their work and cope with specific cases in practice.

In this sense there is an indisputable need for developing a system for a current training of the workers from the probation services in the country especially in the strictly professional sphere of work with offenders with specific problems – addictions, psychiatric disorders, illiteracy, and people from minorities as well as getting to know practically working individual and group programmes with sentenced people – skills for communication and stimulating a change in their behavior.

An advisable form and method within the system for training of probation workers is the group training work with the participation of specialists from different regions and services in the country which has a practical purpose and is under the form of working in small groups and solving practical cases.