© British Association of Social Workers
The Objectives of the Probation Service
Martin Davies was a Probation Officer. He worked on the probation project in the Home Office Research Unit from 1964 to 1971. He is now a Lecturer in Social Administration in the University of Manchester. His recent publications include Probationers in their Social Environment and Financial Penalties and Probation-both in the Home Office Research Series
Summary
Two kinds of objective are identified: an organizational objective concerned with efficiency, and a functional objective concerned with the effectiveness of the service. Increasing responsibilities in respect of social enquiry work, parole, after-care and prison welfare have been absorbed remarkably smoothly during the 1960s, and even the inevitable administrative changes have been less disruptive than might have been anticipated. Any discussion about the 'effectiveness' of the probation service highlights the need to clarify its purposes and its functions. It is argued that, although most officers would accept that their primary function is and has traditionally been that of exercising oversight over the offender on behalf of the court and the community, there are unmistakeable signs that pressure will be brought to bear on the probation service to adopt a more treatment-orientated approach. The switch to such a correctional role is bound to disturb the organizational objectives of the service, and raise questions about the place of casework theory in the training and supervision of probation officers