Annual of social work, Vol. 21 No. 3, 2014.
Review article
https://doi.org/10.3935/ljsr.v21i2.18
COMPETENCIES AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF PROBATION OFFICERS
Snježana Maloić
orcid.org/0000-0003-3899-0559
; Ministry of Justice, Zagreb, Croatia
Neven Ricijaš
orcid.org/0000-0001-8107-8448
; Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Probation officers are a relatively new profession in Croatia. This tradition has been present for almost 100 years in the Western countries, which therefore have considerable experience in successful and unsuccessful educational policies for probation officers, which in turn makes a good starting point for learning about the Croatian probation system. The aim of this paper is to analyse and investigate the levels and methods for training probation officers in Europe and the basic competences required for their work; explore current difficulties in training probation officers on the basis of international experiences, analyse the elements of training of probation officers in Croatia so far and present guidelines for the life-long learning of Croatian probation officers. The level of education and additional training directly affects the quality of work of probation officers, and it indirectly influences their attitudes, beliefs and approach towards perpetrators, and generally, the quality of work of the probation service as a whole. The authors have concluded that, in comparison with European experiences, Croatian probation officers at the moment have a satisfactory level of initial competences and training in the context of life-long learning, and emphasized the importance of maintaining these practices, especially during the economic crisis.
Keywords
probation; probation officers; competences; education; life-long learning
Hrčak ID:
134774
URI
Publication date:
14.1.2015.
Visits: 2.649 *