Probation Officers' Knowledge of The Relevant Sciences
Dear HM Prison & Probation Service,
Under the terms of the Act:
1. Can you provide information on the qualification and training requirements of probation officers, specifically in the areas of psychology and neuroscience?
2. Are there any specific courses or certifications that probation officers are at anytime during their careers required to complete that are related to psychology and neuroscience?
3. How do probation officers use any empirically-guided knowledge of psychology and neuroscience in their day-to-day duties, particularly in assessing risk to the public, when working with probation service users?
4. Are probation officers routinely encouraged to access resources for ongoing education in psychology and neuroscience to enhance their effectiveness when carrying out their duties?
5. Can you share any relevant research, guidelines, or policies that encourage and/or inform probation officers' use of psychology and neuroscience in their work?
Yours faithfully,
Lee Morgan
Mr Morgan, please see attached the response to your Freedom of information
request
Thank You
HM Prison and Probation Service Briefing & Correspondence Team
[1]h[2][email address]
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Dear HMPPS Correspondence,
Thank you for providing the attached information.
If I may, either by way of general follow-up questions, or by exercising my right to appeal, ask of you the following:
Q1: While I understand that psychology and neuroscience may not be mandatory qualifications, I'm interested in understanding the rationale behind this decision. Given the complex nature of human behaviour and the potential impact on rehabilitation efforts, could you provide insights into how the absence of qualifications in psychology or neuroscience aligns with the goals and effectiveness of probation services? Additionally, are there ongoing professional development opportunities or training programs in place to enhance the understanding of these aspects among probation officers?
Q2: I appreciate the clarification that probation officers are not required to complete certifications or courses related to psychology or neuroscience. To better understand the training and preparedness of probation officers in addressing the diverse needs of the individuals they work with, could you elaborate on the current training curriculum for probation officers? Specifically, what aspects of training are prioritized to ensure officers are well-equipped to handle the psychological and behavioural aspects of their responsibilities?
Q3: Thank you for providing information on the risk assessment techniques used by probation officers. To gain further insight into the practical application of these techniques, could you elaborate on the ongoing training and support mechanisms in place to ensure that probation officers have a comprehensive understanding of risk factors? Additionally, are there any measures or evaluations in progress to assess the effectiveness of probation officers in accurately identifying, analysing, and managing risk in their day-to-day duties?
Q4: Thank you for providing information on the available learning opportunities for probation officers. Building on this, could you share more about the support system in place to encourage and facilitate probation officers in accessing resources for ongoing education in psychology and neuroscience? Understanding the importance of staying informed about developments in these fields, how does the government ensure that probation officers are aware of and motivated to pursue additional knowledge that could enhance their effectiveness in fulfilling their duties?
Q5: Thank you for providing information on the support available to probation officers from psychology professionals. Building on this, could you share any specific instances or examples where collaboration between probation officers and psychologists has proven particularly beneficial? Additionally, are there ongoing initiatives or plans to enhance the integration of psychological knowledge into probation services, ensuring that probation officers can effectively leverage this expertise in their day-to-day work?
Thank you for your ongoing understanding in relation to this important topic.
Yours sincerely,
Lee Morgan
Dear Mr Morgan,
Please find attached the response to your follow up request below.
Thank You,
Probation Workforce Team
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
From: Lee Morgan <[FOI #1039921 email]>
Sent: 20 November 2023 18:22
To: HMPPS.Correspondence <[email address]>
Subject: Re: FOI 231022003 Lee Morgan Probation Officers required science
qualifications.
Dear HMPPS Correspondence,
Thank you for providing the attached information.
If I may, either by way of general follow-up questions, or by exercising
my right to appeal, ask of you the following:
Q1: While I understand that psychology and neuroscience may not be
mandatory qualifications, I'm interested in understanding the rationale
behind this decision. Given the complex nature of human behaviour and the
potential impact on rehabilitation efforts, could you provide insights
into how the absence of qualifications in psychology or neuroscience
aligns with the goals and effectiveness of probation services?
Additionally, are there ongoing professional development opportunities or
training programs in place to enhance the understanding of these aspects
among probation officers?
Q2: I appreciate the clarification that probation officers are not
required to complete certifications or courses related to psychology or
neuroscience. To better understand the training and preparedness of
probation officers in addressing the diverse needs of the individuals they
work with, could you elaborate on the current training curriculum for
probation officers? Specifically, what aspects of training are prioritized
to ensure officers are well-equipped to handle the psychological and
behavioural aspects of their responsibilities?
Q3: Thank you for providing information on the risk assessment techniques
used by probation officers. To gain further insight into the practical
application of these techniques, could you elaborate on the ongoing
training and support mechanisms in place to ensure that probation officers
have a comprehensive understanding of risk factors? Additionally, are
there any measures or evaluations in progress to assess the effectiveness
of probation officers in accurately identifying, analysing, and managing
risk in their day-to-day duties?
Q4: Thank you for providing information on the available learning
opportunities for probation officers. Building on this, could you share
more about the support system in place to encourage and facilitate
probation officers in accessing resources for ongoing education in
psychology and neuroscience? Understanding the importance of staying
informed about developments in these fields, how does the government
ensure that probation officers are aware of and motivated to pursue
additional knowledge that could enhance their effectiveness in fulfilling
their duties?
Q5: Thank you for providing information on the support available to
probation officers from psychology professionals. Building on this, could
you share any specific instances or examples where collaboration between
probation officers and psychologists has proven particularly beneficial?
Additionally, are there ongoing initiatives or plans to enhance the
integration of psychological knowledge into probation services, ensuring
that probation officers can effectively leverage this expertise in their
day-to-day work?
Thank you for your ongoing understanding in relation to this important
topic.
Yours sincerely,
Lee Morgan
Dear HM Prison & Probation Service,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of HM Prison & Probation Service's handling of my FOI request 'Probation Officers' Knowledge of The Relevant Sciences'.
******
******
Thank you for providing the information in relation to Qs 1-4 of the request. However, you have refused to provide 'specific examples' in relation to Q5. This may indeed be the correct and lawful response to my request for the information, but this may not be the case. I am unable to decide whether your refusal is lawful given the vagueness of the reason for the refusal.
In view of this, can you please confirm that you conducted a 'legitimate interests' test, and can you please provide clarification to help identify the lawful basis upon which you have relied to refuse to provide the requested information: as a suggestion to move forward, one way to provide the information without identifying anyone would be to redact any names mentioned in any considered document.
I have attached a link to the relevant page on the Information Commissioner's website -- https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-..., which I trust will prove useful.
Thank you for your kind attention to my request.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/p...
Yours faithfully,
Lee Morgan
Good afternoon
Please find attached our response to your recent request for a review of
our FOI response to you.
Regards
Mrs Brady
HM Prison and Probation Service Briefing & Correspondence Team
[1]h[2][email address]
PLEASE REPLY TO THIS ADDRESS AND NOT A PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESS
Follow us on Twitter @hmpps
Please treat as OFFICIAL - Sensitive unless otherwise specified
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
This e-mail and any attachments is intended only for the attention of the
addressee(s). Its unauthorised use, disclosure, storage or copying is not
permitted. If you are not the intended recipient, please destroy all
copies and inform the sender by return e-mail. Internet e-mail is not a
secure medium. Any reply to this message could be intercepted and read by
someone else. Please bear that in mind when deciding whether to send
material in response to this message by e-mail. This e-mail (whether you
are the sender or the recipient) may be monitored, recorded and retained
by the Ministry of Justice. Monitoring / blocking software may be used,
and e-mail content may be read at any time. You have a responsibility to
ensure laws are not broken when composing or forwarding e-mails and their
contents.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. mailto:[email address]
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