What a Trainee Probation Officer does

Trainee Probation Officers in the workplace

TPOs are based at one of the field offices within the employing Probation Area and work alongside other Offender Managers and colleagues. In Part 1 of the programme, as well as completing the academic requirements set by De Montford University, a TPO can expect to learn how to undertake an offender assessment, how to write a Pre-Sentence Report and also to hold a small number of cases which they will manage and enforce.  It is now that the knowledge and skills for these crucial central tasks to the Offender Manager role begin to develop.

As the course continues into Part 2 and the TPO develops experience of working with different types of offender and offending behaviour, the focus of work shifts to managing more complex and demanding cases and of writing more challenging reports. There is also the opportunity to undertake some time in court in the role of Court Duty Officer, deliver an accredited programme to offenders and build up working relationships with a number of partner agencies including prisons, community drug / alcohol and mental health agencies.

There will be opportunities to observe colleagues’ work with offenders and to attend relevant training events which will guide and support learning. The ability to organise and prioritise individual workloads is an essential theme that runs through both parts of the programme as academic work and practical work deadlines run alongside each other demanding efficient time management skills in order to meet these.