Courtney Baddeley - Trainee Probation Officer

My new role is a Trainee Probation Officer. The training course is 21 months long. During this time, I will work as a Probation Officer handling high risk cases.

My main role is rehabilitation of offenders and to most importantly reduce reoffending and to protect the public. The Probation Service works hard to ensure that people on probation are given opportunities to support their transition back into the community and to ultimately reduce reoffending.

During the 21-month training period I will also be completing a postgraduate diploma in Community Justice. This is a requirement of the training course and means I will be studying distance learning throughout this period. Once qualified, I will be getting more responsibility and more caseload.

As a Probation Officer, one of my main aims is to change lives through working with people on probation in both the community and in a prison. We support people to get back on track and to turn their lives around.  

Knowing that my job protects the public and genuinely makes a difference to people’s lives is the most fulfilling part of my job. Reducing reoffending and promoting positive change is one of the aspects I’m most passionate about. 

The most challenging and common thing I face is non-compliance with licence conditions, but as a sector as a whole, lack of funding and staffing is causing a lot of extra stress and strain on other colleagues. Other challenges include high caseload, complex caseload, complex paperwork, and tight deadlines.

I hope that our rehabilitative work can reduce reoffending and create positive change for people who took a wrong path. We are hoping to give people opportunities that they might not have otherwise had, such as access to housing support, mental health support and employment and training opportunities. 

My time on my degree gave me the transferable skills needed to pursue my career in probation. We had interview skills sessions which prepared me for the complicated probation interview. My time on my degree allowed me to focus on what I was passionate about whilst being able to develop communication skills. I was given career advice that allowed me to discover my passion for probation. 

I chose to do a Masters as I felt my degree didn’t give me enough criminal justice knowledge that I felt I needed to progress into my current role. I felt I needed to understand criminology further and progress my knowledge of the penal system and criminal justice sector. My Masters supported me to increase my knowledge surrounding contemporary criminology and theories which I can now put into practice. 

I would say make sure you know your passion and apply for more than one job. Always remember, just because you choose a job or a career doesn’t mean it has to be forever. Passions can change.