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In Probation today, we joined with Social Workers around the world to celebrate World Social Work Day 2025 on Tuesday 18 March.
While it is primarily World Social Work Day, it also gives us an opportunity to keep focusing on both Social Work and the role of a Probation Officer through out the month of March.
This year’s World Social Work Day had the theme ‘Strengthening Intergenerational Solidarity for Enduring Wellbeing’ to emphasise the importance of caring and respecting across generations to build strong societies, sustain the environment, and share wisdom for a better future.
This is very applicable to Probation, as our social work qualified Probation Officers range across the generations and work with service users who live with the influence of inter-generational issues, including trauma.
Our organisational aim is to reduce re-offending, and our Probation Officers achieve that using the skills and wisdom they have gained through their qualification and their work on the front-line.
Probation changes lives for safer communities and at the forefront of doing that are our social work qualified Probation Officers.
They lead on the assessment of risk, alongside challenging and changing behaviours and attitudes of people under Probation supervision.
the primary aim of Probation and Probation Officers, alongside their front-line colleagues, is to move people they supervise out of the cycle of crime. They change lives to reduce re-offending and help to support safer communities.
They deliver programmes, interventions and support where needed in order to keep the public safe.
To have a career as a Probation Officer, which can be both challenging and very rewarding, you must have a social work qualification and be registered with the Northern Ireland Social Care Council.
It is important for Probation Officers to have that professional grounding in order to lead on the supervision of people who may have very complex and chaotic lives, on assessing the risk they pose to themselves and the public, and helping them settle and to begin to make better life choices.
We marked the day by highlighting social work and its importance to Probation Officers who work to keep the public safe in our local communities.
This also why being a Probation Officer is such a worthwhile career. As a Probation Officer you can make a difference, to individuals, to local communities and to the general public by holding those you supervise to account and supporting them out of crime. It is so satisfying to see someone break that cycle of crime and become a more productive member of society.
