In the Community

Probation Working in the Community

Probation is an organisation working within the Justice system to deliver community based supervision of sentences of the the Court.

Probation Offices

Probation has a number of offices, province wide, delivering services at local community level to reduce re-offending by changing lives for safer communities. The different areas are

• Belfast (Headquarters and Specialist teams)
• West Belfast and Lisburn
• North Belfast and South East Antrim
• South and East Belfast
• Down and Ards
• North Antrim
• North West
• Rural South
• Rural West
• Rural Mid Ulster
• Prison Teams

All the contacts for the offices can be contact us page.

Community Based Sentences

Probation supervise community based sentences, where a person is sentenced by the court to an Order that is to be completed in a community setting instead of serving a sentence in custody, where they go to prison. Read more about the different sentences Probation supervises.

There are a wide range of community based sentences, some of which have a Community Service element where the Service User must complete a number of hours within a community setting do unpaid work either on a project or in a placement. Probation risk assess each Service User before any Community Service takes place. Read more about Community Service.

Probation in Partnership

Probation works with a number of organisations to deliver effective services that change people's lives for safer communities. These partnerships with Justice sector organisations, Health and Social Care organisations, housing organisations, local Councils, sports organisations, religious organisations, community and voluntary organisations helps Probation deliver essential services within the community setting to the benefit of all. Read more about Probation's Partnerships. 

Community Funding

Probation also provides an annual Community and Voluntary Sector Grant Scheme, where organisations can apply for grant aid to provide Community Service placements. Read more about the Community and Voluntary Sector Grant Scheme.