Getting feedback

Today I spoke to an Offender Management Team about the desistance project and how in ASPT we are looking to incorporate the principles into our practice.  On a number of occasions I have been a Probation Officer with reservations about changes or yet another change in practice.  So it certainly felt different being on the other side as it were.

I received some positive feedback about incorporating the 8 Key Principles of Desistance, and desistance research in general into Probation practice.  There are some reservations
of course about whether in the current climate where there are centralised targets, if it is possible to incorporate the principles without losing the integrity of them.  This is a valid point and one that I want to explore further.

Feedback from staff allows different perspectives and critiques to be considered.  Given the expanse of opinions and experience, it is certainly going to be a focus for me.  I have asked for feedback and ideas from staff to help inform how the desistance principles and research are applied to our practice.

Since undertaking this project I have heard people's reference to how desistance theories replicate the Social Work approaches of previous Probation practice.  This is not surprising, but I think that the desistance research also considers relationship building and an individual approach, which it could be argued, has not been the focus of Probation practice in recent years.