Chairman's Notes
| Date | 01 November 1953 |
| Published date | 01 November 1953 |
| Author | S. R. Eshelby |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455055300602403 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
May I
end
these
notes
by giving
the
traditional
but
no
less sincere
ChrIstmas
message? I
hope
that
all
members
of
the
Association
have
a
happy
Christmas,
free
from
anxiety
and
care,
and
that
the
New
Year
brings
us
peace
and
securIty In
our
homes,
satisfaction
In
our
work
and
that
degree of
prosperity
that
Is good
for
us.
S. R. ESHELBY.
Members of
the
National
Association w11lwish to
join
in
the
congratulations
to Mr. W. G.
Minn
on
hts
appointment
to
the
Chair
of Social Science
at
VIctorIa College, UnIver-
sity of New Zealand,
and
to offer
him
their
good wishes
on
his
departure
for New
Zealand
early
in
the
New Year.
Mr.
Minn
has
been
associated wIth
probation
work
for
over
twenty
years, since
Iolnlng
the
London
Police
Court
Mission In 1931. He served as a
probation
officer In
the
Metropolitan Juvenile Courts from 1934 to 1941,
when
he
was
appoInted
a
Probation
Inspector.
He
has
in
more
recent
years
been
concerned
almost
entirely
with
the
tralnlng
of officers
and
has
been
responsible for
the
tre-
mendous developments In
trainIng
which
can
almost
be
described as a revolution.
The
result
of
his
labours
Is
the
present
scheme
whIch gIves to
the
Probation
Service a
system
of
tralnlng
almost
unique
in
the
social services,
and
whIch is acknowledged to
compare
more
than
favour-
ably wIth
similar
tralnlng.
Mr.
Minn
would be
the
last
to consider
that
his
work
was
complete,
but
he
has
laid
foundations
which
wlll
remain
the
basis for
any
rurther
developments in
training
for
the
Probation
ServIce.
time
in
the
latest
thought
about
and
approach
to social
and
case
work problems. Again, working as we do In
comparative
isolation,
it
is only
too
easy
to become stale,
lifeless
and
mentally
Inert
without
the
stimulus
of con-
tact
with
lively minds. I
need
not
say
that
training
in
social work isacontinuous,
never-ending
process,
but
It
is difficult to
maintain
this
in
the
absence
of speclflc
guidance or
without
thought-provoking
dIscussIon
with
like-minded people.
If
what
I
have
described Is a
real
need,
and
not
a
figment of my
imagination,
I
suggest
that
the
remedy
might
lie
with
ourselves as
an
AssocIation.
Our
long
experience of
running
open
week-end
conferences
has
proved
the
large
amount
of
goodwill
there
Is for
the
Probation
Service on
the
part
of
experts
In every field,
who
are
wllllng to devote
time
and
energy
to giving
addresses
and
leading
discussions. These.
same
people
and
many
others
would, Ibelieve, be equally willing to
deal
with
thelr
subjects
in a
deeper
way to a
much
smaller
but
specialised audience. Nor
need
we always
seek
outside
our
own Service
for
speakers
and
dlscusslon-
leaders. We
all
know
those
amongst
us
who
have
special
knowledge
and
experience In
certain
aspects
of socIal
work,
and
we
ought
to
make
full use of
them.
Ido ven-
ture
to suggest,
therefore,
that
Branches
might
well
consider
the
value of
running
refresher
courses for pro-
bation
officers
and
other
protesstonat social workers
where
serious work could be done,
though
I
have
no
doubt
that
some
time
would
also
be devoted to
casting
oft care.
We
talk
a good
deal
about
takIng
a
more
actIve
part
in
tralnlng
for
the
service; could we
not
make
a
start,
and
incidentally
gain
valuable experience
in
training,
by
provIding
this
kind
of In-service
tralnlng?
CHAIRMAN'S NOTES
Remembering
that
probation
work Is Intensely
personal
and
tends
to
make
for Indlvldualism
rather
than
gre-
gartousness, Ialways
wonder
at
the
success
probation
officers
invariably
achieve In
making
week-end confer-
ences
such
happy
and
apparently
carefree
affairs.
Either
Mr.
Dawtry
or myself (sometimes
both)
has,
I
think,
attended
most
of
the
week-ends
organised
by
Branches
this
year,
and
it is
most
encouraging
to experience
such
good fellowshIp
and
vitality
in
the
Association. Almost
every
branch
has
built
up a local
reputation
among
magis-
trates,
court
omcers
and
social workers for
organising
from
time
to
time
aweek-end
gathering,
where
sertous
subjects of
the
greatest
import
to
those
concerned
with
the
administration
of
justice
or
engaged
In
the
various
branches
of social work
can
be discussed
under
the
guld-
ance
of
speakers
who
are
experts
In
their
specialities.
Yet, In
spite
of
the
high
purpose
and
earnest
endeavour
of
these
conferences, I
have
never
found a
trace
of stuffi-
ness
or pomposity; on
the
contrary,
like a well-
constructed
play, gaiety
and
humour
are
constantly
bursting
through
to
remind
us
that
In spIte of
our
Im-
portant
offices
and
vocations, we
are
stlll
ordInary
men
and
women
and
should
not
take
ourselves too seriously.
One hopes
that
in
time
other
bodies of social workers,
and
possibly
magistrates,
wlll
organise
similar
week-ends.
and
perhaps
reciprocate
our
hospitality.
In
addition
to
those
more
popular
conferences
where
the
programme
must
be
catholic
In Its appeal, I
suggest
that
there
Is a place occasIonally for a
more
exclusive
week-end
where
probation
officers only,
wIth
adue ad-
mixture
of
other
professional social workers or
others
working In
adjacent
fields,
can
meet
for
aprofessional
consideration
of problems common to social
case
work.
Such
week-ends
might
well
take
the
form of
refresher
courses. We all need
bringing
up-to-date from
time
to
PROBATION
is the organ of the
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PROBATION
OFFICERS
2, HOBART PLACE, LONDON, S.W.1
Telephone:
SLOane 9454
President The Earl of Feversham, D.L.
Chairman S. R. Eshelby
Vice-Chairman Miss E. P. Corner,
M.A.
Hon. Treasurer V. N. Godfrey
General Secretary Frank Dawtry
Membership of the Association Is open to all
Probation
Officers.
Associate Membership Is open
bo
others who are
interested In the right treatment of delinquency and
the use, development and understanding of probation.
Minimum Associate Membership subscription,
lOs.
6d. per annum, including cost of the Journal.
Further particulars from the
Gene~al
Secretary.
Articles appearing
in
PROBATION
do
not
necessarily
represent the views or policy of the Association.
* *
""
*
*
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