Comment
| DOI | 10.1177/026455056901500101 |
| Date | 01 March 1969 |
| Published date | 01 March 1969 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
1 1
Vol
15
No 1
March
1969
Journal
of the
National
Association
of
Probation
Officers -
4s.
COMMENT
Social
Workers
Unite!
No,
WE
are
not
referring
to
plans
for
a
unified
association,
’but
to
a
far
more
modest
change.
On
1st
January
the
social
workers
in
detention
centres,
remand
centres
and
borstal
allocation
centres,
who
had
previously
been
a
responsibility
of
the
Prison
Department,
became
probation
officers
on
secondment,
and
were
thus
put
on
the
same
footing
as
prison
welfare
officers.
We
are
confident
that
this
change
will
be
beneficial,
and
that
as
a
result
the
quality
of
the
work
done
in
these
institutions will
improve.
Whatever
doubts
some
probation
officers,
may
have
about
the
possibility
of
doing
casework
in
prisons,
there
have
been
considerable
improvements
overall
in
the
service
offered
to
prisoners
and
their
families
as
a
result
of
the
changes
which
were
introduced
three
years
ago.
We
hope
that
those
further
steps
now
being
taken
to
rationalise
social
work
services
in
the
penal
system
will
give
social
workers
in
the
detention
centres
a
real
sense
of
partnership
with
their
colleagues
outside
in
a
common
service.
The
Prison
Department,
however,
still
has
a
few
social
workers
under
its
wing.
Psychiatric
social
workers
are
employed
in
some
units
where
special
psychiatric
treatment
is
available
to
prisoners.
It is
difficult
to
get
staff
to
fill
these
posts
and
the
workers
are
paid
less
than
they
would
get
if
they
were
designated
as
seconded
probation
officers.
Is
there
any
reason
why
probation
and
after-care
committees
should
not
be
responsible
for
filling
these
posts
also?
To continue reading
Request your trial