New Occupations in Community Justice: Inventing the Professional Curriculum for Community Safety and Anti Social Behaviour Officers
| Author | Kathryn Farrow |
| Pages | 17-30 |
NEW OCCUPATIONS IN COMMUNITY
JUSTICE: INVENTING THE
PROFESSIONAL CURRICULUM FOR
COMMUNITY SAFETY AND ANTI
SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR OFFICERS
Kathryn Farrow, Lecturer and Director of Education; Nathan Hughes, Lecturer in
Social Policy and Social Work; Alison Paris, Director, Professional Practice
Development Unit & David Prior, Senior Research Fellow, University of Birmingham
Abstract
The expansion of new occupations concerned with community safety and anti-social
behaviour following the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 brought with it demands for relevant
professional education and training. This article discusses the development of an academic
programme designed to meet these needs, which emphasised the importance of theoretical
and critical reasoning for practitioners, and contrasts it with divergent developments in
professional training for probation officers and youth justice workers. The article concludes
by reflecting on the likelihood that future qualifying programmes for the new community
justice occupations will follow probation and youth justice in adopting a restricted ‘skills and
competencies’ approach to professional training.
Introduction
This article explores our experience, over the past five years, in developing education and
training for community safety and anti-social behaviour professionals in the Institute of
Applied Social Studies (IASS) at the University of Birmingham. It begins with an outline of
the legislative and policy context for the emergence of these new occupational groups before
considering what they do in practice, and identifying the knowledge and skills required. The
article describes the process through which our Community Justice programme was
developed, a summary of the curriculum content and the response from students. This is
contrasted with developments in the professional curriculum for probation and youth justice
workers. We conclude by commenting on the future of all community justice occupational
education and training in the current economic climate, highlighting the trend towards a
focus on skills and competencies.
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New Occupations in Community Justice: Inventing the Professional Curriculum for Community Safety and
Anti Social Behaviour Offcers
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