Among a number of often under-appreciated legal and cultural differences between Northern Ireland and England and Wales, the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI) has pursued a positive approach to partnership funding, raising the profile of the Service in the community. In contrast, many probation officers in Britain fear that partnerships may lead to job-cuts, undermining professionalism and reducing the quality of service to courts and clients. Paul Doran, Maurice Reid and Jane Copeland, probation officers in Belfast, outline their experience of partnerships between PBNI and the voluntary sector and suggest some opportunities and difficulties which may lie ahead for Services accountable to the Home Office.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Northern Ireland Office PPRU Community Attitudes Survey, NIO, 1994.
2.
Chapman, T. 'Creating a Culture of Change: Car Crime Project in Belfast', McGuire, J. (ed) What Works: Reducing Reoffending , Wiley, 1995.
3.
See Hague G. et al 'Inter-Agency Approaches to Domestic Violence: Issues for Probation', Probation Journal December 1995.
4.
Probation Board for Northern Ireland, Prisons 2,000, PBNI, 1994.
5.
Dolphin, C.Role of Partnership Funding (Speech at NAPO Lakes Conference 1996) available from Home Office Probation Unit.
6.
Gadd, B. 'Probation in Northern Ireland' in Mclvor, G. (ed) Working with Offenders Jessica Kingsley1996.
