De Montfort University (DMU) was commissioned by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) to carry out skills profile research to inform the proposed new probation training framework and curriculum. This article will outline the findings of this research and discuss the future of probation training. It will argue that the future training arrangements for probation staff need to take account of the fact that complex offender-focused work is now being carried out by various grades of staff and that the issue of role boundaries should be central to the debate about competency and qualifications. Whilst training resources can no longer be disproportionately targeted at the probation officer grade, to the detriment of other grades, the importance of higher education in enabling the development of critical and reflective skills as well as knowledge for all staff is emphasized.
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