Transforming rehabilitation: probation practitioners negotiating change

Ellis, Elaine 2017. Transforming rehabilitation: probation practitioners negotiating change. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

The focus of this research is probation practitioner reaction and adaptation to change. Previous studies have shown probation core values to be resilient, practitioners managing to react and adapt to change whilst remaining committed to traditional humanistic values. However, predictions emerging as the latest programme of change, brought about by ‘Transforming Rehabilitation: A Strategy for Reform’ suggest these changes could result in the end of probation as it had come to be known. This research is a case study of Durham Tees Valley Community Rehabilitation Company the only not for profit Community Rehabilitation Company in England and Wales. The study follows a cohort of practitioners through the first 15 months of implementing a new operating model. The research argues that in some ways the flexibility afforded by Transforming Rehabilitation allowed practitioners to regain professional discretion and work in ways that reflected probation’s original purpose and values. However, it is also argued that this flexibility came at the cost of fragmentation of the service and a subsequent loss of trust within and between different parts of the service. The mixed methods case study design allowed for in-depth exploration and tracking of a cohort of practitioners as they negotiated the process of change. Analysis and interpretation of the data revealed significantly different practitioner reactions to the changes, dependent mainly on the length of time practitioners had worked in probation and to a lesser extent on their level of qualification. Practitioners appeared to move through the process of adaptation at different rates, with qualified probation officers, trained during the height of national standards appearing to find the process of change most difficult. The thesis concludes by critically evaluating earlier predictions for the future of probation in light of these findings and information emerging about other Community Rehabilitation Companies.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Funders:	ESRC
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	24 May 2018
Last Modified:	11 Nov 2021 15:06
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/111710

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