The sudden onset of Covid-19 has engendered significant policy and practice implications when it comes to delivering probation and allied criminal justice services, with new ’roadmaps’ and emergency delivery models being drawn-up in haste (HMPPS 2020; PBNI, 2020a).
Though there have been some early reflections (from academics, commentators and third sector agencies), and even a national review of Exceptional Delivery Model arrangements in probation services, (HMIP 2020), the field has, as yet, been largely unexplored. The current study, therefore, has been conducted to look very directly at this matter, drawing on the remote operational delivery practices amongst case management staff working in three Community Rehabilitation Company divisions, run by Seetec.
The current research
This report sets out the findings of a research project examining probation supervision practice in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It explores case managers’ views of the benefits and limitations of different methods of remote communication, and the suitability for their continued usage in the post-pandemic future. The research sought to answer two key questions: 1. What practice methods, skills and technologies are currently being used by case managers? 2. What current practice measures do case managers experience as valuable, with the potential to be retained and developed in the future?
