Judy McKnight's Napolog

Web log of Napo's general secretary

June 19, 2007

Bishop speaks up for Probation

NOMS organised its own centenary for Probation on Monday of last week including holding a Service in Westminster Abbey and a mini Conference in the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre.

Here are the Conference speeches of Lord Falconer and Roger Hill and the Abbey speech of the Bishop of Worcester.

The Bishop of Worcester made a very supportive and political speech at the Abbey service in favour of Probation. He opposed the demolition of the Service and the introduction of competition and spoke of why we should talk of "clients" rather than "offenders". I suggest that without prejudice to ones religious beliefs or otherwise, this speech will cheer you up!

Here is just one extract from the speech:

“This is why a Probation Service needs qualities of solidarity and mutual support so much. If the environment in which you are to work puts persons of compassion in competition with each other for work – and it starts to look that way – then the vision of human flourishing for which the service stands involves as never before the disciplines of mutual support and supervision that will enable disappointment when it comes not to debilitate and embitter. And if there is, as it seems, to be no National Probation Service to represent to our society the vision of human flourishing which this service represents, then it will be for you in your National Association to continue to hold before us all a vision of what it takes for human beings to grow and change.”

Members may also be aware that Roger Hill is seeking volunteers to work on the so called “Lord Falconers Challenge”, as referred to in Lord Falconer's speech, to contribute to the future direction of the Service. We have asked for Napo to have a voice in this process.