Exploring positive working relationships in light of the aims of probation, using a collaborative approach with probationers

This article begins to consider the factors that promote the formation of a positive working relationships (PWR) between practitioner and probationer. The results from a pilot study are used to review the importance of “assist, advice and befriend” and “confront, challenge and change” within current practitioner-offender relationships. Through collaborative design, five probationers completed visual narratives to explore significant PWR’s with criminal justice professionals and 36 probation staff completed a questionnaire to examine their beliefs around PWR’s with probationers. The results highlight the benefit of demonstrating a genuine belief in probationers’ capacity to change and are discussed in light of the literature.