Hello and welcome back to Probation Perspectives, Insights
into Community Justice. I'm Megan Thomas.
And I'm Kerry Halfpenny, we're really pleased to be back for
Series 2. If you joined us for series one,
you'll know this podcast is all about bringing together voices
from practise, research and lived experience to explore the
realities of probation and community justice.
In our first series, we focused on the values and skills that
underpin good probation work, exploring how practitioners stay
professionally curious, work in trauma informed ways, and
support meaningful rehabilitation in complex and
sometimes challenging circumstances.
We've had some brilliant guests and the feedback we have
received showed how much people value having space to pause and
reflect on their practise, to think about what good probation
work really looks like in action.
Exactly, and that's something we're continuing with this new
series, keeping that reflective practise based focus, but also
widening the lens to look at some of the current debates and
developments shaping probation today.
This season, we'll be asking some big questions about how
probation itself might be rehabilitated, how technology
and AI are influencing the field, the value of lived
experience in shaping professional identity, and how
the service learns and grows from serious incidents and
public protection work. AI is an opportunity to also
just be more supportive for new staff, but help learn about a
topic, reflect on a topic, not simply regurgitate an answer to
help staff have better a reflective processes to go about
learning a thing. But there are risks though I
think it's worth lagging. Ultimately, this is a new
technology. We've got another fantastic line
up of guests joining us including Professor Matthew
Millings, Dr Matt Tidmarsh Lewis, All Good Doctor Mike
Nellis, Andy Brierley, Emeritus Professor Mike Nash, Doctor Andy
Williams and Professor Dominic Pearson, with more guests still
to be confirmed. Matthew started off as an answer
by talking about profound organisational change in
probation. And in a way I think that puts
it mildly in sort of the destruction, I think in other
words, that's been enacted on the service in recent years.
And I think that's what Matthew and his colleagues work does so
well, is to show really how profound that change has been.
Each episode offers a fresh perspective, inviting us to
think about where probation has come from, where it is now, and
where it might be heading next. And as always, we aim to
createspace for thoughtful, honest dialogue, connecting
research, practise and experience to help us to keep
learning together. So whether you're working in
probation, teaching, studying, or simply interested in
community justice, we'd love you to join us for Series 2.
You can find probation perspectives, insights into
community justice wherever you get your podcasts.
We're really excited about what's coming up and we can't
wait to share these conversations with you.
See you soon.