Guidance for probation staff

Press, 7 August 1982, Page 6

Guidance for probation staff

Parliamentary reporter

Probation officers should not have' to sigh a code of ethics, a Justice Department committee has decided. The committee was set up to decide if a code of ethics was needed for probation officers after a Commisison of Inquiry into the Christchurch Probation Office. The inquiry was prompted by newspaper reports that a Christchurch probation officer had lived with one of her probationers. A statement on the committee’s report, was released late yesterday by the Secretary for Justice, Mr S. J. Callahan. " The .committee had concluded that the provisions of the State Services Act and regulations and the detailed code of conduct in the Public Service Manual were adequate for dealing with breaches of conduct by public servants, he said..

It recommended that the oublic service code of con-

duct and the committee's report should be incorporated into staff training‘atall levels so that ethical considerations and dilemmas could be highlighted. “The report discusses at some length issues concerning the'condiict of probation staff in their relationships with those under their supervision,” said Mr' Callahan. The committee did not think that having probation officers sign a code of ethics would be “worth while," but said that “responsible practice" would be best covered in recruitment, training, supervision and management. Reference should be made in the Probation Service Manual on procedures for the disclosure of relationships between a probation officer and a probationer. . Mr Callahan said the committee’s report would be studied carefully with a view to including a.guide to staff on personal relationships with probationers in the Public Service Manual.