From 3rd to 7th of October 21 probation professionals, managers and practitioners, from 9 different European jurisdictions participated at the 2nd edition of the International Training Course on Core Correctional Skills at the Centre for Legal Studies and Specialized Training, in Barcelona – Catalonia.
The one-week International Training School on Core Correctional Skills was able to refresh and update the core skills of the more experienced correctional staff while providing the newcomers with a solid and cutting-edge starting point.
During this week, core correctional skills (such as relationship skills, pro-social modeling, problem-solving, motivational interviewing and cognitive restructuring) were developed taking into account the basics but also the most up-to-date and evidence-based practices. For instance, building up the working alliance covered issues such as clarifying the role or socializing into the role, empathy, dealing with resistance and so on but was also looked into how to deal with power imbalance, how to maximize choices, how to ensure co-production and how to maintain and develop the working alliance.
As a novelty, this edition also tackled the issue of resilience and burnout as fast changes that took place in the last few years placed huge pressure on correctional staff challenging, therefore, their coping skills.
Guests such as prof. Fergus McNeill, prof. Joanna Clarke and Joseph Arvidson and others shared their knowledge and experience while discovering new insights into modern supervision practice and resilience.
Keep up to date with the latest developments, stories, and updates on probation from across Europe and beyond. Find relevant news and insights shaping the field today.
Interventions Alliance has published a new evaluation of a Hub coordinated on behalf of police forces in the south of England, focused on tackling violence against women and children through a whole family approach. The Hub supports victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse and works across policing, health and social services.
New updates from the European Commission highlight key priorities for judicial training in Europe, alongside new tools supporting transparency and access to data.
Today, 25 November, marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls. It is a global reminder, recognised by UNESCO and the wider international community, of the urgent need to prevent violence, support those affected by it, and strengthen collective action. The day also opens the 16 Days of Activism, a worldwide campaign that calls for sustained engagement to end all forms of violence against women and girls.
From 18-20 November 2025, 15th Plenary Meeting of the Council for Penological Co-operation took part in Council of Europe, Strasbourg. CEP was represented by President Annie Devos, Vice-Presidents Danijela Mrhar Prelic (PC-CP member) and Daniel Danglades and Secretary General Jana Spero Kamenjarin.
The CEP Expert Group on Mental Health met on 19 November 2025 to continue its work on developing a European mental health training curriculum for probation officers. Since last year, the group has been working intensively and meticulously to produce a solid first version of the curriculum.
CEP has released the first cross-European study examining stress, burnout, and morale among probation staff. The report was produced by Professor Charlie Brooker, Professor Karen Tocque, Professor Ioan Durnescu and Liliana Lupsica, whose combined expertise in public health, criminology, and organisational analysis provides an important contribution to our understanding of well-being in probation work.
