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Recap: International Training Course on Core Correctional Skills
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.
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In this episode, host Jo Tein (CEP board member) speaks with Leo about his professional journey and his co-authored publication with Steve Pitts on Probation Capacity Building. The discussion highlights international collaboration, knowledge exchange, and strategies for strengthening probation systems across Europe.
▶️ Watch the full interview (English with German subtitles) below
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On 24–25 September 2025, Kraków, Poland, hosted the 30th Council of Europe Conference of Directors of Prison and Probation Services (CDPPS) under the theme “Can we move away from the overuse of penal sanctions?”. The event gathered high-level participants — Directors General from member and observer states and representatives of the supporting organisations.
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