Expert group

Communication and Awareness-Raising

The launch of the Expert Group meeting on Communication and Awareness-Raising has been initiated by the discussions and outcomes of the 2024 Workshop on Working with Communities and Awareness-Raising held in Prague, Czech Republic. Media has created a significant part of our lives with coverage on a variety of topics. Certain areas naturally get more attention than others, however, with some only a good or bad story sells. When it comes to criminal justice, and namely probation, the media coverage with a hint of positive attention is a process that can take a long time to achieve.

The group

The aim of this expert group is:

To Build the Case for Investment in Probation Communication: 1. to develop evidence and messaging to help colleagues to advocate for sustained and increased investment in communications, 2. to show how effective communication improves outcomes for probation services, public safety, and community engagement.

To Design a Communications Framework that can Scale-up: 1. to create a framework that enables jurisdictions to begin with essential (‘must-have’) communication functions towards best-in-class practice, 2. support communicators to attract further investment in the function over time.

To Equip Jurisdictions with Practical Communication Toolkits

To Strengthen Internal and Frontline Advocacy: 1. empower practitioners and operational staff to confidently represent the value of probation to external audiences., 2. encourage a culture where communication is seen as a shared responsibility across all levels of the organisation.

To Promote Transparency, Awareness, and Cross-Border Collaboration: 1. to foster a European network for sharing knowledge, innovative practices, and mutual support, 2. Encourage open communication about challenges and successes to collectively improve the visibility and understanding of probation

Members

Michael Baker (Chair)

Intervention Alliance

Gail McGreevy

Probation Board for Northern Ireland

Imants Mozers

State Probation service of Latvia

Alexandra-Maria Babuca

Minestry of Justice , National Probation Directorate, Romania

Hannan Amnad

Confederation of European Probation, The Netherlands

Andrea Matouskova

Ministry of Justice the Czech Republic

Alexandre Dewaide

Communauté Française Wallonie-Bruxelles, Belgium

Thomas Marecek

Neustart, Austria

Speakers

Michael Baker (Chair)

Intervention Alliance

Gail McGreevy

Probation Board for Northern Ireland

Imants Mozers

State Probation service of Latvia

Alexandra-Maria Babuca

Minestry of Justice , National Probation Directorate, Romania

Hannan Amnad

Confederation of European Probation, The Netherlands

Andrea Matouskova

Ministry of Justice the Czech Republic

Alexandre Dewaide

Communauté Française Wallonie-Bruxelles, Belgium

Thomas Marecek

Neustart, Austria

Upcoming events

Interested in joining us for an event? Check out our upcoming gatherings

This event is upon invitation only

Expert group meeting

Communication and Awareness-Raising

Expert Group On Communication and Awareness-raising Online Meeting

29 Jan 2026

Online

The online meetings aim to continue ongoing conversations, offering an opportunity to share experiences, insights, and good practice across member organisations.

This event is upon invitation only

Past events

Interested in our past events? Or would you like to relive the highlights? Check out all our past events here

Expert Group on Communication and Awareness-Raising

09 Jun 2025

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