Please note that this position is only open to someone working for a CEP member organisation. During the time of the traineeship, you will be seconded from the organisation you currently work at.
To work as a trainee Policy Officer (PO) for CEP is a unique opportunity to see and get to know probation in Europe. The PO is involved in many different activities and events and builds up a network of probation professionals all over Europe.
The PO trainee has:
The tasks for the Policy Officer trainee are:
Former seconded Policy Officer Maria Lindström did an interview about her two years at CEP, click on the link to read it.
In order to really understand and come up to full speed, a period of two years is needed for the trainee. It is also important for the work environment at the CEP secretariat to have enough time for new colleagues. It is important that the trainee understands that he/she needs to work very independently and that the tasks vary a lot.
The CEP office is based in Utrecht, the Netherlands, so it is important that the trainee, if she/he is from another country, has access to a good working space with colleagues, the right equipment such as a computer, smartphone, internet access, skype etc. to enable good communcation lines with the CEP office.
Applicants should have the support and endorsement of their employing organisation and CEP will engage with the employer on terms and conditions. All costs for travels made on behalf of CEP will be covered by CEP.
Do you see yourself in this position and do you want to apply? Please send your motivation letter and cv to secr@cep-probaiton.org. Note that you have to have permission from your employer to apply for this position. The deadline for submitting your application is the 1st of November 2019.
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.
