On the 27th of September, CEP Secretary-General Jana Spero visited CEP member – The Probation Service in Ireland. The meeting was held at headquarters in Dublin with Mr. Mark Wilson, Director of the Probation Service, and his team: Una Doyle, Director of Effective Practice and lead for International work; Cillian Smith, Director of Corporate Affairs and Communications; Fíona Ní Chinnéide, Director of Operations; Olivia Keaveney, Director of Operations; and Gerry McNally, Assistant Director and former CEP President.
Director Wilson gave a general overview of the Probation Service in Ireland. All members of the Irish team presented their work, and the team highlighted topical issues and priorities for the Probation Service in the next period. CEP SG gave an overview and vision of CEP’s work with a special focus on Expert Groups and presented CEP activities planned for 2024.
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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.
