11
System of Further
Education of Employees
of the Probation
and Mediation Service
Project promoter
Probation and Mediation
Service of the Czech
Republic
Partner
Directorate of Norwegian
Correctional Services
Carried out with the partner, the Directorate of Norwegian Correctional Services,
the project aimed to contribute to improving and streamlining the judiciary
activities, in particular by strengthening the professional level of specialised
activities of officials and assistants of the Probation and Mediation Service
(hereinafter the PMS).
The project was primarily focused on educating the probation officers and
assistants and on their development in five specialisations: community service,
probation, parole, work with the youth, conflict resolution mediation.
The project participants appreciated the options of bilateral cooperation with
the Norwegians – study visits to Norway and, in particular, a workshop focused
on foreign experience in electronic monitoring and probation. By contrast, the
practice of so-called restorative programmes in the Czech Republic, in particular
with the victim-offender mediation, was presented to the foreign colleagues.
The project made it possible to carry out a pilot implementation of the Further
Education System, required as part of the PMS since 2008. The system is
a voluntary ‘extension’ of the education that is required as mandatory by
the Act on PMS. It allowed for a qualitative shift in the work of specialists
and helped improve the PMS activities.
Internal trainers were provided with intensive supervision support, with
the supervisor, Mgr. Helena Bezděková, having said the following at the final
conference:
“Our meetings have given rise to a number of suggestions to
improve the education system of your employees; your people have great
self-reflection ability and great communication skills, are motivated and loyal.
You have very good employees. This is a rarity that should be maintained.”
Project website:
https://www.pmscr.cz/system-dalsiho-vzdelavani-pracovniku/