Cairns Probation and Parole Officer training boosts regional frontline services

The Palaszczuk Government continues to focus on providing more, professionally trained, frontline staff with 15 probation and parole officers completing their training in Cairns.

Corrective Services Minister Mark Ryan visited the Cairns Probation and Parole District Office today to offer encouragement to the officers as they work through their training.

“It is the first regional training program conducted in a number of years and reaffirms our commitment to ensuring our frontline services right across Queensland are appropriately resourced,” Minister Ryan said.

The 15 officers are undergoing more than 150 hours of intensive training as part of the Probation and Parole Practitioner Development Program.

“Our frontline officers do a fantastic job in often very difficult and challenging environments and I thank them for what they do each and every day in ensuring the safety of Queenslanders,” Minister Ryan said.

“These highly-motivated professionals are expanding their skills in risk assessment, pro-social modelling, legislation, cultural awareness, mental health, stakeholder engagement, suicide awareness, effective decision making, report writing and court work.

“The Government is spending $265 million over six years and employing an additional 329 full-time equivalent staff to Queensland Corrective Services, and another 18 to Queensland Health for rehabilitation, drug, alcohol and mental health services.

“These additional resources are all focused on maintaining community safety by reducing the risk of re-offending by parolees.”

The staff involved in the Probation and Parole Practitioner Development Program are from probation and parole offices based at Weipa, Cairns, Thursday Island, Innisfail, Mt Isa, Townsville, Thuringowa and Mareeba.

Queensland Corrective Services Acting Commissioner Kerrith McDermott said the new officers are a welcome addition to the frontline.

“Our Probation and Parole officers do outstanding work every day, ensuring offenders meet all their probation or parole conditions to reduce their risk to the community,” Acting Commissioner McDermott said.

“The extra numbers mean our staff will be able to devote even more attention to the case management of the offenders they supervise.

“Our staff are playing an important role in keeping the community safe now and in the future.”

 ENDS

Media contact: Cathie Thompson 0413 372 387