Experts of EU Project Pravo-Justice Held a Series of Webinars for Probation Mentors

On the initiative and with expert support of EU Project Pravo-Justice, the trainings for probation mentors on the development and implementation of training programmes for adults were held on February 12-13. The training course was attended by 19 mentor-trainers from the State Institution “Probation Center”, who would subsequently conduct trainings for probation officers on various professional topics.

"Mentoring in the field of probation is not just a transfer of knowledge, but a complex process of support, motivation and development of those who constantly work with probation clients. To work effectively in this field, mentors shall constantly improve their professional competencies. That is why experts of EU Project Pravo-Justice have developed a new training course that would allow probation mentors to "level up" one of the key skills –training ability, namely, ability to structure information and effectively convey it to colleagues," said Olena Kochura, Key Expert on Penitentiary Reform and Probation of EU Project Pravo-Justice.

According to Nataliia Stroieva, trainer of the training course, expert of EU Project Pravo-Justice, the training for probation mentors was not only an opportunity to improve training skills, but also an important platform for exchanging best practices and developing professional competencies.

"The participants to the training had an opportunity to improve their skills in developing and conducting training products, as well as supplementing their "trainer’s toolkit" with some new instruments and methodologies. Joint work, interaction and active learning created a unique environment for the professional growth of each participant. We hope that the knowledge and skills gained will help mentors work perform better in the field of probation and make an even greater contribution to changing the lives of probationers," added Nataliia Stroieva.

For her part, Yuliia Cheban, Head of the Sector for Interaction with Probation Volunteers and Public Organisations of the State Institution "Probation Center", thanked the experts of EU Project Pravo-Justice for their systemic support of measures aimed at improving the qualifications of probation employees, in particular within the initiative for developing training skills.

"For the State Institution "Probation Center", enhancing the professionalism of probation mentors is of strategic importance. If probation mentors are able to effectively train and motivate colleagues, the latter will, in turn, increase safety in communities, public trust in probation, and contribute to its further development by using effective tools and methods of working with probationers," said Yuliia Cheban.