ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the organisation and governance of probation work. It outlines the history of the probation service as an organisation, dealing in particular with the reforms that brought about the first National Probation Service and the National Offender Management Service. The chapter examines the sweeping Transforming Rehabilitation changes that led to the creation of the second National Probation Service and the Community Rehabilitation Companies. It discusses a number of themes that recur during the organisational history, including the relationship between the local and the national, and the interplay between the public, voluntary and private sectors in the delivery of probation work. The standards set expectations about how often supervisees should be seen, how quickly staff should respond to missed appointments, and about the timing of assessments and reviews. The Rehabilitation Revolution was announced in the Programme for Government published immediately after the election.
