The role of values, including diversity, in my practiceWithin my role as Probation Service Officer I constantly work towards and promote antidiscriminatory practice.

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“The role of values, including diversity, in my practice”

Within my role as Probation Service Officer I constantly work towards and promote anti–discriminatory practice. I do not discriminate against people regardless of their age, sex, class or background. I feel that it is important in my practice to understand the meaning of diversity, knowing the differences between individuals and understanding that they should be valued and celebrated.

The principles on which Probation practice is based have complex historical and contemporary sources. The contributions of religion must be acknowledged and of course the first probation practitioners, entitled Police Court Missionaries, proceeded from an explicit Christian ethical commitment. (Williams B. 1995). However many faiths offer ideas on ways of responding to crime. Many political and philosophical traditions have also proposed ideas as to the right way to respond to offenders and victims. Emmanuel Kant held that everyone is worthy of respect. People are of intrinsic worth regardless of whether we feel that they are useful to us or not. Values such as client self determination and treating offenders as unique and not part of a group to be generalised have tended to derive from this position.

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In my role as Probation Service Officer it is important to be aware of my own values and the impact it may have on my professional practice. Values are a person’s principles, standards or judgements of what is important in life. My own values can often influence my attitudes to different offences and offenders. However as a professional it is important I always adhere to the professional code of ethics. In my practice I often feel my own values are being challenged. I would like to point out a couple of examples I have come across in my work, but ...

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