The structure of Phase 2

The second year is obviously a step up from the initial year of the traineeship. In the first year I spent my time in the Community Rehabilitation (CRO) Team, managed around ten cases and successfully completed the academic requirements. A move into the second year resulted in a move to a different team, that of Resettlement, and a massive increase in workload. An example of this would be that of report writing; in the first year I had written the grand total of zero. However at the end of the traineeship I had written numerous Pre-Sentence Reports, Home Detention Curfew's, Recall's (to prison), Breaches (of Community Order's) and Parole Reports. In relation to work based requirements the tempo had certainly increased. However, as with the first year, the requirements of the trainee are three fold.

There is of course the academic requirements, and speaking personally I noticed an increasing level of demand in terms of understanding and production of work. The essays became longer and the learning events more intense.

Secondly, we have the workload, tha

t is the management of live cases, the writing of reports etc...

Lastly we were required to successfully complete twelve NVQ units, which again needed the candidate to integrate theory and practice. They were not to dissimilar to the KLO's, yet demanded a greater volume of work in terms of proving ones competence and evidencing all aspects of each unit. These too needed to be signed by a PDA, yet they also needed to be independently verified by NVQ assessors.

Here are the essays completed in the second year of the traineeship, and the NVQ units covered. I would note that all names, places used within this work are fictional.

         Read National Vocational Qualifications

1. Working In an Organisational Context

2. Understanding Service Providers and Specific Users

3. Assessing Crime and its Effects

4. Assessing and Addressing Offending Behaviour

5. Continuing Professional Development

6. Developing Effective Practice

7. The Integrative Study

8. The Critical Review