Sept 27, 2003

The strengths of our organization;

• Facility at the RCMP Training centre: This venue is excellent and very reasonable in Cost. It is centrally located for most offices in the province, good food, good accommodation, state of the art meeting rooms. When word gets out it could be a great attraction! Furthermore, the Justice Institute has been offering more and more courses at this training centre, and there is a rumor out there they might move a large part of their training to the RCMP training center.
• 12 yrs tradition. Our organization has lasted despite the government splitting us up into three ministries (MCFD, PSSG, & AG) and we have managed to keep our traditions and networks alive.
• Fantastic group of people. What can we say? It is great fun to get together and swap lies with other PO's & FCC's.
• Independence. We are neither controlled by the BCGEUnion nor the Provincial government. It is a great opportunity for line staff to network.
• Knowledgeable professional staff. We are never ceased to be amazed at the breadth and depth of knowledge of professional Probation Officers.
• Internet Website=Improved Communication. Central communication was always a challenge: Stuffing envelopes, mailing letters & notices. Etc. With every professional having access to the internet, Our website has greatly improved our ability to communicate with our members and the public.
• Communications: Executive members can now hold meeting by E-mail & tele-conference call.
• Our reputation with Randy White and Chuck Cadman, MPs: Although they are the official opposition, both of these influential men were very impressed with our last conference and took several of our concerns back to Ottawa. Chuck Cadman was very active in the creation of the YCJA, and Randy white continues to be involved with Drug & Alcohol treatment policy and the Sex Offender Registry. We certainly made them aware that there is more to corrections than Corrections Canada. John Conroy is an influential lawyer, gaining national prominence in drug cases. Darryl Plecas is involved with Police Chiefs around the world.

The weaknesses that we must address in our strategic plan

• Lack of enthusiasm Perhaps this will dissipate when word gets out about our last successful Conference. It is a malaise that affects government workers and society as a whole. "Let the other guy do it" is the way many people live their lives. We realize that long commutes to work, high caseloads and the increasing cost of living makes it a challenge to spend personal time building the profession.
• Low membership We signed up quite a few more new members at the last conference, but membership is not nearly as large as it could be. Since the implementation of the Employment readiness programs, we no longer give out free membership to graduates of the PO training courses, because they are not probation officers--yet.
• Organizational boundaries (Regionalization:) We are divided up into three government ministries, and they are divided into different geographical regions that don't match each other. Networking is getting very difficult. Furthermore, MCFD is planning on a new "Governance Model" which may take PO's out of government.
• Geographical diversity BC is cris-crossed with geographical barriers, and the population is concentrated down in the lower South East corner. It is very expensive for our northern colleagues to drive down to the lower mainland or even the interior. Unlike the Ontario Probation officer's association, we don't have government funding: the OPOA handles aal professional development for PO's where in BC we have the Justice Institute.

The opportunities that we can take advantage of to improve our organization

• AGM: By offering top notch speakers and professional development at our Annual Meeting, we can really begin to have an impact. The Executive decided that to enhance this opportunity, we would begin to refer to our annual event as a probation officer's CONFERENCE, instead of AGM.
• Partnership with Education & Justice The roles of PO's and educators often overlap, and there is an opportunity for collaboration on professional development of mutual interest to educators and PO's.
• Mentoring The government's mentoring program is an opportunity for experienced PO's to encourage and support new PO's. This is very much in keeping with our Mission statement, values and beliefs.
• Internet crime This is a new area of criminal activity that is still largely misunderstood by law enforcement agencies and academic schools of criminology. It is an opportunity for us to grow professionally and move onto the cutting edge of corrections as we learn about this very new and complex kind of criminal activity.
• Youth Criminal Justice Act This complex piece of legislation promises to keep Judges and lawyers perplexed for years to come. We can enhance our reputation and prestige if we can learn to be expert resources to the Courts in the interpretation and application of this legislation.

The challenges to our organization that we must guard against and minimize.

• Lack of need to belong A common social phenomenon as our society becomes more diverse and multicultural. Employees who only see probation as their 9-5 job and find other fulfilling interests after they leave the office may not see the need to band together as professionals with common goals.
• Career changing: Current MCFD re-education requirements limits the opportunity for PO's to advance their career to supervisory levels (i.e. B.S.W. to supervise Social Workers). Regionalization of government limits the mobility of career. There is an increased expectation for PO's to fulfill administrative tasks (secretarial, entering orders on computer) which could result in less supervision of clients
• Job Security With decreasing numbers of convicted criminals, and downsizing of the government, PO's can become so concerned about "toeing the line" to keep their jobs, that they lose sight of the vision of what it takes to be a true professional in this career.
• Move to Governance: The government appears to be determined to move Youth PO's out of government and into a Community Governed Agency. As an Executive the BCPOA does not support this move, as we believe it will further separate and alienate us from our main working partners: the Judiciary, Crown, Police, Adult Corrections, Forensic and the Custody Centres . However, we cannot speak for our membership, but we will conduct a survey if so required.