Research group Working with Mandated Clients
Forensic social professionals work with mandated clients who pose a risk to others. They work in a wide range of occupational fields, such as probation services, juvenile detention centres, prisons and forensic care facilities. This work requires a specific set of skills, effective methods and targeted training. Our research group contributes to the professionalism and continuity of this field.
Lines of research within the research group
Supervising and reintegrating mandated clients often involves a number of different institutions, departments and employees. For successful reintegration, it is important that clients experience a consistent approach during the supervision and care provided by different professionals. The line of research Continuity examines what forensic social professionals need in order to achieve this consistency or ‘continuity’.
Among other things, we study:
- the needs of clients and professionals when it comes to ongoing care and support;
- collaboration between workers from different organisations and different specialities;
- existing initiatives to promote continuity.
Projects
- Mea culpa The complexity of financial problems among probation clients
What makes the daily activities of forensic social professionals effective? How do they successfully assist clients in reducing delinquent or antisocial behaviour, and how do they support such clients to reintegrate into society? What skills, attitude and knowledge are required?
This line of research focuses on the professional quality of this occupational group. Among other things, we look at how professionals make effective use of scientific knowledge, establish connections with the experiential knowledge of other professionals and with the clients preferences and experiences. Our research also takes the role of personal beliefs into consideration.
Projects
- Working alliance between professionals and mandated clients
- Joined forces
Delinquency has its price: A research on collaboration in the judicial and societal domain regarding delinquents in debt
This research aims at getting insight into the working elements in collaboration within the judicial and societal domain regarding delinquents in debt.
Evaluation of the methodological guidelines regarding clients in organized crime
This research aims at exploring the experiences of probation officers regarding clients in organized crime (BCC) as well as the way how they signal these potential clients.
Publications
Education
The Research group Working with Mandated Clients contributes to higher professional education in various ways. The research group develops new degree programmes and modules, including the Master Forensic Social Professional, which was developed in collaboration with the Institute for Law. We also collaborate with other knowledge institutions.
“Effective action by forensic social professionals is of great importance for the reduction of delinquency and other forms of risky behaviour, to support the inclusion of offenders back into society and to increase the safety of children and young people.”
Jacqueline Bosker Professor at the Research Group Working with Mandated Clients
Collaboration
The research group is co-funded by Reclassering Nederlands (the Dutch Probation Services), the Stichting Verslavingsreclassering GGZ (GGZ Addiction Rehabilitation Foundation), and the Leger des Heils Jeugdzorg & Reclassering (Salvation Army Youth Care & Probation Service).
The research group collaborates on a structural basis with the Research group Value of Rehabilitation of the Saxion University of Applied Sciences and the Research group Addiction Science of the Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen.
