The Annie E. Casey Foundation The Annie E. Casey Foundation The Annie E. Casey Foundation

Course 1: Introduction to Probation Transformation

Trans­form Juve­nile Pro­ba­tion to Improve Youth Outcomes

A free, inter­ac­tive course that equips pro­ba­tion pro­fes­sion­als with prac­ti­cal, evi­dence-informed approach­es to reduce con­fine­ment and pro­mote pos­i­tive youth development.

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⏱ Self-paced🎓 1.5 APPA con­tact hours💻 Inter­ac­tive learning

Course preview

Pre­view: Trans­for­ma­tion in action (course module)

Why Pro­ba­tion Transformation?

Juve­nile pro­ba­tion has the poten­tial to increase oppor­tu­ni­ties for young peo­ple, strength­en fam­i­lies and com­mu­ni­ties, and low­er the use of con­fine­ment. This course explores why trans­for­ma­tion is need­ed, what it entails, and how juris­dic­tions can shift prac­tice toward bet­ter outcomes.

Key idea: Youth thrive when pro­ba­tion focus­es on devel­op­ment, rela­tion­ships, and mean­ing­ful accountability.

What You Will Gain From This Course

    🧭 Build a foun­da­tion for change

    Under­stand why trans­form­ing juve­nile pro­ba­tion is urgent — and achiev­able — and learn the goals, val­ues and prin­ci­ples behind the shift.

    🛠️ Trans­late ideas into practice

    See what trans­for­ma­tion looks like in real juris­dic­tions and reflect on prac­ti­cal steps you can apply in your role and local context.

    🌱 Sup­port pos­i­tive youth development

    Explore approach­es that increase oppor­tu­ni­ties for young peo­ple and strength­en out­comes for youth, fam­i­lies and communities.

    ⚖️ Strength­en account­abil­i­ty and outcomes

    Clar­i­fy probation’s role in pro­mot­ing mean­ing­ful account­abil­i­ty while low­er­ing unnec­es­sary confinement.

What’s Inside the Course

See Trans­for­ma­tion in Action

Watch Caleb’s sto­ry and reflect on the key shifts that made a difference

Explore Per­spec­tives from the Field

Hear how pro­ba­tion staff in one juris­dic­tion respond­ed to the call for change

Is it Fact or Myth?

Test your knowl­edge and chal­lenge assump­tions with a quick inter­ac­tive practice

Meet the Course Team

  • Lyn­nell John­son — Instruc­tion­al Design­er, Harley Con­sult­ing Group
  • Tara Layne — Instruc­tion­al Design­er, Harley Con­sult­ing Group
  • Annie Sal­sich — Con­sul­tant, Harley Con­sult­ing Group
  • Jacque­line Skapik — Con­sul­tant, Harley Con­sult­ing Group
APPA

Earn 1.5 APPA Con­tact Hours

The Amer­i­can Pro­ba­tion and Parole Asso­ci­a­tion (APPA) has approved this course for 1.5 APPA con­tact hours. Indi­vid­u­als who com­plete this course may be eli­gi­ble for pro­fes­sion­al learn­ing or con­tact hours, depend­ing on local require­ments. Com­ple­tion cer­tifi­cates can be sub­mit­ted through the appro­pri­ate local process for cred­it consideration.

Explore the full Pro­ba­tion Trans­for­ma­tion Train­ing Series 

Ready to get started?

Begin the course now and explore prac­ti­cal shifts that improve out­comes for young peo­ple, fam­i­lies and communities.

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