Court Support Services Division
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The Court Support Services Division’s (JBCSSD) Training Academy
The JBCSSD Training Academy was founded in 1999 and is charged with providing professional training and development to all staff within the agency and contracted vendors to expand the skills, knowledge, and expertise that are required to achieve excellent and professional performance.
Since its' inception, the Training Academy has grown in full time staff, who are representative of the major business functions within JBCSSD (Adult Probation, Juvenile Probation, Juvenile Residential Services, Pretrial Services, and Family Services). The Training Academy is managed by Chief Probation Officer II, Mikisha Bellamy.
The Training Academy provides a range of coordinated training. There are three levels of training:
- Pre-service, which is required for new hires and is comprised of a mix of instructor led and virtual training coupled with on-the-job training that is intensive, sequential, and comprehensive.
- In-service training, which is mandatory for all veteran staff. JBCSSD policy prescribes the number of training hours that each staff member receives.
- Leadership management training which is required for all personnel promoted to supervisory or managerial positions.
Each JBCSSD discipline maintains a training advisory committee comprised of field and managerial staff. The training advisory committees assist in planning, oversight, and evaluation of training to ensure that curriculum is developed based on what research indicates is most effective and meets the needs of staff.
Instructors are selected from within JBCSSD as well as externally. Adjunct trainers are recruited from the field because they best understand the problems and challenges of the job. In addition, the JBCSSD Training Academy contracts with, supervises, and oversees content experts/consultants who train both staff from private non-profit agencies which service JBCSSD clients as well as supplement required training for JBCSSD staff.
JBCSSD training activities and efforts in Adult Probation were originally validated by accreditation from the American Correctional Association (ACA) in 2006, ensuring that JBCSSD met or exceeded all training related standards for Adult Probation staff. In addition to Adult Probation, other JBCSSD business units including Juvenile Residential Services and Juvenile Probation subsequently have achieved and maintained ACA accreditation status.