Why Do This Step?

A critical step in preparing for the implementation of dosage probation is ensuring that probation supervision staff have the knowledge and skills to deliver evidence-based practices (EBP) and that their supervisors and coaches have the knowledge and skills to oversee the continuous quality improvement (CQI) of EBP. To implement dosage probation successfully, all probation supervision staff, supervisors, and coaches must have a high degree of competence in each of the following areas:

• Understanding “what works” in reducing recidivism
• Building and sustaining a professional alliance
• Administering, interpreting, and applying risk/needs assessments
• Applying core correctional practices
• Implementing effective case planning and management
• Effectively using cognitive behavioral intervention tools
• Effectively structuring one-on-one interactions
• Having a solid grounding in the principles and practices of the dosage probation model 

The information in this section builds on the steps completed during the first (readiness assessment) and second (preparation) phases of implementation, specifically assessing your probation agency’s readiness to implement dosage probation and developing a dosage probation logic model. By completing these steps, your agency has taken significant strides toward implementation and gained valuable insights. For instance, you have likely discovered gaps in the abovementioned competency areas. Don’t worry; this is not uncommon and is an opportunity to use this information to your advantage. These gaps offer a valuable starting point for determining your staff training and coaching needs before implementation. Your agency will want to identify and meet these needs formally, if it has yet to do so, as soon as possible after completing the logic model.

Training and coaching are essential but not enough to guarantee success. Written policies that guide coaching and other CQI processes (e.g., further learning and skill-building opportunities, documentation, and performance standards) can help your agency establish and maintain consistent, effective, and committed daily practices. To achieve the desired outcomes and impacts outlined in your jurisdiction’s logic model, developing a CQI manual that supports the fidelity of the dosage probation model before implementation is essential. This step will help ensure your agency is well-equipped to meet its goals and succeed. 

This section guides you in identifying and meeting your probation staff training and coaching needs, developing a dosage probation CQI manual, and preparing for the next steps in the implementation process. Before beginning, it is recommended that those overseeing and assisting with these efforts review this section in its entirety.  

Establish Oversight for Staff Training/Coaching Before Implementation 

The first step in mobilizing your agency’s pre-implementation training and coaching efforts is to decide who will plan, coordinate, and provide the necessary staff training and coaching to implement dosage probation. All or some of these people will also likely help develop your agency’s dosage probation CQI manual (see “Develop Your Dosage Probation CQI Manual,” below). 

Probation agencies vary in their organizational structure and available resources, meaning that training and coaching may be led by one, a few, or a variety of people. They can include executive leaders; mid-level managers or supervisors; specialized staff members who handle training, coaching, mentoring, or staff development; and even outside experts in evidence-based community supervision practices (e.g., training/technical assistance providers, faculty from a local university or college, certified trainers from a peer agency). Based on your agency’s structure and resources, you must decide who will be on your central oversight team to ensure staff receive the necessary training and coaching before dosage probation implementation. You can always add people to or adjust your team as needed.

The second step in mobilizing oversight is to develop a training and coaching work plan based on the guidance provided in this section and additional needs your agency may have (e.g., providing additional training or support to supervisors or coaches, acquiring funding to hire outside assistance, finalizing caseload or workload adjustments to deliver dosage hours, addressing organizational culture change). Your central oversight team will want to agree on the work plan and their roles and responsibilities to meet your agency’s implementation needs.  

Questions to Consider When Initiating Oversight for Staff Training/Coaching 

Consider the following questions to establish your central oversight team and approach for training and coaching before implementation. You may need to address other issues specific to your probation agency.

• Who in your agency knows most about EBP and its practical application? If your agency has many people with this knowledge, does it make sense to involve all of them, or are there some best positioned to lend their expertise?
• Is there a dosage probation logic model subcommittee tasked with completing activities related to training and coaching? Which members can help with your training and coaching efforts? How will you align work plans to streamline and avoid duplication of efforts?
• Would an outside expert bring additional knowledge, experience, and skills to your efforts, such as collaboratively creating and overseeing the completion of work plans, identifying training and coaching gaps and needs, addressing organizational culture change, developing/delivering training curricula, providing coaching, or putting into place CQI processes? Does your agency have, or can it acquire, the funding to hire an outside expert? Who will be your agency’s point of contact to coordinate these efforts?
• Would your agency benefit from including supervisor training or boosters in your work plan? How about training or boosters for coaches or potential coaches? Are they confident in their EBP knowledge and skills? Do they feel assured that they can lead and guide others in applying the principles and practices of dosage probation?

Identify Your Staff Training/Coaching Needs

It is recommended that your central oversight team identify the person(s) responsible for reviewing and completing the activities outlined below to determine your agency's pre-implementation staff training and coaching needs.

Review the Dosage Probation Training Curriculum Map

Get started by reviewing the Dosage Probation Training Curriculum Map below. It provides a broad understanding of the recommended sequence of EBP and skill-building training for staff to deliver effective dosage probation supervision.

Mouse Over the boxes below to learn more about each training area.

Reviewing the descriptions, consider your agency’s current training curricula and coaching practices, and note any areas where you believe staff still need primary training or coaching, those in which staff could benefit from a booster (refresher), and/or those in which staff could benefit from coaching. For example, staff may be trained in cognitive behavioral intervention tools but have not yet or consistently used them. In this case, a booster involving skill practice followed by targeted coaching could offer staff valuable skill-building opportunities so that they feel confident using structured tools to help people address their thinking and behavior.

Review Your Dosage Probation Readiness Assessment Rating Form 

 You may also review your agency’s Dosage Probation Readiness Assessment: Probation Agency Rating Form. The completed responses about the implementation of EBP may offer additional insights into your agency’s training and coaching strengths and opportunities. Compare this information to the notes you made above, and consider the following questions:

• Do the responses on the form match the training and coaching areas you noted above?
• What other areas does the form indicate are needed, if any, to prepare staff for dosage probation implementation?
• What, if any, discrepancies exist between the form and your notes from above? How might you reconcile those differences?

Review the Dosage Probation Staff Manual

The Dosage Probation Staff Manual (.pdf) is another valuable resource to help determine your agency’s pre-implementation training and coaching needs. It offers a step-by-step guide and practical resources for probation staff to follow during their appointments with individuals on probation, from initial appointments to developing case plans, skill building, and preparing for discharge. Reviewing the manual, consider the topics or skills your probation staff may need further training or coaching on.

Complete the Essential Dosage Probation Skills Assessment 

 Dig deeper into your pre-implementation training and coaching needs by completing the Dosage Probation Essential Skills Assessment (.doc). The assessment indicates the EBP skills necessary for delivering dosage probation effectively, and it helps identify supervision staff strengths and areas for additional skill building.

How you complete the assessment depends on your agency’s organizational structure and resources. For example, in agencies where coaching is regularly practiced, the coach or coaches may complete the assessment based on their recent reviews of case files, direct observations, and coaching sessions with supervision staff. For agencies planning to implement coaching routinely, the person(s) completing the assessment may need to conduct other activities—such as a review of training curricula, case files, direct observations, and discussions with supervisors or supervision staff—to gather the information needed. To help facilitate these activities, you may use the Dosage Probation Case File Review Checklist and Dosage Probation Observation Coaching Form in the Dosage Probation Continuous Quality Improvement and Coaching Guide (.pdf) (see also, “Develop Your Dosage Probation CQI Manual,” below). 

All individuals involved in completing the assessment should discuss and agree on its comprehensive results and consider the questions below.

Questions to Consider When Identifying Your Staff Training/Coaching Needs 

Consider the following questions when determining the EBP training and coaching needed to implement dosage probation successfully. You may need to address other issues specific to your probation agency.

• How do your agency’s current EBP training curricula and coaching practices align with the training areas described in the Dosage Probation Training Curriculum Map?
• Does your agency's current training or coaching miss essential EBP concepts or skills, for example, one or more components of an effective case plan or appropriate responses to prosocial behavior or noncompliance? What gaps should be filled for staff before dosage probation implementation?
• What EBP skills do supervision staff use consistently, as agreed on by those who completed the Dosage Probation Essential Skills Assessment? What skills do they commonly find challenging to master, and why? Are there skills that staff have yet to implement?
• In which EBP training or skill-building area(s) might staff need fundamental teaching to fill core gaps? Would retraining in a particular area be beneficial if it has been several years since the previous training? Would staff benefit from practical training that “connects the dots” over the entire sequence of EBP training and integrates dosage?
• In which areas would staff benefit from targeted skill practice and feedback through boosters (refreshers), coaching, learning teams (communities of practice), or a combination? Would different boosters or learning teams catering to various proficiency levels be beneficial?
• In what EBP training or skill-building areas might your supervisors, coaches, or potential coaches need more education or support?
• Based on the training and coaching needs you identified, what tasks and deadlines must be added to your oversight team’s work plan?

Develop Your Dosage Probation CQI Manual

Agencies implementing CQI must have written processes and the organizational structure to carry them out successfully. This generally involves comprehensive training and ongoing support for using EBP, electronic or manual information systems, and data management. CQI must also include personnel dedicated to establishing and maintaining performance standards and overseeing progress. Additionally, qualitative feedback loops are essential to ensure the CQI processes are understood and work for everyone involved.

Rest assured that your agency does not need every piece of CQI infrastructure in place when implementation occurs. However, to best equip your agency to implement the dosage probation model with fidelity, you will want to strive to have the following, at a minimum, in place upon launch:

• Ongoing learning and skill-building opportunities to support the use of EBP and dosage probation practices (e.g., boosters, learning teams/communities of practice, coaching)
• Specific tools to provide ongoing support (e.g., checklists, forms, surveys)
• Dedicated personnel to provide oversight of CQI progress (e.g., supervisors, coaches)
• Written policies to accompany these processes (e.g., a dosage probation CQI manual)

It is recommended that you start preparing your agency for CQI as you identify your staff training and coaching needs. To begin drafting your dosage probation CQI manual, you may review the Dosage Probation Continuous Quality Improvement and Coaching Guide (.pdf). It introduces the primary goals of CQI, and it offers advice on selecting and supporting coaches, choosing CQI methods and tools, and developing written policies to guide CQI activities. It also includes a sample case file review checklist and observation coaching form.

These resources may still be helpful if your agency already has CQI policies or practices. It is always a good idea to revisit policies, regardless of how long they have been in place, to ensure they provide comprehensive guidance for maintaining fidelity. It is natural for discretionary or informal practices to emerge where formal policies lack specific direction or are perceived as outdated, which can create inconsistencies in how services are delivered. Understanding how your agency’s intended CQI policies and actual practices align allows you to identify gaps and refine your written policies accordingly. In addition, accessing these policies through one central location, such as a dosage probation CQI manual, can help communicate expectations and streamline your processes and practices.

Questions to Consider When Developing Your Dosage Probation CQI Manual 

Consider the following questions to help you create an effective dosage probation CQI manual. You may need to address other issues specific to your probation agency.

• If your agency has CQI policies, who will review and refine all related documents (e.g., written policies, processes, and tools)? Are there topics or questions in the Dosage Probation CQI and Coaching Guide that your written policies do not currently address? How will you identify any discrepancies or gaps between your formal CQI policies and daily practices—for example, through individual interviews, small group discussions, or direct observations with supervisors, coaches, or supervision staff? What ideas for improvement do probation staff have?
• Does your manual lay out a philosophy, guiding principles, or a core mission as a touchstone for your agency's CQI policies and practices? Does your manual define CQI? Does it include policies, processes, and tools that address the topics and questions in the Dosage Probation CQI and Coaching Guide?
• Have you designed your CQI policies, processes, and tools to promote professional growth rather than for purely auditing or quality assurance purposes? Do they reflect the EBP skills essential for dosage probation? Are they consistent with the philosophy or purpose of CQI stated in your manual? Are they compatible with your agency’s vision, mission, and values?
• How will you ensure the Dosage Probation Workgroup offers input on your agency’s CQI policies, processes, and tools? What information about CQI or from your CQI manual might you share with the Dosage Probation Policy Team to strengthen their confidence in dosage probation?
• What opportunities will you give all supervisors, coaches, and supervision staff to understand and support your agency’s CQI policies before implementation? Would staff meetings, brown bag lunches, focus groups, small group discussions, or a combination thereof be effective for level-setting, gathering feedback, and fostering inclusivity?
• Have you identified and addressed any obstacles to implementing the processes defined in your CQI manual (e.g., insufficient staff time, staff discomfort, data privacy, union concerns, technology, logistics)? What information might you include in the manual to guard against these challenges?
• What tasks and deadlines might be added to your oversight team’s work plan to ensure your agency’s essential CQI policies, processes, and tools are in place by implementation?

Train and Coach Probation Staff

The training and coaching that probation staff receive before implementation highly depend on the needs and challenges you identified earlier and your agency’s organizational structure and resources.

In general, some agencies provide or hire an outside expert to deliver fundamental training and coaching in one or more EBP skill-building areas. Some offer boosters and/or learning team opportunities followed by targeted coaching in one or more areas in which staff have already been trained but need additional support. Some enhance their coaching practices by, for example, increasing the frequency of coaching, implementing standard coaching forms, or transitioning from recordings to direct observations. Other agencies find that combining some or all of these strategies more fully addresses their needs.

Cross-training of all probation staff is highly recommended. Probation staff typically include leadership; supervision staff (regardless of caseload); intake and support personnel; those responsible for cognitive behavioral programming, coaching/staff development, and data collection and management; and possibly others depending on your agency’s structure. As demonstrated by the dosage probation pilot sites, cross-training helps ensure that everyone shares a common language and understanding and supports your agency’s philosophy of effective supervision.

Questions to Consider When Providing Staff Training/Coaching 

Consider the following questions to help you provide staff training and coaching based on your agency’s identified needs. You may need to address other issues specific to your probation agency.

• Is someone in your agency qualified to prepare and deliver the needed EBP training or booster curricula? Have they been trained or certified as a trainer to deliver the relevant curricula?
• Who outside your agency may be best qualified to prepare and deliver the needed EBP training or booster curricula? Will your agency send staff to a reputable organization? Will you bring in an outside expert? What steps should be taken to secure their services before implementation?
• Do the training or booster curricula address the EBP skill-building gaps identified earlier? Do they address staff's challenges in using or mastering those skills? Do they engage staff in thinking critically about the relevant principles of EBP? Do they incorporate skill practice?
• Before training or boosters, what expectations will your agency set to ensure staff devote time to skill practice and follow-up coaching? How will you make those expectations clear up front? How will you reinforce them? Would emails, written policies, staff meetings, updated job descriptions, or new hiring and promotional policies, for example, be effective? How will you alleviate any concerns among staff before coaching occurs?
• When will staff participate in training or boosters to ensure sufficient time for skill practice and follow-up coaching before implementation? When and where will training or boosters be held to ensure staff can attend? What expectations will your agency set regarding attendance? How will you confirm total attendance if an outside organization or expert delivers the training or boosters only once? How will any staff who miss the training or boosters be caught up to speed?
• Who will provide coaching? Do they meet the criteria in the Dosage Probation CQI and Coaching Guide? What are the identified EBP skill-building areas that coaching will address? To what coaching processes and tools (as may be described in your dosage probation CQI manual) might coaches be expected to adhere to deliver effective and consistent coaching? What preparation might they need beforehand, such as additional training or support around EBP or orientation to your agency’s coaching policies and expectations?
• If your agency uses learning teams (communities of practice), who will facilitate those meetings: coaches, supervisors, staff peers, or an outside expert? What EBP skill-building areas will the teams address? What learning team policies and processes will be followed? What preparation might facilitators need beforehand, such as support around the effective facilitation of meetings or orientation to your agency’s learning team policies and expectations?
• Who will ensure that the planned coaching occurs on a routine basis and that the learning teams, if applicable, are functioning as intended? How will immediate feedback be gathered from supervisors, coaches, and supervision staff about coaching and learning teams, if applicable, to identify what is going well and any issues to be addressed? What technical or adaptive challenges need attention to continue promoting an organizational culture of continuous improvement?
• What tasks and deadlines might be added to your oversight team’s work plan to ensure staff receive the appropriate training and coaching before implementation?

Get Ready for Next Steps

Cheers! Your agency has come a long way since the readiness assessment and is on the right track to implement and evaluate the dosage probation model. While it may be tempting to take a break, there is still much to do to ensure a smooth implementation. Stay motivated!

As you wrap up developing your dosage probation policies and procedures and aligning community-based services with the dosage probation model, your agency should continue providing regular coaching in EBP (as may be outlined in your dosage probation CQI manual). For example, monthly coaching may continue for six months to a year, followed by quarterly coaching for supervision staff who have become more proficient. Coaching should be provided on at least a quarterly basis to support the mastery of skills.

It is also recommended that your agency continues to take steps to develop its CQI policies fully. In the following—final—implementation phase, your agency will consider implementing additional policies and practices to support the fidelity of the dosage probation model, such as those related to CQI oversight, feedback loops, support for coaches, and performance measures. Your agency will also begin planning for the model's sustainability. In the meantime, if you have not already, it is recommended that you identify someone responsible for overseeing CQI and its progress, such as an executive or mid-level supervisor.