Speaking at the breakfast Dr. Barry said, “The attack just beggars belief, especially on an organisation that works so hard to keep the community safe. Much of your work goes unnoticed and I daresay un-thanked, so I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the work that you do.
“As a Church we have a long association with the probation service, working closely with you in a number of different areas. I understand that it is a demanding role and recognise the stresses and strains as you work with people who have fallen foul of the law.
“But the work that you do is important and as a Church and a people called to be one of service and outreach, working in partnership with you for the benefit of others in places like Thompson House, we find that it is an invaluable partnership.”
Speaking to Probation Board officials and members of the Church’s Council for Social Witness, Dr. Barry also talked about the Council’s Strategic Objective to raise awareness of domestic and sexual violence.
Thanking the Moderator for hosting the breakfast, Cheryl Lamont, Acting Director of the Probation Board, said that it had been an excellent opportunity to engage and share information about the work carried out in probation and within the Church.
“The service that we carry out with some of the most marginalised people in society is one that many question and some recoil from. It’s not popular work but it’s extremely important.
“We have a long history of working together closely and over the years we have established an important relationship with the Presbyterian Church, working to change lives for safer communities.
“All of this work is about protecting communities and keeping the public safer. No organisation can do that in isolation and that is why partnership is so important. I believe that our partnership with the Presbyterian Church will continue to develop and grow. I think we have a lot to learn from each other and I look forward on building on this event today as we continue to work together serving all communities in Northern Ireland,” she said.
Speaking about the services provided through the Church’s Thompson House and Carlisle House in Belfast, the Acting Director said that it enabled probation staff to more effectively risk assess and manage offenders in the community.
Photos: (1) Pictured by the Carrickfergus Window in Assembly Buildings are (LtoR) Cheryl Lamont, Probation Board Acting Director, The Moderator Dr. Michael Barry, Vilma Patterson, Probation Board Chair and Dr Trevor McCormick, Convener of the Council for Social Witness.