Despite the social work base of probation practice and philosophy, the social and community base is not utilized to anywhere near its potential. The four broad developments to probation strategies for working in the community are: (1) wider policy initiatives bringing radical approaches to the provision of services; (2) local authority responsibilities in respect of the impact of crime on local communities; (3) development of crime prevention work, and its theoretical and policy fluidity; and, (4) the stirrings of a reassessment within the Probation Service of its raison d'etre. A trend within these developments is community probation work, which acknowledges the fact that offenders and their families are rooted in a social context and that in dealing with their problems, the probation staff must work alongside other specialist agencies in those fields. 13 references.