PROBATION TEAMS ESSENTIALLY USE PERSONS OF VARYING EXPERTISE AND FUNCTION IN DIAGNOSING CLIENT NEEDS AND IMPLEMENTING SERVICES TO INDIVIDUAL CLIENTS, IN CONTRAST TO THE INDIVIDUAL OFFICER BEING THE PRINCIPAL SOURCE OF THESE FUNCTIONS FOR THE CLIENTS UNDER HIS CARE. IN REFRAINING FROM ADVOCATING THE PROBATION TEAM APPROACH AS AN ACROSS-THE-BOARD PROGRAM TO INCREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROBATION SERVICES, IT IS CAUTIONED THAT THE DECISION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT A PARTICULAR AGENCY SHOULD USE THE TEAM APPROACH, HOW IT SHOULD BE EMPLOYED, AND THE TYPE OF TEAM APPROACH TO BE DEVELOPED SHOULD BE MADE ONLY AFTER A THOROUGH ASSESSMENT OF CLIENTS, COMMUNITY, AND AGENCY HAS BEEN MADE. THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ASSESSMENT PROCEDURE IS THE PRINCIPAL FEATURE OF THE ARTICLE. FOR CLIENTS, THE BASIC DATA NEEDED INCLUDES: WHERE THEY LIVE, TYPES OF CRIMES COMMITTED, AND THEIR NEEDS. AN ASSESSMENT OF THE COMMUNITY IN WHICH THE AGENCY FUNCTIONS PROVIDES INFORMATION ON HOW THE COMMUNITY AS PRESENTLY STRUCTURED INTERRELATES WITH THE PROBATION AGENCY AND THE NEEDS OF ITS CLIENTS. AN ANALYSIS OF THE AGENCY ITSELF HELPS IT TO EXAMINE ITS GOALS, TIME ALLOTMENTS FOR VARIOUS FUNCTIONS, AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH PRESENT OPERATIONS REFLECT ACTUAL COMMITMENT TO THEORETICAL OBJECTIVES AND GOALS. STAFF INVOLVEMENT AT ALL LEVELS IN THE PROCESS OF THIS ASSESSMENT IS CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL TO ENSURE THAT THE TEAM APPROACH IS FULLY UNDERSTOOD BY ALL CONNECTED WITH THE WORK OF THE AGENCY. THE TEAM APPROACH AND THE PARTICULAR TYPE TO BE EMPLOYED SHOULD BE INCORPORATED INTO THE WORK OF THE AGENCY ONLY IF IT IS CLEAR THAT IT WOULD BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE MEANS FOR THE AGENCY TO ACCOMPLISH ITS SELF-DETERMINED COMMITMENTS. THE USE OF THE PROBATION TEAM BY MULTNOMAH COUNTY, OREG., PROBATION SERVICES IS BRIEFLY DESCRIBED. A SAMPLE OF THE 'CASE ANALYSIS SCALE -- TALLY SHEET' EMPLOYED BY THE MULTNOMAH COUNTY AGENCY IN ASSESSING CLIENT NEEDS IS ALSO PROVIDED.