Larry O'Grady

Seeking a career change in my early thirties, I left the banking industry to take up a Home Office sponsored training course in 1982, obtaining my Certificate in Qualified Social Work (CQSW) two years later. I began working for the Lancashire Probation Service in Blackpool in September, 1984, before moving to the Greater Manchester Service (GMPT) in 1985. Since then I have worked with the full range of the Probation Service’s clientele, supervising offenders on both community based orders and on licences following their release from prisons. I have also worked on special projects linked with the Crown Prosecution Service and worked extensively with other Criminal Justice System colleagues in Attendance Centres in Greater Manchester.

In 2006, I took up a post at GMPT headquarters, undertaking inspection and audit work, coupled with some responsibility for staff training, a position I continue to hold to the present time.