Employment records are maintained by this unit for all department staff which numbered 1142 at the close of 2005. The Harris County Juvenile Probation Department acquired the entire Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP) and Juvenile Justice Charter Schools (JJCS) in 2005 adding another 150 new staff including principals and teachers.

Payroll
The Payroll Unit works to insure employees receive accurate compensation in a timely manner. They also assist staff in accessing employee benefits and services available to all Harris County employees. This includes signing new employees, medical and retirement benefits or changes, monitoring and processing of salary changes and monitoring of all other employee benefits. The unit also interacts with the county budget and payroll offices as well as other county departments to maintain accurate payroll information.

Training and Staff Development Unit
The Training and Staff Development Unit conducts monthly pre-service training to orient new staff to the agency’s policies, procedures and practices. In addition, the Training Unit conducts a monthly basic officer’s academy for newly hired juvenile probation and detention officers which is designed to enhance employee skills and meet the state training standards. The Texas Juvenile Probation Commission also requires tenured juvenile probation and detention officers to complete 40 hours of accredited instruction per year to maintain state certification, with 16 hours required for support staff.

The Training Unit also arranges special training for probation and detention officers, secretaries, computer personnel, kitchen staff and administrators. In 2005, 655 workshops were attended by 3,256 individuals on topics such as juvenile crime prevention,
legal liabilities, professional ethics, verbal intervention techniques, the role of the probation officer, case planning/management, officer safety and interagency collaboration. This unit coordinates the Public Speakers Bureau for community outreach, prepares identification updates and completes criminal record checks. It coordinates 23 and interacts with Harris County agencies and neighboring counties to co-sponsor trainings.

Accreditation Procedures
The Accreditation Unit coordinates the development of policies and procedures in order to meet both national and state standards. The American Correctional Association (ACA) audits the Juvenile Detention Center every three years. Its overall rating in 2004 was 99.4. The Texas Juvenile Probation Commission audits the Juvenile Probation Department as well as the Juvenile Detention Center, Burnett-Bayland Reception Center and the Delta Boot Camp. Audits are conducted for case files compliance, employee training records, documentation files and other information required in accordance with the state’s Compliance Resource Manual and Certification Guidelines Manual. The Accreditation Officer conducts random audits throughout the department to ensure compliance.