The services of the Department of Probation are directed towards children who have encountered the law, victims, orphans, abandoned and destitute children, as well as those who require custody and protection. One of the primary responsibilities of the Department of Probation is to ensure the safety and well-being of these children, conducting necessary actions to guarantee their maximum welfare and reintegrate them into society. By safeguarding children's rights, minimizing child abuse and exploitation, and focusing on the future development of children in the Southern Province, the Department of Probation undertakes a significant mission.

Holding clinical service for elders.

Providing relief for housing to the disabled and low income people.

Providing relief for self-employments to the disable and low income people for strengthening their living condition.

Assuring the safety of social welfare for the orphans of the Ridiyagama Detention Home.

Providing personal relief to the appropriate children selected under the youth and children act.

Providing relief for children homes and children parks in Southern Province.

Implementing scholarship programs for the children, having risk in probationary.

Preventing the children in probation and providing relief to the probationers.

Assuring the rights of the children, making sound conduct in physical, mental and social.

Providing the guidance and protection to the children who needed special attention in the society.

Holding children day festival and Sport meets for the probationary children.

Rehabilitating and providing welfare for the children who were abused & neglected.

Making aware of the people about children rights.

History of the Probation Department

The Probation and Childcare Services in Sri Lanka began in October 1956. With the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1988, probation offices operated under one central government commissioner, with assistant commissioners appointed at the regional level. Later, with the establishment of Provincial Council administration, Probation and Childcare Services became fully decentralized. Since then, the services have been functioning under a Provincial Commissioner.

The primary goal of the Southern Province Probation and Childcare Services Department is to protect children's rights, minimize child abuse and exploitation, and contribute to producing productive and virtuous citizens for the nation. Accordingly, the department aims to achieve its objectives through a clear vision and a mission process. By implementing a strategic institutional plan, the department hopes to determine where it should be by 2024 and how resources should be managed to reach that goal, along with guidelines on how systems and plans should be implemented.

The department aims to implement a strategic institutional development plan that aligns with sustainable development goals to achieve its objectives and targets. Evaluating all programs and projects under the department is crucial for this purpose. The evaluation process will be conducted by an institutional audit committee, which will assess the physical and financial progress of the expected work segments for each quarter through the annual operational plan. If it becomes apparent that the expected goals cannot be achieved within the annual development plan, the evaluation process anticipates informing senior management to take necessary actions to redirect efforts towards the desired direction.

Beneficiaries of many programs under the Department of Probation and Childcare Services are identified through field officers. Accordingly, probation officers, social service officers, child rights promotion officers, development officers, and early childhood development officers, along with the departmental staff and field officers, play a significant role in this process. The department has identified three main objectives within the probation service, and various programs and projects have been planned to achieve these goals. These will be implemented through the annual development plan.

The department of probation and child care services was established in 1956, after the establishment of provincial councils. the duties, responsibilities & authorities were vested to provincial department at 1987. Services of this department can be divided in to three sections. They are as follow,

Rehabilitation services

Child care services

Mixed services

Under rehabilitation services there are certified schools, detention homes & remand homes for the children involved in juvenile delinquencies. The legal guardian of the children below 18 is the district court. The district court has delegated this power to the department of probation & child care. So it's the duty of the department to provide care & protection for the children those who were abandoned ' abused and at risk.