The Client Network Audit: Assessing Shared Knowledge of a Client’s Social Network Among Juvenile Probation Officers

This article presents findings from a pilot that tested a novel “client network audit” approach, designed to enhance supervision by mapping social networks through structured input from frontline practitioners. Adapting the group audit methodology for collecting network information that is used extensively in gang violence interventions, this project measured cognitive network data from two probation officers and a community-based partner to examine areas of consensus and divergence in perceptions of influential relationships in a client’s life. A focus group conducted with participants after the study revealed several themes, including the utility of identifying hidden risks and opportunities for intervention and enhancing multi-agency coordination. This exploratory study finds that, while there are key areas of overlap in these perceptions, there are substantial gaps, indicating that individuals possess unique information about social relationships that is unknown to other respondents. As jurisdictions seek innovative strategies to improve interventions for youth entrenched in high-harm networks, this model offers a potentially promising pathway.