Home Office plans to remove the professional training of probation officers from universities could close university social work departments, destroy the professional credibility of the probation service and seriously damage the link between research and practice, according to the joint university council of social work education.

David Ward, chair of the council's work with offenders subcommittee, said: "Departments that had responded to Government requests to give more attention to probation students will be most affected."

The Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals has written to the Home Secretary Michael Howard arguing that the "most valuable benefits" of placing training within universities will be lost under the new proposals. "The knowledge base of probation owes a great deal to university-led research.This has made a significant contribution to the development of probation practice and has done much to shape the present probation service."

The Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work has also described the plans as "unnecessary, damaging and wasteful".

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Launching the Review of Probation Office Recruitment and Qualifying Training last week, Mr Howard said: "I propose to sweep away the barriers to the recruitment of people who have relevant skills and experience to offer but who lack the social work diploma qualification which is at present required by the law."

But the National Association of Probation Officers argues that the university-based qualification is crucial if probation officers are to gain the necessary legal, criminal and social policy training. A spokesman said: "These new recruits are being set up to fail. This is a potentially disastrous move that will increase the likelihood of offenders reoffending."

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There are about 30 departments of social work in universities and colleges that offer probation training at qualifying level.

William Forsythe, head of the department of social work and probation studies at Exeter University, said: "All these departments will be badly affected by the move. These courses are all run in partnership with the probation service."