Volunteers in Prison After-Care: The Report of the Teamwork Associates Pilot Project

Originally published in 1971, volunteers in the social services were being asked to undertake increasingly demanding and responsible work, particularly in the field of prison after-care. Effective professional leadership and support were therefore essential. Hugh Barr’s report describes a pilot project in London in which he tried to build effective partnership between professionals and volunteers, and between statutory and voluntary agencies. It is a report that was immediately relevant in the field of probation and after-care at the time and had implications in general for the future of the personal social services. Separate chapters discuss recruitment, motivation, preparation, selection and supervision of the volunteers; illustrations of their work are included and an attempt is made to evaluate the results of the project. The book ends with a study of the implications for future projects and of the ever-widening scope for the volunteer, who will use his leisure to match society’s need. ‘This is a man writing about something he has a hand in creating’ (from the Foreword).