Article: Working with volunteers at the International Office (2020)

Authors: Michelle Pape & Marco Brok
Michelle Pape MSw is regional coordinator at the Utrecht International Office. Marco Brok MSw is policy adviser at the Utrecht International Office.

The International Office is part of the Dutch Probation Service. It works on behalf of three probation organizations in the Netherlands. The International Office provides information, advice, and support to detainees serving prison sentences abroad and their social network. In the regular probation and after-care service, working with volunteers has made a complete come back. There have always been volunteers at the International Office. Ever since its foundation in 1975, the International Office has been working closely with volunteers. Thanks to this experience, the International Office has a unique position within the probation and after-care service.

This article first briefly introduces the International Office’s working practice and then discusses the deployment of volunteers and the dilemmas this entails.

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