A Place for the Volunteer

Voluntary work in the mental health field can be used most effectively if it is organised by full-time professional staff. Authorities who, for any reason, cannot appoint an organiser should find out if any member of their staffs is willing to organise and, if necessary, train volunteers for such work. These were two of the propositions which emerged at the annual conference of the namh Northern Local Associations held at thesity, said that the conference had recognised as an important principle that the volunteer should not be used to dilute professional services (even by providing a secretary for matron) nor to dilute the role of the professionally trained person. It was the responsibility of the community to look after its injured members and it was legitimate to ask if the community was entitled to depute this responsibility to a professional when there was a shortage of professional workers? 'It is up to every professional to ask himself or herself "How much work am I doing which could be done equally well by someone without professional training?"' said Mrs. Irvine. 'We know that there are many people in hospital not because they need to be there but because they have nowhere else to go. I wonder how many stay in hospital because they have no friends or contacts in the outside world. I wonder how many mental welfare officers spend time visiting patients in their homes merely because they are friendless and lonely; this is where volunteers might be involved.' Advantages of group It emerged during the conference that volunteers felt more secure working in hospitals than in the outside world, partly because the hospital retained complete responsibility for the patient. The difference between working as a group and as an individual had also been discussed. It had been shown that if volunteers worked individually with patients, very deep feelings and dependencies might develop. Any disruption could have extensive consequences and it appeared that these factors could be minimised if the volunteer were part of a group. In group working , it had been suggested that the strength of the individual was not so important and training was not so necessary. The use of volunteers to assist in prison after-care work was discussed and the conference endorsed namh efforts to consider how volunteers could meet the need for after-care.