Prison Service HQ

Butler Trust

The Butler Trust is a small independent charity which runs an Annual Award Scheme to recognise some of the outstanding but little known contributions by prison staff to the care and resettlement of prisoners.

The Butler Trust was set up in memory of the late 'Rab' Butler and aims to recognise distinctive work by any person or group of people working within the prison system in the United Kingdom, whether staff or volunteers. The awards are for work which reflects in some way all that is best in quality of prison care.

The main awards are the Development and Achievement Awards, the Group Award and Certificate Awards and the Award for Young Offender Work. The Terry Waite Award is made for work with life or long term prisoners and the Lord Woolf Award is made for work with people outside the Prison, which increases the likelihood of successful resettlement of prisoners. The Award for Excellence will be made to the individual whose dedication far exceeds what would normally be required in terms of their care for prisoners' welfare, their professionalism, response to the needs of prisoners and colleagues, firmness, humanity and humour.The Pilgrim Trust Award for Resettlement of Young Offenders. This will recognise projects which provide education, training, employment and housing opportunities for young offenders on release and sustain family relationships while they are in custody.

Nominations may be made by anyone working for the Prison Service, volunteers and prisoners - in reality anyone connected with the prison can nominate any of their colleagues or anyone with whom they come in contact within the prisons.

Nominations are initially sent to a local assessment panel before being forwarded to the Butler Trust in London. The Butler Trust Awarding Panel can then decide to interview nominees. Details of the awards are usually announced towards the end of the year with the presentation ceremony taking place each March.