Community Post Type: Volunteering

Our Befriending service provide empathetic, non-judgemental support to those whom have a loved one in prison or who have been affected by the criminal justice system. Contact with a befriendee takes place over the phone at a time mutually convenient with both the befriender and befriendee.

Purpose of this role

To provide 1-1 telephone based befriending support to someone who has been affected by imprisonment, providing emotional support and assisting with additional queries where required by carrying out research and signposting where required.

Time commitment & location

The role can be carried out from any location where there is a good phone signal, however this should be a location where there is a degree of privacy and minimal disruption in order for an effective service to be provided.

We ask volunteers to commit to a minimum of 1 hour every week, for a minimum of 6 months.

What you will be doing

• Providing support to the families of individuals imprisoned, on trial or in the process of being sentenced
• Research and provide information concerning the judicial, prison and state benefit systems to support the befriendee
• Research and signpost to other local agencies relevant to the needs of the befriendee
• Offer support in identifying and achieving goals and aspirations
• Act as an advocate for the befriendee in their dealings with official bodies and support them in becoming a more effective self-advocate
• Report to the Service Manager on the progress of the befriending relationship – a laptop/computer will be required to complete case reports

The type of person we are looking for

Experience

Skills / Abilities

Attitudes

Experience of working with members of the public / customer service experience

Previous experience of supporting service users would be desirable.

Well-developed communication and interpersonal skills

Ability to respect confidentiality

Ability to work alone or in a team

Listening skills

Good IT skills

Non-judgemental, empathetic attitude towards prisoners and their families

Honesty and reliability

Warm and friendly approach to working with people

Be able to treat all staff, prisoners and their families with respect, dignity and courtesy

What we offer

Training

Training for this role includes Safeguarding and Professional Boundaries, and we will be providing online (zoom) role related training (approx. 2.5 hours). Additional in-house and e-learning training will be available also.

Expenses

Training for this role includes Safeguarding and Professional Boundaries, and we will be providing online (zoom) role related training (approx. 2.5 hours). Additional in-house and e-learning training will be available also.

Checks

This role will be subject to:

• 5 years of employment history or other activities (e.g., travelling or studying)
• Enhanced DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service)

Please be aware that these necessary checks need to be completed before you can start and can take several weeks to process

Support and Supervision

We will provide a full induction and regular supervision to support you in the role.

Benefits to you

• You’ll be able to reduce the risk and stress placed upon a family affected by imprisonment through the support you will provide
• Gain knowledge about the criminal justice system and processes
• Gain practical skills and experience
• Develop skills and enhance your CV for further volunteering employment opportunities
• Join a great, welcoming and helpful team of volunteers

To apply, see here

Action Tutoring unlocks the potential of children and young people who are facing disadvantage. We are tackling the attainment gap head-on by forging partnerships with schools nationwide. Our trained volunteer tutors are empowered to enable pupils to make meaningful academic progress, opening doors to future opportunities.

The opportunity

Education in this country isn’t fair. If you are from a poorer socio-economic background, you are less likely to achieve academically than your peers.

As an English or maths tutor, you will choose one of our partner schools and work with 1-3 pupils for an hour a week, across the course 10-20 weeks. Sessions are either delivered on the school premises or online, at the same time each week. You can choose to support children preparing for their SATs (ages 9-11) or GCSEs (ages 14-16). We provide all of our tutors with training, workbooks to use in sessions, a DBS check and travel expenses up to £5 per session.

Face-to-face opportunities are available in Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Southport, Wirral, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, London and Sussex. Links to our school locations can be found here at the bottom.

You can tutor online from anywhere in England, Scotland and Wales. Please note we cannot currently accept tutors who live outside the UK or are under the age of 18.

To apply, see here

Our Race for Life events are a series of routes around the country that give people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities the chance to come together and help beat cancer.

In order to run our events, we rely on the support of volunteers to assist on the day with a variety of roles from Bike Volunteer, Admin Manager to Marshalling and cheering on participants.

If you would like to join and become a volunteer, here is the link to apply below:

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/get-involved/volunteer/event-volunteer-liverpool-aintree-race-for-life-16th-june-2024

Across the UK, our 270 local groups play a vital part in supporting people affected by MS. They provide sense of belonging, unity and friendship. And they deliver services and support for their local MS community.

We are looking to recruit a Communications Volunteer for the Warrington Group. As our Communications Volunteer you’ll make sure people know they have a local MS Society group to turn to.

In this role you’ll be able to develop your writing skills, and gain an experience of communicating across a range of digital channels.

To apply and for more details, see here

Do you enjoy being part of your local community, are you looking for a flexible volunteering opportunity, do you want to meet new people and make a difference?

We need your help to raise awareness and increase income for The Air Ambulance Service by placing collection tins and coordinating the collection of these in your local area. In this role you may be involved in: Placing and servicing collection tins Approaching local companies, groups and supporters to have a tin Working with local business to coordinate the collection of tins when full Communicating with our fundraising team to manage the distribution of tins This role is very flexible, any time you can give helps us to fund our lifesaving missions.

As the charity will invest time in processing your application and providing you with training to carry out your role, we ask that you commit to a minimum of 2 hours per month.

To apply, see here

Across the UK, our 270 local groups play a vital part in supporting people affected by MS. They provide sense of belonging, unity and friendship. And they deliver services and support for their local MS community.

We are looking to recruit an Activities Volunteer for the West Lancashire Group. As our local group Activities Volunteer you’ll help us to set up activities in the area. Whether you’re serving refreshments, talking to people, registering attendees or collecting payments, you’ll be making sure everyone feel welcome.

In this role you’ll be able to develop your organisation, communication and team working skills. Most importantly you’ll be supporting your local group to run activities that bring friendship and fun to your local MS Community.

To apply, see here

Willow was founded in 1999 by former Arsenal goalkeeper and TV presenter, Bob Wilson and his wife, Megs, as a lasting memorial to their daughter, Anna, who died of cancer aged 31.

Anna battled her cancer for five years. It was during these years that she, her family and friends, experienced some of their most memorable moments together. What Anna called her ‘Special Days’ became a focus for quality of time and quality of life.

The role

Oxfam’s Heswall Shop is looking for Volunteers to help Oxfam’s fight to support the world’s most vulnerable communities.

We’re looking for volunteers who can give 4-8 hours (or more!) of their time in the shop each week, and we’re excited to welcome brand new volunteers to our stores!

Location: 258/258a Telegraph Road, Heswall, CH60 7SG

To apply and for more details, see here

If you’d like to make a difference behind the scenes, if you’re a keen rummager or if you like things to be neat and tidy, then we have a role for you – helping in our BHF shop stock room.

If you love a bit of ironing, then master the clothes steamer and watch those wrinkles disappear (it’s surprisingly therapeutic!), or become a clothes tagger extraordinaire, allowing customers to understand what item they are purchasing. If you want a hands-on volunteer role behind the scenes or just fancy the company of other friendly volunteers our shop stock room is the place to be.

Just so you know, we are unable to accept volunteers aged under 16 or with unspent criminal convictions. Please note this is an unpaid voluntary position in a friendly charity shop.

To apply and for more details, see here

British Red Cross volunteers and staff help families who have been separated by armed conflict, political upheaval, natural disaster or migration to get back in contact with each other.

In these situations, communications often break down and families become separated. As a result, people do not know where to turn to find a missing relative or how to get a message to them. Knowing what happened to family members left behind or who have migrated around the world is vital. Our Interpreter volunteers provide an essential communication link between people who use our service and the volunteers and staff supporting them. Many do not speak English as their first language and rely on high quality and confidential interpretation and translation to relay their personal information.

We help them to find a way forward at a what can be a difficult and distressing time. ## **We would like you to:** – Volunteer 1-2 days per week (flexible, Monday – Thursday) – Volunteer for a minimum of 12 months – Have access to your own computer and phone as you may be required to interpret remotely (can be provided if necessary) ## **We would be particularly interested to hear from you if you have experience of being a refugee or asylum seeker.** ## Health and Safety Statement ## We take an individual approach to ensuring your safety. We may ask you to complete a simple risk assessment.

We will also have a conversation with you to discuss and identify any adjustments you may need. ## If you have any questions before applying, please contact us at volunteerrecruitment@redcross.org.uk

To apply, see here