Volunteer Telford

Opportunity Description

Do you have the passion and skills to help empower a young person to develop and grow?

The Children’s Society’s Climb project is a preventative service that supports children and young people (10-17) who are at risk of being exploited or exposed to criminal activity. Climb is funded by West Mercia’s Police and Crime Commissioner and works with young people in Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. The service aims to reduce a young person’s risk of exploitation by providing them with great role models and positive activities to give them the opportunity to enjoy new skills in a safe environment. 

Our Volunteer Mentors will support these young people and assist them to engage in positive activities. These activities include but are not limited to, sport, crafts, music and dance. Mentors will also be asked to spend a small amount of time with the young person outside of these activities – spending time with them in the community, giving you both an opportunity to talk and listen.

This is a rewarding role and you will be part of a friendly team providing you with support and ongoing supervision. You do not need any specific qualifications as full training for your role will be provided.

Due to the nature of the role, you will need to be able to commit to a minimum of 3 hours per week for a minimum of 6 months. We will do our best to match you with a young person within your area. Expenses are paid.

What will this role require you to do?

- Build a supportive and trusting relationship with a young person.

- Schedule meetings with the young person and undertake different activities of their interest such as music, art, playing football in the park or engaging in school activities.

- Actively listen to them and their views, support them with any issues and encourage the young person to engage with school and other services as appropriate.

- Support the young person to achieve personal goals, obtain skills for the future or apply for educational, employment or vocational opportunities as appropriate.

- Communicate any safeguarding concerns with the Volunteer Co-ordinator or other agencies as appropriate.

- Submit contact notes within 24 hours of each contact/visit with the young person and attend agreed supervision sessions with the Volunteer Coordinator.

What can we offer you?

- Full induction and training for your role with The Children’s Society.

- On-going support and guidance from your Volunteer Coordinator including regular one-to-one supervision.

- Access to a broad range of online learning modules and courses.

- Recognition of your commitment and achievements.

- A reference outlining your achievements.

- Reimbursement of reasonable expenses.

- The experience of volunteering within a frontline team with a charity that has a great national reputation.

- The opportunity to gain an understanding of the issues facing vulnerable young people within your community and the chance to make a positive difference to their lives.

Requirements

Who are we looking for? To be effective in this role, we ask that you: - Are able to commit to working with a young person for at least three to six months. - Are able and willing to adhere to The Children’s Society’s policies and procedures at all times, particularly in relation to health and safety, safeguarding and safe practice, and confidentiality. - Are available to attend training sessions to gain further knowledge and understanding about child criminal exploitation. - Are able to effectively build a relationship with a young person and support them without judgement. - Have great social communication skills. - Are patient and a good listener.

Our commitment to safeguarding and safer recruitment

As a children’s charity, our top priority is the protection of the children, young people and vulnerable adults who interact with us in any way and we take all necessary steps to safeguard them and promote their welfare. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Volunteers applying for roles within our services must be 18+ and the offer of a role is subject to:   

- Completing a work history form if invited to interview

- Completing a criminal / self-disclosure form if offered the role after interview and a DBS check

- Providing a minimum of two references spanning five years

- Successfully completing training and induction requirements

- A 3-month introductory period in the role to ensure this is right for you. 

All information obtained is processed and stored securely and confidentially in line with the General Data Protection Regulations. It is used for assessing the volunteering application only and will not be shared with any third parties.

We assess every case individually in a fair, consistent and compliant way, and in line with Safer Recruitment principles. Applicants will not be prohibited from volunteering because of a conviction which does not indicate they may be a risk in the role for which they are applying.

Our commitment to diversity: 

The Children’s Society will treat all potential and recruited volunteers fairly and with respect. We welcome and encourage applications from all backgrounds and will not discriminate on the basis of disability, ethnicity, marital status, pregnancy or maternity, sex (i.e. gender) sexual orientation, religion or faith, or gender reassignment. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, unless the responsibilities of a role require us to do so in order to safeguard our volunteers and/or service users.