We’re looking for volunteers to operate our national helpline, supporting individuals over the phone. You’ll provide support for people who have received a digital device as part of Connecting Scotland, supporting the most vulnerable to get online. Queries range from enquiries about the programme, to basic support with turning on or using a device. We call these volunteers Digital Champions. This role is done remotely at the moment due to COVID-19 but there is possibility to work from our Edinburgh office in the future. The role is open to the whole of Scotland. The role tasks include: covering a minimum of one weekly 2-hour helpline shift, providing responses to enquiries and basic digital support to callers, logging any calls that require follow-up , supporting our staff in obtaining monitoring details from callers.

Join Victim Support Scotland in a volunteering role like no other! As we recover from the Coronavirus pandemic, we are on the lookout for talented and committed people to help victims, witnesses and their families to move forward after a crime. Victims of crime often feel a range of emotions such as anxiety, confusion and anger, while witnesses may feel confused, anxious and overwhelmed by the court system. As a support volunteer, you will provide help and support in both local communities and within the court environment, ensuring people receive the high-quality support and care they need. You will: • Discuss service users’ needs by telephone, face-to-face visits or other means, agreeing next steps at the end of each contact • Help witnesses feel more confident at court by arranging and conducting court familiarisation visits • Support service users in the court room and other appropriate locations on the day of a trial, liaising with court officials on behalf of service users • Give feedback and agree follow-up actions with staff members • Provide administrative support in completing service users’ journeys This is a great opportunity to: • Learn new skills and gain experience of working within the criminal justice sector • Gain access to a range of in-depth training courses that are relevant to your volunteering role, resulting in accreditation • Positively affect your community as a member of a team actively working to reduce the impact of crime For a full role description, visit: victimsupport.scot/volunteer

Would you like to support people who have served in the Armed Forces? You don’t need a military background, just the ability to listen, some basic I.T skills and good written and spoken English. If so, this could be the role for you. What is a caseworker? Caseworkers work with clients to figure out what type of help they need. Next, they find the right sources of support and arrange for clients to access it. This might be funds for special equipment for someone with a disability, adaptions to a property so an older client can remain at home or funds for a rental deposit. Caseworkers also sign-post clients onto specialist local services for advice on benefits, housing, mental health, debt, finding work etc. Why do we need you? Volunteer Caseworkers are the lifeblood of SSAFA, supporting a growing number of people in need of financial, practical and emotional support. Clients come from all backgrounds and age groups and may have served in WW2 or in a more recent conflict like Iraq or Afghanistan. Our trained volunteers listen without judgement to assess and provide tailored support to help people navigate life in and beyond military service. We need you to join your local SSAFA team to help us achieve this. When would you be needed and where would you be based? The essential part of the role is interacting with clients, so you may be visiting clients or doing this virtually. You may need access to a vehicle or another way to travel to meet clients at home or in a care home setting. As part of your local branch you might have access to an office, but many volunteers are based at home. What does this role involve? • Contacting clients and arranging to meet them at a mutually convenient time either face-to-face or remotely • Liaising with clients and completing a form to assess their circumstances • Sign-posting clients onto local services providing specialist advice • Applying on the client’s behalf to military and non-military sources of charitable funding • Arranging for the purchase of goods and services • Keeping in touch with the client so they know how their case is progressing • Keeping in touch with your branch so they know your availability • Keeping up to date with training and SSAFA news so that you are best able to support clients • Being a positive ambassador for SSAFA remembering that anyone you meet could be a potential client, volunteer or fundraiser • Volunteering within the standards and values of SSAFA including observing our policies such as the Volunteering policy and data protection policy (these will be covered in your training and local induction.) What can you gain from this volunteering role? • Support people in your community with a military background • Use your skills, knowledge and life experience to benefit others • Support and friendship from your local SSAFA branch and the wider SSAFA community • Experience, training and skills that you can highlight on your CV and in job interviews • Better physical and mental health – studies show that volunteers live longer and experience lower levels of stress and depression! What skills or experience do you need? • Good listening and communication skills including written and spoken English • Ability to be respectful and non-judgemental with clients, their family, other agencies and SSAFA colleagues • Ability to send and receive emails – you will receive your own SSAFA email address • Ability to make enquires on behalf of clients by phone, email, letter or by filling in forms • Willingness to use our on-line case management system (this is covered in the caseworker training course) • Ability to keep within boundaries of the role with regards to friendship or giving advice • Reliable attitude, contact clients promptly, keep appointments, update the branch regarding your availability • Ability to maintain confidentiality and keep information safely • Able to provide two referees: former employers or other people that know you well (other than relatives) To apply please visit us on line at https://www.ssafa.org.uk/volunteer-ssafa, put your postcode in and fill out the very short application form, alternatively call our friendly central Volunteer Team on 0800 032 5612.

Across West Dunbartonshire, many people live alone and can often feel isolated. Life can be tough. We will all live through a mental health issue at some point. Some of us cope alone. Some of us turn to family and friends. For others, it can be more of a struggle without anyone to turn to. You could be the person who provides that vital support. Maybe you have lived through the feeling yourself. Maybe you have supported a family member or friend, or maybe you have some learned skills you would like to share. With your help, someone in our community could feel supported, less alone and more able to face things. If this sounds like you, all we ask is a few hours every week of your time, over a year. The aim of the APEL initiative is to support people to feel they are involved in their communities and build their confidence to be as active as they can - we need your help to make it happen. People participating in the Mindset Service have worked with us to highlight some key things that matter to them and that they think could help make their life happier and healthier. We need you to help them achieve that. We will ask you to keep in touch, meet up and maybe go along to a service or activity until the person feels confident to go alone. In return you will have the satisfaction that your support has made all the difference in someone else’s life. Please help us. You will understand that for everyone safety you will be asked to go through a PVG (police) check. Due to Covid we have had to have a flexible approach to our opportunities depending on the restrictions Open for recruitment and placement

Across West Dunbartonshire, many people live alone and can often feel isolated. The reasons for this will be varied - they may have difficulty leaving the house alone, have no close family or friends, or have lost confidence after illness or a life-change. In every case, what is missing is someone like you. Everyone gets older and we are living longer. It can become harder to make new friends and connections as we leave work, grow apart, see family move away and deal with health issues. The aim of the APEL initiative is to support people to feel they are involved in their communities and build their confidence to be as active as they can - we need your help to make it happen. With your help, someone in our community could feel supported, less alone and more able to get out and about. If this sounds like you, all we ask is a few hours every week of your time, over a year. We will be here to provide any help and support you need. In return you will have the satisfaction that your support has made all the difference in someone else’s life. Please help us. You will understand that for everyone safety you will be asked to go through a PVG (police) check. Due to Covid we have had to have a flexible approach to our opportunities depending on the restrictions Open for recruitment and placement

Planting and growing and general gardening can be very theraputical and good for your mental health and general wellbeing as well as keeping you active. We know that many people keep active through gardening, but moving to a flat or experiencing a health condition may hamper their ability to stay involved in a hobby that used to give them so much pleasure - that's where the allotment comes in. Coming along to the community allotment (Growing Friends) offers access to disability friendly growing with companionship thrown in too. We hope you may know more about planting and growing than we do! But it's not essential. We are looking for volunteers who can help us plan the allotment use, help with the planting and growing activity and interact with our volunteer team. All equipment is provided. We just need your enthusiasm. We hope you will get the enormous satisfaction from seeing something you put in the ground grow and flourish. You will also be able to help support others in our communities try something new or something they once enjoyed. The role would suit someone who wanted to get out and about a little more and meet new people. Due to Covid we have had to have a flexible approach to our opportunities Open for recruitment and placement

WDCVS are looking for enthusiastic, reliable people to become Health Walk Leaders. The role of the walk leader will be to lead group walks using local walking routes in a safe, responsible and enjoyable way. The walk leader will work as part of a team to encourage and support members of the public to become more active. Health Walk leaders will support walkers at a pace that suits the walker, ensuring that everyone enjoys the walks. Health walks are free of charge and are taken on a regular basis. Everyone is welcome to come along, and Walk Leaders will be motivating and encouraging to all walkers regardless of ability or life circumstance. Health Walk Leaders will receive free training and will be supported by the project coordinator. After training we would like Health Walk Leaders to commit 6 months to the project.

WDCVS are looking for enthusiastic, reliable people to become Health Walk Leaders. The role of the walk leader will be to lead group walks using local walking routes in a safe, responsible and enjoyable way. The walk leader will work as part of a team to encourage and support members of the public to become more active. Health Walk leaders will support walkers at a pace that suits the walker, ensuring that everyone enjoys the walks. Health walks are free of charge and are taken on a regular basis. Everyone is welcome to come along, and Walk Leaders will be motivating and encouraging to all walkers regardless of ability or life circumstance. Health Walk Leaders will receive free training and will be supported by the project coordinator. After training we would like Health Walk Leaders to commit 6 months to the project.

WDCVS are looking for enthusiastic, reliable people to become Health Walk Leaders. The role of the walk leader will be to lead group walks using local walking routes in a safe, responsible and enjoyable way. The walk leader will work as part of a team to encourage and support members of the public to become more active. Health Walk leaders will support walkers at a pace that suits the walker, ensuring that everyone enjoys the walks. Health walks are free of charge and are taken on a regular basis. Everyone is welcome to come along, and Walk Leaders will be motivating and encouraging to all walkers regardless of ability or life circumstance. Health Walk Leaders will receive free training and will be supported by the project coordinator. After training we would like Health Walk Leaders to commit 6 months to the project.

WDCVS are looking for enthusiastic, reliable people to become Health Walk Leaders. The role of the walk leader will be to lead group walks using local walking routes in a safe, responsible and enjoyable way. The walk leader will work as part of a team to encourage and support members of the public to become more active. Health Walk leaders will support walkers at a pace that suits the walker, ensuring that everyone enjoys the walks. Health walks are free of charge and are taken on a regular basis. Everyone is welcome to come along, and Walk Leaders will be motivating and encouraging to all walkers regardless of ability or life circumstance. Health Walk Leaders will receive free training and will be supported by the project coordinator. After training we would like Health Walk Leaders to commit 6 months to the project.