Volunteer Professionals Edinburgh & Lothians Areas North Lanarkshire Ayrshire Area Help make a difference to the lives of disabled people in your community! This is a great opportunity to share your existing skills and experience and give back to the community you live in. Our Volunteer Professionals play a crucial role within society, and by joining our caring and knowledgeable team, you will use your expertise to support someone through a time of transition or challenge Equal Futures promotes social inclusion and creates connections for people with a learning disability or Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) and their family carers. We do this through Circles of Support, befriending and social events. Help improve the self-esteem of someone with a learning disability who is lonely and isolated within their community. Volunteer Professionals also take the burden off family carers and community services by simply providing the individual and their family with their expert knowledge and advice. You will be a valued member of an experienced team where you will have the opportunity to share the insights you have gained from your experience. You will be able to volunteer on a flexible basis that suits you and the person you are supporting Volunteer Professionals meet with families, providing advice and answers to any questions they may have. For example, a retired teacher might help a young person who is transitioning from school to college. Volunteer Professionals will be added to a bank of volunteers and called upon to support families on a short-term basis when required. You will be provided with relevant information, training, and regular support sessions so you can get the most out of volunteering for Equal Futures. Some volunteers choose to become members of a person’s Circle of Support, making a longer-term commitment to help them live their best life. We provide support for people aged 16 and over and work across 10 local authority areas: Glasgow, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scottish Borders, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, Perthshire, East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire. We welcome applicants from all sections of the community and will work flexibly with you to ensure your volunteering journey is a positive and satisfying experience. Thank you for showing interest in this opportunity. For further information or to apply, please contact us on: Edinburgh and Lothians area: Jane.Mcallister@equalfutures.org.uk North Lanarkshire area: Donna.McCallum@equalfutures.org.uk Ayrshire area: Kelly.Malyan@equalfutures.org.uk

Volunteer Professionals Volunteer professionals utilise their expertise and knowledge to help the focus person and their family to navigate through a challenging time or a period of transition. The volunteer will meet with the family, providing advice and answering questions. For example, a retired school teacher might help a young person who is transitioning from school to college

The Support Session Volunteer role is a varied role that will support VoiceAbility in the delivery of Social Security Scotland Benefits Advocacy and more. Our volunteers will help our clients to access benefits by supporting individuals with complex needs who self-disclose as having a disability. Another key part of the role is networking, in person and online, to promote the service. You will also have the opportunity to help VoiceAbility engage with local communities through supporting our school work experience programme as well as our focus groups. In your day-to-day role you will be: • Helping clients understand about advocacy • Supporting clients with issues they cannot resolve on their own • Keeping detailed notes and records of interactions with clients and visits • Delivering support for 2 individuals maximum at one time • Signposting clients to other services • Building professional relationships and networking • Promoting our services and organisation • Supporting our community engagement programmes in your local area You will get the chance to try out all the various aspects of the role and we will help you to develop any particular skills or gain the specific experience you would like. Upon completing your training, you will be provided with a VoiceAbility mobile phone and email address which will be how you engage with VoiceAbility staff and clients. If you're interested, please click the ‘Apply’ button. You will then be contacted by the coordinator by email or phone call. We are happy to have a chat about how we can support volunteers to engage in the role who identify as having a disability.

At Blackwood we provide care (in care homes), care at home services and tenancies to people with different support needs. We believe that using technology can significantly support independent living and have offered our customers a tablet which is set up with our innovative system CleverCogs©. To support the successful adoption of this programme, we need the help of volunteers to ensure our customers are comfortable using their tablets and make the most of their tech. -What will I be doing as a Digital Buddy?: Digital Buddies will combine befriending with digital literacy, so your role will include: • helping people set up their new devices • using video calls and messaging apps • accessing online learning opportunities • explaining how to stay safe online • helping to problem solve where you don’t know the answer yourself • enjoying a chat with people to find some common interests and build a rapport quickly • helping people to find online resources that match their interests • Support sessions with learners usually take place in person, once or twice a week, so 45-60 minutes is usually enough time to make progress. • Reporting on progress made and encouraging volunteers to provide feedback on sessions This is an opportunity to be more involved with others in your local community - Helping others can also improve your own health & wellbeing! It is also a chance to develop your own skills and competencies with the option to pursue a qualification in digital skills.