Description

VoiceAbility is an independent charity and one of the UK’s largest providers of advocacy and involvement services; we help advocate for people to be heard in decisions about their health, care and wellbeing.

About the role:
The focus of the role will be on supporting those with complex needs who self-disclose as having a disability to use our toolkits and helping them understand their rights and access their benefits.
Tasks and responsibilities include:

• helping clients understand what advocacy is
• supporting clients with issues they cannot resolve on their own
• keeping detailed notes and records of interactions with clients and visits
• doing research and making contacts with other services, such as healthcare
• referring clients to our paid advocacy service if necessary
• signposting clients to other services
• building professional relationships
• promoting our services and organisation

You will receive induction training and training specific to the role
You will also receive support from your allocated paid advocate, and 1:1 Support from VoiceAbility staff including regular feedback opportunities.

Remote support is the preferred delivery option for clients, and so you will work from home.
You may need to travel for promotional activities.
Your work, and the sessions only take place during the weekdays.
You are expected to spend about 2-3 hours per week, and we expect a minimum commitment of 6 months.

You will need to provide two references and complete a PVG check (Protection of Vulnerable Groups check). This is FREE and we will help you with this.

This is a very rewarding role, where benefits include:

• the opportunity to make a positive difference to people with care and support needs.
• the opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people and gain experience within the health and social care field
• the opportunity to help us develop our volunteering work
• additional learning & training opportunities

If you're interested, please click the ‘Apply’ button below. You will then be contacted by the coordinator by email or phone call. If you have not heard back after 5 working days, the first step is to contact the organisation with the contact details provided. You could also check your junk/spam folder on your emails just in case the response is there.

Organisation aims and objectives

We’re an independent charity and one of the UK’s largest providers of advocacy and involvement services. We want to deliver the best possible quality of support to people so they are heard, respected, safe and in control of their own life. We believe that everyone, regardless of situation, illness or disability, has a right to: > be heard and respected > have the same choice, control and freedom as any other person > be safe from violence, discrimination, harm or abuse Everything we do is focused on achieving this aim.

Availability

Volunteering hours are Monday-Friday 9am-5pm so that you are always supported by a paid staff member. The role is work-from-home, as we have no main "office base". Volunteers are expected to carry out their task of supporting clients via phone call or video call, completing paperwork, or attending team meetings online. However, volunteers are also expected to meet clients in person to offer face-to-face support if needed. This would be across your specific geographic area of Lanarkshire and you will be expected to travel locally and attend networking events to promote the service.

Frequency and commitment details

Commitment 6 Months 3 Hours, Weekly

Restrictions

Our work involves working with vulnerable people Independent nature of the work means you will be arranging visits with clients. We use LoneAlert to keep our lone-working volunteers safe which you will receive training on.
Experience required: Advocacy / Lobbying / Campaigning No specific qualification required - above all else we are looking for someone friendly who is confident communicating clearly in writing and verbally, who is willing to learn, and who has: - empathy and patience when dealing with clients who have challenges - some knowledge of, or interest in, advocacy - a working knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel & Outlook - accuracy and attention to detail
Travel details: This volunteering takes place in SOUTH LANARKSHIRE across the area
Minimum age: 18

Support

Expenses paid: Yes
Expenses details: Expenses will be reimbursed via BACS
Training details: Several week-long training programme made up of both Teams training sessions and e-learning including: - Information on VoiceAbility and our new Scotland service - What is advocacy? - Learning about Social Security Scotland and benefits - Safeguarding - Disability awareness - Health & safety - Much more!
Support: Named Contact For Volunteer