Volunteer Scotland

Witness Service Volunteer - Stornoway

  • VO57677

Description

Victim Support Scotland Volunteer

How can you support victims and witnesses of crime?

Victims of crime often feel a range of emotions in the aftermath of an offence. It is Victim Support Scotland’s role to provide victims and witnesses of crime emotional and practical support in person, online, and in court. Volunteers are supported by VSS staff who manage the service.

How would you help?

Our volunteers provide emotional support, practical help, information and guidance through the criminal justice system. We aim to empower people who have been impacted by crime, to move on with their lives.
Discuss service users’ needs by telephone, webchat, appointments and face-to-face contact, agreeing next steps at the end of each contact
Help service users feel more confident by arranging and conducting court familiarisation visits
Support service users in the court room and other appropriate locations on the day of the trial, liaising with court officials on behalf of the service users.
Feedback and agree follow-up actions with staff members
Provide administrative support in completing the service users journey

What benefits would I get?

Volunteering with Victim Support Scotland can be challenging and also extremely rewarding. As a volunteer you will:
Support people when they most need it
Learn new skills and knowledge of the criminal justice sector
Gain access to a range of specialist training courses that are relevant to your volunteering role
Positively contribute to your community as a member of a team actively working to reduce the impact of crime
A chance to give something back
Receive support in your volunteering role to deliver services effectively
All reasonable expenses (e.g. travel) will be reimbursed
What skills and experience do I need?
We are looking for committed, reliable and empathetic volunteers who can work with people of all ages, backgrounds and life situations. Although we provide full training and support, knowledge of the criminal justice system and experience of supporting people is beneficial. As a Victim Support Scotland Volunteer you will need:

Effective communication skills
The ability to actively listen to service users and anyone affected by crime
An interest in learning about the criminal justice system and understand the service user’s journey
An awareness of confidentiality obligations and the responsibilities that come with upholding these obligations
Effective time management skills (and working under pressure)
Access to a car or ability to use public transport

What is the time commitment?

We know that our volunteers have busy lives, so we agree the time commitment with each individual volunteer. However, we ask for:

a minimum commitment of approximately one day per week, however this may vary depending upon the needs of the service.
a minimum commitment of at least 1 year so that they might get the most out of a volunteering role.

How can I apply?

The people we support come from all communities across Scotland, as do our volunteers. We welcome new volunteers from all backgrounds and languages.

To ensure we provide the best possible service to people affected by crime, we ask all volunteers to follow our processes. This will involve:

• Joining the Disclosure Scotland PVG scheme
• Providing two satisfactory references
• Completing our three day ‘Introduction to Victim Support Scotland’ training module
• Signing and abiding by Victim Support Scotland’s Confidentiality agreement
• Commitment to Data Protection
• Volunteer Agreement

Organisation aims and objectives

Victim Support Scotland is the leading charity dedicated to helping people affected by crime across Scotland. We support victims of crime, witnesses and their family members, regardless of who they are and their circumstances. Our service is independent, free, non-judgemental and confidential. We offer bespoke support, personalised to the needs of each individual.

Frequency and commitment details

Witness service volunteers ? one day a week during office hours to work at court buildings. Victim service volunteers ? on an, as and when basis but usually 3-4 hours per week morning/afternoon or evenings.

Restrictions

All new volunteers will require to be fully PVG checked. Previous offences will not necessarily exclude you from volunteering but you are advised to make these known at initial interview.
Experience required: No experience necessary.
Travel details: Volunteer may require to travel across the Island to meet victims in their own homes
Minimum age: 18

Support

Expenses paid: Yes
Training details: Initial 3 day foundation training followed by support and supervision from assistant service delivery officer for induction period.
Support: Named Contact For Volunteer

Report this opportunity
Find out more about Victim Support Scotland
Volunteer I want to volunteer
Favourite
Similar opportunities

Community Representatives

We meet usually once a month for about 2 hrs (7pm- 9pm) usually the 3rd Thursday of the month. We can offer a small payment to cover expenses. Some examples of our involvement are monthly meetings involving locally elected councillors, police and guest speakers. We regularly review local planning applications, local news/ concerns and organise community events such as beach cleans, seasonal town decorations/ events such as the summer bunting and Christmas Lights display/ switch on. We also support to facilitate local projects and collaborating with organisations to distribute community funds. There is opportunity to become involved in such a wide variety of projects/ groups dependant on your availability of time.
Find out more
Volunteer I want to volunteer
Favourite

Advocacy Service Aberdeen Volunteers

ASA is a local charity and was founded in 1996. We provide an independent advocacy service for people living in Aberdeen City. We help people to have a voice, to gain information to help them make choices and to help them feel better prepared and able to engage with social care, health care and housing and educational professionals. Our values are at the core of the work we do together with those we support. Advocacy Service Aberdeen believes in: Independence; A Non-Judgemental approach; Inclusion; Respect; Person Centred; Confidentiality; Team work; Empowerment. If you have some spare time to offer and feel you have the skills and qualities to support the work we do, we would like to hear from you. The work we do is carried out Monday to Friday between 9:00am-5:00pm. There are many ways you can support our organisation, this includes : – *Gathering feedback and Service Evaluations - Contacting people who use the service to ask them about their experience of using the service. This could be carried out in person, by phone or via a video call. *Supporting our Collective Advocacy Groups - this would include meeting patients at Royal Cornhill Hospital; People who live in supported or shared accommodation; Expert by experience group who share their personal views and experiences of using Aberdeen City Health & Social Care provision. *Administrative/Clerical - Helping us with admin and clerical tasks. Supporting case work / referrals in the following areas: Carers, Domestic Abuse, Mental Health, Autism, Learning Disabilities, Older Adults (65+), Older Adults Mental Health, Self-Directed Support or Problematic Substance Use. If your values are aligned with ours and you have the time to give to support a local charity in your community, we would love to hear from you. Currently we are particularly interested in people who would be looking to volunteer in the following roles: - Domestic Abuse Service Volunteer - Administrator Volunteer To find out more about our volunteering opportunities please contact our Volunteer Coordinator Joanne Grant at email: asa@advocacy.org.uk or telephone 01224 332366. Further details are also available at https://www.advocacy.org.uk/volunteer/
Find out more
Volunteer I want to volunteer
Favourite

Volunteer Members – Disabilities

The Partnership works to raise awareness of the challenges faced by people with disabilities and to break down barriers, overcome challenges and improve quality of life. The group comprises approximately 15 members of the public, working with five local councillors, and its vision is to: a) To bring about improvements to the lives of people in Aberdeen City who experience exclusion because of disability by promoting a rights-based approach to disability equality. b) To create a society where disabled people are valued, respected and included in the life of the City. c) To encourage and promote inclusion and equality. d) To create fair opportunity by identifying and removing the disabling barriers which disabled people face daily including prejudice, discrimination and negative attitudes. e) To provide a means of partnership, consultation and joint action with Aberdeen City Council Meetings are held at Aberdeen Town House (entrance from Queen Street, Aberdeen). There is also the option to join the meeting remotely if you choose to do so. The Disability Equity Partnership (DEP) has 6 meetings over the year. Examples of projects we have been working on include the City Centre Masterplan, Union Terrace Gardens, webpage and information accessibility to reduce barriers and improve access to information, goods and services. A fantastic opportunity to make a real difference and all volunteers are greatly appreciated. For further details please contact Baldeep McGarry, Equalities Officer at email: BMcGarry@aberdeencity.gov.uk or tel.: 07767353006.
Find out more
Volunteer I want to volunteer
Favourite

Victim Support Volunteer - Elgin

Victim Support Scotland Volunteer How can you support victims and witnesses of crime? Victims of crime often feel a range of emotions in the aftermath of an offence. It is Victim Support Scotland’s role to provide victims and witnesses of crime emotional and practical support in person, online, and in court. Volunteers are supported by VSS staff who manage the service. How would you help? Our volunteers provide emotional support, practical help, information and guidance through the criminal justice system. We aim to empower people who have been impacted by crime, to move on with their lives. • Discuss service users’ needs by telephone, webchat, appointments and face-to-face contact, agreeing next steps at the end of each contact • Help service users feel more confident by arranging and conducting court familiarisation visits • Support service users in the court room and other appropriate locations on the day of the trial, liaising with court officials on behalf of the service users. • Feedback and agree follow-up actions with staff members • Provide administrative support in completing the service users journey What benefits would I get? Volunteering with Victim Support Scotland can be challenging and also extremely rewarding. As a volunteer you will: • Support people when they most need it • Learn new skills and knowledge of the criminal justice sector • Gain access to a range of specialist training courses that are relevant to your volunteering role • Positively contribute to your community as a member of a team actively working to reduce the impact of crime • A chance to give something back • Receive support in your volunteering role to deliver services effectively • All reasonable expenses (e.g. travel) will be reimbursed What is the time commitment? We know that our volunteers have busy lives, so we agree the time commitment with each individual volunteer. However, we ask for: • a minimum commitment of approximately one day per week, however this may vary depending upon the needs of the service. • a minimum commitment of at least 1 year so that they might get the most out of a volunteering role. How can I apply? The people we support come from all communities across Scotland, as do our volunteers. We welcome new volunteers from all backgrounds and languages. To ensure we provide the best possible service to people affected by crime, we ask all volunteers to follow our processes. This will involve: • Joining the Disclosure Scotland PVG scheme • Providing two satisfactory references • Completing our three day ‘Introduction to Victim Support Scotland’ training module • Signing and abiding by Victim Support Scotland’s Confidentiality agreement • Commitment to Data Protection • Volunteer Agreement
Find out more
Volunteer I want to volunteer
Favourite