Helpline Volunteer - Children 1st Parentline Edinburgh Are you caring, non-judgmental, empathetic and passionate about supporting others? Can you commit to our training course and give a little of your time each week to support families across Scotland If so, please get in touch - we’d love to hear from you. What will I be doing? Volunteering for Children 1st Parentline is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of children and families across Scotland. Children 1st Parentline volunteers provide support to adults by phone, webchat and text offering a kind and skilled listening ear and time to talk about anything to do with children. They build supportive relationships and work alongside individuals to help them think through what will work best for their families, keeping children at the centre and being mindful of the challenges families face today. A caring, kind and non-judgemental response can make a real difference to someone who wants to talk. No previous experience or formal qualifications are necessary however good communication skills are essential to enable you to listen to and support those who contact Children 1st Parentline. You will become part of a friendly, supportive team where trained staff are always on hand to provide support and guidance. We provide a comprehensive introductory training course as well as ongoing support and opportunities to develop in the role. Volunteers are able to claim reasonable out-of-pocket expenses for travel and costs incurred as part of the volunteering role. The helpline is open Monday-Friday 9am-9pm and 9am-12 noon Saturday and Sunday throughout the year. We ask our volunteers to give a weekly commitment of around 4 hours and there are a range of options for days/times based at the Children 1st Edinburgh office. This is what some of our volunteers have said about volunteering with Children 1st Parentline: ‘Training to be a Children 1st Parentline call taker and all the subsequent time volunteering has really helped me build some skills which I wish I'd built years ago. Many of these I'd call 'life skills' which I can usefully apply in many different parts of my life.’ ‘If you feel that you may have been able to help someone - even in a very small way - it makes you feel that you are doing something positive in that person’s life.’ ‘No matter how many calls I have taken, I still find that there is no such thing as two that are identical. Every person is an individual with their own particular issues and this keeps you interested in the role.’ Training Our next training course will run on the following dates: • Sat 20th April – 9.30am-4.30pm • Sat 27th April – 9.30am-4.30pm • Sat 4th May – 9.30am-4.30pm • Thurs 9th May – 5.45pm-9.00pm • Thurs 16th May – 5.45pm-9.00pm Further information We are holding an online information session for prospective volunteers on Tuesday 5th March from 5.30pm – 6.30pm. This will provide the opportunity to meet members of the Children 1st Parentline team and to find out more about the volunteer role and the work of Parentline. If you would like to attend the information session or have any questions about the role please email volunteer@children1st.org.uk

Are you interested in offering practical help as a volunteer in our Food Pantry by assisting local people to learn about the Pantry and do their shopping? The Pantry, based in Girvan Primary School, is a membership scheme aimed at helping people make their money go further by reducing their food shopping bills and providing advice and support. It offers dignity, choice, community and food quality. We will give you full training on how it works, equipment used and systems to follow. A staff team member will always be present while you are volunteering. Volunteers are required for 2.5 hours for a minimum of one weekday from 2.30pm to 5pm. We are also looking for volunteers on Thursdays, 11.30am to 12.30pm (other days may be available) to help prepare the pantry for opening. Tasks include: packing and labelling food products according to our food handling procedures, restocking shelves, and ensuring efficient stock rotation. For more information please go to, https://www.children1st.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer-with-us/food-pantry-volunteer-girvan/

Do you think you have the personal qualities and time to help us make a real and lasting difference to the lives of children and families in East Renfrewshire? Our team aims to strengthen relationships within families and reduce emotional distress. Placing the voice of children, young people and their families at the centre of the support, we provide whole family support; focusing on highlighting the resilience of families and responding to their individual needs. We support family members of all ages across our service; however, there is a particular focus on supporting young people between 8-18yrs. Our office base is in Giffnock. What will I be doing? Volunteers build relationships with families in different ways including; Family Wellbeing – How you spend your time will be different for each family but will probably include spending time both with a family in their own home as well as out and about in the local community accessing activities or supporting a routine.. You’ll be helping to establish and support family activities or offering support and encouragement to help increase a parent or carer’s confidence and self-esteem by building on identified strengths and abilities through forming a trusting relationship. Befriending – developing a 1 to 1 supportive, reliable, social relationship with a child, young person or adult by arranging weekly opportunities to experience new activities and develop interests. Befriending relationships can help build self-esteem and confidence and supports personal and social development. What do I need to know? We offer volunteers excellent support and a challenging and fulfilling volunteering opportunity. Potential volunteers complete a 21 hour training course. Volunteers are asked to commit a few hours a week for at least a year No formal qualifications are necessary and we are happy to reimburse out of pocket expenses. For further infornation and to apply go to https://www.children1st.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer-with-us/family-wellbeing-befriending-volunteer/

A fantastic opportunity to help keep children and adults safe in sport Do you have a background in HR, Law, Sports Governance, Safeguarding/Social Work/Mental Health or experience of reporting a wellbeing or protection concern in a sporting context? Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity to use your knowledge and experience to make a difference for others? We are looking for passionate, skilled, and confident volunteers who believe in the positive value of sport and are committed to making it a safe place for everyone. We would love you to be part of the Children 1st team! What you will be doing The Case Advisory Group will provide an independent route for Scottish governing bodies of sport (SGBs) to seek advice, opinions and recommendations around specific cases where a concern or complaint has been raised about a child or adult’s wellbeing and/or protection in their sport. The volunteer Group Member role will consider the case, then join an online group meeting with other expert volunteers to collaboratively agree the feedback to support SGBs with suggestions on their next steps. Decision-making remains the responsibility of the SGB, however accessing this group’s knowledge and experience will be a key benefit in considering important processes around investigations, disciplinary and appeal hearings. Your expertise will help inform these organisations in the best way possible. Commitment to this role includes attending induction training, availability of 8-10 hours per month to include pre-meeting reading of confidential cases and attendance at online group meetings, over a minimum of one year. Please see the role description on our website for more details. Further Information Interviews: We anticipate that interviews will take place from the w/b 22nd April 2024 Induction training: Planned for May 2024 (exact dates TBC).