Independent Custody Visitors are members of the local community who volunteer their time to visit police stations to check on the welfare of detainees held in custody. The visitors will speak to the people in custody and check that they are being treated fairly and within the law, e.g. they have been offered food and drink, are warm, have been offered access to a lawyer, etc. Visitors are paired up and go together to carry out visits. The visits are arranged between the two volunteers and we ask that they are conducted on different days and at different times throughout the week. ICVS is a statutory function of the Scottish Police Authority.

*PLEASE NOTE: We are only looking for volunteers that are a reasonable distance from Aberdeen only* *DUE TO COVID-19 ALL RECRUITMENT AND INDUCTION TRAINING WILL BE COMPLETED ONLINE* -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) • Undertake all relevant training and refresher training • 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 take all our volunteer applications through our processes which involves: • Joining the Disclosure Scotland PVG scheme (Victim Support Scotland registers volunteers for this and there is no cost either) • 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 For further information please contact Ewan McPherson at Email: ewan.mcpherson@victimsupportsco.org.uk

>Who we are: The African Council is an independent voluntary organisation with a mission to promote the social and economic welfare of African People. We celebrate the best in African culture(s), history and values. We promote the attainment of education and life skills especially among Africans. We also advance active citizenship among Africans through engagement in civic and political process, institutions and leadership. >Some of our projects: 1. Employment/Enterprise coaching events • The event seeks to provide coaching and empowerment for Africans through education, guidance and support, to increase Africans involvement in employment, enterprise and entrepreneurship opportunities. 2. Civic and Political structures coaching events • The event seeks to provide coaching that encourages and provides guidance to Africans, to increase involvement and participation of Africans in civic and political life in Scotland, 3. Engagement events • Our engagement events seek to understand the challenges and barriers that Africans face in participating in all areas of Scottish life and ways to mitigate these challenges. >Volunteering Opportunities: Volunteers are vital for delivering the African Council's projects and services. We are looking for volunteers to join our team and we currently have volunteering opportunities available in the following areas: 1. Website Support 2. Corporate Communications 3. Social Media Management 4. Legal 5. Digital marketing and advertising 6. Event planning, support and management 7. Research 8. Administration 9. Help desk >Benefits of volunteering with the African Council include: 1. Opportunities to learn new skills 2. Employability training 3. Meet new people 4. Networking opportunities 5. Flexible working times 6. Develop your skills and talent and turn it to something employers will be excited about 7. Boost your CV with relevant work experience\n8. Fun hangouts, as well as, 9. Satisfaction of being a part of team that will make a significant difference in Scotland Fantastic opportunities to help at a very exciting time in the development of the African Council. All help is greatly appreciated. For more information please contact Ca-ananay Maduka, Volunteer Coordinator at E Mail: info@africancouncil.org.uk or Tel.: 01224 579218.

WaterAid enables the world's poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education. These basic human rights underpin health, education and livelihoods and form the first, essential step in overcoming poverty. We work with local partners who understand local issues and we provide them with skills and support. This empowers them and local communities to set up and manage practical and sustainable projects that meet communities real needs. We also campaign locally and internationally, to change policies and practice, and to ensure water and sanitation's vital role in reducing poverty is recognised. During the current COVID 19 pandemic and for the foreseeable future there will be no face-to-face WaterAid talks. Applicants will be asked to complete the Volunteer Speakers ONLINE training course and will stay at home and comply with COVID19 containment requirements until the crisis is over. However, during the crisis many schools are arranging activities for their students via Microsoft Teams, Skype and other applications to complement students’ home-schooling during COVID19. Our Speaker Network has made our PowerPoint presentations available for teachers to download. If applicants know how to use Microsoft Teams or Skype with slides and would like to deliver webinars to schools and organisations, they should let us know when they apply. Training and excellent support is provided to all volunteers. *People can express interest to volunteer at https://www.wateraid.org/uk/get-involved/volunteering/volunteer-as-a-wateraid-speaker after which they will be sent an application form to complete. *If you have any questions or for more details please email Speakers@wateraid.org .

This role involves using your own lived experiences of eating disorders in a positive way to raise awareness, fight against stigma and campaign for change. Working as a team, 'Seen but not Heard' eating disorders collective advocacy have developed training around eating disorders, two films, awareness events, attended conferences, responded to/developed consultations and have produced leaflets and resource packs.

The role involves using personal experiences of living with a Personality disorder as part of CAPS collective advocacy group (Much More Than A Label); to raise awareness of PD, promote understanding, fight against stigma and campaign for change. The group have made films, produced a resource pack & training workshop, attended conferences & are working on awareness raising around personality disorders.

The role involves sharing personal experiences of living with Borderline Personality disorder with groups of participants & helping to facilitate training workshops, aimed at raising awareness of BPD. You will need good communication skills, lived experience of living with a Personality Disorder, & be willing to share experiences with people from different backgrounds. A sense of commitment & willingness to travel locally are important.

The role involves sharing your own experiences of living with Borderline Personality Disorder with groups of participants and helping to facilitate training workshops. You will need good communication skills, lived experience of BPD , and be willing to share personal experiences with people from a variety of different backgrounds. A strong sense of commitment and willingness to travel throughout the Lothians are also important. CAPS /LEARN will provide training and mentoring for this role. Due to Covid 19 CAPS we have had to alter the way we work. Groups and volunteer roles are currently taking place online until we can resume face to face meetings.

Working as part of a collective advocacy team to raise awareness and speak about own experiences of eating disorders. The role involves working with the Collective advocacy development worker to show a collective advoacy film and facilitate a group discussion in various community settings throughout the Lothians including: schools , universities , health etc. As all of the workshops take place during the day the volunteer would need to be available during the day. The role requires someone who is able to relate to other young people and is willing to share personal lived experience of an eating disorder of any kind , in order to educate and raise awareness around eating disorders amongst other young people ; willingness to talk about and share experiences of eating disorders with other young people in group situations in various community settings including : schools , universities ,public events etc. Due to Covid 19 CAPS we have had to alter the way we work. Groups and volunteer roles are currently taking place online until we can resume face to face meetings.

CAPS are looking for a friendly and approachable individual to provide information on Advocacy Services in the Lothians. You will help others by signposting them to appropraite services and explain how Independent Advocacy might help. You will be offered the opportunity to promote CAPS Independent advocacy at events throughout the Lothians. You will help to set up and man promotional stalls. To monitor leaflets /resources and inform the volunteer coordinator when resources need to be replaced. CAPS also have a stall at the Information station Walpole Hall. The Information Station is a one stop shop acting as a source of support, information and sign posting. CAPS provides an Information Stall at this weekly event and will provide training and guidance for volunteers. Due to Covid 19 CAPS we have had to alter the way we work. Groups and volunteer roles are currently taking place online until we can resume face to face meetings.