Scotland has a very special system for making decisions about children at risk or in trouble – the Children’s Hearing System and our Panel Members are exceptional. They support infants, children and young people in local communities across Scotland. The role of a Panel Member is to listen and make legal decisions with and for infants, children and young people. They are there to ensure that the young person is at the heart of every decision taken – because every decision, no matter how big or small, has an impact. Panel Members are appointed for a three year period. As a trainee volunteer Panel Member you must be committed to comprehensive training over a three month period. At the end of your initial training you’ll gain a Professional Development Award for ‘Children’s Hearings in Scotland: Panel Members’. It is a unique award that is verified by the Scottish Qualifications Authority, and is one of the few awards available just for volunteers. We are looking for good listeners, people who are caring, compassionate and reliable. You need to be over 18 and live and/or work in the local authority area in which you wish to volunteer. Applications need to be received by February 9th. Apply online https://chscotland.gov.uk/

Scotland Versus Arthritis is looking for individuals willing to lead short health walks in your area, lead on other physical activities, or facilitate virtual support groups. Full training and on-going support for volunteers will be available. We are also looking for expressions of interest from anyone keen to become an instructor of Tai Chi or Qi Gong for arthritis. The current Covid restrictions have meant that for many the wait for treatment may be a year or more away. Painkilling prescriptions are seldom more than a temporary relief. Support and exercise can however offer a better way to self-manage the daily on-going pain and fatigue. In readiness for the eventual lifting of lockdown we are asking, can you spare an hour or two each month to help? Please contact your local Development Officer, Dr. P. Neville, p.neville@versusarthritis.org or phone 07501 501114 for details.

Volunteering Matters Overview At Volunteering Matters we believe everyone in the UK should have the opportunity to thrive, so we bring people together to overcome some of society’s most complex issues through the power of volunteering. We partner with communities to overcome adversity, tackling social isolation and loneliness, improving health, developing skills and opportunities. And because we’re a national charity, we do this at scale, sharing our expertise and building partnerships to make an even bigger impact. We turn local knowledge and energy into action and progress, building stronger communities and a better future for all. Project Overview Our Family Supporters in Edinburgh project offers practical and emotional support to families across the city of Edinburgh, empowering them to face a range of life challenges. We recruit, train and match dedicated, local volunteers to help families every step of the way, spending 1-1 time together on a personalised set of goals chosen by the family, for the family. We can help in many ways, such as improved living standards, budgeting, healthier eating, better school life and behaviour, access to health and wellbeing aid, as well as introducing parents to community resources, to name a few. So far, thousands of families across the UK have benefitted from our service and we are now delighted to extend the programmes reach to families in Edinburgh. Who can volunteer with us? Our volunteers are locally based people with an understanding of the challenges that families are facing. Aged 18+, each volunteer brings different life experiences and skills that they can use to help the family they are matched to, offering support on a weekly basis for an hour or so each week, usually for 6-9 months at a time that suits everyone. They build a strong relationship based on trust and mutual respect, acting as a friendly face who listens and cares about the family. All volunteers are interviewed, trained to the highest standards and undergo disclosure checks before being matched with a family. We also encourage and welcome volunteers who have the ability to speak multiple languages join our team! What can we offer volunteers? As well as the sense of achievement that comes through supporting a family, our volunteers will have the opportunity to learn and develop new skills, attend social events with other volunteers and enhance their employability. Certificates are provided upon completion of induction training and at the end of the commitment, with project staff happy to provide references for future studies or employment.

Volunteering Matters Overview At Volunteering Matters we believe everyone in the UK should have the opportunity to thrive, so we bring people together to overcome some of society’s most complex issues through the power of volunteering. We partner with communities to overcome adversity, tackling social isolation and loneliness, improving health, developing skills and opportunities. And because we’re a national charity, we do this at scale, sharing our expertise and building partnerships to make an even bigger impact. We turn local knowledge and energy into action and progress, building stronger communities and a better future for all. Project Overview Our Family Supporters in Edinburgh project offers practical and emotional support to families across the city of Edinburgh, empowering them to face a range of life challenges. We recruit, train and match dedicated, local volunteers to help families every step of the way, spending 1-1 time together on a personalised set of goals chosen by the family, for the family. We can help in many ways, such as improved living standards, budgeting, healthier eating, better school life and behaviour, access to health and wellbeing aid, as well as introducing parents to community resources, to name a few. So far, thousands of families across the UK have benefitted from our service and we are now delighted to extend the programmes reach to families in Edinburgh. Who can volunteer with us? Our volunteers are locally based people with an understanding of the challenges that families are facing. Aged 18+, each volunteer brings different life experiences and skills that they can use to help the family they are matched to, offering support on a weekly basis for an hour or so each week, usually for 6-9 months at a time that suits everyone. They build a strong relationship based on trust and mutual respect, acting as a friendly face who listens and cares about the family. All volunteers are interviewed, trained to the highest standards and undergo disclosure checks before being matched with a family. We also encourage and welcome volunteers who have the ability to speak multiple languages join our team! What can we offer volunteers? As well as the sense of achievement that comes through supporting a family, our volunteers will have the opportunity to learn and develop new skills, attend social events with other volunteers and enhance their employability. Certificates are provided upon completion of induction training and at the end of the commitment, with project staff happy to provide references for future studies or employment.

This is a very rewarding role providing much-needed support for people who are accessing our service. Based at one of our mobility aids spoke locations, the main element of the role is serving the public who require a wheelchair or other mobility aids equipment. This is the ideal role for someone who enjoys meeting people, can show compassion and empathy and who likes administrative duties with a customer service perspective. Typical tasks include: > Liaising with the hub to arrange stock/deliveries/collections. > Issuing and receiving wheelchairs (or other mobility aids equipment) using a computer based stock control system. > Demonstrating how to use and look after our wheelchairs (and other equipment) > Dealing with enquiries from people wanting to borrow a wheelchair (or other equipment) by telephone and face to face > Receiving payments / donations and issuing receipts > Contacting service users about overdue and upcoming return of equipment > Signposting to other Red Cross services/providers > Actively promoting the Retail Mobility Aids offer/website These are just some examples. You will work within a great team and be fully supported by the Volunteer Coordinator.

This is a very rewarding role providing much-needed support for people who are accessing our service. The main element of the role is to deliver or collect wheelchairs to/from people’s homes supporting them to maintain their independence, or you could choose to support members of the public from varying locations around the hub area (e.g. often using partner supermarket car parks) to enable them to obtain a wheelchair or other mobility aids equipment. You could also be driving between hub and spoke locations to transfer stock. This is the ideal role for someone who enjoys meeting people, can show compassion and empathy and who likes driving. It will involve driving a Red Cross or hire vehicle. Typical tasks include: > Delivering and collecting wheelchairs (or other mobility aids equipment) – including overdue equipment (you will be driving a transit Van style vehicle up to and including a long Wheel Based version). You might also be driving to pre-arranged locations to operate a ‘pop up’ spoke. > Loading and Unloading wheelchairs ready for daily runs. > Issuing and receiving wheelchairs (or other mobility aids equipment) > Setting up and operating the mobile ‘pop up’ spoke. > Demonstrating how to use and look after our wheelchairs > Dealing with enquiries from people wanting to borrow a wheelchair (or other equipment) > Using a computer-based stock control system > Receiving payments / donations and issuing receipts > Signposting to other Red Cross services/provider (including the Mobility Aids Retail website) These are just some examples. You will work within a great team and be fully supported by the Volunteer Coordinator.

Democracy Volunteers is the UK's leading election observation group. We observe elections to assess the quality of them and to report back to returning officers, the UK's Electoral Commission, the government and the public. We do this by a combination of interviews with key election officials as well as in-person observations of elections, such as attending polling stations and the counting process. On May 5th 2022, we will be deploying around 200 voluntary observers, accredited by the Electoral Commission, to observe the elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly as well as local authorities across England, Scotland and Wales. Volunteers will be tasked with collecting data from inside polling stations and counting venues to assess the electoral process. The day will consist of travelling around your designated area (this will be within your city’s wider area) and visiting polling stations with a partner, in order to help us collect data on a wide variety of subjects. Don’t worry: This will all be explained in depth at a training and deployment event taking place in the week prior to polling day. Election observation is a great way to learn more about the democratic process in action, learn more about electoral standards in the UK and contribute to civil society! Key things to consider before applying are: You must be available all day from 6:45am until 10:15pm on May 5th 2022. The day is very long and tiring, but enjoyable and rewarding! You must be polite and respectful to all officials and the public throughout the day in line with our code of conduct. Have a positive mental attitude. Be able to follow the training provided and accurately record data. Be available for a training and deployment session in your area scheduled to take place in the week prior to the election (More details will be given nearer the deployment) The total number of anticipated hours including training and observing is approximately 20 - 30 hours. Here is a list of skills which you could gain by observing elections with Democracy Volunteers: Teamwork Communication Organisation Eye for detail Multitasking Patience Please note that in order to be considered for this role you must be apolitical. This means that we cannot accept applications if you are an active member of a political party.

Health and Social Care Moray's Buddy scheme provides a wide variety of volunteering roles to help reduce social isolation for those who are vulnerable aged 18 to 100+. The aim is to keep people connected to their local communities and in some cases reconnected to activities previously enjoyed. Health and Social Care Moray deal with requests covering the whole of the Moray area and currently support 105 volunteer buddies aged 16 to 90. This service is in high demand having received over 1200 requests for volunteers in just over 7 years. Could you volunteer to help with us? Please check out website www.moray.gov.uk/volunteering , or contact us by email on volunteering.CC@moray.go.uk

Scotland Versus Arthritis is looking for individuals willing to lead short health walks in your area, lead on other physical activities, or facilitate virtual support groups. Full training and on-going support for volunteers will be available. We are also looking for expressions of interest from anyone keen to become an instructor of Tai Chi or Qi Gong for arthritis. The current Covid restrictions have meant that for many the wait for treatment may be a year or more away. Painkilling prescriptions are seldom more than a temporary relief. Support and exercise can however offer a better way to self-manage the daily on-going pain and fatigue. In readiness for the eventual lifting of lockdown we are asking, can you spare an hour or two each month to help? Please contact your local Development Officer, Dr. P. Neville, p.neville@versusarthritis.org or phone 07501 501114 for details.

We are looking for someone who has the skills to help to set up a small woodworking shop to assist learning disabled adults to use suitable equipment to produce woodwork projects.