VOLUNTEER PAGE SIDEBAR
VOLUNTEER: THE ROLES
The Role
*All information correct at time of publication but may be subject to change at short notice.*
We have a wide variety of roles available within the service to suit all who wish to join us.
Giving information, guidance, advice and support
Volunteers who give information, guidance, advice and support to our clients are at the heart of our service and we could not manage without them. Volunteers receive full training in the skills needed to help people deal with their problems and learn how to find the information the client needs from our extensive database. At CASL this is completed through three different access channels; face to face, Telephone and E-mails. All trainees will be trained in all three routes.
Volunteers are supported and supervised as they begin to help clients and will receive feedback and development opportunities throughout their time with Citizens Advice.
There are a variety of roles and tasks leading up to giving full advice, some of these include:
- finding out the key points of a client's problem
- finding out what a client's problem is and helping them understand self-help information so the client can act for themselves
- helping a client with debts to work out a reasonable rate of repayment and supporting them to negotiate this with creditors
- interviewing a homeless client to find out what their housing options are and helping the client decide their next steps
- interviewing a client who has lost their job to determine if the correct procedures have been followed or not
You don’t need any specific qualifications or experience to train for the role. You would need:
- an ability to understand information
- a good level of literacy and numeracy
- to be polite and good at listening
- to be familiar with using keyboard skills and searching the internet
- to be able to input data accurately
- to be open minded and not judge clients
- to enjoy helping people.
Trustees
All Citizens Advice are independent charities, governed by their own board of trustees, who are ultimately responsible for the quality and range of the service. Day-to-day control is delegated to the local centre managers, but trustees:
- Set the overall direction and support the development of the offices;
- Ensure CASL meets the needs of the local community and the Citizens Advice membership standards;
- Employ staff and control finances;
- Earn and retain the respect of important and influential people and organisations in the community, including funding bodies;
- Ensure the office complies with relevant laws.
Trustee boards need people from all sections of the community with a wide range of different skills, experience and perspectives.
Trustee boards tend to meet in the evenings, making this a flexible role, which trustees often fit around a full-time job. A full induction into the trustee board's role and responsibilities will be provided.