Outreach Volunteer: Advice Bus
We have exciting opportunities available for volunteers to join our Advice Bus giving face to face advice out in the community across the East Dorset & Purbeck area. Our Advice Bus locations can be viewed on our website here.
We are looking for volunteers to provide generalist advice to clients and, where appropriate, refer them internally for further specialist help. You will be supported by a supervisor and we offer full training to help you deliver advice effectively to our clients in an accessible setting. This role is a key part of our core service.
What do you need to have?
You don’t need specific qualifications or skills but you’ll need to:
- Be friendly and approachable
- Be non-judgmental and respect views, values and cultures that are different to your own
- Have good listening skills
- Have excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Have good maths and IT skills
- Be able to understand information and explain it to others
- Be willing to learn about and follow the Citizens Advice aims, principles and policies, including confidentiality and data protection
- Be willing to undertake training in your role
- Abide by health and safety guidelines and share responsibility for your own safety and that of colleagues
How much time do you need to give?
Ideally, we would we ask for one day a week, for at least 12 months. We can be flexible so come and talk to us.
Valuing inclusion
Our volunteers come from a range of backgrounds and we particularly welcome applications from people with mental health conditions, LGBT+ and non-binary people, and people from Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities.
What will you do?
- Complete an introduction to Citizens Advice and training for your role
- Talk to clients face to face, to explore what problems they need help with
- Find information about the clients’ problems and help them to understand their options
- Support clients to take action to resolve their problems. This might include drafting or writing letters, making phone calls, or referring the client to another organisation
- Write a summary of the clients’ problems and action you’ve taken
- Look out for problems that are common, or are unfair, and write a short report about the problem or a letter to an elected offi cial like an MP or local councillor
- Maintain case records and ensure that all casework conforms to the office manual and the advice quality standard and/or the specialist quality mark as appropriate. Training will be provided
- Assist with research and campaigns work by providing information about clients' circumstances
Some examples of what you could do:
- Assist clients to apply for available grants
- Assist clients with form filling
- Help a client who may be having an issue with neighbour nuisance
- Explore what benefits a client is entitled to and help them to complete a benefit application form
- Help a client who has problems with their landlord to understand their housing rights
Interested?
If you would like to have a chat with someone before applying to volunteer, please complete the expressions of interest form and our Training Manager will be in contact. Alternatively, please complete the Volunteer Application Form. Thank you.
