Client Support Volunteer

Location: Lambeth, London - Gaia Centre (Lambeth, London). Salary: Not applicable as this is a voluntary role. Contract type: Voluntary - 4 hours per week (days to be discussed). Hours: 4 hours per week (days to be discussed).

We want kind and empathic people to work at Refuge, who believe in equality, diversity, and inclusion, are experts in their area of knowledge, want to make a positive difference and improve the lives of the women and children we support.

This is an opportunity to join Refuge as a Client Support Volunteer to provide additional practical and emotional support to victims and survivors who are impacted or are experiencing domestic abuse and any other strands of Violence Against Women Girls (VAWG) and are accessing specialist support provided by the Gaia team.

Responsibilities

• Assisting clients with locating and completing applications for relevant grants, services, courses, jobs etc., providing follow up support where necessary. These could include registering for housing or financial support, the GP or applying for a new job.
• Accompanying clients to appointments for accommodation, medical appointments or job interviews etc.
• Recognising when it is necessary to take steps to safeguard adults and children, escalating the situation swiftly and appropriately to the line manager, Community Engagement Lead.
• Encouraging clients to research activities that interest them in the local area to increase their engagement in the community.
• Welcoming clients to group sessions and helping them to navigate their way safely to the correct location.
• Participating in celebrations and events held by our service, like International Women's Day.
• Providing some administrative support when required e.g. taking calls and messages; updating client contact details; sharing information about the service with professionals and clients.
• Ensuring client records are updated accurately and that the security of sensitive information is maintained. This is to protect our clients and ensure Refuge remains GDPR compliant.
• Plus much more - please refer to our job pack for more information.

Training

Training: You will be required to attend 3 days of training on the 14th, 15th and 16th of September from 10am-4pm each day (non negotiable).

Benefits

Refuge offers a variety of exciting opportunities to learn, develop and grow in your career. We recognise the value everyone brings to the organisation to achieve our aims and are dedicated to developing and rewarding our staff.