Would you like to gain or share your experience and skills in admin.
Are you passionate about making a positive difference in the lives of carers? Do you believe in the importance of providing support to those who tirelessly care for others and our dedicate team of volunteers? If so, Carers Support - Bristol and South Gloucestershire has an amazing opportunity for you!
Being a young carer can be difficult and challenging. Our activities are aimed at supporting these young carers and giving them a break away from their caring role. Our project covering Bristol and South Gloucestershire is looking for volunteers to attend groups and activities with young carers under the supervision of paid staff. Can you offer an hour or more each week or even only sometime in the school holiday or on a term-time only basis? We are looking for volunteers to support activities regularly and occasionally.
You may have a skill you could share with young carers, ranging from arts, music, or cooking, or you may be a good listener? Volunteers help us to enrich the help and support we provide for young carers. Aside from the natural feel-good factor you may get from helping someone in need, we offer the opportunity to gain valuable skills and access training. Many of our volunteers' reports feel truly valued and some have gone on to paid work or formal training or university courses. Others just want to be busy and helpful in their retirement years.
To make sure you are well-prepped for your role with young carers, we offer a variety of online courses. These range from ‘safeguarding’ to more specific training around equalities and diversity. As a volunteer, you will have a member of the staff team to support and advise you in everything you do. If you have a particular interest or skill you would like to develop, we will try to support you by matching you to a role that suits your needs.
Each volunteer role will be matched according to needs and your availability. As an example, some of our volunteers commit to giving one hour per week. If you plan to help at support groups, you may give a couple of hours per month and if you are helping with events, it may be for a few hours a couple of times a year.
We do things as quickly as possible after having an initial discussion with you. When you first get in touch, we will want to have a chat with you. If you are interested in volunteering, you would then need to complete a short application, complete a DBS and we will seek references. This can take a little while depending on how quickly people come back to us. We will talk to you about the application process and stay in touch with you throughout. Volunteers should never be out of pocket. We will pay costs that are part of your role and will talk this through with you.