Lasting Power of Attorney Volunteer

If you want to make a difference for people affected by dementia and their families, helping to give them a voice and protect their choices, then we’d love to hear from you!

A Lasting Power of Attorney is a legal tool that lets the person with dementia choose people they trust to make decisions for them, at times when they may need it most. For example, it could be temporary help to cover a short hospital stay, or longer-term support to manage decisions around health and care.

As a Lasting Power of Attorney Volunteer, you’ll be helping to simplify a complicated administrative process for people affected by dementia and their families, ensuring they have their say in planning for their future.

This is a hybrid role, with the option to volunteer remotely or from our Birmingham city centre office, Tricorn House. The role requires volunteers to have a computer or laptop with internet access.

We ask for a minimum commitment of 2–4 hours per week. These hours can be flexibly split to suit the volunteer’s availability.

The Lasting Power of Attorney Volunteer role comprises two main activities:

• Making introduction calls – You will be contacting people who have been referred through the support line to the Society’s Lasting Power of Attorney Digital Assistance Service. You will explain how the service works and the information required at the time of the telephone appointment to complete the forms, answer any questions (but not giving legal advice) and booking appointments. These calls will be carried out during sessions of approx. 4 hours.
• Appointment calls – You will be using the Office of the Public Guardian online Lasting Power of Attorney tool to take the information provided to you by the service user over the telephone to fill in their Lasting Power of Attorney online application.

Please note, as a Lasting Power of Attorney volunteer you may choose to do either the introduction call activities or the appointment call activities, or you can choose to do both activities in your role.

You’ll be great for the role if you:

• Are a good verbal communicator with great listening skills, able to make a complex process simple for others to understand.
• Have strong IT skills, including the ability to complete forms online, generate letters and demonstrate strong record keeping skills.
• Are an excellent timekeeper, able to work through a number of telephone calls and/or follow a diary of appointments.
• Are looking for opportunities to gain additional skills and confidence whilst supporting others in a challenging and highly rewarding way.
• Are over the age of 18.

The role is based remotely, however, there is the opportunity to work from our Birmingham office based at Tricorn House in the city centre. To work remotely you will need internet access, your own computer/laptop, and phone.

You will receive training, ongoing supervision and support from the wider Lasting Power of Attorney team and an assigned support colleague. Learning and induction will take between 1 and 3 months depending on time commitment. To put the role into practice most effectively volunteers are recommended to continue after initial training is completed for at least 12 months.

This role will be subject to a satisfactory Criminal Records Check (including Adults Barring List) from either the Disclosure and Barring Service (England & Wales), Disclosure Scotland Check (Scotland) or AccessNI (Northern Ireland). If you require further information regarding Criminal Records Check, please contact volunteering@alzheimers.org.uk.

If you find completing online applications difficult, please don’t let this stop you from applying. Please call or email us and we can support you with the application process. You can contact the Volunteering Recruitment Team by emailing volunteering@alzheimers.org.uk or calling 0300 222 5706.

Alzheimer’s Society is here for everyone affected by dementia. By 2025, an estimated 1 million people will be living with the condition in the UK, and many millions more carers, partners, families and friends will be affected. Dementia is a complex condition, and there’s no one-size fits all solution but until we find a cure, our aim is to transform lives today.

We do this by:

• Providing flexible support services so that people with dementia, their carers and loved ones, can access expert advice and guidance, support through their most challenging days, and a safe space to turn when they need it.
• Being a force for change - using research and influencing to push for breakthroughs that will change the lives of people affected by dementia now and in future.

Our Values:

• Determined to make a difference: We’re passionate, we’re focused and we make a lasting impact for people affected by dementia.
• Trusted expert: We’re listening, we’re learning and we use experience and evidence.
• Better together: We’re open, we combine our strengths and we achieve more together.
• Compassionate: We’re kind, we’re honest and we don’t shy away from challenges.

Alzheimer’s Society is committed to equal opportunities. Alzheimer’s Society embraces diversity, inclusion and accessibility for all of our people. We are committed to building a diverse organisation that represents the communities we serve and ensuring inclusion in everything we do. We will look at making reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition.