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- Tasks: Support families by providing emotional and practical assistance to strengthen relationships.
- Company: Join a community-focused organisation dedicated to helping families in need.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible volunteering hours, training, and reimbursement for travel expenses.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in your community while gaining valuable experience and skills.
- Qualifications: No specific qualifications required; just a commitment to support families and a willingness to learn.
- Other info: Volunteers must commit to weekly visits for 3-6 months and complete training.
Families can experience challenging times, with many receiving help from friends and relatives. But there are times when problems can seem overwhelming, and some extra support is needed. Volunteers work alongside families to offer guidance, tailored emotional support, and practical assistance to help encourage positive family relationships. This vital input from volunteers can result in increased stability for the whole family and can be crucial in supporting Children’s Services to keep more children safely at home.
This is a fantastic opportunity to support families in your local community, using your experience and skills to develop relationships and bring about positive change. Volunteers visit or contact families in their homes or other local settings to help build trust and rapport. Using family support techniques, which are fully explained during training and complement those used by professionals, volunteers can provide invaluable assistance while focusing on keeping children safely at home, where possible. Our approach centers around supporting the whole family.
Our volunteers enjoy the flexibility to work from Monday to Sunday, 8 am to 8 pm, ensuring that we provide the right support at the right time. With the help of our staff and volunteers, families can overcome their difficulties to become stronger, happier, and healthier. Working alongside professional teams to support families open to Children’s Services, predominantly for early intervention/early help relating to some of the most complex issues families face. These may include:
- Mental health concerns
- Domestic abuse
- Social isolation
- Drug and alcohol issues
Any of these issues can have a significant impact on the stability of family life and may affect the health, wellbeing, routines, and development of all family members. Will provide non-judgmental support to enable change within the home, helping build positive habits and behaviors.
Family Support Volunteering could include:
- Providing tailored practical and emotional support to families who are going through the process of becoming Special Guardians, focusing on preventing further family breakdown and promoting stability for children.
- Supporting the work of Children’s Services when reuniting children in care with their families by providing practical assistance to facilitate positive parent-child interaction.
- Helping families where children are at risk of exclusion from school to address and support the improvement of behaviours and keep children in education.
The amount of support each family requires will vary depending upon their needs and may also include supporting families with organisation skills, attending appointments, meetings, and accessing local community activities and to support the families to become independent.
Skills
To offer families effective support, we will:
- Get to know you and identify your strengths and skills to enable us to match you to children and families.
- Ask you to commit to weekly support visits for a period of 3-6 months.
- Arrange an introduction meeting, with yourself and a professional who is currently working with the family to meet and talk about the support that you can offer.
- Ask you to adopt a whole family approach which may involve working with the whole family, a few family members, a specific child or children, or in some cases just the parent(s)/carer(s).
- Require you to record and share information on your visits with the family, submit expenses, and comply with information governance (GDPR) legislation.
All volunteers will need to complete two days of induction training and a day of strand-specific training.
Expenses reimbursed: Mileage will be reimbursed at 45p/mile.
Health and Safety Policy: Ongoing support, Training provided, Volunteers covered by insurance, Written role description will be provided when interest has been expressed.
When can I volunteer? Mon: Yes, Tue: Yes, Wed: Yes, Thu: Yes, Fri: Yes, Sat: Yes, Sun: Yes
Location: This opportunity is available Countywide.
Family Support employer: Volunteer First
Contact Detail:
Volunteer First Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Family Support
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with the key issues families face, such as mental health concerns and social isolation. Understanding these challenges will help you connect better with families and demonstrate your commitment to supporting them.
✨Tip Number 2
Highlight any relevant experience you have in community work or volunteering. Sharing specific examples of how you've helped others in similar situations can make a strong impression during interviews.
✨Tip Number 3
Be prepared to discuss your approach to building trust and rapport with families. Think about strategies you can use to create a non-judgmental environment that encourages open communication.
✨Tip Number 4
Show your flexibility and willingness to adapt to different family needs. Being open to working various hours and understanding the unique circumstances of each family will demonstrate your dedication to the role.
We think you need these skills to ace Family Support
Some tips for your application 🫡
Understand the Role: Before applying, take the time to thoroughly read the job description for the Family Support Volunteer position. Understand the responsibilities and the skills required, as this will help you tailor your application effectively.
Highlight Relevant Experience: In your CV and cover letter, emphasise any previous experience you have in supporting families or working with children. Mention specific situations where you've provided emotional or practical support, as this will demonstrate your suitability for the role.
Showcase Your Skills: Make sure to highlight skills that are particularly relevant to family support, such as communication, empathy, and problem-solving. Provide examples of how you've used these skills in past experiences to make a positive impact.
Personalise Your Application: When writing your cover letter, personalise it by addressing it to the appropriate contact if possible. Explain why you are passionate about supporting families and how your values align with the mission of the organisation.
How to prepare for a job interview at Volunteer First
✨Understand the Role
Make sure you thoroughly understand the responsibilities of a Family Support Volunteer. Familiarise yourself with the challenges families face and think about how your skills can help them. This will show your genuine interest in the role during the interview.
✨Share Personal Experiences
If you have any relevant personal experiences or stories that demonstrate your ability to support families, be ready to share them. This can help the interviewers see your empathy and understanding of the issues families may encounter.
✨Demonstrate Flexibility
Highlight your availability and willingness to work flexible hours, as this role requires support from Monday to Sunday. Showing that you can adapt to the needs of families will make you a more attractive candidate.
✨Ask Thoughtful Questions
Prepare some insightful questions to ask at the end of the interview. This could include inquiries about the training process, the types of families you might work with, or how success is measured in this role. It shows your enthusiasm and commitment to making a positive impact.
