Community Support Volunteer

Position Title: Community support volunteer

Location: Loughborough

Hours of duty: Various hours/days available, preferably one full day a week 8 hours. Happy to discuss further.

About us:

Falcon Support Services provides supported accommodation and community projects to those that are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or vulnerable in the community.

Our service helps vulnerable people by providing safe and secure accommodation with our staff working alongside clients to help them develop their skills, so they can move away from homelessness to living independently and positively contribute to their community.

Role Purpose:

The Drop In is a day Centre with the aim of providing a safe and meaningful space for people to engage with and access services. We believe that everyone has the right to feel safe, accepted, valued and not to be judged for any situations they may be facing and should have access to basic needs, advise, support and opportunities to create a better everyday life.

As a Community Support Volunteer you will support the team to provide support to our service users. This is an exciting development post that addresses immediate support needs and moves people from being at a ‘pre-engagement’ stage to ‘engagement’ using an informal key working approach. Our service is prevention focused, based on meeting service users’ needs with no time restraints and genuinely enables access to all.

Main Responsibilities:

General

• To provide a welcoming service to those that enter the building and support to address their presenting needs.
• To provide access toiletries, laundry and shower facilities

Support

• To provide high quality support to vulnerable members of the community through supporting clients with identified support needs, empowering clients to make positive changes and informed choices in moving forward.

Provide one to one support with reading letters, form filling and accessing support relating to health, addictions, housing or finances. Appropriately utilising local partner agencies through referrals and signposting.

• To ensure that behaviour of service users is appropriate, and address any problems arising from this requirement.

• To be alert to the health and wellbeing of all clients, feeding into Risk Assessments reporting any concerns to the Community Manager.

Administration

• Administration Duties, including maintaining precise and accurate notes and completing an end of day hand over.

• To effectively use IT systems and personal files to record and input information relevant to each individual client and to ensure this information is accurate and up to date.

• Answering the phone and transferring calls

Compliance / Health & Safety

• Due to the nature of work, this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and will therefore require you to disclose all criminal convictions and comply with a DBS check.

• To develop Falcon Support Services commitment to equal opportunities and to promote non-discriminatory practices in all aspects of work undertaken.

• Every Person is required by Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work Act to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.

Knowledge, Experience & Skills:

• Experience of working on your own initiative to deliver a high-quality service

• The ability to support proactively and with limited direct supervision

• Strong time management and organisational skills

• Experience of risk, safeguarding vulnerable adults and professional boundaries issues

• A genuine commitment to equal opportunities

• A positive approach to personal development

• A proven experience of working in a similar role/industry

• Appropriate literacy, IT, and numeracy skills standard sufficient to fulfil the requirements of the job description

• Clear communications skills, both in oral and written form

Qualifications:

• Falcon Support Services are equipped to train and support people who do not have relevant skills and experience but do have the right values, behaviours, and attitudes.

Mandatory Requirements:

• Must be over the age of 18
• Willingness to undergo a satisfactory enhanced DBS checks

Please email your interest to sue.fitzgerald@falconsupportservices.org.uk