Volunteer Role Profile
RoleService User Involvement (SUI) Support Volunteer
Role summaryAssisting with the planning and promotion of involvement activities, to ensure that service users can feedback on the service received and input into the design and delivery of future campaigns and services within the Hub
Suggested InvolvementHalf / One day per week minimum suggested for minimum of 6 months, but this is flexible
LocationShelter Bristol, New Bond House, Bond Street, Bristol, BS2 9AG
Supervised byTBC
Why get involved with Shelter?
More than one million people a year come to us for advice and support via our website, help lines, and national network of services. We help people to find and keep a home in a place where they can thrive, and we tackle the root causes of bad housing by campaigning for new laws, policies and practice.
Shelter believe that putting service users at the centre of our thinking is essential to improving the ways in which our services and campaigns are planned and delivered. As service users have direct experience of accessing our services, they are best placed to monitor their effectiveness and work with us to develop more models, so that our services and campaigns can be the best they can possibly be. There are a wide range of opportunities for service users to get involved in our work, ranging from service user meetings, helping us to design and develop new services, involvement in our campaigns and providing feedback and input into a range of other areas of Shelter’ work. As a member of the Bristol Team you will provide invaluable support, helping to ensure that service users have opportunities to get involved in a range of activities and at a level that suits them.
Main Tasks can include
- Supporting staff to organise and run service user meetings, activities and events
- Contacting service users to encourage involvement in activities and events and responding to queries via the Service User Involvement email account
- Create and execute ways in which service users can get involved with Shelter and the way we work
- Researching new items and updates, which could affect our clients such as new internal and/or external services
- Contact service users to obtain feedback on the service they have used
Skills and Abilities Required
- Interest and or experience in the work of Shelter and in supporting people
- Understanding or experience of working with families in crisis
- Ability to organise your own work, manage your time and work on your own initiative
- Effective communication skills and the ability to understand the needs of our service users
- Willingness to follow Shelter’s policies, including volunteering, health safety, equality diversity confidentiality and conflict of interest
- Ability to use computers and programs such as Word and Excel would be desirable
Induction, Learning Development
To enable you take part in this opportunity Shelter will
- Provide a volunteer pack including a Handbook and all Policies and Procedures
- Provide e-learning: Equality & Diversity, Health Safety, Data Protection, Case Management Systems
- Reimburse “out of pocket” expenses in line with Shelter’s volunteer expenses policy
Benefits of Volunteering with Shelter
- Supporting and learning about the work of a large national charity
- Developing transferable skills
- Enhances your CV, we can help you to update this and will provide references you leave
Next Steps
- Please apply online by clicking the ‘apply for this position’ button for the application form. Alternatively, if you have received an application pack via post or email, please complete the application and return it to . After you have applied, we will invite successful candidates to an informal interview to discuss the role further.
- As this role may require you to handle sensitive information, we are obliged to carry out a basic DBS check
- Please note, you will be asked to declare any unspent convictions. Having a criminal record does not mean that you cannot volunteer with us. It may limit the different ways that you can get involved, but please contact us (using the email stated above), if you require more information.
This is a voluntary position that supports the work of our services and is not replacing the work of a paid member of staff. This role description does not form part of any contract of employment.