Volunteer Role Profile
RoleThrough The Gate - Administrative Support Assistant
Role summaryAssisting the Community Integration team with managing client referrals to the Through The Gate service
Suggested Involvement1-2 days per week, 6 months minimum
LocationCommunity Engagement Centre, HMP Preston, 2 Ribbleton Lane, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 5AB
Supervised byJayne Williams – Community Integration Team Leader, Through The Gate service
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.
As a volunteer you will be an invaluable part of our team as we strive to provide support for offenders in Lancashire and South Cumbria, working towards resettlement and rehabilitation. For this role, you will link in with Lancashire and South Cumbria prisons, the CRCs and other teams within the Through The Gate service. We work with vulnerable clients on licence or order, helping to provide support and guidance on a number of needs including: housing, debt, benefits and more.
Main Tasks will include:
- Processing referrals received from HMP, CRCs and Shelter Mentoring team
- Liaising with Responsible Officers regarding referrals received and booking initial appointments into Resettlement Worker’s diaries
- Creating client folders for all new referrals and creating and updating intervention logs
- Regularly updating the KPI tool to log client details, interventions and contact records
- General administrative tasks including printing documents, scanning paperwork and emailing relevant documents to Resettlement Workers
- Covering the meeting and greeting of clients and signposting to other services, where relevant
Skills and Abilities Required
- Interest in the work of Shelter and in supporting people
- Ability to organise your own work, manage your time and work on your own initiative
- Confident using computer programs such as Word and Excel to a good standard
- The ability to work as part of a team and value others
- Experience of working with the public
- Willingness to follow Shelter’s policies, including volunteering, health and safety, equality and diversity and confidentiality
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 and Safety, Data Protection, CICM
- 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 when you leave our services
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.
- You will be involved in regulated activity for this role, and for this reason we require you to undertake an enhanced 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.