Covid Support Officer

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Recruiting Organization: Equal Lives

Do you frequently find yourself lending a caring ear and offering support?

Would you like to help us support those who have struggled during the pandemic by being part of a chat service?

Then you could be exactly who we’re looking for! Read on for more info.

The pandemic has been a difficult time for all of us, facing new challenges and finding new ways to look after our physical and mental health. Equal Lives has been working hard since Covid-19 started to offer support to those in need and we’re now looking for volunteers who can help us to provide those support services to our members.

The Covid Support Officer will be part of a listening service during Equal Lives office hours, providing a friendly point of contact for those who want or need to talk to someone about their experiences due to the pandemic. Members might like to chat with you because they just want someone to listen to them or they could be contacting you because they’re frustrated with the lack of NHS services availability. We don’t expect you to offer advice, just patience and kindness in listening and occasional signposting to our other services if you think this is needed.

Reporting to the Development Team, the Covid Support Officer would be given training and provided with the opportunity to shadow a member of staff to gain an understanding of how the service operates.

ROLE OVERVIEW

Once you feel confident enough, your responsibilities would include the following:

• Dedicate one day per week to phone calls to provide support (this day could be split amongst multiple volunteers if needed)
• Managing a calendar to make appointments with clients and keep track of service users
• Signposting to our various other services when needed
• Monitoring the usefulness of the service, the interactions with members and recording any signposting or further actions

FURTHER INFO

Currently, this role is remote, due to the restrictions of Covid. However, there is scope to make this a site-based role in the future. Equal Lives will be moving to Sackville Place, Magdalen Street, during the next couple of months, which can be easily reached by public transport.

There is no set working pattern for this role, so you are free to, within reason, set your own working days and hours. The length of time, within reason, which you volunteer for is also up for discussion. This offers you the opportunity to fit the volunteer work in around regular remote work, childcare or other personal activities. We envisage this role as needing someone to volunteer for half a day a week or more if they so desired.

All volunteers are required to undertake our core training programme. This covers basic safeguarding and other key features.

New volunteers will have an opportunity to 'shadow’ experienced volunteers and members of staff.

Depending on the candidate there may be additional opportunities to participate in a variety of accredited training courses, please ask for further details.

Volunteers are required to always adhere to the organisation’s policies and practice guidelines whilst volunteering.

Calls made to members would be via either video calls or a mobile phone, we would provide you with a laptop, mobile phone and your own Equal Lives email address to support this communication. We will also provide you with any other additional resources or equipment necessary for the role.

Reasonable expenses, including travel whilst undertaking this role will be reimbursed. This includes mileage (currently £0.45 p/mile) and parking costs.

Applications must include 2 satisfactory references from individuals who know the applicant in a professional or educational capacity for at least 12 months. Applicants must also complete a Disclosure and Barring Service check before any volunteering can commence.

Stipend ProvidedFalse

Training Provided

Housing AvailableFalse

Language/Cultral Support AvailableFalse

Wheelchair Accessible

Fee RequiredFalse

Fee Amount: None

This opportunity is recurring