Volunteering

Are you someone who wants to help make a difference?

Do you have a few hours a week to spare?

North Derbyshire Women’s Aid offers a range of volunteering opportunities.

All volunteers are given 12 weeks training, a full induction and on going support and supervision.

There are opportunities to achieve OCN accreditation during the training course.

Our befriending service operates within the guidelines and standards of the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation.

For further information on how to become a volunteer, contact Janet or Lisa on: Telephone: 01246 540555
or Email us (Please write ‘Volunteer’ in the subject box on your email.)

 

Download >> Volunteering Leaflet    226Kb

Download >> Volunteer Taster Sessions  28Kb

New Steps Befriending Volunteers

NDWA’s New Steps Befriending service is solely volunteer based. It involves volunteer befrienders providing, essential, one to one, informal support to people who either have been, or are still experiencing domestic violence.

The service is available to service users who may either be living in refuge or in the local community. Its aim is to help reduce social isolation, which is often associated with domestic violence; and to encourage and increase independence. Some of the activities befrienders are involved in include:

• going out for a coffee
• participating in shared leisure activities
• helping someone find their way around the new community
• providing moral support at an appointment or at a support group session.

Group Project Volunteers

NDWA provides or hosts a range of projects, offering various forms of support for adults and children who are or have been experiencing domestic violence. These projects are based both at NDWA premises and in the local community. The aim of these projects is to:

• Reduce the risk of isolation, by giving people the chance to increase their social networks in a safe, welcoming environment.
• Provide mutual encouragement and support; the opportunity to meet others who have had similar experiences.
• Increase awareness and understanding of domestic violence, and the impact it can have; helping people to build confidence, and realise they are not to blame.

Current projects include the Freedom Programme – a project aimed at reducing domestic violence through increased awareness about the beliefs and origins of domestic abuse and a regular coffee morning.

Future projects will include: organising fun activities for adults and children, supporting self help groups and providing training workshops for adults and children around confidence building, health and safety.

Group Project volunteers provide invaluable support to groups and group work projects by:

• Liaising with NDWA worker involved to understand:
  • The aim of the group or session
  • Your role in supporting the service user to achieve that aim.
• Helping service users to feel welcome / part of the group.
• Supporting planned group activities.
• Encourage and support service users to participate in planned activities.
• Report any concerns relating to safeguarding children / health and safety directly to the NDWA worker involved / volunteer co-ordinator / senior worker in line with NDWA procedures – as detailed in training.
• Support service users on activities and trips, under the supervision of NDWA workers.
• Participating (and having fun!!) in activities.

(* Activities will vary between projects).

Service Promotion Volunteers

Service Promotion volunteers provide invaluable support in promoting the services provided by North Derbyshire Women’s Aid and raising awareness of domestic violence. Increasing awareness can help:

• To show people who may be, or have been experiencing domestic violence that support is available (many people suffer in silence because they don’t know that help is available).
• To increase understanding about the impact domestic violence can have on the lives of adults and children, In turn this can help to identify services and support networks that are needed.
• To challenge the myths about Domestic Violence and show it for what it is - a crime! Helping to reduce the stigma, encourage people to talk about and report it; and move towards a world where people can live safe and without fear of abuse.

Service Promotion volunteers will take part in activities in order to raise awareness of domestic abuse and promote NDWA services to other agencies and potential service users, this includes:

• Attending events, training sessions and presentations
• Assisting in the design of leaflets, display boards and posters.
• Preparing and distributing information packs.
• Gathering information to include in the NDWA website