Outreach Volunteer

Aims of Volunteer role:

The Street Outreach team has been an important part of Pathways since August 2017. Every month, more than 50 street interventions are carried out across the Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire area. Outreach gives us an opportunity to engage some of the most vulnerable and hardest to reach clients. The importance of such work is greatly significant; 85% of clients met whilst on Outreach engage with Pathways in the following 2 weeks (August 2018).

The role of the outreach volunteer will be to work alongside Pathways staff and carry out street interventions to try to engage rough sleepers with the work we do. Outreach has proved absolutely vital during the current pandemic, helping to locate people that may not have heard about Pathways, maintain a connection with our current clients and provide essential provisions to those self isolating.

Required tasks:

• To support Pathways staff when carrying out street interventions in the community, across a variety of rough sleeper hotspots. This will include travel on foot and occasionally, by car.
• The volunteer will engage in direct client contact with rough sleepers in the community.
• To comply with health and safety requirements including the Pathways COVID – 19 Policy

Skills, abilities, and experience needed:

• Good level of physical fitness including the ability to walk on uneven ground.
• Good communication.
• Friendly and approachable.
• Experience of working with vulnerable adults would be preferable.
• Ability to act with discretion and self-awareness
• Ability to maintain strong and professional boundaries

Date and time of sessions where volunteers are required:

Flexible. Rota based. Shifts are Monday – Friday 10 – 12:30 or 13:00 – 15:00

Place of volunteer duty:

• The Outreach team will meet at Pathways (120 Saltergate, Chesterfield. S40 1NG)
• Outreach work will then take place at the location of the Outreach workers choosing within Chesterfield, Bolsover, and North East Derbyshire.

Does the volunteer require DBS check?

Yes

Travel – Does the volunteer require their own transport:

To the pathway’s office only.

Who will manage the volunteer?

Matilda Towndrow (Activities and Volunteer Coordinator).

Does the volunteer have to attend any essential training?

Induction Workbook

Boundaries and Confidentiality training

Safeguarding training

Also, it is not essential, but the volunteer will be offered a training package which includes:

Homelessness, Challenging Behaviour, Mental Health awareness, Drug and Alcohol awareness and Domestic Abuse.

Benefits offered/ How will volunteer contribution be recognized and appreciation be shown:

• Out of pocket expenses can be reimbursed.
• Volunteer Award Scheme.
• Recognition may be shown to volunteers in our quarterly newsletter, on our website, in media publications and through ‘Volunteer Week’ celebration events.
• Volunteers leaving pathways who have made a regular commitment to it are entitled to request a reference and/or other statement of their achievements up to one year after leaving.

How many/which type of references are required:

Volunteers will be required to provide 2-character references that are not from family members.

Questions

If you have any questions at all regarding the nature of the project, Pathways or any practical questions, please do not hesitate to contact Matilda, the Activities and Volunteers Coordinator at matilda.pathways@gmail.com or 01246 498204.