Drop - In Volunteer

Applicants must live in Watford, Hertfordshire or the surrounding area.

At Watford & Three Rivers Refugee Partnership, our objective is to provide practical and emotional support, ultimately helping our clients achieve a sustainable position as full members of our society. Many of our clients are destitute, homeless and have no access to assistance from the government. Our mission is to provide access to advice and essential services until statutory services are in place.

Volunteering at the Drop-In centre provides an opportunity for you to help our refugee clients with any issues they might have. We have sessions running every Tuesday between 11:30am and 1:30pm at St Mary’s Church, High Street, Watford. The Drop-In provides an opportunity for refugee clients to come and discuss any issues they have and to be listened to by one of our volunteers. Many of our clients are likely to have lived here for a while but an issue or crisis in their lives means that they need to discuss it and seek some help. They may also be in the process of seeking asylum. We can provide advice and sometimes resolve their issue there and then and at other times we refer them to another agency or invite them to come back once their issue has been looked into.

The Drop-In Centre could not function without our team of committed volunteers, and we are always looking for additional help.

Full training given on starting the role as well as regular training sessions and continual support from more experienced volunteers.

Responsibilities:

·       Help with filling in forms and interpreting official documents.

·       Liaising with statutory and voluntary agencies.

·       Referring clients for follow up action by our Case Review Team and linking them with a befriender.

·       Referring clients to our partner solicitor who specialises in immigration law and comes to the Drop-In 4th Tuesday of the month.

·       Advice on how to access appropriate housing and free food in the area.

·       Access to the charity’s other services, such as free English classes.

Requirements:

·       Able to attend at least one Tuesday Drop-In a month.

·       Complete training as required and attend bi-monthly volunteer support meetings.

Skills:

·       An ability to communicate and empathise with people from a variety of backgrounds and needs.

·       Basic IT skills.

·       Assist clients in accessing essential services such as legal, housing, financial and food.

·       Can work well as part of a team.

·       Enthusiasm to help refugee clients.

Desirable experience: 

·       Previous volunteering experience.

·       Previous experience working in a people-facing role.

If you are interested in becoming a Drop-In volunteer please apply via Charity Jobs or contact us and a volunteer coordinator will contact you to discuss this further.