Investigation Volunteer Roles

Are you passionate about protecting the public from unsafe, unethical practise and misinformation? If so this may be the role for you.

We are currently recruiting two Independent (Lay) Members to our Fitness to Practise (FtP) Referral Panel, to support the upholding of the high standards of practise expected of UKVRN registrants (Registered Nutritionists and Registered Associate Nutritionists).

The Panel will assess cases regarding FtP concerns to determine whether these should or should not be escalated to an FtP Investigation Panel.

The FtP Referral Panel members shall review referred complaint/concern cases and complete a report with outcome recommendation. When a unanimous decision has not been reached on the outcome recommendation, an online meeting will be held.

Members will attend one annual (online) meeting to audit cases and outcome decisions in order to produce annual reports. The meeting will be held online for 2 – 3 hours and the Panel will normally require about half a day’s preparation/reading time. Additional time may be required to follow-up/ feedback.

The number of referrals a year vary, but a review will normally require 2-4hrs for reading and report submission. A consensus meeting, if required, will normally take place online for 1-2hrs.

Please read the Terms of Reference document for the eligibility criteria, role, responsibilities and person specification ahead of applying.

We would be particularly interested to receive applications from those with experience in one or more of the following areas:

· Legal

· HR

· Regulation

· Public Communications

Be a member of the Research and Campaigns team gathering insight on the issues affecting our residents and finding solutions to address the root cause.

Depending on your skills and time, you may do one or all of the following:

• Use our insight to identify common or unfair problems that clients come for help about. This may be analysing our data, analysing evidence forms, speaking with advisors, creating surveys

• Speak with volunteers and staff to understand the cause of the problem, how it affects clients, and what change would solve the problem, and present this back in a report

• Help to organise awareness of the problem. This might involve creating material, such as newsletters or presentation or writing something for social media or newspaper, which could be used to explain the problems to others (such as local councillors or members of the public)

• Help to organise getting the organisation to engage in a solution, which may be an event, reports or meetings

• Help National Citizens Advice carry out research about how certain issues affect our clients. This might involve doing a survey with clients to find out how a change in benefit is affecting them

What’s in it for you?

• Make a real different to people’s lives

• Learn about a range of issues such as benefits, debt, employment and housing, and the impact on residents and communities

• Build on valuable skills such as communication and problem solving, and increase your employability particularly in jobs involving social sciences, communications

• Work with a range of different people, independently, in a team and within your local community

• Have a positive impact in your community

And we’ll reimburse expenses too.

What do you need to have? You don’t need specific qualifications or skills, but you’ll need to:

• Be friendly and approachable

• Be non-judgmental and politically impartial, respect views, values and cultures that are different to your own

• Have good IT skills

• Have good verbal and written skills

• Be willing to learn about and follow the Citizens Advice aims, principles and policies, including confidentiality and data protection

• Be willing to undertake training in your role 

Value Inclusion

Our volunteers come from a range of backgrounds, and we particularly welcome applications from racially minoritised people, people of colour, disabled people, people with physical or mental health conditions, LGBTQ+ and non-binary people. 

About Roots Academy

At Roots Academy, we’ve built a learning experience that’s changing the lives of the ummah’s future leaders, change-makers and visionaries.

Our vision is enabling university students to live God-centred lives, so we teach structured, engaging and transformative face-to-face foundational Islamic education to over 1,800 students across the UK.

Role Summary

The Safeguarding Officer will work with the People Team Lead and the Trustee Board in ensuring that appropriate arrangements are in place for keeping students, volunteers and team members safe at Roots Academy.

You will promote the safety and welfare of young people involved in Roots Academy’s activities at all times.

Key tasks

• Support with developing, reviewing and implementing Roots Academy’s safeguarding policies and procedures: ensuring all safeguarding issues concerning students and volunteers who take part in Roots Academy’s activities are responded to appropriately.
• Make sure that everyone working or volunteering at Roots Academy, including the board of trustees, understands the safeguarding policy and procedures and knows what to do if they have concerns about a student or volunteer’s welfare.
• Develop and deliver safeguarding training.
• Make sure students and young people who are involved in activities at Roots Academy know who they can talk to if they have a welfare concern and understand what action the organisation will take in response.
• Receive and record information from anyone who has concerns about a student or volunteer who takes part in Roots Academy’s activities.
• Responding to information that may constitute a safeguarding concern, including a concern that an adult involved with Roots Academy may present a risk to children or young people. This includes:

a. assessing and clarifying the information

b. making referrals to statutory organisations as appropriate

c. consulting with and informing the relevant members of the organisation’s management

d. following the organisation’s safeguarding policy and procedures.

• Liaise with, pass on information to and receive information from statutory agencies such as the police. This includes making formal referrals to agencies when necessary.
• Store and retain safeguarding records according to legal requirements and the organisation’s safeguarding policy and procedures.
• Work closely with the board of trustees the People Team Lead to ensure they are kept up to date with safeguarding issues and are fully informed of any concerns about organisational safeguarding practice.
• Report regularly to the board of trustees on issues relating to safeguarding, to ensure that safeguarding is seen as an ongoing priority issue and that safeguarding requirements are being followed at all levels of the organisation.

What we’re looking for

• The Safeguarding Officer must have received relevant safeguarding training
• Experience as a qualified social worker or safeguarding lead desirable
• Understanding of safeguarding in further education desirable
• Strong understanding of Islam and the Muslim community essential

What we have to offer

• Be part of a team of 40+ dedicated volunteers from across the country.
• Receive continuous rewards for those that seek Islamic knowledge from the Roots platform.
• Be a part of a growing organisation that aims to revive and educate Muslims from a grassroots perspective.
• Receive in-house tarbiyah sessions to develop your deen.

Please note this is an unpaid volunteer position.

Volunteers are entitled to claim expenses incurred for food, travel and equipment, in line with our Expenses policy.