Peer Volunteer

Volunteer (Minimum 6 months)/ 17.5 Hours (Various days & Minimum 1 Day per week)

Leeds Media Centre

Ref PER-241

Are you a proactive, collaborative and compassionate individual with an understanding of providing support, advocacy, advice and guidance and the ability to communicate this knowledge in a variety of ways? Looking for a highly rewarding volunteer opportunity?

If so, St Giles Trust has an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated volunteer to join us as a Peer Advisor and to provide vital support, guidance and advice to our clients.

About St Giles Trust

An ambitious, well-established charity that helps people facing adversity to find jobs, homes and the right support they need. Central to our ethos is our belief that people with first-hand experience of successfully overcoming issues such as an offending background, homelessness, addictions and gang involvement, hold the key to positive change in others.

About this key role

Our successful candidate will initially meet clients and develop an action plan, ensuring you complete action plan paperwork, while also discussing other support needs and signposting, if required, to other agencies. We will also rely on you to provide mentoring for the client in a positive manner and to support placements to help clients reach their individual specific goals.

Working alongside all other agencies to build professional relationships and to look at additional support from other agencies is an essential part of this volunteer role, as are ensuring you follow all health and safety policies and procedures and liaising with – and keeping fully informed – the St Giles Peer Advisor Coordinator.

What we are looking for

• Be willing to undergo training for the role of Peer Advisor, including a Level 3 certificate in Advice and Guidance, policies and procedures induction, and additional specialist sessions appropriate to placement
• The ability to write reports and action plans (training given)
• Able to work on own initiative and to fellow instructions when required
• Have a sound understanding of the issues faced for the clients
• The ability to calculate risk and implement safety procedures when engaging with clients
• Excellent interpersonal, relationship-building and communication skills, both verbal and written.

In return, you can expect a generous flexible working, a mentoring programme, an advice and counselling service, and much more.

Please note St Giles will guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria set out in the Job Description for the vacancy.

As an organisation that works with children and adults at risk we are committed to safeguarding, protecting and promoting the safety of our clients and successful applicants will be conducting an Enhanced Adult & Children with Child Barred list DBS.

To apply, please visit our website via the ‘Apply’ button.

Closing date: 12th August 2024

We are an equity and inclusion-confident employer. We welcome all applications and we particularly encourage applications from people of the global majority (black, brown, multi-heritage) and those who identify as disabled, neuroexpansive, neurodiverse, with any protected characteristics and/or social barriers or challenges. We value the empowering and informative impact that all lived experiences and diversity of thought can offer the organisation.