Volunteering with Home-Start Aberdeen
Why volunteer with us?
People choose to volunteer with Home-Start Aberdeen to:
- make a difference to a family’s life
- give something back to their local community
- return the support they once received from Home-Start
- boost their confidence
- develop their skills and experience
- do something fulfilling with their spare time
If you can give us the gift of your time, please consider getting in touch to find out more about our volunteering opportunities or follow the links below for more information.
Who can volunteer?
The requirements to become a volunteer vary from role to role. We don’t require any qualifications and we offer comprehensive training appropriate to your role.
We’re looking for friendliness and a positive, supportive attitude. Volunteers should have a good understanding of the pressures of parenting and Home-Start’s role in supporting families. We value people who don’t judge others and who will treat supported families as equals.
Please note: volunteers who carry out family-facing roles must have a satisfactory Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) certificate which requires a background check conducted by Disclosure Scotland. Family-facing roles are only suitable for those over the age of 18.
What is involved?
We ask for volunteers with regular availability in all of our volunteering roles. Home-visiting volunteers are typically asked for 2-3 hours per week.
Given the nature of our support for potentially vulnerable families, we have a series of training courses and a set of policies which volunteers are required to follow for their safety and the safety of the people we support.
If you have any questions about these commitments, please do get in touch.
Training and Support
We offer all of our volunteers comprehensive training related to the role they will undertake.
Family-facing roles will receive a face-to-face course of preparation before being matched to supported families. While matched to families they will be offered regular support and supervision to ensure that they are happy, safe and comfortable with the work they are doing.
Shop volunteers and trustees will have a thorough induction and be offered shadowing opportunities to build their confidence and skill.
Quality and Accreditation
We are incredibly proud of the commitment and dedication which our volunteers show and we are equally committed to ensuring that they are supported, respected and valued in their roles.
We take part in regular quality assurance exercises with Home-Start UK, our parent body, and are registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).
We are also signatories of the Volunteer Charter and have achieved Investing in Volunteers Accreditation.
