Helpline Volunteer

The Prisoners' Families Helpline provides support to loved ones of those affected by the Criminal Justice System across England and Wales. Purpose of this role: To provide advice and information to family members; friends; prisoners and professionals by responding to incoming telephone calls. You will respond to queries by providing direct information; signposting to other relevant organisations and making referrals to Pact colleagues as well as other family support services such as Barnardos; Spurgeons and Nepacs. Below are a few examples of calls received on the helpline:

Trying to find out which prison someone has been sent to 

Concerns regarding the wellbeing of a prisoner 

How to keep in contact with someone in prison 

How to send money to someone in prison 

What to do after someone has been arrested 

What support is available to someone after release from prison. Time commitment & location: This role is being offered remotely; so you will need to have access to a laptop/computer; a smart phone and an internet connection. A quiet working environment is also required. Time commitment: We expect volunteers to commit to working a minimum of one shift per week; for a period of at least 6 months. What you will be doing: 

Answering daily telephone calls; providing information and guidance 

Escalating any urgent/imminent safeguarding calls with the prison 

Making referrals and signposting to Pact colleagues and other external organisations 

Updating an Excel spreadsheet logging all calls taken 

Communicating with other colleagues on shift as well as Shift Supervisors

What skills do I need?

* Listening * Empathy * Determination * Teamwork * Verbal & written communication skills * Good I.T. literacy * Non-judgemental * Can-do attitude * Flexible * Genuine desire to help people. Training: You will be required to undertake our Safeguarding and Professional Boundaries training online; as well as attending our role-specific Helpline training via Zoom. You will also have access to various other training modules on our new eLearning platform.

When do I need to be available?

	Morning	Afternoon	Evening
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Details

To be discussed with volunteer