Volunteer Support Officer

The BVA team is currently providing support to a cohort of refugees temporarily housed in hotel accommodation in the North Hampshire area. Our team is now looking for a dedicated Volunteer Support Officer to help with our activities.

The ethos of the work is that support is provided in a way that empowers individuals into independence, builds their skills and enables them to access mainstream services independently and deal with everyday issues themselves. Emphasis is placed on coaching and showing individuals how to access services and support etc, rather than just completing tasks for them

Under the direction of BVA staff on site, the role will involve admin, information, and advice tasks such as

Providing information and advice to enable families to access local resources and services and support and encourage their independence to access those services.

To work with a variety of other agencies to provide support and to help refugees to access as part of the onsite team.

Provide information and support access to local amenities and events encouraging access to the local community.

Providing intelligence to the team on the welfare needs of the cohort and how they may be addressed.

Fostering an environment of confidence and independence enabling refugee families and in particular women to access services and other local opportunities.

Providing a compassionate and caring environment where refugees who have had difficult experiences or may suffer with trauma or mental health conditions are able to feel safe and can seek support.

Deputising for other team members in the co-ordination of onsite activities and occasionally attending professional meetings with external partners.

Leading activities aimed at providing a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere with a view of promoting access to life in the UK.

General computer-based administration tasks that support our ongoing activities.

Supporting guests to access statutory and other services that meet their health and wellbeing needs 

Supporting guests to access vocational courses, leading to qualifications, where appropriate · Supporting guests to access opportunities to improve English language skills · Supporting guests to access Job Centre Plus and other organisations/opportunities that support them to secure employment · Supporting guests to access local community resources

Skills

An empathic person able to provide compassionate support to vulnerable people.

A resilient person able to work with and offer support to vulnerable individuals who has been through traumatic experiences and may have mental health conditions as a result.

A professional person able to maintain strong boundaries with those we work with ensuring that the lines between personal and professional are not crossed.

A person able to maintain strict confidentiality in order to protect those we are there to support as well as ourselves.