Volunteering
Volunteering with LWA can be a very rewarding experience and you will gain many useful personal and professional skills, as well as making a huge and positive difference to victims of domestic and sexual violence. LWA deliver a range of domestic abuse and sexual violence services for survivors across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. We offer a range of volunteering opportunities which are either in-person at our offices in the Loughborough and Leicester City areas or remote roles which can undertaken from home.
Who can apply to volunteer at LWA?
- We support a diverse range of clients and welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and experience levels.
- You must be aged 18 years old or over to volunteer in our client based services.
- Some of our roles are open to women only due to the nature of the role under the Equality Act 2010 Schedule 9 (Paragraph 1) section 7.2e. However, we welcome applications from men for our children and families service.
- Ex-clients wishing to volunteer are required to be free from abuse for at least two years, and out of service for at least one year. This is to safeguard clients and ensure we are taking care of volunteers’ emotional health and recovery.
Volunteering opportunities include:
- Supporting within our adult domestic abuse and sexual violence services.
- Supporting within our children and families service.
- Support with delivering our group programmes.
- Support with providing our befriending service.
- Support with our fundraising events.
What kind of work will volunteers support with?
- Work alongside LWA staff and provide telephone support to clients to complete assessments of need and risk.
- Manage a small case load of clients and provide emotional support by telephone.
- Use a case management system to record information.
- Support with delivering group sessions around domestic abuse awareness and recovery focused work.
- Support with admin tasks.
What skills do you need?
- Listening and the ability to communicate well with a variety of people is essential.
- Punctuality, reliability, and a commitment to volunteering.
- Ability to empathise and be non-judgmental.
- Prior knowledge of domestic and/or sexual violence is desirable, but not essential as full training is provided.
What training is provided?
A core training package will be provided, which must be completed in order to volunteer. Core training includes:
- Safeguarding adults and children.
- Domestic abuse and sexual abuse awareness.
- DASH risk assessment.
- Vicarious trauma.
- Communication skills.
- Professional boundaries.
- Case management system training and policies.
Our training is delivered via a blended approach using an e-learning platform and in-person sessions at our office in the Loughborough area. Further training opportunities to enhance your learning are provided throughout the year. You will have the opportunity to shadow workers as part of your induction.
What support will be provided to volunteers?
- You will have access to the Volunteer Coordinator and volunteers will be supported by staff at LWA.
- We hold monthly group supervision meetings to discuss volunteer development, wellbeing, and any other issues.
- There are opportunities to explore professional and personal development in regular 1-1 meetings.
- Volunteer emotional health is a priority – we will support you and the impact of the work you do will be managed through wellness action plans and supervision.
What commitment is required?
Ideally you need to be able to give a minimum of 4 hours a week on a regular basis for up to a year.
Are expenses paid?
Travel and other out-of-pocket expenses will be reimbursed to all volunteers.
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and References.
- All volunteers will be required to have a DBS certificate. LWA will manage this and send out applications by email when volunteers have completed their training. Volunteers will need three pieces of ID evidence to complete the DBS application.
- Volunteers are requested to provide contact details for a reference.
How do I apply?
Please download and complete our Volunteer Application Form and return this to: nicky@lwa.org.uk
Once we have received your application, we will invite you to one of our introductions days. The introduction days are online and offer a chance for you to come along and find out more about the volunteering opportunities within LWA, and are also an opportunity for us to get to know you a little better.
Following this, you will have a one-to-one informal interview with our Volunteer Coordinator who will discuss our volunteering roles further and assess whether you are suitable for the role. If suitable, you will be invited to start our induction and training process. You will be required to complete a DBS check and provide a reference before you commence your volunteer role.
Here’s what some of our volunteers have said about their experience:
“I had used LWA myself many years ago – they were truly amazing and supportive. Once I found myself again I decided that I would like to give back and help somebody else as, without the help I received, I’m not sure where I would be now. I can say I have enjoyed all my training and learning new skills in helping people. Everybody there is so kind and supportive and I’m so glad I made the choice to volunteer here.”
“Volunteering with LWA has expanded my skills, which aid in my current job as well as daily life. Engaging with people from different backgrounds and who have had different experiences has increased my people skills as well as confidence in being able to communicate with people who have gone through these experiences.”
“I feel very supported, particularly throughout the pandemic with extra check-in sessions being put in place to ensure our wellbeing is maintained.”
“Staff are approachable and always happy to help. They encourage me and frequently thank me for my contributions.”
