Remote Family Support Worker Volunteer National Helpline
Family Lives
Family Lives operate a free confidential helpline for anyone experiencing difficulties in their family or relationship.
Our volunteers take calls from parents and carers on a wide range of subjects, whether that might be issues around separation and divorce, isolation, depression, bullying and abuse, dealing with behavioural problems, etc. You can find out more about our services on our website. We are a national service with home-based call takers county wide and a call centre in Old Hatfield Hertfordshire. Once trained volunteers sign up for a weekly 4-hour shift comprising 3 hours ‘online’ followed by a debrief session with your supervisor which can lasts around half to one hour. We recruit volunteers with a range of backgrounds and experiences though we ask that volunteers have experience of parenting or working with children and young people, are good listeners and have a willingness to learn. Being remote it will be very important that you have a PC/laptop, headset, good Wi-Fi and a private place to work from home. You need to be a UK resident. Our training programme is excellent and will give you the opportunity to develop the skills needed to offer empathic support and guidance to callers whatever their circumstances; all shifts are overseen by a regular shift supervisor who provides ongoing remote support. We ask our volunteers to make a commitment of 1 year (with time off for holidays), obviously we understand that circumstances sometimes make that an impossibility but can be helpful to know at the outset that is the general expectation. We have call taker training sessions that run over five sessions and is done remotely connecting you via a Microsoft Teams link. You would need to be able to attend all five sessions and be available on four occasions to listen into calls, this can be organised remotely. Our next remote call taker training dates: Module 1 – Wednesday 12th March Module 2 – Wednesday 19th March Module 3 – Wednesday 26th March Module 4 – Wednesday 2nd April Module 5 – Wednesday 9th April 10am to 2pm Or Module 1 - Saturday 8th March Module 2 - Saturday 15th March Module 3 - Saturday 22nd March Module 4 - Saturday 29th March Module 5 - Saturday 12th April 10am to 2pm
Advice, Information & Support,Support Work
Basic IT skills - internet & email, Counselling, Communication, Teamwork
Volunteer Person Specification: We are looking for individuals who: • Have experience of parenting/being in a parenting role or demonstrable experience of working with parents or children e.g. in their work, previous volunteering or a previous role • Have an ability to respond empathically to emotional content • Good written and verbal communication • Have good keyboard skills and IT skills • Can demonstrate a willingness to question their own attitudes e.g. toward different forms of parenting • Have a fluent, descriptive and expressive use of English • Can remain open minded and non-judgemental • Willing to commit to work within Family Lives’ policies, in particular our Confidentiality Policy and Risk of Harm Procedures • Willing to commit to attending regular support sessions • Willing to work as part of a team • Willing to commit to a mutually agreed period or ideally a 12 months commitment to the organisation
The Benefits of Volunteering: • Satisfaction in making a real and lasting difference to families who are struggling • An opportunity to develop experience for CV and references. Family Lives is committed to helping volunteers develop their own learning and development, gaining new skills, knowledge or work experience • Being part of a team of Family Lives volunteers and staff • Personal development • Opportunities to meet and interact with a wide range of people • Out of pocket expenses reimbursed to a maximum of £10 per session • Flexible hours
Minimum of 4 hours per week Next Remote Training sessions: Wednesday 11th June,18th June , 25th June , 2nd July, 9th July 2025 10am -2pm
AL9 5AD
The Annex, York House, Salisbury Square,
N/A
10
