General overview of role
Citizens Advice County Durham are looking for volunteers to support our Adviceline. We are part of a national dedicated helpline where clients call for help and advice in finding their way forward. We are looking for a team of dedicated volunteers who will work remotely to assist in answering calls from our community.
Do you have good listening skills and want to help people find their way forward?
Role description:
As an Adviceline Telephone Assessor you would:
• be the first point of access for Citizens Advice clients when they call our helpline
• help with a wide range of problems and issues by giving information from our Citizens Advice online information system or referring them to more specialist advice where needed
• keep records of all our clients cases on the database
• help prevent future problems for wider society by identifying issues that affect a lot of our clients
You don't need specific qualifications or experience to train for the role. You need to:
• be good at listening skills
• able to speak English fluently
• be able to show empathy
• be able to remain calm and impartial
• have a positive telephone manner
• be confident or familiar with keyboard skills, including searching the internet
• be confident inputting data
• be open minded and not be judgemental
• enjoy helping people
• Volunteers will need to be able to work remotely from their home residence in a private room that will enable confidentiality to be upheld when speaking to clients
• Due to working remotely, your own personal IT equipment will need to be utilised
• Full remote support is available at all times
Training and support:
• A comprehensive training programme will be provided
• The training programme will take up to 16 weeks to complete (based on a time commitment of 6 hours per week)
• Ongoing training, support and guidance will be provided by a qualified Supervisor in all aspects of providing the Adviceline service
• Attend team meetings and any other training workshops as necessary
Commitment
Citizens Advice County Durham would require all volunteers to:
• give a time commitment to provide volunteer support for a minimum of 6 hours per week (this can be done in two slots of 3 hours per week).
• on completion of training we would request a minimum commitment of 6 months active volunteering in this role
Expenses:
Travelling to and from any site office is not anticipated as this role would entail working remotely from home. However should there be any future need for a volunteer to travel to the local CACD site office:
• mileage expenses will be paid at the rate of 40p per mile
• the cost of using public transport will be reimbursed monthly in arrears on the production of valid receipt/ticket
• Learn new skills that could enhance employment opportunities
• Training opportunities to add to your skills set
• Become part of our team and meet new people
• Support from a team of experienced staff and managers
• Recognition of your valued work
• Be part of providing a valued service to our communities
At Citizens Advice County Durham we are concerned about how the impact of Covid is affecting all members of the public and we are determined to provide an excellent service to those people who need our help and support in these worrying times. As such we have created this exciting new opportunity to enable new volunteer recruits to work remotely from home in a safe environment, whilst at the same time supporting CACD in providing its valuable service to members of the public. As well as making a real difference to people’s lives, volunteering with us can help you gain a wider range of skills, a new sense of purpose and wellbeing, and offer you the opportunity to become part of our friendly and welcoming team of staff and volunteers here at Citizens Advice County Durham.
Recognition of Quality Volunteer Experience
