Information for Volunteers...
Thinking about volunteering?
We are interested in people who are able to offer their time at least one day per week. Volunteers need to be flexible as witnesses may be required to come back to court the next day.
Skills Required
Volunteers need to have empathy, communication skills, a happy disposition, a caring attitude, be sensitive to people`s needs, confident, and well groomed. A good level of written and spoken English is necessary.
Benefits of Volunteering
Knowledge that volunteer has assisted clients through a traumatic experience and made it a little less confronting; becoming better acquainted with the court system; enjoying the company of like minded people volunteering for the agency.
About the training program...
Induction
Prior to commencing as a Court Support Assistant all volunteers undertake:
- A comprehensive induction and training programme, usually conducted each Friday over a seven-week time frame or for regional volunteers over five consecutive days (one week).
- Minimum of 15 hours court observation followed by a short written report of court observations including self-reflection.
- Supervised Court Support Work.
Prior to commencing as a Reception and Information Desk Assistant (R&IDA), all volunteers undertake one day training followed by on-the-job observation and training under the supervision of two R&IDA Volunteers.
Ongoing Training
- All volunteers are offered four days training per annum. Each Volunteer must attend at least 2 of these training days.
- Volunteers can access formal debriefing as required.
How many hours am I expected to volunteer?
We are flexible about the number of days per month that a Volunteer works. Some volunteers work 1 day per week, and others fortnightly. We like Volunteers to be able to commit to working for 12 months given the level of training provided. However it is recognised that individual circumstances can mean that in some cases this is not possible.What will I be doing when I volunteer?
The main roles of the Volunteer are:
- To inform victims and witnesses of crime (the clients) of their rights under the Charter of Victims’ Rights (Victims Rights Act 1996) and to assist in making sure that clients’ rights are upheld.
- To inform, support, and prepare victims and witnesses (clients) of crime for the unfamiliar environment of the Court.
- To explain to the client the role of a witness.
- To assist clients by demystifying court procedures and legal terminology.
- To inform the client of the consequences of contamination of evidence.
- To inform and refer clients to services such as, LawAccess, Lifeline, Victims’ Services, Salvation Army and various other agencies.
- To accompany your client into the court and if required, to stay in court whilst your client gives evidence.
- If relevant, assist your client with a Victim Impact Statement.
How many Volunteers do we have?
VWCCS presently has 108 volunteers.