Promoting equality and diversity in volunteering

Last Updated: 23.01.2011

Valuing diversity, promoting equality and challenging discrimination are enshrined in the principles of the Citizens Advice Bureau's service.

The Citizens Advice service practices and promotes equality of opportunity in volunteering. That means we make sure that all potential volunteers, whatever they have to offer, will be welcomed. The selection process is undertaken by staff trained in equality and diversity. It is 100 per cent focused on finding a match between the volunteer roles available and the applicant's skills, qualities and interests.

Helping the wider community

North Ayrshire is a diverse, multi-ethnic community and The North Ayrshire Citizens Advice Service is committed to delivering advice and information services to all members of our community.

We are keen to recruit volunteers from ethnic minorities that live in the North Ayrshire area to reach the wider community. We recognise the diversity of our communities and we aim to provide flexible and inclusive services to ensure we reach as many people as possible.

Our objective is to provide an inclusive advice and information service to support local people from the Ethnic Minority Communities in order to:

• Improve access to advice and information
• Improve access to rights on welfare benefits, employment, housing and other issues.
• Provide advice and support to existing groups
• Provide access to information on public services
• Research the needs of community groups
• Promote supporting networks and other support agencies
• Increase the involvement of these communities in local issues

Volunteering with a disability

North Ayrshire Citizens Advice Service is an inclusive organisation and we welcome people of all abilities and disabilities. We recruit and support disabled people in North Ayrshire to be volunteers and find opportunities for them to capitalise on their skills and interests for the benefit of others, meet new friends and play a valued role in society. We strive to meet any additional needs of disabled staff, arising either directly or indirectly out of their volunteer work.

Our aim is to enable all our volunteers to make their distinctive contribution to the benefit of our clients. Disabled volunteers are given full and fair consideration in all available training and networking opportunities relating to their role.

Training

Disabled volunteers are given full and fair consideration in all available training and networking relating to their volunteering role. The recruitment and selection process is undertaken by appropriately trained staff and aims to offer information to assess whether the volunteer opportunities available match the potential volunteer's skills, qualities and needs.

Will volunteering affect my benefits?

You can still volunteer and continue to claim benefits such as:

• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Severe Disablement Allowance
• Incapacity Benefit
• Housing Benefit
• Job Seekers' Allowance (JSA)
• Employment Support Allowance

However, you need to be aware of certain restrictions. If in doubt, check with a disability adviser at the Job Centre Plus where you receive your benefits.

Download Volunteering while getting benefits for more information.

Raising awareness of the issues disabled people face

Volunteering offers you the chance to develop new skills, meet new people, and develop the confidence to progress into further education, employment or training, or simply have fun! 

It also provides an opportunity for you to contribute to improving things locally and helps promote an awareness of the issues disabled people face in our community.

Volunteering can offer lots of personal rewards and fulfilment and we are sure you will find the right role to suit you within The North Ayrshire Citizens Advice Service.

Senior volunteers

You have a lifetime's worth of skills, knowledge and abilities that are of tremendous benefit to us and the people in the local community. We are keen to hear from you as you bring maturity and experience gained from both inside and outside the workplace, patience and understanding and skills built up through many years of life and work. Your ability to relate to people and engage with a much broader cross-section of people through experience can help us to deliver the professional information and advice services we provide.

If you are looking for a change in direction for your final years of working, retired or looking for a fresh new challenge, join us now and put your valuable skills and experience to use.

Young volunteers developing our future

The North Ayrshire Citizens Advice Service always welcome enquiries from young people aged 18-25 interested in getting involved with us. We want your:

• energy and enthusiasm
• skills and talent in areas such as IT, media and web development.
• inspiration and new, fresh ideas.
• help to attract other young people into the service.
• commitment to ensure our sustainability.

What we can do for you

When you volunteer for a North Ayrshire Citizens Advice Bureau we support young people to build on their interests, promote personal development and make a difference to the community at the same time.

Through the course of your voluntary work, you will gain valuable skills and experience that can you can make use of in the workplace, such as team-working, decision making and communication.

These are just some of the ways you can benefit.

• You could build your confidence & self-esteem
• Gain friends & have fun
• Try something different & gain valuable experience
• Feel part of your local community
• Get a chance to express yourself and your ideas
• Help you enter college or university
• Take advantage of training opportunities
• Help you change direction & learn new skills
• It's a great addition to your CV

Volunteering for all

Within the North Ayrshire Citizens Advice Service network, equal opportunity in volunteering means offering access and equivalent treatment to our volunteers across the whole range of our voluntary recruitment practices. Our aim is to enable all our volunteers to make their distinctive contributions to the benefit of the people who use our service. The Citizens Advice service is determined to develop a working culture that is fair and inclusive.

We regularly review the effect of our volunteer recruitment practices to make sure that they accord with our equality and diversity policy. We encourage our volunteers and staff to welcome diversity, to respect the individuality of each person and value their contributions.

Our commitment to you

The Citizens Advice service is committed to providing a supportive and inclusive culture for our volunteers. We recognise the positive value of diversity, promote equality and fairness, and challenge discrimination. Volunteers contribute significantly to the diversity of our service and can expect to be treated fairly, with dignity and respect and without discrimination. We are committed to developing a working environment that will enable all people to gain the appropriate skills and become a valued volunteer within the service.

What you can expect from a North Ayrshire Citizens Advice Bureau

The Citizens Advice service practices and promotes the equality of opportunity in volunteer recruitment and training. We have committed to and continuously strive to meet the needs of all staff in performing their duties for us. Citizens Advice Bureaux work hard to create an open and welcoming volunteering environment that values and respects your individuality.

Get involved and help us reach the wider community

If you would like to know more about volunteering for a North Ayrshire Citizens Advice Bureau, or would like to apply to become a volunteer get in touch now. You can find our contact details at the bottom of the page, our hours of business can be found on our opening hours page, alternatively, you can register your interest by emailing us via our contact us page and choosing “Volunteer” from the Subject box.