Volunteering roles and opportunities within a North Ayrshire Citizens Advice Bureau

Last Updated: 23.01.2011

Volunteering with us is a great way to pick up skills, make friends and feel part of an enthusiastic team. It's not just worthwhile, volunteering can also be fantastic fun and hugely rewarding.

With so many different roles available you should be able to find something to suit you. There is training and ongoing support provided for every role. Find out more about what is involved if you join the world's largest advice network.

Getting involved and volunteering.

All sorts of people volunteer for many different reasons, but what unites them all, is that they find it challenging, rewarding and varied. Volunteering provides an opportunity to learn new skills and to develop existing ones. Citizens Advice Bureau adviser training is respected and valued throughout the advice sector.

Each of the roles that you can volunteer for will enable you to develop specific expertise. For example, you might improve your IT and organisational skills as an administrator, or learn how to deal with the media and develop research skills as a social policy worker.

In any of the roles, you will develop your skills in a number of valuable areas, like communication and dealing with the public, as well as increasing your self-confidence through practical hands-on experience. There are opportunities for everyone to develop and you never stop learning!

It's also a chance to put the skills and experience that you already have to good use by helping others. We need people of all ages and backgrounds. If you are interested, you will need to go through a formal recruitment process and if you are successful you will undertake the Citizens Advice Bureau training programme.

The roles available within a North Ayrshire Citizens Advice Bureau

The North Ayrshire Citizen Advice Service welcomes volunteers from all sections of the community. Volunteer roles include advisers, fundraisers and administrators. We provide full training and support in the voluntary role that you undertake. Read on and find out more about the roles and opportunities that are available within a North Ayrshire Citizens Advice Bureau.

Generalist Adviser

Being an adviser is a very varied role. As an adviser you will:

• Interview clients at drop-in sessions and appointments in the bureau, over the phone and at outreach sessions.
• Give information from the Citizens Advice Bureau electronic information system and other sources.
• Give advice in explaining the choices and consequences the client faces.
• Give practical help by writing letters, making telephone calls, completing forms, doing basic calculations for clients
• Refer clients to other agencies if they are better placed to help
• Keep records on computer of all clients' cases
• Prevent future problems by identifying common issues that affect many clients.

Qualifications and Experience

You don't need any particular qualifications or experience to train as an adviser. All sorts of people are Citizens Advice Bureau advisers. You need to:

• Be good at listening.
• Be able to work in a team.
• Be able to read and write English.
• Be able to do basic maths.
• Be open-minded and non-judgemental.
• Enjoy helping people.

Administrator

Administrators ensure that bureau systems run smoothly. Good support is essential for the running of any organisation, and a Citizens Advice Bureau is no different.

There are many different administrative roles and we will try to match your skills and time available to the bureau's needs.

Tasks can include:

• Filing and photocopying.
• Using a word processing package, spread sheets, and databases.
• Developing and maintaining administrative systems.
• Stock control of leaflets and materials and updating information.
• Helping to arrange events.
• Receiving and sending faxes, mail, email and telephone calls.
• Taking notes and minutes at meetings.

Employment Advice Worker

Employment advice workers offer advice and guidance to members of the public on a wide range of employment issues including:

• low pay
• constructive dismissal
• disciplinary procedures
• redundancies
• equal opportunities
• employment policies
• other employment rights issues.

Fundraisers

The North Ayrshire Citizens Advice Service is a registered charity reliant on money from local authorities, companies, charitable trusts and individuals therefore it is essential we try to raise funds to help run our Citizens Advice Bureau services.

In your role as a fundraiser you might:

• work with the bureau treasurer or other trustees to meet fundraising objectives
• help with researching fundraising opportunities
• organise fundraising events
• put together presentations to give to potential sponsors

IT Support Coordinator

The Citizens Advice Bureau Service is increasingly taking advantage of developments in IT. As an IT support volunteer you may be involved in a variety of areas, depending on your skills and the time you have available.

Some tasks may involve:

• Supporting and training users in day-to-day use of IT systems.
• Troubleshooting hardware and software problems.
• Maintaining and developing networks.
• Designing spreadsheets and databases.
• Updating and maintaining this website.

Money Advice Worker

With the rise in consumer credit and the current economic climate debt is one of our largest areas of work.  We currently have roles for specialist advisers to work exclusively within the area of money advice.  The role of money advice takes all of the elements of generalist adviser and takes them forward with additional training and support to enable volunteers to contribute to the Money Advice Service.

You will assist individuals and families to deal with poverty related issues affecting their lives to provide a money advice income maximising and debt rescheduling service.

PR and marketing

PR and marketing volunteers raise the profile of the North Ayrshire Citizens Advice Service in the local community to attract funding, recruit volunteers, promote local and national Citizens Advice Bureau campaigns and to ensure that potential clients know how to access our services. As a PR and marketing volunteer you would:

• produce promotional materials to use locally
• tailor press releases issued by the national Citizens Advice press office to use locally
• build relationships with the local media outlets and "sell in" stories
• seek coverage for your bureau's work in local papers and on TV and radio
• identify case studies of clients or volunteers who would be willing to talk to the media
• write copy for your bureau website, newsletter and social networking pages.
• be trained to be a local media spokesperson
• arrange events, displays and talks to promote the bureau
• identify opportunities for your bureau to get involved in our annual Advice Week or other national events such as Volunteers Week.

Social Policy Worker

Social Policy Co-ordinators, use information from problems brought to the bureau by clients to help bring about real change by influencing local and national policy. This is a flexible role, which can sometimes be partly carried out away from the bureau and outside opening hours. It can involve:

• completing and collating evidence forms that record information about the problems clients experience
• identifying and raising issues in the bureau and at meetings
• training staff and volunteers in spotting particular issues and completing evidence forms
• conducting research and writing reports on local issues
• media campaigning and liaising with other bureaux and agencies to provide a voice for clients.

Trustee Board Members

Trustee board members are responsible for the governance and effective management of the bureau. Members attend at least one meeting per month where you will be expected to participate in decisions on strategic management, business and financial planning and resource maintenance.

As an independent charity, The North Ayrshire Citizens Advice Service is governed by a Board of Trustees whose members come from all sections of the community with a wide range of different skills, experience and perspectives. The Board is responsible for:

• setting the strategic direction for the service
• business and financial planning
• ensuring the service is adequately funded and has the necessary resources
• maintaining a high quality standard of service to our clients
• promoting public awareness of the service as providers of high quality advice

Welfare Rights Adviser

Welfare Rights Advisers are specialised workers, advising clients on benefits, including housing benefits and tax credits, to make sure they receive their full entitlement. They work directly with the public and work may include making an assessment of a client's situation, answering questions and giving advice on social security and tax credits and helping people to fill in forms to apply for benefits and/or tax or pension credits.

Make a difference and volunteer

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.