Support Line Volunteer

Children 1st
VO101803

Are you caring, non-judgmental, empathetic and passionate about supporting others? Can you commit to our training course and give a little of your time each week to support families across Scotland If so, please get in touch - we’d love to hear from you.

Children First is Scotland’s national children’s charity. We stand up for children, keep them safe and support them to recover from trauma and abuse through our national and local services.

Volunteering for the Children First support line is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of children and families across Scotland. From mental health, money worries and online harm to struggles at school, our support line offers emotional, practical and financial support to any family in Scotland. We listen and support anyone who has concerns about a child’s wellbeing and help them to work through what is best for the child.

As a Support Line Volunteer, you would provide emotional and practical support and advice to adults by phone, webchat and email giving them time to talk through any worries about children. Offering a kind and skilled listening ear you would build supportive relationships and work in partnership with Support Line Supervisors to ensure that the safety and wellbeing of children is a central focus of all contacts. As every family is different you would work alongside individuals to think through what would work best for them and their children and work with them to provide the support they need.

You will become part of a friendly, supportive team where trained staff are always on hand to provide support and guidance. Our volunteers tell us that they develop lifelong skills and gain practical experience which are valuable to them in many different ways.

“I would say if you’re thinking about volunteering, just go for it. Everyone has something to bring, and it can lead you to places that you might not have thought about or even thought possible.” (Support Line Volunteer)

Experience required

A caring, kind and non-judgemental response can make a real difference to someone who wants to talk. No previous experience or formal qualifications are necessary however good communication skills are essential to enable you to listen to and support those who contact the Children First support line.

Travel details

Volunteering takes place at the Children First Edinburgh office.

Travel expenses

We reimburse reasonable out-of-pocket expenses for travel and costs incurred as part of the volunteering role in line with our volunteer expenses policy.

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Training details

We provide a comprehensive introductory training course that will equip you with the skills and knowledge that you need. Our next training course will start in January 2025 and will run on the following dates:
• Sat 18th Jan 9.30am-4.30pm
• Sat 25th Jan – 9.30am-4.30pm
• Sat 1st Feb – 9.30am-4.30pm
• Weds 5th Feb – 5.30pm-9.00pm
• Weds 12th Feb – 5.30pm-9.00pm

Training sessions will take place at our office: 83 Whitehouse Loan, Edinburgh, EH9 1AT.

We provide all of our volunteers with ongoing support and opportunities to develop in the role

Restrictions

Minimum age: 18

Availability

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Frequency & commitment

The support line is open Monday-Friday 9am-9pm and 9am-12 noon Saturday and Sunday throughout the year. On completion of training, we ask our volunteers to give a weekly commitment of around 4 hours for a minimum of a year. There are a range of options for days/times based at the Children First Edinburgh office.