Support and training

We have a wealth of support and training available for any volunteer who joins us, including regular one-to-ones, agreed volunteer expenses, a monthly volunteer newsletter, online learning platforms and much more.

For volunteering opportunities that involve supporting victims, witnesses and their families, we provide particularly comprehensive training to make sure that you’re equipped with the skills and information you need.

We believe training is a good investment of charity funds, but we do ask that you give serious consideration when applying for a support role that you’re able to volunteer with us for ideally a year or more, to help ensure we’ve invested those funds wisely.

Support

Volunteers are the lifeblood of our organisation. We invest a lot of time in supporting volunteers in the knowledge that a well-supported volunteer is a tremendous asset to our organisation and the people we help.

All our volunteers receive comprehensive inductions, training and ongoing support, including access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). Although volunteers aren’t employees, we still feel it’s important that you have access to a free helpline that can provide support and advice on a range of issues, including health and wellbeing, relationships, childcare and careers.

Find out how to apply to become one of our volunteers.

Training

Volunteers directly supporting people affected by crime are offered comprehensive training, through a mix of workshops, eLearning and one-to-one discussions. If you decide to volunteer in a support role, we’ll help you learn about:

  • the different types of crimes and ways that people are often affected
  • how the criminal justice system works
  • how to assess what kind of help and support people need
  • improving your communication skills
  • equal opportunities, diversity and confidentiality
  • dealing with difficult and inappropriate behaviour
  • how to claim compensation after a violent crime
  • the impact of crime on children
  • personal safety.

All these subjects are covered in your basic training. Once you’ve completed that, there are more specialist training opportunities for volunteers who want to focus on supporting victims of sexual and domestic abuse, hate crime, restorative justice, and for work with families of homicide victims or vulnerable and intimidated witnesses.

For other volunteering opportunities, your manager will organise all the training and support you need for your specific role. All our volunteers also have access to our eLearning website, which has a wide range of resources to help you develop skills to deliver your role.