Home Based Live Chat Volunteer

Family Lives was formed over forty years ago by volunteers with the aim of ensuring that all parents had somewhere to turn before they reach crisis point.

We know that the right support at the right time makes all the difference.

Family Lives provides targeted early intervention and crisis support to families who are struggling.

Our Mission: We build better family lives together.

Our Vision: Families should have access to active support and understanding.

Our Values: Trustworthy, Compassionate and Collaborative

Purpose of the role:

To be part of a flexible team providing empathic, caring and informed support to families, carers and others who use our services.

Live chat: is a free confidential service that is accessed via our website. Service users are offered emotional support, information and advice and guidance on a broad range of family issues.

The Benefits of Volunteering:             

Satisfaction in making a real and lasting difference to families who are struggling. An opportunity to develop experience for CV and references. Family Lives is committed to helping volunteers develop their own learning and development, gaining new skills, knowledge or work experience. Being part of a team of Family Lives volunteers and staff. Personal development. Opportunities to meet and interact with a wide range of people. Out of pocket expenses reimbursed to a maximum of £10 per session if working from a centre, Flexible hour.

Supervised by: The Shift Supervisor

Activities: The volunteer will be fully supervised, supported and trained to provide the following activities:

Provide emotional support to family members via our live chat service. Use the Family Lives support model and tools to provide an empathic response. Ensure that all service users receive a high-quality experience. Sign post users to other agencies for information and additional support. Complete conversation data records. Alert the shift supervisor to any difficult situations

General: Volunteers should be willing to:

Attend the relevant volunteer training. Maintain confidentiality and adhere to the other policies and procedures of the organisation. Participate in regular support, supervision meetings and learning sessions as agreed. Please note that all roles offered are subject to a satisfactory DBS being obtained, you will receive details of documentation required prior to your training and this must all be in no later than the second session of your training

For home-based volunteers only:

Volunteers will need a Laptop/PC, plug in headset with microphone, fast broadband and a private place to work from home. Volunteers need to be IT/PC literate and confident troubleshooting should they have technical difficulties.

Time: We would be looking for volunteers to commit to one four-hour shift per week, plus attending training and supervision.

Location: working remotely from home

You need to be a UK resident.

Supervision and Support:

Supervision during shifts, Debrief after every shift,1 to 1 supervision every 6 months, Staff available outside of shift within office hours. Annual review

Volunteer Person Specification. We are looking for individuals who:

Have experience of parenting/being in a parenting role or demonstrable experience of working with parents or children e.g. in their work, previous volunteering or a previous role. Have an ability to respond empathically to emotional content Good written and verbal communication. Have good keyboard skills and IT skills, with a minimum of 50 wpm. Can demonstrate a willingness to question their own attitudes e.g. toward different forms of parenting. Have a fluent, descriptive and expressive use of English. Can remain open minded and non-judgemental. Willing to commit to work within Family Lives’ policies, in particular our Confidentiality Policy and Risk of Harm Procedures. Willing to commit to attending regular supervision and support sessions. Willing to work as part of a team. Willing to commit to a mutually agreed period or ideally a 12 month’s commitment to the organisation.

Please contact us for a volunteer role description and application form.

Typing Task Prior to Application for Live Chat

Prior to you submitting your application for a Live Chat Volunteer, we will require you to do a speed test, we ask for a minimum speed of 55 words per minute.

Please take a screen shot and send it across with your application

You can have up to 3 attempts and decide which result you would like to forward as part of your application

Typing task

Go to the website: typingtest

You are required to take the one-minute typing test recording all of the results (speed, number of errors and adjusted speed).