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Support Volunteers
Help our staff to provide the very best support services we can
Help us to help others!
Our support volunteers are crucial members of our support services team, helping our Recovery Practitioner staff in providing various mental health support services. As a support volunteer, you’ll help us to deliver our core in-person services, including support groups, courses and workshops, and other outreach and feedback sessions. The role of a Devon Mind support volunteer is varied, but can include any combination of the following:
Helping our Recovery Practitioners to facilitate one of our regular themed support groups
Assisting our Recovery Practitioners with the delivery of content on a course or workshop
Meeting and greeting service users attending a group or course and providing refreshments
Providing reception and administrative assistance, including answering our main phone line
Collecting and/or compiling feedback from our service users on the services they have used
Once you’ve completed our volunteer onboarding process, we’ll work closely with you to identify the role(s) to which you may be best suited.
Training, support and development:
As part of your role as a Devon Mind support volunteer, we will provide you with a full induction as well as ongoing training and development opportunities. We recognise the importance and the skills of our support volunteers, so our team will support you as closely as possible in order to maximise the value you gain from being a volunteer. Below is an outline of the volunteer signup process and what you can expect from us:
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The first thing you'll need to do is fill out a volunteer application form. You can find this by clicking on the 'Register your interest' button for one of the volunteer information sessions below and completing the form.
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Once you've submitted your volunteer application form, please attend the volunteer information session you have selected. This session will provide an introduction to all the exciting new roles available to support volunteers, as well as an opportunity for you to discuss the roles with our team and raise any questions or concerns you might have.
Please note: Every support volunteer must attend a volunteer information session. By attending a volunteer information session, you are not obligated to proceed with volunteering — it is merely an opportunity to find out more about the programme. Equally, attendance at a session does not guarantee that you will be invited to join the programme.
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After your volunteer information session, our team will get in touch to discuss whether becoming a support volunteer is right for you. If it is, we will start the process of onboarding you, beginning with your DBS check (free).
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Once you're on board as a support volunteer, we'll provide you with all the training you need to give you the confidence and knowledge to help us with our mental health support services. Our team will give you all the details of your training programme and further development opportunities as part of your onboarding and induction process.
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During your onboarding, we'll work with you closely to find out what kind of role(s) you might like to hold as a support volunteer, and what we think you might be best suited for. At this point, we'll find the right fit for you from our current groups, courses, and other programmes. All support volunteers will be evaluated and supported on an ongoing basis.
How to get involved
If you would like to enquire about becoming a Devon Mind support volunteer, the first step is to attend one of our upcoming volunteer information sessions. These sessions will provide an introduction to all the exciting new roles available to support volunteers, as well as an opportunity for you to discuss the roles with our team and raise any questions or concerns you might have. Every support volunteer must attend an information session.
Please note: By attending a volunteer information session, you are not obligated to proceed with volunteering — it is merely an opportunity to find out more about the programme. Equally, attendance at a session does not guarantee that you will be invited to join the programme.
Upcoming volunteer information sessions:
Sorry, there are no upcoming volunteer information sessions. Please register your details below and we will email you when new sessions are available.
We are currently looking for potential Support Volunteers in the North Devon area, including Barnstaple, Bideford, South Molton, Ilfracombe and Great Torrington. In addition to the Information Session above, you will also need to be able to attend the following training sessions:
Training session 1: Monday 10 July 2023, 4:00 — 5:30pm (via Microsoft Teams)
Training session 2: Tuesday 11 July 2023, 4:00 — 5:30pm (via Microsoft Teams)
Training session 3: Monday 17 July 2023, 4:00 — 5:30pm (via Microsoft Teams)
If you would like to register your interest in this opportunity, please complete the form below:
No dates available?
If there are no support volunteer information sessions above, or none of the listed session dates work for you, please fill out the form below and we’ll contact you when more are available.