Peterborough Citizens Advice Bureau


Volunteering

How to get involved as a volunteer

There are over 20,000 volunteers in the CAB service and we always need new volunteers every year to help us meet the demand for advice. We have opportunities for people to train as volunteers in many roles such as: receptionists, information assistants, gateway assessors or interviewers, advisers, trustees, administrators, social policy campaigners, , provide IT support, fundraisers and more. With so many different roles available you should be able to find a way to get involved. 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.

The skills and knowledge needed for many of our volunteering roles are:
• Being open minded and non-judgmental
• An understanding of the importance of confidentiality
• The ability to use IT including databases
• The ability to work in a team
• Good communication skills
• The ability to read and write English with ability to interpret information
• Enjoy helping people
• Being a good listener
• The ability to do basic maths
• The ability to recognize your own limits and boundaries in any role
 

We have a variety of roles. Read more below, about what each role entails:

 

Gateway Assessors carry out the initial diagnosis of a client’s enquiry, identifying the ‘next steps’ and either providing some information, signposting to another agency/website or making an appointment for a Generalist or Specialist Advisor within the bureau.  If you are interested in this role please read the full details pdf document. Opens in a new window

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Reception staff are the public face of the CAB and the main link between the public and bureau. They welcome clients, helping them filling in forms, arrange appointments and provide information.

 

Information Assistants/Form Fillers help and support clients to use the kiosk in our waiting room to access the Citizens Advice Service website called Advice Guide, which contains lots of information on a wide range of subjects. They assist clients to find leaflets from our stock and can signpost clients to other agencies within Peterborough. The second part of this role is to help clients filling out welfare benefit forms, such as Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit, Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance.

 

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

 

Generalist Adviser is a varied role. Advisers will see members of the public by appointment after a Gateway Assessment to look deeper into their situation and give advice and options from our comprehensive electronic information system. Training for this role will only be offered after completion of a reasonable time as a Gateway Assessor.

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Trustee board member

All Citizens Advice Bureaux are independent charities, governed by their own board of trustees, who are ultimately responsible for the quality and range of the service. Day-to-day control is delegated to the bureau manager, but trustees set the overall direction and development of the bureau. Bureau trustee boards need people from all sections of the community with a wide range of different skills, experience and perspectives. Trustee boards tend to meet in the evenings, making this a flexible role, which trustees often fit around a full-time job. A full induction into the trustee board's role and responsibilities will be provided.

 

Administrator

Administrators ensure that bureau systems run smoothly. Good support is essential for the running of any organisation, and CAB is no different. There are many different administrative roles - we can match your skills and time available to the bureau's needs.

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Fundraiser

The Citizens Advice service is not a government agency, Peterborough CAB is a registered charity and as such, we are always seeking funds and people to help us to do so. We would welcome people who would be willing to write funding bids and applications. If this is a role that interests you and you think that you have something to offer, please get in touch.

 

IT support co-ordinator

The Citizens Advice 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.

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