How to Volunteer

We are currently recruiting for Receptionists, Call Receptionists
and Form Fillers.

For details, please see further down this page or download the poster for each role. The posters are pdf documents, which open in a new window:

Why we need your help

As an independent local charity most of the work at Cambridge CAB is carried out by highly trained volunteers. Without this support we would cease to function, as over 80% of our workforce are volunteers.

The aim of the Citizens' Advice Bureaux is:
"to ensure that individuals do not suffer through lack of knowledge of their rights and responsibilities or of the services available to them, or through an inability to express their needs effectively and equally: to exercise a responsible influence on the development of social policies and services both locally and nationally."

We assist some of the most deprived people within the community, by giving them the information and tools needed to manage their problems; working in the areas of debt, benefits, employment, relationships, consumer and legal issues, to name but a few.

How you can help

Here at the Cambridge Bureau we have several ways in which individuals can volunteer, depending on the experience they are looking for and the amount of time they can commit to. These include Advising, Reception, Database Administration, ICT User Support, Admin Support, Social Policy Research, Call Reception, Form Filling, becoming a Trustee and Fundraising.

Contacting Cambridge CAB

If you are interested in any of the volunteer opportunities please either fill in the on-line form or contact Sandra Collins on 01223 222664. Alternatively, you can email her.

Bureau Induction Days

All our volunteers and staff undergo an induction day which is run every two weeks. This is an introduction to Cambridge Bureau and what we are about. It also gives you a better insight into the opportunities for volunteering and what each role entails. There is a tour of the premises and a chance to meet others who volunteer their time here.

Screening

As the work at CAB often involves contact with vulnerable people or access to personal information on vulnerable people we ask all our staff and volunteers to be screened by the Criminal Records Bureau.
A criminal record will not necessarily be a bar to working at Cambridge CAB.

Roles

Adviser

This is one of the most rewarding volunteer opportunities, where you will be dealing directly with the public, helping them to solve their problems.

All our advisers receive professional training and gain invaluable experience in advice work. However it is also one of the most time intensive volunteer roles. The training course takes 6 months and requires 1 day a week in a Advising class environment plus two modules which need to be completed by the trainee adviser at home, plus ½ day a week on work experience in different areas of the bureau.

After completing the course you will work with an experienced adviser, gaining skill in giving advice, and will need to complete 2 further training modules in your own time at home.

It usually takes about 9+ months to become a fully qualified adviser, after which we would hope each adviser is able to commit to 2 sessions a week (a session being 9.30am to 1pm or 1pm to 4.30pm during weekdays) plus 3 Saturday mornings in a year.

Courses are held twice a year and usually start in January and September. They get booked up very quickly in advance so if you are interested in becoming an adviser please contact us sooner rather than later.

This is an ideal volunteer opportunity for those looking to develop their people skills. Working on reception, you are the first person our clients see and as such you must represent the ideals of Citizen Advice; that of free, independent, impartial and confidential advice.

Our doors are open to everyone, regardless of gender, race, age or religious beliefs. Many of our clients are emotional or upset when they Reception at Cambridge CAB

come to see us and as the receptionist you must greet each of them as equals and be empathetic to their feelings and their needs.

Although full training is given and all new receptionists spend time sitting with experienced receptionists to become familiar with the role, you will need good people and communication skills, lots of patience and be able to help clients face-to-face and over the phone.

You will also need to have computer skills as our appointments and information systems are electronically held.

Receptionists usually work in pairs with one taking main responsibility for entering clients registration data onto the system (or searching for the details of existing clients). The other will meet and greet clients, take phone calls and liaise with the advisers and Duty Workers over appointments and other matters. Some functions are carried out by both, depending on how busy the office is.

If you think you have the skills or the ability to fit in, given some training, please Get in touch.

Most receptionists give us half a day per week, but more is always welcome.

All advice given out by our advisers is recorded onto a database. Each client is given a unique reference number and any issue that they raise with Cambridge Citizens’ Advice is recorded under this number.

Information is recorded in this way because many clients need to visit our bureau two or more times before resolving fully their concerns. The electronic records give us visibility of what advice has been given so that the client does not have to explain the issue all over again when revisiting.

Clients can have full access to their own files, but otherwise the information kept in them is totally confidential.

We have a number of volunteers who work on administrating this database. This is a great opportunity for those seeking to advance their ICT skills. It also requires less commitment than some of the other roles and would suit someone who is looking to work intermittently and cannot commit to a specific time each week.

Database administration includes data entry for advisers unable to use the PCs due to health problems; scanning and attachment of external documents brought in by the clients, and data correction where individuals or issues have been double entered.

With 170+ workers, both volunteers and employees, accessing our network here at the Cambridge Office and at our outreaches in Addenbrookes, Girton, Sawston and Fulbourn, ICT support is an important function.

We have full time staff employed in managing the network; however they rely heavily on volunteers for user support. This is a great opportunity for those seeking to gain valid ICT experience. You do not need to be an expert in networking, but you do need to be confident with PCs and happy working within a windows environment. Our ICT volunteers provide real support for some of our users who are less confident using PCs.

We would also be interested in hearing from individuals who have experience of working with Local Area Networks & Enterprise Networking, using Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Exchange, particularly in conjunction with Terminal Services or Citrix.

Likewise for individuals with experience of database design and creation, particularly using either Microsoft Access and/or Microsoft Outlook 2000.

Like any busy office we always have general administrative functions that need to be supported.

Our Admin Support volunteers work with finance, operations and HR staff as well as the company CEO, providing help with writing letters, doing mail outs, putting together publicity material, preparing presentations, researching material on the internet and dealing with the never ending filing pile, amongst other things.

Like most work places these days, Cambridge Citizens' Advice is a vibrant and fast paced environment, but we pride ourselves on the friendly and open nature of our staff, which makes this a great place to work.

This opportunity would suit someone who wants to do some volunteer work but cannot commit to too much time. Maybe you are coming back to work after a period spent out of work and are looking for some experience to get used to an office environment again. Please contact us if you would like to get involved.

We need volunteers who are able to join our team to help with co-ordinating our social policy work, taking on research, helping with surveys (putting them together and collating the results), checking the local press etc for new issues and preparing responses, briefing advisers and staff to look out for particular issues, preparing update information for the website.

Like the main receptionists you will need good communication skills for this role.

The function of Call Receptionists is to answer incoming calls to our advice line. The job is not to give advice but to take down details of a query in order that an experienced adviser can call back later with the information/advice required.

You obviously need to be comfortable talking to people on the phone and if possible, able to log client details onto our electronic recording system.

Call receptionists usually work as part of a pair and most offer us half a day per week, although more is always welcome. We would be able to train any suitable candidates that did not have the necessary skills initially.

Not as boring as it sounds!

CAB is trying to create a ‘pool’ of form fillers who will work by an appointment system.

Primarily they will work with clients on applications for things like Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Attendance Allowance (AA), Income Support (IS), Housing and Council Tax Benefits, the new Employment Support Allowance. This list is not exhaustive and it is possible that we may extend it depending on client demand.

Training will consist of 2 half days followed by observed/supported client interviews until we/you feel confident to go solo. (All clients will have been pre-assessed before they get to the form filling appointment.)

The bureau is a charitable company, limited by guarantee, incorporated on 26 April 1996 and registered as a charity on 13 June 1996. The company is established under a Memorandum of Association which identifies its objects and powers and is governed under its Articles of Association.

The trustees are also directors for the purposes of the Companies Act and they exercise overall responsibility for the strategic direction, organisational policy and planning, finance and decision making of the organisation.

There are some limitations on becoming a trustee but, please get in touch if you think you would be a suitable candidate.

The Citizens' Advice Bureaux is a registered charity and relies totally on funding. Part of this funding is provided by the Community Development Council, which is constantly under threat of cuts. As such, more and more, we’re having to look towards private funding to meet the growing needs of the Cambridge Citizens' Advice Bureau.

Cambridge City is considered an affluent area to live in and therefore tends to be excluded from many national funds, which focus on more undeveloped and deprived areas of the country. However Citizens’ Advice is more than an organisation that caters only to the deprived and vulnerable. Our doors are open to everyone. We help people manage major change in their lives, and at some point everyone in the adult population could need the help of a Citizens’ Advice Bureau.

a) One-off fund raising for specific projects (e.g. We need to move into larger premises and are currently raising funds to purchase a long term lease, rather than sign a rental contract. These new premises would also act as an Advice Hub to our outreach work and provide space for other charitable organisations, which link into the work done by Citizens' Advice).

There are a number of project specific funds which could be targeted for this use and volunteers also arrange charitable fund raising events.

b) Sustainable funding, to fund the yearly costs of running the bureau. This would include targeting public, private and corporate funds and encouraging private individuals to make monthly contributions by standing order/direct debit.

This work is vital to keep Cambridge Citizens' Advice Bureau running and, as a volunteer fund-raiser, you would work closely with our CEO to ensure a co-ordinated approach to our fundraising activities and an accurate representation of Citizens' Advice Bureaux.

Targeting public and private funds can be a complex process with several stages of acceptance. Due to the complexity of this work we ask that people looking to volunteer in this area have some experience of either fundraising or sales and marketing. This is one of the few volunteer opportunities which can be supported through home working.

If you do not have any previous experience in this area but wish to get involved you can do so by joining The Friends of CAB. This is a group of individuals who promote the image of CAB in Cambridge and run social fund raising activities for the bureau.

Please contact us, with some details of your experience, if you are interested in fundraising for us.

Home l skip menu How to find advice l Our campaigns l Make a donation l How to volunteer Find a solicitor l FLAG (Free Legal Advice Group) l l About us Training hub l What's new? l l Accessibility l Feedback l Privacy policy l Website contents			How to Volunteer We are currently recruiting for Receptionists, Call Receptionists and Form Fillers. For details, please see further down this page or download the poster for each role. The posters are pdf documents, which open in a new window: Receptionist poster Call Receptionist poster Form Filler poster How to apply poster Why we need your help As an independent local charity most of the work at Cambridge CAB is carried out by highly trained volunteers. Without this support we would cease to function, as over 80% of our workforce are volunteers. The aim of the Citizens' Advice Bureaux is: "to ensure that individuals do not suffer through lack of knowledge of their rights and responsibilities or of the services available to them, or through an inability to express their needs effectively and equally: to exercise a responsible influence on the development of social policies and services both locally and nationally." We assist some of the most deprived people within the community, by giving them the information and tools needed to manage their problems; working in the areas of debt, benefits, employment, relationships, consumer and legal issues, to name but a few. How you can help Here at the Cambridge Bureau we have several ways in which individuals can volunteer, depending on the experience they are looking for and the amount of time they can commit to. These include Advising, Reception, Database Administration, ICT User Support, Admin Support, Social Policy Research, Call Reception, Form Filling, becoming a Trustee and Fundraising. Contacting Cambridge CAB If you are interested in any of the volunteer opportunities please either fill in the on-line form or contact Sandra Collins on 01223 222664. Alternatively, you can email her. Bureau Induction Days All our volunteers and staff undergo an induction day which is run every two weeks. This is an introduction to Cambridge Bureau and what we are about. It also gives you a better insight into the opportunities for volunteering and what each role entails. There is a tour of the premises and a chance to meet others who volunteer their time here. Screening As the work at CAB often involves contact with vulnerable people or access to personal information on vulnerable people we ask all our staff and volunteers to be screened by the Criminal Records Bureau. A criminal record will not necessarily be a bar to working at Cambridge CAB. Roles Adviser This is one of the most rewarding volunteer opportunities, where you will be dealing directly with the public, helping them to solve their problems. All our advisers receive professional training and gain invaluable experience in advice work. However it is also one of the most time intensive volunteer roles. The training course takes 6 months and requires 1 day a week in a class environment plus two modules which need to be completed by the trainee adviser at home, plus ½ day a week on work experience in different areas of the bureau. After completing the course you will work with an experienced adviser, gaining skill in giving advice, and will need to complete 2 further training modules in your own time at home. It usually takes about 9+ months to become a fully qualified adviser, after which we would hope each adviser is able to commit to 2 sessions a week (a session being 9.30am to 1pm or 1pm to 4.30pm during weekdays) plus 3 Saturday mornings in a year. Courses are held twice a year and usually start in January and September. They get booked up very quickly in advance so if you are interested in becoming an adviser please contact us sooner rather than later. Receptionist This is an ideal volunteer opportunity for those looking to develop their people skills. Working on reception, you are the first person our clients see and as such you must represent the ideals of Citizen Advice; that of free, independent, impartial and confidential advice. Our doors are open to everyone, regardless of gender, race, age or religious beliefs. Many of our clients are emotional or upset when they come to see us and as the receptionist you must greet each of them as equals and be empathetic to their feelings and their needs. Although full training is given and all new receptionists spend time sitting with experienced receptionists to become familiar with the role, you will need good people and communication skills, lots of patience and be able to help clients face-to-face and over the phone. You will also need to have computer skills as our appointments and information systems are electronically held. Receptionists usually work in pairs with one taking main responsibility for entering clients registration data onto the system (or searching for the details of existing clients). The other will meet and greet clients, take phone calls and liaise with the advisers and Duty Workers over appointments and other matters. Some functions are carried out by both, depending on how busy the office is. If you think you have the skills or the ability to fit in, given some training, please Get in touch. Most receptionists give us half a day per week, but more is always welcome. Database Administrator All advice given out by our advisers is recorded onto a database. Each client is given a unique reference number and any issue that they raise with Cambridge Citizens’ Advice is recorded under this number. Information is recorded in this way because many clients need to visit our bureau two or more times before resolving fully their concerns. The electronic records give us visibility of what advice has been given so that the client does not have to explain the issue all over again when revisiting. Clients can have full access to their own files, but otherwise the information kept in them is totally confidential. We have a number of volunteers who work on administrating this database. This is a great opportunity for those seeking to advance their ICT skills. It also requires less commitment than some of the other roles and would suit someone who is looking to work intermittently and cannot commit to a specific time each week. Database administration includes data entry for advisers unable to use the PCs due to health problems; scanning and attachment of external documents brought in by the clients, and data correction where individuals or issues have been double entered. Please contact us if you are interested in this role. ICT User Support Worker With 170+ workers, both volunteers and employees, accessing our network here at the Cambridge Office and at our outreaches in Addenbrookes, Girton, Sawston and Fulbourn, ICT support is an important function. We have full time staff employed in managing the network; however they rely heavily on volunteers for user support. This is a great opportunity for those seeking to gain valid ICT experience. You do not need to be an expert in networking, but you do need to be confident with PCs and happy working within a windows environment. Our ICT volunteers provide real support for some of our users who are less confident using PCs. We would also be interested in hearing from individuals who have experience of working with Local Area Networks & Enterprise Networking, using Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Exchange, particularly in conjunction with Terminal Services or Citrix. Likewise for individuals with experience of database design and creation, particularly using either Microsoft Access and/or Microsoft Outlook 2000. Please get in touch if you have relevant experience and can help. Admin Support Worker Like any busy office we always have general administrative functions that need to be supported. Our Admin Support volunteers work with finance, operations and HR staff as well as the company CEO, providing help with writing letters, doing mail outs, putting together publicity material, preparing presentations, researching material on the internet and dealing with the never ending filing pile, amongst other things. Like most work places these days, Cambridge Citizens' Advice is a vibrant and fast paced environment, but we pride ourselves on the friendly and open nature of our staff, which makes this a great place to work. This opportunity would suit someone who wants to do some volunteer work but cannot commit to too much time. Maybe you are coming back to work after a period spent out of work and are looking for some experience to get used to an office environment again. Please contact us if you would like to get involved. Social Policy Researcher We need volunteers who are able to join our team to help with co-ordinating our social policy work, taking on research, helping with surveys (putting them together and collating the results), checking the local press etc for new issues and preparing responses, briefing advisers and staff to look out for particular issues, preparing update information for the website. Please contact us if this role interests you. Call Receptionist Like the main receptionists you will need good communication skills for this role. The function of Call Receptionists is to answer incoming calls to our advice line. The job is not to give advice but to take down details of a query in order that an experienced adviser can call back later with the information/advice required. You obviously need to be comfortable talking to people on the phone and if possible, able to log client details onto our electronic recording system. Call receptionists usually work as part of a pair and most offer us half a day per week, although more is always welcome. We would be able to train any suitable candidates that did not have the necessary skills initially. Please Get in touch if you think you can help. Form Filler Not as boring as it sounds! CAB is trying to create a ‘pool’ of form fillers who will work by an appointment system. Primarily they will work with clients on applications for things like Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Attendance Allowance (AA), Income Support (IS), Housing and Council Tax Benefits, the new Employment Support Allowance. This list is not exhaustive and it is possible that we may extend it depending on client demand. Training will consist of 2 half days followed by observed/supported client interviews until we/you feel confident to go solo. (All clients will have been pre-assessed before they get to the form filling appointment.) Contact us if you are interested. Trustee The bureau is a charitable company, limited by guarantee, incorporated on 26 April 1996 and registered as a charity on 13 June 1996. The company is established under a Memorandum of Association which identifies its objects and powers and is governed under its Articles of Association. The trustees are also directors for the purposes of the Companies Act and they exercise overall responsibility for the strategic direction, organisational policy and planning, finance and decision making of the organisation. There are some limitations on becoming a trustee but, please get in touch if you think you would be a suitable candidate. Fundraiser The Citizens' Advice Bureaux is a registered charity and relies totally on funding. Part of this funding is provided by the Community Development Council, which is constantly under threat of cuts. As such, more and more, we’re having to look towards private funding to meet the growing needs of the Cambridge Citizens' Advice Bureau. Cambridge City is considered an affluent area to live in and therefore tends to be excluded from many national funds, which focus on more undeveloped and deprived areas of the country. However Citizens’ Advice is more than an organisation that caters only to the deprived and vulnerable. Our doors are open to everyone. We help people manage major change in their lives, and at some point everyone in the adult population could need the help of a Citizens’ Advice Bureau. There are two main fund raising requirements: a) One-off fund raising for specific projects (e.g. We need to move into larger premises and are currently raising funds to purchase a long term lease, rather than sign a rental contract. These new premises would also act as an Advice Hub to our outreach work and provide space for other charitable organisations, which link into the work done by Citizens' Advice). There are a number of project specific funds which could be targeted for this use and volunteers also arrange charitable fund raising events. b) Sustainable funding, to fund the yearly costs of running the bureau. This would include targeting public, private and corporate funds and encouraging private individuals to make monthly contributions by standing order/direct debit. This work is vital to keep Cambridge Citizens' Advice Bureau running and, as a volunteer fund-raiser, you would work closely with our CEO to ensure a co-ordinated approach to our fundraising activities and an accurate representation of Citizens' Advice Bureaux. Targeting public and private funds can be a complex process with several stages of acceptance. Due to the complexity of this work we ask that people looking to volunteer in this area have some experience of either fundraising or sales and marketing. This is one of the few volunteer opportunities which can be supported through home working. If you do not have any previous experience in this area but wish to get involved you can do so by joining The Friends of CAB. This is a group of individuals who promote the image of CAB in Cambridge and run social fund raising activities for the bureau. Please contact us, with some details of your experience, if you are interested in fundraising for us. top of page
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