Every day our amazing volunteers support our work in all sorts of ways, making a huge difference to people across Scotland affected by HIV and hepatitis.
Jim, Waverley Care volunteerWith Waverley Care, you’ll always be well supported in everything you do; and you’ll find that your contribution, as a volunteer, will always be valued.
Why volunteer for Waverley Care?
Through your volunteering work, you can reduce stigma, increase awareness and inspire hope.
Volunteering also gives you the chance to gain new skills, get work experience and meet new people.
- Making a difference: you will make a difference in the lives of people living with or affected by HIV and hepatitis by helping them access support and care.
- Personal Growth: you will have opportunities to learn new skills, gain valuable experiences and develop new interests.
- Connecting with others: you will have the opportunity to connect with like-minded volunteers and become part of the Waverley Care family. Volunteering can also help create a sense of belonging and connection to your community.
- Boosting mental health: studies have shown that through volunteering, you can improve your mental health and wellbeing as well as your confidence. Volunteering can reduce social isolation and give you a sense of purpose.
- Career development: you will be offered opportunities to learn new skills as part of your personal development. It can also provide opportunities to network and make connections with professionals in the field.
- Giving back: you will have the opportunity to share your experiences and skills to give back to your community and help Scotland achieve the goal of zero new HIV transmissions.
Ethical volunteering
At Waverley Care, we value the dedication and passion of our our volunteers and that is why we take an ethical approach to volunteering. It is an important part of promoting responsible and sustainable volunteering practices.
We work closely with our volunteers to ensure they are in a role that is purposeful and meaningful to them, while creating a positive environment that fosters learning and growth.
To make sure we stick to our ethical volunteering ethos, we:
- Ensure that our recruitment process is fair and transparent, as well as being accessible and inclusive,
- Provide a job specification for each volunteering role – this informs the volunteer of exactly what the role involves, from tasks they will be carrying out, to time commitments and locations,
- Provide a training programme to make sure you have the knowledge to carry out your role safely and confidently,
- Have a named staff member for each volunteering role to support and assist you with your personal development goals,
- Have clear volunteer policies and procedures.
Who can volunteer for Waverley Care?
Anyone aged 18 or over with an open mind and enthusiasm can volunteer for Waverley Care.
You can be highly trained or have no formal qualifications at all – everyone who volunteers brings their own skills and can contribute to what we do.
More information
All volunteers follow Waverley Care’s volunteer pathway.
- Welcome and induction: if your interview for a volunteering role is successful, you will be onboarded by a dedicated staff member. This includes a formal induction and any related training before you start your role.
- Redirection: once you start your role and have more of an idea of the work involved, you may decide that the role isn’t for you – that’s okay. The staff member will be able to support you by offering advice and information on other available volunteering roles at Waverley Care or by signposting you to other services that might have roles available for you.
- Management: in any volunteering role, we want to make sure that our volunteers feel equipped and excited to be part of our team. This is why we always provide the ongoing guidance for volunteers in their role, which includes support, training/re-training, review of the role, and reward and recognition.
- Completion: upon completion of your volunteering role with Waverley Care, we facilitate an exit process to support you in the next steps of your journey. This includes support to move into employment opportunities (such as CV or interview preparation) and feedback/exit interview to provide a space for reflection, acknowledgement and affirmation.
Yes! Everyone who volunteers with us has the opportunity to take part in induction training to learn about our work and what’s involved in volunteering.
Then, depending on your role, you may learn on the job or be asked to take further training to help prepare you.
As part of your application, we’ll talk you through the training involved so you know what to expect.
Depending on the role, there might be specific time commitments. However, some roles are flexible and we can match you with the most suitable role depending on your availability.
Volunteering with Waverley Care is free (except for your time!).
Sometimes, in the course of volunteering, there may be some small costs, like bus fares or taking a service user out for coffee and a chat, but we will refund all reasonable expenses. We can talk you through this, including what expenses we can cover.
No. Because you’re not paid for volunteering and will only receive refunded expenses, your income from benefits will not be affected.
Having a criminal record is not necessarily a barrier to volunteering with us.
We ask you to confidentially disclose your offence as part of the application process. Our Volunteer Coordinators can then advise if it will affect whether you can volunteer, or if certain roles may be restricted.
Some of our roles involve working with vulnerable people and we require these volunteers to undergo a Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) check.
