Sensory Services by Sight for Surrey

About the Role

Our volunteers play a crucial role in our organisation, enabling us to provide a diverse range of additional services to the people we support. By helping as a CYPS volunteer, you will develop your interpersonal skills and learn what is required to support at events that our CYPS team organise. You will be assisting a young person or child who is blind or partially sighted during the activity and their siblings and families.

Our CYPS volunteers support our regular activities programme that take place at weekends and during school holidays. Events range from art and craft activities to climbing and skiing. We try to offer a varied programme so no event is ever the same!

As a CYPS volunteer, it would be beneficial to have worked or volunteered with children and young people before.

Time Commitment

This role would suit someone who can offer either a monthly commitment and/or is looking for something more ad hoc. Timings will vary but will predominantly be during the day at weekends or during school holidays with the potential for the odd evening request.

Benefits

Sensory Services by Sight for Surrey will reimburse travel expenses. For car users we pay 45 pence a mile for the journeys you undertake on behalf of the organisation. For those using public transport we would require tickets or proof of payment. We hold regular social events and an annual celebration which allows our volunteers to meet each other. We offer ongoing support and training on topics such as safeguarding, dementia awareness and other relevant topics.

Requirements

We are looking for someone reliable, with strong communication and interpersonal skills. We organise 1-2 events a month, one of which is usually an event where blind or partially sighted children participate without their parent/carer and require 1:1 supervision.

All volunteers are required to have training appropriate to the role, these can include safeguarding, lone working and how to safely guide someone with a visual impairment.  Please note that you won’t be expected to undertake personal care.

You may be asked from time to time if you are able to support other volunteer roles including one to one support with vulnerable adults. Please be aware that volunteers are required to have an enhanced check via the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), and join the DBS Update Service to ensure that regular checks can be undertaken during your volunteering service. Sensory Services by Sight for Surrey would apply for this on your behalf at no cost to yourself.

Sensory Services by Sight for Surrey is an inclusive organisation dedicated to enabling and empowering people who are Deaf, hard of hearing, blind, partially sighted and deafblind. We champion independence, where people thrive in their communities and achieve their aspirations.