JEWISH CARE

Volunteer Benefits Advisor                Redbridge, Essex and surrounding areas

Role Summary:

The Jewish Care benefits team are responsible for helping clients apply for benefits and this role would be serving the Redbridge, Essex and surrounding areas.  The volunteer will be supported and supervised by a member of the team. As well as visiting clients face-to-face, volunteers can make calls and work from home and will be provided with a phone and laptop. The hours will be to suit time constraints. The team has in-person team meetings which take place on Wednesdays, typically between 12:30-13:30. These are in Golders Green every 6-8 weeks. You will be able to join via teams or in person.

Time Commitment: 

Flexible. Approximately 6-8 hours per week on days to suit the volunteer.

How this role makes a difference:

By assisting the benefits team with this important role, you will be increasing the team’s ability to assist people, as well as helping people directly from the community with advice regarding claiming various type of benefits. The Welfare Benefits team help and guide people across the community and make a valuable and important contribution and can make an enormous difference to people’s lives.

What you’ll be doing in this role:

• Making and receiving telephone calls
• Visiting clients in their own homes
• Advising people on what benefits are available and how they go about claiming them
• Assisting people with claims, form filling, applications either online, by post, in person, or by phone
• Working from home or a remote location of your choice
• Keeping up to date with the Benefits System, particularly for those over 65 - a major part of our work
• Attending on-going flexible trainings as required in order to enable volunteers to keep up to date

• Skills & experience required:
• Strong experience and knowledge of benefits and the benefits systems and allowances (additional training can be given) 
• Nice telephone manner and patience
• Confidentiality
• Good organisational skills
• Confidently engage with a diverse range of people and enjoy helping others.
• A strong understanding and of issues that affect people in later life.
• Reliability, consistency and dependability
• Good conversational and listening skills with a clear speaking voice.
• Patience, empathy and a non-judgemental attitude.
• The ability to work independently and as part of a team, to also stay within the role’s boundaries – recognising what should and shouldn’t be done and when to seek advice or report concerns.

Induction, Learning & Development:
Training is available so volunteers can carry out their roles to the highest professional standards, develop new skills, build confidence, make new friends and take on new and increasingly responsible tasks. 
Jewish Care will provide the following training, essential for this role:

• Provide you with access to a Volunteer Handbook and all Policies and Procedures.
• Provide Induction Training:  Getting to know Jewish Care, Communication & Disability Awareness, Boundaries & Confidentiality, Safeguarding, Health & Safety, GDPR.
• Provide you with specialist Benefits training
• Provide on the job induction.

Benefits of Volunteering with Jewish Care:

Without our volunteers, we simply couldn’t function.  We absolutely depend on you.  Whatever your age, disability, whether you are working, unemployed or retired, there are opportunities to help at Jewish Care.

As well as helping others you’ll get the chance to develop skills, build confidence and make new friends.

• Enhance the lives of older people, making a real difference to the Jewish Community we support.
• Be part of a great team and make new friends.
• Build your confidence and develop transferable skills.
• Access to a comprehensive training programme designed for the social care environment.
• Gain valuable experience and enhance your CV
  
  

Our aim is to enable people to enjoy a first-class experience as volunteers, making the most of their skills to make an impact on the communities that Jewish Care serve.

Why get involved with Jewish Care?
The work of Jewish Care and the services we provide to our community are vital.  We touch the lives of 10,000 people each week, with everything we do being underpinned by our Jewish values and ethics.  We provide services to:

• Older people
• People with Mental Health needs
• Holocaust Survivors
• People who are living with Dementia
• People with physical and sensory disabilities
• People who care for others

We can only do this thanks to our amazing professional staff of 1,400 and the 3,000 dedicated volunteers who help make our work possible.

Next Steps to becoming a volunteer at Jewish Care:
Step 1: Please complete an expression of interest form for this role, which will automatically create a profile on our volunteer management system.  After you have applied, we will be in touch to discuss this role in more detail.
Step 2: Following a successful conversation, with a member of the Volunteers Team or Hiring Manager you will be invited for an interview (and asked to bring identification with you).
Step 3: Following a successful interview, you will be offered the volunteering role and asked to add further information into your volunteer profile, providing two references and completing a DBS (previously CRB) application form online.  Additional paperwork may need to be completed for some roles e.g. volunteer driver.
Step 4: You will be invited to attend mandatory Volunteer Induction Training, as well as any specialist training relevant to your volunteer role. Training is to enable volunteers to carry out roles to the highest professional standards, develop skills, build confidence and meet other new volunteers
Step 5:  Mazel-tov/Congratulations! Once we have received and recorded a suitable DBS, satisfactory references and training has been completed, you are officially part of the Jewish Care Volunteer network!

This is a voluntary position that supports the work or our services and is not replacing the work of a paid member of staff.  This role does not form any part of any contract of employment.

If you have any questions at all about volunteering with Jewish Care, please contact volunteering@jcare.org or telephone 020 8922 2405.