Information & Advice Office Advice Volunteer

What does the role involve?

You will volunteer in our Devizes or Salisbury alongside I&A staff and volunteers. The information and advice we provide varies enormously, ranging from benefits advice to information on arranging care, finding help at home, housing options or travel. Depending on your preference, tasks might include:

• Dealing with information enquiries from clients, mainly by telephone and email, and keeping a record of the contact
• Talking to people over the phone to obtain key background information so that an enquiry can be allocated to an I&A Adviser.
• Obtaining feedback following help and support given
• Ordering, printing and organising stationery and leaflets / resources for the office
• Preparing and collating information to be sent to clients.
• Inputting data from our case management system into data reports.
• With further training there is the option to become a volunteer adviser, dealing with more complex advice enquiries

You'll be able to see first-hand the positive difference that you can make to those in the Wiltshrie and Swindon area, often helping people to feel more confident about their options, less worried about the future and reassured that they are maximising their entitlement to financial and other help. With training you'll increase your knowledge in technical advice areas such as benefits, housing options and care.

What skills suit this role?

• Enjoy chatting to people
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Empathetic and patient
• Confident computer user (email, researching websites, Microsoft 365 packages)
• Curious and keen to learn, with good critical analysis and research skills
• No experience of benefits or social care is needed as full training is provided

What time commitment is expected?

A regular weekly commitment of 3 hours or more, during office hours Mon-Fri

What are the practical considerations?

You will need to be over 18 and be prepared for us to apply for a DBS check on your behalf. 

How you'll be supported

• Full induction and training sessions
• Superviser-led sessions with an experienced staff member on hand to answer questions and support with queries
• Building on skills such as communication, advice skills and working in an office environment.
• Regular Information & Advice team meetings, updates and support
• One to one catch ups and individual support where needed
• You will be part of a wider Age UK Wiltshire team, hearing about, and working with, staff and volunteers from other Age UK Wiltshire services.

What are we looking for? 

We are looking for people who: 

• Might have previous experience in providing information & advice to people, although this is not mandatory
• Are prepared to undertake the training required for the role
• Are good listeners, non-judgemental and have good communication skills 
• Have the ability to convey complex information in a way that can be easily understood by others 
• Are competent IT users and willing to use our databases (we will provide training)
• Will follow our processes and procedures for quality assurance 
• Are dedicated and have the time to commit to the role