Crocus Activities Volunteer

Rachael - Crocus Volunteer

Crocus Group is a support service for bereaved children in Highland. It is not a traditional counselling service. Activities volunteers help to facilitate group programmes where young people can make memories, share their stories and explore healthy ways to cope with difficult feelings and manage their grief, thus building resilience.

Main responsibilities and suggested activities

The responsibilities of an Activities Volunteer can be varied, depending on experience and skills, but mainly include the following:

Help with practical tasks such as setting up craft activities, cleaning and tidying
Lead creative activities and contribute to reviewing outcomes of group programmes
Facilitate conversations with young people around loss and change
Develop positive, trusting relationships with young people aged 5-18
Help to facilitate a positive group environment by modelling and encouraging non-judgmental listening, inclusion and respect for confidentiality
Be a supportive presence for young people experiencing emotional distress
Attend two annual support meetings with your supervisor (the Service Manager)
Attend occasional Crocus Group team meetings
Attend induction, and mandatory training and commit to at least two other training sessions annually (a record of this will be kept on your file)
Work within Crocus Group’s policies, including Data Protection, Child Protection and Health & Wellbeing
Communicate any concerns with the Service Manager
Support volunteers will not usually conduct any unsupervised activities with children, however, occasions may arise where a volunteer has unsupervised contact with a child and/or a vulnerable adult.

Skills / attributes and/or qualification(s) required

Good interpersonal skills and ability to relate to young people
The ability to be around people in distress and remain calm
Good understanding of professional boundaries
Ability to work with a team; volunteers in this role will work alongside staff/other volunteers
Ability to maintain confidentiality
A non-judgmental approach which does not project one’s own experiences or values onto a young person and/or their family
Able to start where the young person is at and respond in a way which builds trust
Meet the requirements of a PVG Disclosure check
Sensitive, caring and friendly nature.
Committed, reliable, dependable, flexible and punctual
Minimum age 16

Click here to sign up as a crocus volunteer.

Estimated hours

Group programmes tend to run during weekday evenings for a block of weeks during school term time, so some regular availability at these times is a requirement. Occasional “Days to Remember” sessions run throughout the year (6 times in the year), which require Activities Volunteers to be available for at least one of these (one full week-day).