Volunteer Information Pack

Thames Valley Mentoring Project

Project Manager: Tracy Blackstock

Tel: 07809 587005

E-mail:

Contents

Introduction:
About SOVA, Thames Valley Probation and the Project / Page 3
Volunteer Information / Page 9
Volunteer Training / Page 13
Applying to become a Volunteer / Page 14
SOVA’s Policies / Page 15
Guidelines on the use of Volunteers with a Criminal Record / Page 16
Application Form / Page 18
Equal Opportunities Form / Page 25

Introduction

About SOVA

SOVA, which stands for ‘Supporting Others through Volunteer Action’, is a company limited by guarantee (No 3645143) and is also a nationally registered charity (No 1073877). We are a leading national organisation for voluntary services with offenders, ex-offenders and their families.

SOVA’s mission is: “to increase the involvement of local communities as volunteers working in crime reduction and offender rehabilitation, in order toreduce crime and empower communities through individual support, community involvement and partnership working”

The service was set up in 1975 by a small group of volunteers in the Inner London Probation Service and SOVA now manages approximately sixty projects annually across England and Wales, including work with young people at risk, disadvantaged women, homelessness, unemployment, drug addiction and adult literacy and mentoring.

SOVA’s Beliefs

  • Successful rehabilitation is more likely with the continuing support and involvement of local people.
  • Public participation in the care of people on probation can reduce the fear of crime and translate stereotypes and prejudice into concern and understanding.
  • The involvement of volunteers can help with the reduction of crime by providing practical support and assistance.

The objects for which SOVA is established as a charity:

a)To promote the rehabilitation and resettlement of persons who are suffering, have suffered or are in danger of suffering, a legal restriction on their liberty in any penal establishment or any other restriction or penalty under the provisions of any legislation concerning the Criminal Justice System, including persons who are drug addicts, alcoholics or who are or have been subject to Probation Orders; and

b) To promote the welfare of such persons and their families and dependants within the community in such ways as may be wholly charitable, in particular the advancement of education and social and economic inclusion and the relief of poverty, sickness and distress; and

c) To promote the reduction and prevention of crime within the community and the rehabilitation of offenders and persons affected by crime; and

d)To promote the relief of the physical, mental and financial needs of people who are socially excluded due to their displacement from their homes, lack of employment or education, criminal behaviour, health, age or poverty, in particular by the provision of mentoring and education.

About the Thames Valley Probation Service

The Thames Valley Probation Trust (TVPT) is one of 35 Probation Trusts in England and Wales. The Service reports to the Justice Minister, Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke QC MP, and are therefore part of the Ministry of Justice; alongside the HM Prison Service, TVPT are also part of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). TVPT has an annual caseload of approximately8,000 offenders; they prepare more than 8,500 Pre-Sentence Reports for the Courts; supervise more than 1,500 offenders following release from prison; and Supervise more than 300,000 offender hours of Community Payback (Unpaid Work).

TVP works to:

  • Provides reports on people charged with an offence - this helps Magistrates and Judges decide on the sentence they pass in court.
  • Enforces community sentences by ensuring offenders:
  • Carry out unpaid work that benefits the community and/or attend supervision with a probation officer
    and
  • Attend an offending behaviour programme and/or attend drug misuse treatment & testing.
  • Returns offenders to court for further punishment if they don't co-operate with probation staff. This may lead to an additional community sentence, a fine or imprisonment.
  • Delivers specialist programmes for offenders, which are proven to reduce further offending.
  • Provides Prison Governors with specialist reports about prisoners' suitability for release into the community. Probation staff will recommend what conditions e.g. curfew/tagging order or probation supervision should be imposed.
  • Works with prisoners before and after their release from prison. Probation staff tackle the causes of offending and help offenders re-integrate into the community on their release.
  • Liaises with victims of serious crime. Keeps them informed about a prisoner's progress in prison. Obtains feedback about any concerns they have about proposed release and liaises about restriction zones which may be imposed.
  • Offers employment, education and accommodation services to help offenders’ live crime-free lives. Support in these areas has been shown to reduce the chances of people offending again
  • Works with other agencies and organisations for local crime reduction and community safety e.g. police, courts, local authorities, health services, substance misuse/drug services, voluntary agencies, Youth Offending Teams.

Aims of the TVPT include:

  • Protecting the public
  • Reducing Re-offending
  • The proper punishment of offenders in the community
  • Ensuring offenders' awareness of the effects of crime on the victims of crime and the public
  • Rehabilitation of offenders

About the Thames Valley Mentoring Project

The primary aim of the Project is to enhance offender rehabilitation and resettlement, while reducing re-offending, through various methods of volunteer mentoring. The Project focuses on the seven pathways to reducing reoffending, as identified and directed by NOMS, within the provision of services to offenders. The TVPT provide probation supervision, offender behavior programmers and specialist support services aiming to monitor and supervision a range of offenders with regard to basic skills development, substance abuse problems, tackling offending behavior and improving employment prospects. Further provision and assistance surrounds accommodation issues, working with children and families of offenders and overall a priority aim to break the cycle of offending.

As stated previously, the Project focuses on the NOMS seven pathways to reducing reoffending, which are:

  1. Accommodation and Support

Securing and settling in to appropriate accommodation provides the vital building blocks for a range of additional support services and further encourages a healthy lifestyle. A third of prisoners do not have secure accommodation prior to custody and it has been estimated that securing accommodation can reduce the likelihood of reoffending by more than a fifth.

  1. Education, Training and Employment

Nationally, half of all prisoners have serious problems with reading; two thirds of all prisoners have problems with numeracy and four fifths experience problems with writing. Research shows a strong correlation between offending, poor literacy and numeracy skills and low achievement. This represents a significant barrier to gaining employment and has been cited as a primary reason for re-offending.

  1. Health

This is a crucial element to enhancing offender rehabilitation and it has been found that offenders are disproportionately more likely to suffer with various mental and physical health problems than the general population. Improving an individual’s health and well-being can significantly enhance their lifestyle and therefore reduce the likelihood of reoffending.

  1. Drugs and Alcohol

Many offenders suffer with substance abuse problems; around two thirds of prisoners use illegal drugs during the year before their imprisonment and furthermore, alcohol abuse is correlated with around 30% of sexual offences, 33% of burglaries, 50% of street crime and over half of all violent crime. Helping to manage and improve addiction problems can significantly reduce offending lifestyles and behaviors.

  1. Finance, Benefits and Debt

In order to ensure a stable lifestyle, ex-offenders must have access to lawfully obtained finances, which can provide vital assistance in the building blocks to a lifestyle absent of offending. Having access to information, advice and guidance surrounding their finances, access to benefits and management of debt is also a vital element to the rehabilitative journey; particularly as around 50% of prisoners have a history of debt and over 80% claim benefits on their release.

  1. Children and Families

Re-building, maintaining and enhancing family relationships can play a vital role in the rehabilitation of offenders. It can also help them to make and sustain important lifestyles changes which will ultimately encourage them to avoid reoffending.

  1. Attitudes, Thinking and Behavior

In order to achievement and maintain the above changes, offenders must be encouraged to alter their attitudes, thinking and behavior towards offending and non-offending lifestyles.

SOVA are keen to further promote the Project, and the vital work we undertake, in line with the requirements of the seven pathways and the work of the TVPT. Therefore, a primary aim of the Project is to increase the likelihood of offender rehabilitation and resettlement back in to the local community, whilst reducing the likelihood of re-offending. We believe that the work of local volunteers is vital to this process and we provide support and guidance to all those participating in the Project.

Following our induction and training requirements, volunteers will engage within various appropriate placements with offenders, working through a process of mentoring. Volunteers will pre-dominantly work with offenders ona one-to-one basis, and in some circumstances, will be required to volunteer within group sessions.

As a representative of the Thames Valley Mentoring Project we expect all our volunteers to nurture, support, encourage and help probationers who are in need of mentoring provision.Volunteers are expected the be available for a minimum of 2-5 hours per week, and mentoring will generally take place either during the day, or in the evening, at the local probation office.

Thames Valley Geographically:

Volunteer Information

We welcome applications from dedicated and reliable people who have a mature outlook on life. You must be over 18 years of age, be patient and enthusiastic with a strong willingness and interest in enhancing offender rehabilitation. You must hold good interpersonal skills and be able to work individually or as part of a team. Applicants who are interesting in support basic skills development through academic mentoring must hold a GCSE or equivalent qualification in both mathematics and English.

All prospective volunteers must complete an application form prior to any participation within the Project. The selection process is a two-way assessment procedure, we recommend that volunteers read this information pack very carefully, and conduct their own research, ask any relevant questions about the Project and its work, in order to ensure that the role is suitable for them. Volunteers can ‘opt out’ at any stage during the induction process.

It is the responsibility of Project staff to select volunteers, and the appropriate recruitment procedures will be implemented, upon receiving prospective volunteer applications. Applicants are expected to fully complete each section of the application form, and must also be willing to supply two referees from individuals who are not relatives but known for over 2 years, and if possible, one reference must be professional. The application is an importance stage of our selection process, therefore, we recommend that all prospective volunteers take time and care in providing the relevant information.

Should a potential volunteer not be selected to attend the first interview stage, they will always be given reasons why. Volunteers who are selected to attend an interview with Project staff will continue the two-way assessment procedure, which will allow Project staff to discuss the prospective volunteers’ application in more detail, and also allow the prospective volunteer a chance to discuss the Project and its volunteering commitments / requirements in more detail.

Due to the nature of our work with TVPT, all prospective volunteersmust be prepared to complete an application for a criminal record check (including self-declaration of offences). Additionally, volunteers must comply with the Project guidelines on the involvement of volunteers with a criminal record (please see Page 16 of this Pack). During the first interview, volunteers will be asked to complete an Enhanced Disclosure Application Form, this will allow Project staff to carry out the relevant checks, and this will include convictions which are spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.Previous convictions, especially those that are minor or old, will not automatically prevent you from being able to volunteer with us.

SOVA employs strict adherence to our safeguarding policies, which means that volunteers who are successful during the first interview stage will be invited to attend our 3-Day Project Induction Training and SOVA Core Training. A suitable training program will be discussed both during, and post, the first interview. All training, as advised by Project staff, is compulsory for prospective volunteers. Applicants who have the equivalent in training, and / or experience, maybe allocated an altered training program. For more information on training, please see Page 13 of this Pack.

Throughout the training course all potential volunteers are assessed; volunteers who successfully complete the training course will be invited to attend a second interview, where again there is a further assessment and volunteers will be given the opportunity to reflect on their training experiences, in preparing for their volunteering commitments and requirements.

Volunteers who are successful at the second interview stage will be invited to join the Thames Valley Mentoring Project, as part of our volunteer team, and subject to satisfactory references and an Enhanced CRB check being returned.

Volunteer Person Specification: Essential Selection Criteria

  1. An understanding of, and interest in, the welfare of individuals in contact with the Probation Service, and in need of Project support.
  1. An understanding of the role, responsibility and boundaries of the Volunteer Mentor.
  1. An ability to know when and in what situations to seek advice, support and additional training provided by the Project staff.
  1. Commitment to the Projects Induction Process and attendingall SOVA training courses and on-going support / supervision groups.
  1. To respect the aims and objectives of the Project and the TVPS.
  1. To be available for a minimum of 2-5 hours per week (Inc travelling time).
  1. To have good interpersonal skills and the ability to both create and sustain a positive mentoring relationship.
  1. To understand, observe and respect the needs for confidentiality.
  1. To be accountable, reliable and punctual.
  1. To be open and honest, whilst exercising a non-judgemental and non-discriminatory attitude.
  1. To have the ability to work as an individual and as part of a team.
  1. A commitment to SOVA and funders’ policies, such as safeguarding, equal opportunities and health & safety.
  1. An ability to liaise effectively with partner organisations, specifically with the TVPT Staffs.
  1. An ability and commitment to maintaining written records.
  1. An ability to both empathise and support vulnerable individuals.

Volunteer Task Description

Having been accepted, Thames Valley Volunteers will be asked to undertake some, or all, of the following tasks:

  • To support adult probationers in their rehabilitative journey, working to and within, a specialised programme as directed by Project staff.
  • To show a willingness in preparation for mentoring sessions.
  • To maintain written records of all mentoring sessions and work as directed under the offenders probation requirements.
  • To report attendance at the probation office and to inform Project staff of non-attendance at all mentoring sessions.
  • To use appropriate communication skills and maintain boundaries.
  • To be available for compulsory supervision sessions every 6-8 weeks.
  • To undertake on-going training programmes.
  • To create and maintain good relations with staff in the probation office.
  • To ensure that Project staff are informed of any relevant information or concerns surrounding the mentoring sessions and / or offender(s).
  • To uphold the Projects principles surrounding confidentiality.
  • To adhere to, and respect, all partner policies and procedures.
  • To work within SOVA’s policies surrounding Safeguarding, Equal Opportunities, and Health & Safety.

Volunteer Training

As part of the process of becoming a Project volunteer we ask all prospectiveapplicants to attend our 3-Day SOVA Core Training programme as part of our assessment and induction procedures. These sessions allow applicants to learn more about the Project and will also provide the opportunity to consider the role of becoming a volunteer.The training addresses the role and tasks of Project volunteers and more specifically, will look at issues surrounding safeguarding, boundaries,health & safety, confidentiality, communication skills, equal opportunities and discrimination. The training will also address issues surrounding offending behavior, and the wider criminal justice system, as well as the roles, procedures and support services available within the Project.

SOVA Training Modulesrelevant to volunteer participation within Thames Valley Include the following:

  • Volunteer Induction: About the Project Policies & Procedures
  • Core Skills for Volunteering
  • Mentoring Skills
  • Introduction to the Criminal Justice System
  • Awareness of Basic Skills Support Needs
  • Supporting Employment, Training and Education (ETE)
  • Substance Use and Mis-use

All prospective volunteers will discuss and agree upon an appropriate training programme with the SOVA Project Manager; successful volunteers will continue to discuss and agree upon further training requirements, during supervision meetings, and relevant to their on-going commitment within the Project. During the induction and training stage SOVA expectsthat all prospective volunteers will be available for around 5-10 hours per week for a maximum of four weeks. Project staff will always endeavor to accommodate volunteers’ availability; however, it is important that the induction process is fully completed, in order to prevent any delays in recruitment procedures and subsequent appointment within the Project.