Do you have the passion and commitment to do something amazing to prevent sexual abuse?
We are recruiting for Volunteers to work towards ‘No more victims’ of sexual violence and abuse, offering the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge whilst delivering a challenging and important service.
Due to the recent award of regional contracts for the delivery of Circles of Support and Accountability (Circles) for the Probation Service, we are now urgently recruiting volunteers to help us deliver Circles in most regions of England and Wales.
4-6 Volunteers form a Circle which meets regularly over a period of twelve to eighteen months, supporting an individual who has caused sexual harm (whom we call the ‘Core Member’) to build a more positive and stable life whilst holding them to account for risky and problematic behaviour. The unique strength of a Circle is the trained and supervised Volunteers who work directly with the Core Member under the supervision of a Circles Coordinator. Circles are shown to make a real impact; further victims of sexual abuse are prevented, and communities are kept safer.
Adult Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds are invited to apply; good communication skills and a commitment to develop your knowledge and skills to work in this area are necessary. Due to the challenging nature of the role, prospective volunteers are carefully screened and selected, attend 16 hours of initial training, and, once volunteering, receive ongoing supervision, support, and development.
Being a part of a Circle has helped to build my self-confidence and contribute something meaningful to an easily shunned part of society. This has built my passion to challenge myself and leap into new depths, I'm so glad I signed up to Circles! This has contributed to me finding my new job as it’s helped keep on the route I aim to follow and allows for great personal and professional development.
My time volunteering for Circles is the best thing I have ever done and the challenges I faced were worth it.
If you are interested in this rewarding and valuable role, please have a look at the rest of the Circles UK website (www.circles-uk.org.uk) where you will find details of all the Circles Providers as well as a contact form for each to express an interest in volunteering. There are also some video clips of volunteers talking about the role as well as a special report by Sky News entitled ‘Inside the Circle’ which offers a comprehensive insight into the work and impact of Circles and contains good footage on how volunteers work with Core Members which can be accessed by clicking on this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8Hdcz_fXQk.