NewLink Wales
Substance Misuse Volunteering & Training
Questions about Volunteering
The following information is provided as a helpful guideline to aid you in your voluntary work within the substance misuse field. Volunteering can open many doors of opportunity and new challenges. It offers the chance to meet new friends, gain more knowledge and new skills. Many of our volunteers have done just that and as a result have changed career, or found employment within substance misuse agencies.
Click on the questions below to learn more:
What If I Don't Know Much About Drugs or Alcohol Misuse?
What Happens When I Want to Volunteer?
What Commitment Do I Need to Give?
What Are Volunteer Placements?
What If I Want to Change My Placement?
What If I Don't Know Much About Drugs or Alcohol Misuse?
Working with people who have a drug or alcohol problem will bring its own challenges and frustrations. Often it can take a long period of time before you see someone make a small step of progress. However, I can also tell you that it is incredibly rewarding too, when you are working with people who have some incredible life experiences to share.
Most people the world over will respond to the basic human need for love, care and support, and the basic human right of respect, acceptance and understanding. Remember that these are the qualities we are looking for the most in you, and those for which we hope you will show to your clients.
The knowledge and information about drugs and alcohol will come with experience, and time, so don't worry about what you don't know, but concentrate on those qualities that you can give.
What Happens When I Want to Volunteer?
When you call us to become a volunteer we will send you out an application form which will ask you about why you are interested in this area of work.
We ask for two references, which we will take up before we ask you to come and meet with us for an informal interview.
The informal interview will let us explain to you about the background of NewLink Wales and how we recruit, select and train volunteers. We will ask you then to tell us more about yourself through a few questions.
If we feel you may be suitable as a volunteer we will then invite you onto our Introductory Training Day.
Following this day, if you are still interested in volunteering then you will be invited onto our block training days.
NB. We will endeavour to place all potential volunteers applying for voluntary work with us. However, due to the nature of our work we operate a self-selection and de-selection process for volunteer recruitment. This gives both the potential volunteer and ourselves the opportunity to withdraw any application made.
What Commitment Do I Need to Give?
Volunteers are asked to give a minimum of four hours per week and are asked to stay for at least six months with us. Many people do one or two days a week, or even more, and have been with us since we began!
What Training Will I Get?
Following the Introductory Training Day, you will receive a further two
days of training on substance misuse issues. You may then choose to undertake
further private study (a total of 50 hours including the hours already
spent on your initial training) in order to gain accreditation by the
University of Wales College Newport. Accreditation is entirely optional,
but the training days are compulsory.
Your initial training as a volunteer will cover topics like:
- Substances commonly misused and their effects
- Patterns of use
- Basic assessment techniques
- The work of local agencies
- Client work and good practice
Following the training days, you will have another interview to discuss your placement - and complete your volunteer agreement and confidentiality statement.
We will then explain the range of placements that NewLink Wales has on its register, and link you up with the one that is felt to be the most suitable for your experiences, for your three-month placement probationary period.
Following this you will meet with us again at regular intervals to review how things are going and discuss any further training needs that you have identified whilst volunteering.
On-going ("bolt-on") training days are then provided on a range of topics, which will be available to you.
What Will I Do?
We can offer a range of opportunities through the agencies and organisations registered with us. Below is a list of some of the key areas where volunteers can use their skills in the substance misuse field.
These include:
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Where Can I Volunteer?
We will help you to find the most suitable placement for you. However, if you feel that your skills are not being used or that you have made the wrong decision, then you can change your placement with us. We want you to be happy in your volunteering; a happy volunteer means a happy client and a happy placement.
Some people wish to change agencies after six months or a year, to get more experience or explore a different area of work.
Some of the agencies that we work with include:
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Given the appropriate support, encouragement and supervision, many volunteers will stay with an organisation for a long time; others will develop skills and, through volunteering, will be able to gain new employment.
What Are Volunteer Placements?
Any organisation or agency whose remit includes working with substance misusers can register with NewLink Wales as a placement agency for volunteers.
Placement agencies will have taken out membership with us and completed our registration forms. These give details of the kind of services that they could offer volunteers to become involved in. Placement agencies also complete an agreement with us which outlines the roles and responsibilities of each participating partner in the agreement, i.e. who is responsible for health and safety, insurance, expenses, induction, on-going training supervision etc.
Placement agencies are asked to complete quarterly review forms telling us how things are going and to identify any further training needs. This will then be discussed with each volunteer too during our quarterly reviews. This enables NewLink Wales to provide an on-going development programme for our volunteers.
What If I Want to Change My Placement?
If, for any reason you wish to change your placement agency - or if the agency feels that you would be better suited to another organisation - we can arrange for you to exchange to another agency that will be better suited for your skills. Our aim is to see both the volunteer and the placement agency benefiting from our volunteering and training programme.
Many agencies already benefit from our volunteers. If you are a substance misuse organisation that would be interested in becoming a placement agency with us, then please contact us.
NewLink Wales
Limited Company No 4142393
Registered Charity No 1085545
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