Volunteer Handbook launched to mark Volunteers' Week

To coincide with Volunteers’ Week, Citizens Advice is launching its new Volunteers’ Handbook.

Citizens Advice relies heavily on the contribution of volunteers to ensure we deliver a high quality frontline service.  We offer a wide range of volunteering opportunities to enable volunteers to best utilise their skills and experience to make a difference to the lives of those within local communities.

The aim of the Handbook is to support those who volunteer within the CAB network, outlining the training, support, supervision and development they can expect while volunteering with us. The Handbook stresses volunteering with us should be enjoyable and rewarding while providing an invaluable contribution to local bureaux.

Volunteers currently contribute 1,397 hours of their time per week to the service, the equivalent of 40 full-time staff.  Using the figure of £11.87 to calculate the economic value of volunteers (2008 Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics). This represents £862,284 per year to the CAB network.

CAB could not function in providing our high quality services to those most in need without the work of volunteers. This has been very effectively demonstrated during the recent recession. Volunteers also cement our place at the centre of local communities.

CAB’s aim is therefore to ensure volunteering is nurtured in a way that encourages individuals to get involved. We aim to provide the support required to enable individuals to maximise their contribution and obtain a sense of job satisfaction from their role, whilst adding value to the organisation. The Volunteering Handbook provides guidance to volunteers and bureaux on how to make the most of this valuable contribution

Volunteers are essential to the effective delivery of our services to the public. The Volunteering Handbook is one way of formalising and professionalising the contribution volunteers make to CAB. We will continue to work with volunteers to put their contribution at the centre of the organisation’s main principles.