Volunteer with Us

Why Volunteer with Swindon Carers Centre?

Whether you can give a couple of hours a day, a month or just every now and then, there are so many different opportunities for you to volunteer with us at Swindon Carers Centre.

There are thousands of people in the Swindon area who have some kind of caring responsibility for a friend, neighbour or member of their family. When someone finds themselves in this situation, quite often they do not know who to turn to for help, what they are entitled to and what support is out there. This is where Swindon Carers Centre come in, helping carers of all ages with our team of dedicated support workers, benefits advice workers, self-help groups, emergency card scheme and carers breaks.

We were delighted to receive some really positive feedback from volunteers in our 2020 Volunteer Survey:

Please see below that volunteer roles that we currently have available. If you would like to apply for any of the volunteer roles, please complete our online application form below or complete the downloadable form here and return it to carers@swindoncarers.org.uk.

Volunteer Application Form

Volunteer Emergency Card Scheme (ECS) Administrator

The post holder will support the Emergency Card Scheme Administrator (ECS) in the Adult Carer Support Team.

Ideally, we are looking for someone who may have previous knowledge of Health and Social Care and the ability to ask the right questions if calling a carer wishing to join the ECS.

Job Advert

Person specification

Adult Carer Counsellor Volunteer

We are looking for a qualified counsellor to work as a member of the adult carers support team, offering counselling to unpaid carers who are receiving support from Swindon Carers Centre. The postholder will offer 1:1 counselling sessions in accordance with BACP standards. This role is based at Sanford House, Swindon.

Dementia Group Volunteer

We invite anyone with a good understanding of the needs of those living with dementia to volunteer in this unique group. We work in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society so both carers and the person they care for can come along together. Carers can take a break and have a chat whilst the person with dementia is supported to take part in their own activity next door. The support group meets one afternoon a month.

Young Carer Groups Volunteer

We have three different age specific young carer groups running on Monday evenings throughout the school term. The ages range from 5–18 years old. Volunteers are required to support a range of activities, such as art, cooking and play. If you have plenty of energy or would like to gain experience working with children of all ages, this could be the role for you. We are currently looking for volunteers on Monday evenings from 4:30pm–7:15pm.

Young Carers School Holiday Activities Volunteer

During the school holidays we offer a wide range of activities, both within the local community and further afield, to small and large groups of young carers. All activities are age specific for ages 5-18 years old. We would like to offer more places to our young carers, however, we are often limited by the number of adults available to supervise. Volunteers must be available during the day throughout the school holidays. We offer a range of activities from horse riding to trips to the theatre or theme parks.

Volunteer Benefits Assistant

Last year, our benefits team, who are mainly volunteers, helped our carers to access over £200,000 of benefits. Many carers had no idea they were entitled to claim for the benefits they now receive. Do you have knowledge of the benefit system and a couple of hours a week to spare? Just a little bit of your time could make a significant difference to a carer and their loved ones.

Swindon Carers Centre is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We adhere to a policy promoting equality of opportunity. All staff, volunteers and trustees of Swindon Carers Centre are required to have a Disclosure and Barring Service Check carried out.

If you would like to find out more information about volunteering for Swindon Carers Centre, please email us at carers@swindoncarers.org.uk.

What Our Volunteers Say

Volunteering gives me a chance to work with carers who are maybe struggling and help them rediscover their inner strength and create some time for themselves. SCC is a very positive organisation, where everyone pulls together, and I enjoy being a part of that.

I have been volunteering for a quite a long time with various organisations and have found it very rewarding, as I feel I am giving something back to the community. Volunteering for Swindon Carers has been a very enjoyable and moving experience. Working with children of various ages has proved valuable and rewarding, especially knowing what roles they have as young carers. In spite of their caring roles I have always found the children to be happy, although sometimes shy and reserved to start with they soon seem to come out of their shells, which is so lovely to see. I find it very moving when they look out and help one another.

I started volunteering for Swindon Carers as a newly retired person, the reason was to scale down my working week while keeping the social and technically challenging aspects of my previous role going. Volunteering for Swindon Carers allows me to do this one or two days a week, more if i like, and it still leaves me free to travel and follow my other interests without being restricted by employment rules. The team at Swindon Carers are by definition friendly and considerate people, they work tirelessly to support carers of any age within our community and i would thoroughly recommend Swindon Carers as an opportunity to volunteer.

I have been volunteering with Young Carers for just over a year. My husband also volunteers, and it was through him I became aware of the need for volunteers to help with the activities and craft sessions. It has been a very enjoyable and rewarding experience, seeing the pleasure the children get from having the opportunity to express themselves through Arts and Craft, it is very heart-warming to see the pride they take making their creations, often to take home and give to other family members.