Information on Volunteering - EDP Drug & Alcohol Services

Information on Volunteering

Volunteering for EDP Drug & Alcohol Services

EDP welcomes applications from people who wish to volunteer and help us to make a difference.

There are lots of different types of work volunteers can choose to do, depending both on what our service areas need, and the experience and skills you have.  Some of the work volunteers do at the moment includes supporting the delivery of group work (helping with structured workshops), working in the needle exchanges, helping out in the "drop in" (where service users can just drop in for an informal chat), helping prepare rooms for activities, staffing the phones and administrative help.  We also have some outdoor activities such as an allotment and some sporting activities that volunteers can get involved with.  We encourage our volunteers to get involved in the team meetings and the development of services.  

Equal Opportunities

EDP is an organisation that many different groups of people can work in.  We believe that having a variety of people working for us, including volunteers, will improve our services and make it easier for different groups of people to use them.  Applications are therefore welcome from everyone, irrespective of their age, ability, gender, cultural or ethnic background, religion or sexual orientation. .

Employment of Ex-Offenders

Many people who work at EDP, including volunteers, are ex-offenders.  Whilst it is our duty to protect our vulnerable adult clients, having a criminal record is not a barrier to volunteering at EDP.  What matters is the nature of the work applied for and the circumstances and background of someone's offences. You will, however, be required to undergo a Criminal Record Bureau check before volunteering for us.

Employment of Ex-Service Users

Many of our workers are also ex-service users.  It is important to be clear about what ex-service user means:  simply put it means anyone who has experience of problematic substance use, and this is not limited to those who have been helped by EDP.  We have composed a fuller definition of "Ex-service user" and this is included in the application pack but, if you are not sure, please feel free to call us for a chat.

Support 

We take the support of our workers very seriously and volunteers will receive structured support in the work that they do.

Application Process

Often this starts with a phone call followed by completion of our application form.  We then contact you to arrange an initial meeting, to give you an opportunity to talk about your application and for you to find out more about what volunteering involves.  You would then join our initial training and, on satisfactory completion of this, would become a volunteer.  Please call us if you wish to find out more about the training or any aspect of the process.

Locations

EDP operates from offices spread across Devon and Dorset, so please let us know which area suits you best.

Learning & Development

EDP is committed to developing the skills of its entire workforce, including our volunteers, and we offer a 10 day training programme (one day a week) to our volunteers before they start work with us.

Many people start off volunteering at EDP and then go on to get a job in drugs and alcohol work.  If this is something you are interested in, we would like to support you with this.  We give all our volunteers regular individual supervision and, where appropriate, group supervision, regardless of their career aspirations.

How to Apply to be a Volunteer

If you are interested in volunteering with EDP, please first read the guidelines included in our application pack.  You can then apply in a number of ways:

• Download our application pack from the Current Vacancies page and return it to us either by post to the address on the form, or by email.  Emailed applications should be saved as Microsoft Word documents and sent to volunteering@edp.org.uk.  Please also put "application" in the subject line.
• For a paper application pack, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator on 01392 666719 or via email at volunteering@edp.org.uk

Please note that we cannot accept CVs from people interested in volunteering.

If you need any further information please email us at volunteering@edp.org.uk