Service volunteers
For specialist services
We provide the range of services listed below for our guests across all centres during Crisis at Christmas. The time you give over Christmas will provide our guests with an opportunity to access housing and legal advice, to get a health and dental check-up and a haircut as well as having their feet checked and eyes tested.
Some services require volunteers to have specialist skills, qualifications and appropriate insurance before they can apply. For these, volunteers must provide relevant documentation.
Please have these with you when you are completing the on-line application. Specific requirements will be clearly stated under each service in Step Four of the application.
- Catering
- Advice
- Befriending
- Healthcare
- Dentistry
- Podiatry
- Opticians
- Hairdressing and Salon
- Massage and Therapies
- Natural Healing
- Sewing and Alterations
- Dogs
Catering
This service needs over 450 trained chefs, experienced food handlers and kitchen assistants to volunteer during CC to keep the kitchens running and make sure our guests are well fed.
All catering volunteers must have at least a level 2 food safety qualification. For those who don't have this, we will be running one-day courses at Crisis on some weekend days from October to December. We will send you dates and details of how to register once we have received your application. Please note there is a £40 charge to attend the course and the qualification is valid for three years.
Chefs shifts run from 10:30 am to 7.30 pm at all centres, and shift times for experienced food handlers and kitchen assistants mirror those of general volunteers: 8.30 am to 4 pm and 3.15 pm to 10 pm in day centres; 7:45 pm to 4 pm, 3.15 pm to 8 pm and 10.15 pm to 8:30 am in residential centres.
Advice
Our guests come to us needing advice on a wide range of issues and we run a comprehensive service to respond to their needs. We are looking for specialists in housing law, asylum and immigration issues, A10 issues, benefits, welfare rights, women's rights and issues and debt management. In addition, we particularly welcome people who work in relevant fields such as CAB advisors, resettlement workers or those from Homeless Person Units. Shifts run from 10:00 - 18:30 and the service operates in all centres.
Befriending
Our Befriending Service works with our more withdrawn guests in a floating support role across all centres. The befrienders encourage guests to use the services on offer to them in the centres and work closely with the healthcare and advice teams, providing support in cases where mental health problems are involved.
We are looking for trainee and qualified counsellors and therapists with BACP/UKCP/BPS and BPC membership or similar membership qualification to volunteer on shifts between 09:00 to 18:00 on all days.
If you are a Samaritan, please note that the festival branch provides cover for this event and welcomes involvement of non-festival Samaritans. If you wish to apply, please go to www.festivalsamaritans.org/cc or email crisis@festivalsamaritans.org.
Healthcare
Our Healthcare Service, supported by a pharmacy, provides a mobile clinic offering advice and assessment, plus some limited interventions and treatment.
We are looking for qualified doctors, nurses and pharmacists, and those with experience of working with people suffering from mental health problems. Volunteers must provide their GMC, NMC or RPS number, where applicable, during the application process. We are also looking for healthcare admin workers and receptionists to join the team. Please note we are not able to accept applications from health care assistants, medical students or FY1 doctors.
The Healthcare Service will be based at our Operations Centre running mobile clinics to all of the centres. Shifts run from 08:00 to 15:00 and 13:30 to 20:30.
Dentistry
The Dental Service relies on qualified dentists, dental nurses, dental therapists and hygienists volunteering to provide a range of routine dental treatments - checkups, scale & polish, fillings and extractions under local anaesthetic - in addition to basic dental health advice and education. Volunteers must provide their GDC number during the application process. Please note we are not able to accept applications from trainees.
All volunteers will meet at the Rough Sleepers Centre at the start of each shift to be briefed and assigned to a team for their shift. Shifts run between 09:00 and 17:30 and transport will be provided for those who need to travel to other centres.
Podiatry
The Podiatry Service provides a range of treatments and foot care advice for our guests, mainly treating corns and calluses, mycotic and gryphotic nails, and much blistering and maceration.
We are looking for qualified podiatrists to treat our guests and podiatry students to help run the service by welcoming guests and preparing them for treatment. Volunteers must provide their HPC number during the application process.
All volunteers will meet at the Operations Centre at the start of each shift to be briefed and assigned to a team for their shift. This service will run mobile clinics to all centres. Shifts run from 08:00 to 13:00 and 13:30 to 19:00 and transport will be provided to and from the other centres.
Opticians
Our Opticians Service provides eye examinations to the same standard as those completed at high street opticians, with non-complex prescription spectacles provided by the end of the week and complex prescription spectacles provided in January. We are looking for qualified Optometrists, Dispensing Opticians and Optical receptionists to run the service this year. Volunteers must provide their GOC number during the application process.
The Opticians' Team will be located in two centres this year; the Rough Sleepers Centre and one of the day centres (exact location to be confirmed). The shift times will be 10:00 to 17:00.
Hairdressing and Salon
This service helps boost the self-esteem of our guests by providing wash, cut and blow-dry services and making them look fabulous! As well as hairdressers and barbers, we are always on the lookout for people who would like to be hairdressing assistants or manage the salon.
You don't always need qualifications to help out in this service, just lots of enthusiasm. We also provide a nail bar for guests so if you have manicure skills, the salon team needs you! Shifts run from 09:00 to 17:30 and the service operates in all centres.
Massage and Natural Healing
We aim to provide a range of massage and therapies to our guests across all centres, including traditional massage, shiatsu, reflexology, Indian head massage, reiki, cranio-sacral therapy and more.
These services ensure that guests receive a full and holistic approach to their health. All applicants must be members of a recognised organisation and have a recognised qualification and appropriate insurance to volunteer. Shifts run from 12:00 to 19:00 daily.
Please note that we do not provide acupuncture or hypnotherapy during CC.
Sewing and Alterations
The Sewing Service plays a vital role in boosting the self-esteem of our guests by making alterations to clothing and repairing items that are often precious to their owners. The tasks include sewing on buttons and patches, turning up trousers, replacing zips and repairing tears in clothes and bags.
Some tasks are relatively simple, others more difficult, and so we need a range of skills in the team. The sewing team will be based at the Rough Sleepers Centre with shifts running between 09:30 and 17:30 each day. At the start of each shift, volunteers will be assigned to a team; either the base team, staying at the Rough Sleepers Centre, or the mobile team, going to other centres to provide the service on site. Transport will be provided for the mobile teams.
Dogs
The kennels enable guests with dogs to enjoy the services on offer in the centre, as well as ensuring that the dogs get a basic veterinary check-up. We need people with professional or significant voluntary experience of working with dogs, such as handlers, veterinary staff and those with experience of working in kennels, as well as people who have no formal experience but just love dogs. The Dogs Service will be based at the Rough Sleepers Centre only, and shift times mirror those of general volunteers: 7:45 am to 4 pm, 3.15 pm to 8 pm and 10:15 pm to 8:30 am.
Please note that volunteers in this role will not be carrying out veterinary checks on the dogs as external vets visit the centre three times during CC in an official capacity. Vets who apply to volunteer play a vital role in monitoring the health of the dogs during the shift but in an unofficial capacity as some guests do not always agree to have their dog checked by a vet.
