Would you like to gain experience or share your skills? Why not volunteer?
Get to know us!
Hello, I’m Kirsty Parkinson the volunteer and engagement worker for Barrow in Furness. I’m married with 3 sons (4 if you include my dog 😊).
Before I started in the current role I was previously a Child & Family Worker here at Family Action. Being involved in family support for around 11 years has been incredibly rewarding in a varying ways. I have also been a volunteer in the past, this has given me a deep understanding of how important it is to feel valued when volunteering and just how amazing it can feel.
I adore my role and although extremely different from the family support role, I enjoy coming to work, ensuring all the volunteers are happy. Along with regular supervisions ensuring they are enjoying what they do and giving them opportunities to try new things if they wish and of course keeping them and the service users safe.
I find the engagement part of the job very enjoyable, I get to meet lots of other agencies & organizations, network, I am able to share with our staff team and to share what we as family action do as well as sharing volunteering opportunities.
I feel passionate about my role and I feel lucky to be doing it.
Get Involved!
Volunteering has always been at the heart of Family Action from the very beginning. Family Action was established in 1869 and was run solely by volunteers! Volunteers are such a valuable asset, adding great value to our organization and supporting us in meeting our objectives.
Being a volunteer brings a wealth of experience and skills in a varied range of knowledge whilst helping us build links in the local community and contribute to this by supporting the people in it.
We are looking for volunteers to join our local service to help us deliver our support to children, young people and families:
Advice
- Information and advice sessions
- Online information, advice and support
- Signposting to local services
- Universal peer support group
Help
- Support and coaching on a 1:1 basis
- Referral to a universal or specialist service
- Participation in specialist group work
Further Help
- Bespoke 1:1 support and coaching to help you address your and your family’s needs
- Referral to a universal or specialist service
- Follow-up coaching
As a volunteer you will gain valuable skills and experience working as part of a team making a real difference to the lives of children, young people and families. Here are a few ways you can give your time;
Induction and training
We offer a volunteer induction to help you prepare for your role, and our Family Action eLearning provides you with a certificate for each subject covered, which is great for adding to your CV. On-going training, including access to staff training (if appropriate), and out-of-pocket expenses are provided, plus supervision and support to ensure your volunteering is going well. Volunteering is a great pathway into work. Family Action can provide you with experience and support you to develop your skills. We currently have 4 dedicated volunteers and 5 applicants in the recruitment process.
It is easy to apply to be a volunteer in one of our Centres! Got a question? Please get in touch on for more information please contact Kirsty Parkinson: [email protected] 07971951716
or complete this Volunteer Application Form
Here are some interesting facts on volunteering from NSVO.
