What you can expect

Being a volunteer with Royal Voluntary Service is a bit different from other kinds of community volunteering. We give our volunteers the chance to work locally and on a wide variety of tasks. The most important thing is that they enjoy spending time with the older people they get to know.

Getting started

Perhaps you’re already 100% committed to volunteering; maybe you are still in two minds about whether it’s right for you or whether you can find time to volunteer. Whatever your situation, we think the best way to get started is to talk directly to the Royal Voluntary Service office in your area. They’ll be able to answer any questions you have about volunteering in your local community, you’ll be able to talk to people who already volunteer for us, and they can tell you what they have available and match the right opportunity to the time you have available.

To get connected with your local Royal Voluntary Service, see our list of offices

The work of our volunteers

We’ve been changing the way our volunteers work so that they get the most out of their work and older people are better supported by them.

We ask anyone who wants to volunteer to tell us what time they have to help out locally, what interests them and what skills they have. It all helps us create an opportunity that is right for you. You could find yourself working on different things – from visiting people at home, to helping run activities at social calls to taking someone to the shops or giving them a hand in the garden. The aim is to make sure our volunteers really enjoy the time they spend with older people. This also allows for the kind of flexibility that helps older people get the support they need.

Practical matters

We take volunteering seriously and aim to make your time with us as easy and enjoyable as possible.

We were the first national volunteering organisation to be awarded the Investing in Volunteers (IiV) accreditation.

Here’s where we stand on a few practical issues you may be wondering about (although you’ll get lots more detail about all of this when you start volunteering):

Induction and training

All volunteers receive a thorough induction before they start work with us. They’ll also get any training they need to carry out their work.

Supervision

All volunteers are given a named person to supervise them during their time at Royal Voluntary Service. This is someone with whom they can discuss their volunteering experience and share any issues or problems they’re facing.

Expenses

Volunteers are never out of pocket for the time they spend with us. We will reimburse all expenses providing volunteers keep the receipt or provide other approved evidence.

Insurance

We can cover volunteers for any work carried out by them in a volunteer capacity, so long as they have been approved or authorised by us first.

Safety

We do not want volunteers to undertake any activity on our behalf that could have an adverse effect on their well-being. All volunteers are informed of our safe working practices when they start.

Security

All volunteers go through a disclosure and barring service (DBS) check – previously known as a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check to ensure their suitability to work with vulnerable people.

Diversity

Royal Voluntary Service is an organisation that embraces diversity. Our volunteers have different backgrounds, cultures, skills and experiences, as do the older people they work with.

Confidentiality

All volunteer information is kept confidential within Royal Voluntary Service. We also expect volunteers to maintain the confidentiality of any information they handle during their time with us.