About
Citizens Advice is a national charity that provides free-to-access information and advice to give people the knowledge and confidence they need to find their way forward.
The Witness Service ...
Witness Service Court Volunteer - Gloucester Crown and Cheltenham Magistrates
Scan me or visit www.govolunteerglos.org/o/Citizens-Advice-Witness-Service2/opportunities/Witness-Service-Volunteer---Gloucester-Crown-and-Cheltenham-Magistrates/67611 to join
Contact person
Summary
Practical information and emotional support to witnesses so that they feel confident to give their evidence.Detailed description
What will I do?
- Give witnesses and their supporters emotional support, guidance and information at court
- Show witnesses and others around the courtroom before a trial so they are familiar and at ease in the environment.
- Go into the courtroom with a witness if permitted.
- Identify additional support to which we can signpost witnesses.
- Work as part of a team with other Witness Service volunteers and staff as well as liaising with court personnel.
What's in it for you?
- Contribute to the service’s aims of supporting witnesses
- Training, accreditation and continued personal development and support in the role
- Use your skills and life experiences to help others
- The chance to take on additional internal roles such as a volunteer buddy or IT champion
- Gain valuable experience and development of interpersonal skills.
- Have a positive impact in your community and on the lives of witnesses and their supporters
- Reimbursement of agreed expenses
Our volunteers come from a range of backgrounds and we are committed to offering a welcoming and inclusive environment to witnesses, staff, and volunteers.
Volunteers offer 1 day of 9-5 per week (not weekends). We look for volunteers who could complete 3 months training on this basis and then 12 months as an accredited volunteer. We are of course flexible for time away, exam periods holidays etc and the day can vary.
Volunteers can support at either Cheltenham or Gloucester locations, but at Gloucester Crown we'd need some availability Tues/Wed.
We support successful applicants to apply for their DBS through UCheck
What we will provide to volunteers
💸 Reimbursement of costs🤝 Extra supportAbout Citizens Advice Witness Service
The Witness Service provides free, confidential practical and emotional support for witnesses attending trials and hearings in every criminal court in England and Wales. We’re delivered by Citizens Advice, and funded by a grant from the Ministry of Justice. Our 300 staff and 2,000 volunteers supported more than 87,000 witnesses in 2021/22.
Our trained volunteers provide practical help, emotional support and information to witnesses so that they feel valued, respected and informed and able to give their best evidence in court.
We're a national service that operates at a local level, with staff and volunteer teams working from every Crown and Magistrates court in England and Wales. In Gloucestershire, we operate from Gloucester Crown Court, Cheltenham Magistrates Court and Cirencester Nightingale Court, as well as a number of videolink hubs for people giving evidence remotely.