Volunteer Branch Support Coordinator

Do you enjoy teamwork and helping others? Are you empathetic with good organisation, IT and communication skills? If so, we’d love to hear from you. You don’t need an Armed Forces background, just a commitment to providing great support to our beneficiaries.

**What is a Branch Support Coordinator?**

There are SSAFA branches throughout the UK and overseas, each delivering support to serving personnel, veterans, and their families. Every branch has a team of volunteers who make this possible.

The Branch Support Coordinator is a key member of the team, ensuring that beneficiaries access the right support in a timely manner. This role involves liaising with regional and national teams and coordinating casework support provided to beneficiaries by Branch volunteers.

**What difference will you make?**

SSAFA has been supporting the Armed Forces community for more than 130 years. Our beneficiaries come from all backgrounds and age groups and the number of people contacting us for help rises each year. In recognition of their service to the Nation we aim to provide financial, practical, and emotional support when it’s needed most. To do this we need excellent coordination of local services and between our teams.

**What will you be doing?**

Every SSAFA Branch has different needs, however, below are the main activities of a Support Coordinator:

- **Coordinating and assigning referrals**:Accepting referrals for beneficiary casework support from SSAFA’s Regional Office and allocating beneficiaries’ cases to branch volunteers.
- **Providing quality support**:Overseeing SSAFA casework across a branch, ensuring beneficiaries receive support that meets SSAFA’s casework standards and raising issues where it does not.
- **Using online systems**:Using SSAFA’s case management system to record, coordinate and track beneficiaries’ cases.
- **Managing and supporting volunteers**:Ensuring volunteer caseworkers have a manageable caseload and that effective support and supervision is in place.
- **Signposting and partnership working**:Liaising with Central Office and Specialist Services teams to ensure access to specialist support where needed e.g., Mentoring
- **Keeping volunteers informed and up to date**:Supporting the Branch Training Coordinator and Volunteering Coordinator to ensure volunteer caseworkers are up to date with training and have the information needed to carry out their role.

**What can you gain from this volunteering role?**
- Use your skills, knowledge, and life experience to benefit others.
- Excellent experience, training, and skills that you can highlight on your CV and in job interviews.
- Give back to the Armed Forces community.
- Become part of the SSAFA community and build networks across your local area.
- Better physical and mental health - studies show that volunteers live longer and experience lower levels of stress and depression

**What about training, support and expenses?**
- Instructor led training alongside like-minded volunteers will guide you through everything you need to know about casework and volunteer management.
- On-line training modules to complete at home, so you are up to date on how to keep people and their personal information safe.
- Local induction and support, from other branch volunteers.
- Access to a wide range of e-learning courses to keep your knowledge and skills up to date.
- Support from SSAFA’s regional volunteering and operations teams.
- Regular meetings and local events to learn and share information.
- Reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses.
- Volunteers will be covered by SSAFA's Public Liability insurance while carrying out their role.

**What are we looking for?**

People with:

- Good written and verbal communication skills
- Time management and organisation skills
- Respectful and non-judgemental approach to others
- Understanding of the importance of confidentiality and boundaries
- Some experience of coordinating people
- This role would suit someone who would like to volunteer regularly, each week.

We welcome volunteers of all backgrounds, abilities, races, sexual orientations, socio-economic backgrounds, and of all faiths and none. SSAFA are committed to making reasonable adjustments to support volunteers with disabilities, so they have access to the same opportunities and experiences as volunteers who do not.

**Safer Recruitment**:SSAFA takes the utmost care at every step of volunteer recruitment to ensure that the people we involve are suitable and appropriate. All measures taken are to help make volunteering at SSAFA a positive and safe experience.

**References Required**:Yes. We will ask for two references, this can be former employers or people that know you well (other than relatives).

**Is a criminal record check required**? Yes, this is provided by SSAFA at no cost to the potential volunteer.
- *A disclosure certificate that contains convictions, cautions, or other information will not automatically mean that you are n