Volunteer for LawCare

 

Could you be a volunteer for LawCare? Full training will be given for all roles. LawCare couldn’t do its vital work in helping lawyers without its volunteers.

LawCare’s volunteers have all worked in law, understand the issues we help with, and want to make the legal profession a happy and comfortable place to work. Our support service offers a safe place to talk without judgement to trained volunteers who have first-hand experience of working in the law. We understand life in the legal sector.

How LawCare works

LawCare has eight members of staff and is mainly funded through grants from the professional and regulatory bodies which oversee the legal professions in the UK. LawCare does not have a central office and all staff and volunteers work from home.

Our support service

The confidential helpline and online chat are operated from 9am to 5pm each weekday with volunteers answering calls and chats. Users of the service are offered:

• confidential and non-judgemental support
• information about any relevant issue (often via LawCare’s website)
• signposting to other specialist organisations or professional help (such as a benevolent association, a GP or counsellor)
• where appropriate, the assistance of a LawCare peer supporter.

The service is free, confidential, and available to anyone in the legal community in the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, as well as their staff and concerned family members. LawCare also offers support by email.

What do LawCare volunteers do?

There are three volunteer roles at LawCare:

1. Helpline volunteers do a four hour shift each week answering calls on our helpline
2. Online chat volunteer do a three hour shift each week on LawCare’s online chat service
3. Peer supporters provide ongoing support to people referred to them by LawCare staff.

Please see the FAQ below for more information about each role.

Who can be a LawCare volunteer?

LawCare Volunteers should be keen and enthusiastic with a good understanding of LawCare’s vision and values and a desire to help others. While full training is given, any existing knowledge or training in counselling skills may be invaluable.

• Volunteers must have worked in the UK legal profession in some capacity for a minimum of two years and have a good understanding of it, although they need not now be practising.
• Volunteers may find themselves speaking to people who are going through a traumatic time and we recognise that this can be extremely difficult. The wellbeing of our volunteers is important to us. For this reason we ask that anyone applying to become a LawCare volunteer who has experience of addiction, a mental health issue or other crisis has been in remission or recovery for a minimum of two years.
• If you have had cause to contact LawCare’s support service for help for any reason in the last two years we may want to discuss this with you prior to you applying.
• LawCare is committed to encouraging equity, diversity and inclusion among our staff, volunteers and service users. We want our volunteer team to be truly representative of the community we serve and we particularly welcome volunteer applicants from a minority ethnic background.

We don’t always need every type of volunteer, so please be aware that there is no guarantee when you apply that we will have a role for you at the end of the process. It’s also possible we may ask whether you would consider taking on a different volunteer role than the one you applied for if we have a particular need in that area.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality and anonymity are essential for effective assistance for those in our profession who need our help, and we expect volunteers to honour this need for confidentiality in those they support. All volunteers are required to sign an agreement stating that they will abide by this requirement and have read our relevant policies.

Supporting you

Supporting others is very rewarding but it can also be challenging and draining. With this in mind LawCare provides several levels of ongoing support to those who volunteer for us.

• All volunteers are provided with printed materials and resources to give them guidance on undertaking their role. These can also be accessed via a Dropbox.
• Volunteers receive a monthly email newsletter updating them on developments, opportunities and procedures relating to their role as a LawCare volunteer.
• There will be the opportunity to debrief with a member of LawCare’s staff after every helpline or online chat shift or peer support assignment.
• There is the option to attend monthly group supervision sessions with a supervising counsellor to discuss issues raised and matters arising from volunteering for LawCare. In order to maintain the service standards and integrity expected we ask that all helpline volunteers and online chat volunteers attend a minimum of three supervision sessions each year, spread throughout the year. Peer supporters who are actively supporting callers are also encouraged to attend.
• If necessary we can arrange a one-to-one session with LawCare’s supervising counsellor for you.
• If you prefer to speak to someone independent of LawCare you can call our EAP and speak to a trained counsellor.