POLICIES & guidance FOR VOLUNTEERS
Thank you for volunteering with CWR - we could not do it without you! Here are a few things to be aware of when working with CWR. Please take the time to familiarise yourself with the policies and guidance on this page.
Policies
information for volunteers for public-facing events
Briefing Pack - covering the wider refugee and asylum seeker context
Guidance for volunteers helping at community events
Helping at our community events means that Volunteers will socialise and get to know newly arriving families and individuals from a variety of backgrounds.
We are hoping to provide an environment to foster friendships, help people to feel at home in Cheltenham, and enjoy each other’s food and conversation.
However it is worth bearing in mind that the circumstances and experiences of the newly arriving families and people seeking asylum may be different, difficult and sometimes harrowing.
Therefore:
• Don’t probe, but your conversations with the refugee families and those seeking asylum may mean listening to distressing stories. If you need to talk these through, feel free to contact the CWR Core Team, in confidence.
• We know that our volunteers are kind and generous people but please think carefully about the consequences of requests made of you.
• Be aware of your personal boundaries and be careful of creating expectations you may not be able to meet.
• There are no expectations for volunteers to provide assistance beyond the volunteering role they sign up for.
• We would ask volunteers to bear in mind that one of our aims is to encourage independence and self-sufficiency – and not to take over and create co-dependency.
• If there is anything specific you are asked for or feel is needed to support someone, please raise it with the CWR Core Team who will be able to take any requests forward.
• We expect you to be sensitive to religious and cultural differences, but to nonetheless explain that certain activities and behaviours are legal and acceptable in this country (especially relating to the role of women and attitudes to LGBT+ people). Similarly, other behaviours (e.g. racist speech or behaviour, physical punishment) are illegal and unacceptable here.