From supporting people looking for work, or a step up the career ladder, to making a real difference to young people, there’s a Somerset Council volunteer role just waiting to be filled.

Two openings are available with the Youth Justice Team:

• Family Group Conference Volunteers: A family group conference is led by family members to plan and make decisions for a child who is at risk. Volunteers in this role support parents who may struggle to express their views. The role of the advocate for any vulnerable adult at the Family Group Conference (FGC) can be essential to its success.
• Reparation Mentors: Volunteers in this role support young people to fully participate in reparation work as part of a Court Order. This is a really rewarding role where you are actively supporting the young person to develop life skills whilst supporting their local community. The Youth Justice Team looking for volunteers who would be prepared to support young people to experience environment and wildlife.

The School Appeals Panel is looking for independent members either with or without direct experience in schools. Panel members help to make sure all the appeals for maintained schools and academies are conducted in a fair and transparent way. Appeals can include admissions, exclusions, and transport. Panels are held all year round, during the working day but particularly busy periods include April – July and September.

Volunteers are also needed to support Community Employment Hubs in Taunton Minehead and Williton. The hubs provide a free employment support service for people across West Somerset, Taunton, and Wellington. They offer flexible support to people to overcome their own personal barriers to skills development and employment.

Training and support are available for people stepping forward as volunteers.

Cllr Federica Smith-Roberts, Lead Member for Communities, said: “We are fortunate in Somerset to have a fantastic network of volunteers who give up their time to help and support others.

“Now we are looking for more people to come forward to fill these roles which have a positive impact on so many people, and for the volunteers it’s a way to gain new skills and even a new career path.”

More details about the roles and how to apply can be found here:

• Family Group Conference – Family Group Conference Volunteer | Somerset Council Volunteering
• Reparation Mentor – Reparation Mentor | Somerset Council Volunteering
• School Appeals Panels Member – Independent School Appeals Panels Member | Somerset Council Volunteering
• Community Employment Hub, Support Volunteer Taunton, Support Volunteer Minehead, Support Volunteer Williton. Meet and Greet Volunteer Williton. Communications and Marketing Volunteer Williton.

These are just some of the opportunities to volunteer with Somerset Council. If you’re interested in the other opportunities available, or want to find out more about volunteering with Somerset Council, please visit volunteering.somerset.gov.uk. You can also follow us at facebook.com/volunteeringatsomersetcouncil. You can contact the Central Volunteer Team by emailing volunteer@somerset.gov.uk or by calling 01823 35920.