Recruitment drive for volunteers to help support victims of crime in Falkirk

VSS, an independent charity that provides free and tailored support to anyone affected by crime in Scotland, requires volunteers in Falkirk and is urging local people to sign up to help deliver much-needed emotional and practical support to the people who need it.

VSS provides a range of bespoke, personal support to individuals and families dealing with the impact of crime in Scotland. This support may be providing advice during visits to court, including Falkirk Sherriff Court and Justice of the Peace Court, to help demystify the process providing emotional support, signposting specialist or professional services or just being there to listen.

Volunteers are essential to VSS’s operation. By committing just a few hours each week, volunteers can have a transformative impact on victims and witnesses, as well as their friends and families.

Once enrolled, VSS volunteers receive comprehensive hands-on training and day to day support to ensure they have the skills and resources to provide the support that is required.

In an effort to make volunteering with the organisation more accessible though, VSS recently developed a new more flexible way of volunteering.

Kate Wallace, chief executive of Victim Support Scotland, said: “Volunteers are the backbone of our organisation, and we need more of them in Falkirk to ensure we can continue to deliver vital services to the people who need it most in these areas.

“Our dedicated teams provide a broad range of support to help people affected by crime take control and move forward with their lives. Our work helps ease concerns and anxieties and offers comfort and hope to people in our own communities. Without volunteers, these services wouldn’t be possible.”

“Our new four-hours per week initiative opens up even more options for full-time workers, students, and stay-at-home parents to make volunteering with VSS work around their lives.

"We hope this will allow more people in Falkirk to spend a small amount of time helping others and making a real difference in people’s lives.

“VSS is an inclusive organisation so we encourage anyone interested in volunteering to get in touch as we push towards supporting even more people affected by crime in Scotland.”

Visit the VSS website for more information.