Be a Volunteer
Could you become a trained crisis support worker to help people affected by a disaster?
The CSTE needs to maintain a team of 80 volunteers and will need to carry our recruitment drives from time to time. If you are interested in becoming a crisis support worker, please click on the following documents to find out more about the scheme.
Recruitment Information (186kb)
Current crisis support workers' comments (180kb)
This section is aimed at the types of questions Crisis Support Workers may ask when being recruited.
- Who can be a Crisis Support Worker ?
- Do Crisis Support Workers Receive Payment ?
- How do I apply to become a Crisis Support Worker ?
- I don’t drive, can I still be a Crisis Support Worker ?
- Will I be insured ?
- I have already undergone a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check for my job/voluntary activity – Will I need to be checked again ?
- I may not be able to drop everything at a minutes notice to respond due to work/family life – can I still be a Crisis support Worker ?
- What is the level of commitment expected in terms of my time to be a Crisis Support Worker?
- When and where will the training be held ?
1. Who can be a Crisis Support Worker ?
We welcome applications from people who are able to meet the criteria & competencies as required for the scheme. We focus on their suitability & willingness to support people who have been affected by a disaster, rather than stipulate professional qualifications & backgrounds. However, some qualifications & experience is essential for certain roles. Crisis Support Workers:
- Must undertake foundation and continuation training;
- Must take part in a call our system;
- Must pass a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check;
- Must have the written support of their line manager or sponsoring organisation
2. Do Crisis Support Workers Receive Payment ?
No, any involvement in the scheme is voluntary and an extension to other professional and/or voluntary activities.
Every endeavour will be made to provide necessary materials, refreshments and provisions for you. However, it is accepted that there will be occasions where you will have to meet your own out of pocket expenses and it is anticipated that your line manager/sponsoring organisation will be able to meet these as part of their agreement for your to be a Crisis Support Worker. (There is a small budget available for out of pocket expenses but payment will be considered on a case by case basis.)
We will meet out of pocket expenses incurred in association with the activation of the scheme. This may involve costs associated with mobile phone calls, refreshments and mileage. The general principle of reasonableness underlies the claiming and payment of these expenses. You have a responsibility to ensure that the costs to the scheme are kept to a minimum without unduly reducing the efficiency with which you carry out your role. You personally should not suffer financially for carrying out the roles defined by the scheme.
3. How do I apply to become a Crisis Support Worker ?
The Crisis Support Team for Essex completed its second recruitment drive mid 2006. For people interested in becoming a crisis support worker, we welcome your name, and email or postal address so that we may contact you when we carry out our next recruitment drive. When we do our next recruitment drive will depend on turnover of existing crisis support workers, our budget and activation.
To make general enquiries about the scheme, or to leave your name and contact details, please contact:
The Emergency Plans and Core Resilience Unit
Essex County Council
PO Box 297,
County Hall
Chelmsford
Essex CM1 1YS
Tel: 01245 430378
Fax: 01245 430368
E-mail: CSTEenquiries@essexcc.gov.uk
4. I don’t drive, can I still be a Crisis Support Worker ?
Yes, there may be other ways that you can travel and we may have roles for you to carry out at a central point such as County Hall, Chelmsford.
If you have your own vehicle, it is expected that it will be used in connection with the Crisis Support Team for Essex, whether it is training or deployment. However, in some circumstances, depending on the services requested of the volunteer and/or the nature of the incident, transport may be provided.
Yes, but please refer to section 20 of the Crisis Support Worker Handbook.
Yes. Regardless of whether you already have passed a check, all applicants who are successful in their interview will be subject to an enhanced Criminal Records Disclosure since the role of the Crisis Support Worker may involve spending unsupervised time with children and vulnerable people. A Criminal Records Bureau check is not transferable.
Yes. An immediate response may not always be required and if you are unable to respond immediately when requested, you might be able to help later. If you become a Crisis Support Worker and we need to deploy you, you can say no if:
- You feel tired
- You don’t feel ‘up to it’
- You have a prior engagement and don’t want to let someone down
- You have family commitments
- You feel unwell
- Your line manager is not able to release you from work
Ideally, we would like to be able to call on you anytime and that you will be available but realistically, we recognise that will not always be possible.
8. What is the level of commitment expected in terms of my time to be a Crisis Support Worker?
As part of the recruitment process, your commitment is to attend a half day Induction training event and then an interview which will probably take about 45 minutes. For the interview, we will endeavour to allocate you a date, time and venue that is suitable for you but it is likely that they will be held during a weekday.
Then, you will need to attend the foundation training which consists of two days and will be held midweek.
Then, you are expected to attend at least three continuation training events which will probably be half a day, or a full day within the first three years of membership. Wherever possible, we will hold training events on different days of the weeks and at different times eg mornings, afternoons and evenings to suit as many people as possible.
In summary, in the first 2 years from applying to the scheme the commitment is about 7 days (if allowing one day per event) and the expectation is that your line manager or sponsoring organisation will allow you this time from your normal duties without loss of salary or you having to take substantial amount of leave to prepare for your role as Crisis Support Worker.
If you are deployed in the event of a disaster, your commitment will depend on the nature of the incident and your ability and willingness to respond to the various needs of those people affected. We anticipate that there will be no long-term involvement, with you spending more than about 10 days in continuous deployment.
Your commitment in the event of a disaster will be to respond during and outside normal working hours and to attend briefing sessions after deployment as appropriate. Your involvement may be just one or two days, or about 10 days. You may need time to reflect on your experience of being involved in such a challenging situation before returning to work/voluntary duty.
Remember that your ability to respond in the event of a disaster depends on your line manager’s/co-ordinator’s approval and it is important that you discuss this with them when thinking about being a Crisis Support Worker. Please refer to the Line Manager’s/Co-ordinator’s consent form in the Framework Document.
9. Where will the training be held ?
The venues will vary depending on the nature of the training, costs and availability but it is anticipated that most of the training will be held in a central point in the County.