What does Outreach Work mean?
Outreach Work means ‘reaching out’ to help clients and carers in the community, to offer them services and to improve their quality of life.

What does Outreach Work involve?
Outreach Work involves visiting isolated clients and carers, and offering them services to help the client access the community, as they may have minimal contact or little in common with others.

This may include acting as their Social Interpreter Advocate Mentor (SIAM for short), working with them to have a voice, thus helping to improve their life. The role may involve helping the client/carer(s) to access voluntary work, education, attending professional appointments and other supportive organisations.

What training or qualifications are needed?
If you have experience of Autism conditions or in mentoring roles, this would be an advantage. You will be given training for this role. A mentor will support you, following an induction.

What does the role of a Befriender involve?
Lifeworks helps people with High Functioning Autistic Conditions, some of which are very isolated. Interaction with others can be difficult, thus confidence and coping in every life tasks can be hard. As a result, some people can struggle to get out of their homes or are housebound.

We are currently looking to recruit befrienders to help our service users (clients). The role will include helping to build social interaction by establishing (setting up) and maintaining (continuing) a friendly, sympathetic, informative and professional relationship. Encouraging the client to engage in activities we (Lifeworks) and other organisations provide will help the service user gain confidence and valuable life skills that will improve their quality of life.

Will I be given training? How can I find out more?
You will be given training for this role and a mentor to support you following an induction. Further details about this role are available on request.

How can being a Driver help?
We at Lifeworks are currently looking to recruit volunteer drivers, to help our service users, i.e. clients to get to our activities, at our offices and in the community. The role will include helping to build social interaction, by establishing (setting up) and maintaining (continuing) a friendly relationship, helping them to gain confidence and improve their quality of life.

Why do Lifeworks need Drivers?
At Lifeworks, we help people with High Functioning Autistic Conditions. Due to the nature of these conditions, many people find it very difficult to interact with others in the community, making friends, and are often quite lonely. This can make anxiety high and confidence low, making everyday tasks hard. Some people can struggle to get out of their homes or are housebound.

How can I find out more?
You will be given a mentor to support you following an induction. Further details about this role are available on request

Why do Lifeworks need Fundraising?
Lifeworks is a non-profit, charity organisation who, without things like donations, grants and fundraising events, would not survive easily. Our clients and their parents and carers mean so much to us, and we are dedicated to doing all we can to help. That is why we love our fundraising events, which raises money in a FUN way for our charity to help us help others.

Can I help with fundraising?
Are you creative, imaginative, enthusiastic, compassionate and able to work as part of a team? Then come and join us and attend events, raise awareness and funds for the organisation’s activities.

The role may involve writing funding letters, researching any likely bids, Crowdfunding, Kickstarter, Twitch, contacting counsellors for support with funding, liaising with the fundraising group already set up and to attend their meetings.

Will there be any training to help fundraise?
There will be an induction and you will meet the team beforehand. You will also be required to attend regular meetings.

What is the role of an Office Volunteer?
This role involves typing up client details profiles, sending out the monthly calendar by post, making sure the profiles are up to date, sorting out logos on computer files, shredding, photocopying, and data entry (imputing information into the computer).

Other office duties may include completing feedback forms, spending time with carers over the phone, and finding out what clients would like from Lifeworks in the future and what would help them. You may also be asked to call or e-mail isolated clients and carers, to see how they are could help future problems from occurring and to stop issues before a crisis.

What social activities do Lifeworks offer?
Many of our clients who have High Functioning Autistic Conditions can find it difficult to socialise, interact and engage with others, making their anxiety high and their confidence low. Lifeworks provide a warm, welcoming friendly drop-in service where clients can come and talk about whatever is troubling them, or to just get some company. If they have a particular interest and would like to have some fun with others, Lifeworks have a variety of activities.

How can I help with the social activities?
Do you have a skill you’d like to share? We are currently looking for volunteers to run or assist the activity groups the organisation runs including Wii, retro games, pizza night, cosplay, arts & crafts and a rambling group. We are also looking for people to assist at our drop-in sessions supporting clients and carers.

Helping with drop-in groups.
The tasks required for drop-in groups include making drinks, completing feedback forms, spending time with carers, listening and chatting to clients and carers, and learning from them about Autistic Spectrum Conditions. These roles could appeal to students studying social work, nursing, support workers or psychology.

What is the Lifeworks Computer Club?
Many of our clients have excellent computer skills and the Lifeworks Computer Club (LCC) gives them a chance to understand how computers work and how to fix/upgrade them. We also sell some computers for a donation.

What does volunteering for the LCC involve?
The role would involve promoting the group and supervising those on the Autistic Spectrum. Like all of our volunteering opportunities, it gives our clients a chance to improve their social skills and to enhance their lives. This could be combined with our other volunteer roles that we mentioned.

Do you have a talent for promoting yourself or others on social media? Lifeworks is looking for volunteers to help keep its website and social media pages up to date, promoting events, functions and the work Lifeworks Staffordshire does in helping people on the Autistic Spectrum.

We also have roles for those that have a talent for painting, decorating, DIY and Gardening.
Lifeworks pays volunteers travel expenses bus travel, car mileage, subsistence allowance for those volunteering over 5 hours out in the community and any reasonable out of pocket expenses.

A DBS check will be required for most roles.
An induction will be carried out and training in Autistic Spectrum Conditions and additional training specific to the role will be provided. Mentors will be assigned to more intensive volunteer roles.