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Children's Hearing Scotland

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How we support volunteers

Your support network

When you join the CHS volunteer community, you become part of a huge support network which will help enable you to deliver the best outcomes for infants, children and young people.

There are nine Area Support Teams (ASTs) and within each region has dedicated Tribunal Delivery Manager, a Partnership Coordinator and a Wellbeing Coordinator. They work alongside local teams of volunteer Panel Engagement Leads, Lead Panel Practice Advisors (Lead PPAs) and Learning Champions to support our 2,400 Panel Members and PPAs across Scotland. 

How CHS supports our Panel Members

Your wellbeing

At CHS, we want to help our community to thrive, both generally in life, as well as specifically during time volunteering with us. A Panel Community’s wellbeing support covers the emotional and practical means to confidently sit as Panel Members, Chairs, and Panel Practice Advisors.

Each region has a dedicated Wellbeing Coordinator who will work with others to provide wraparound care and support to our Panel Community by:

  • Supporting newly trained volunteers and helping them get set up for a great start
  • Providing bespoke support during the volunteer journey from training room to hearing room
  • Enhancing the volunteer’s experience through meaningful conversations, quick actions, effective sign-posting where needed, and purposeful appreciation and recognition of the brilliant work our volunteers do
  • Working alongside other volunteers in the community and CHS colleagues to support proactively and reactively based on individual needs, including those with protected characteristics, diverse needs, or with other personal commitments

In addition to CHS colleagues, the wider Panel Community will provide peer support, coaching, and tips that will encourage new volunteers to seek out help and guidance about their self care, practice, and learning journey with us.

 

How we can support you!

"My role involves working with other members of the area and national support team to make sure that all our panel members feel confident and comfortable going into the panel member room – this might include ensuring the room is accessible or talking through concerns they have about their role. It also involves ensuring the panel member is supported after hearings there is anything they are concerned about and means they are able to leave the hearing in the hearing room.” - Vicki Burns, Regional Wellbeing Coordinator (Glasgow)

What happens in a hearing?

If you are visiting us for the first time, you may have lots of questions about what the children's panel is and what we do.

Impact in your local area

62% of our Panel Members said 'I wanted to make a positive contribution to my local community', why not join them?