Volunteer case studies
Claire’s story
Claire is a trained nurse who has spent the last seven years working for the NHS on various surgical wards.
“I was looking to change areas and wanted to work within the drug field but had no previous experience of working in this area. I therefore began to volunteer for my local harm minimisation service as a voluntary project worker. This gave me the best possible experience in working with this specific client group and gave me the ‘taster’ I needed to give me the determination and drive to work in this area. I was very lucky that the post of Blood Borne Virus Nurse came up whilst I was volunteering for the service. I am now in post and loving every minute of it. I feel that it made a big difference to volunteer for the service before taking the post because it gave me a chance to meet and work with the team, get real ‘hands on’ experience, and importantly to me get fantastic support and backing from the team that I am now working with.”
David’s story
David, a former service user, trained as a peer mentor and now volunteers for CRI.
“I joined the first peer mentoring scheme run by CRI about 18 months ago. During the time I attended the course I felt totally supported by the trainers in such a way that I was able to learn and progress to becoming a volunteer for CRI. I did my placement for the scheme with a DIP team, and again felt totally supported and accepted by all the workers. This all come about after years of drink and drug abuse, and long periods in prison.
“I was also able to attend the progression awards in community justice with the full support and backing of CRI, which I would not have been able to do without their support. I continued to volunteer for CRI and, when a job came up, I applied for it, got short-listed, and after the interview got offered the job as project worker in the open access, needle exchange. I could never have achieved this without the help of CRI. This has been one of the most positive times in my life, and I have CRI to thank for it. I would highly recommend peer mentoring to anyone that wants to work in the substance misuse field or just wants to enhance their self development and help other people.”
Mark’s Story
I started using at the age of 11, mainly soft drugs.
My family was having difficulties, my mother was poorly and my father was a compulsive gambler. I guess I was missed out of the loop somewhere along the way which contributed to my attraction to drugs. Peer pressure and enjoying the effects did the rest.
I quickly progressed from soft drugs to hard drugs and by the age of 17 I started using heroin intravenously. By the time I was 19, I was trying to access support services in London but having little success with sticking to anything. From the age of 21 I went into a number of treatment centres but could never stick with the programmes. Usually I would detox and leave returning to drugs almost immediately I got back on the streets. By the age of 32 I had lost everything, friends and family where turning their back on me, I had no job or prospects, no accommodation a serious drug habit and health problems.
My situation was getting rapidly worse and I was feeling extremely lonely and desperate. I knew I needed to move away from the people and places I had been around whilst using drugs and so I left London and moved to Bournemouth around about this time to make a fresh start. I was lucky enough to go through treatment and this time I stuck with the programme. Afterwards I enrolled in the local college and started a Foundation Course which helped me to put some structure back into my life and fired my interest and ambition for further studies. I had always wanted to work in the Arrest Referral teams because I had been on the streets and had seen how low drugs and this life style could bring you. I had enormous empathy for people in this situation and wanted to give something back.
Whilst doing my studies I heard about CRI and the volunteering opportunities that were available and so applied to them.
I started voluntary work with CRI Street Services in April 2005. I have always been interested in doing some voluntary work and through attending an induction day for volunteers with CRI I saw what was available within the organisation. I started attending one day a week with Bournemouth Street Services working with the homeless which I enjoyed very much. Whilst volunteering with the team I was able to meet lots of people who had come from the streets and to provide encouragement and hope for a better future. I was also able to visit and network with other projects and teams such as Arrest Referral, The Foundation Project and The Clubhouse which enabled me to get a clearer idea of which job I would like to do for a career.
During my time as a volunteer I received regular supervision training and professional management. As a result of volunteering I was in a much stronger position when it came to applying for paid work and I am now working full-time for CRI with the Arrest Referral Service.”
Michelle Chand – Senior Prison Link Worker – CERT Ealing
My experience of volunteering with CRI at the DAIS project in Hounslow was very rewarding.
Previously I had been doing administrative duties for an alcohol project following my degree. However I wanted to gain direct experience of working with people with substance misuse issues and move into paid employment in this field. I joined the DAIS team as a volunteer, continued providing administrative support to the project but also began to meet and greet new clients and to oversee the drop-in facility. This increased experience of working with clients also boosted my confidence. When a job came up with the arrest referral team I was encouraged to apply and was successful. The experience I gained as a volunteer directly contributed to my success in obtaining paid employment in the work I wanted to do.
Jane Brown – Senior Project Worker – DTTO Ealing and Hounslow
I had a positive experience of volunteering for CRI when I worked with the CRI Drug Testing and Treatment Order project in West London as a Social Welfare Studies student on placement in my final year at university. To begin with my role involved supporting the team with administrative duties. As my confidence and skills grew I was given the opportunity to co-facilitate groups and with further training and support I finally began to facilitate the group work. This was an invaluable experience for me, I was later successful in my application to become a group worker for CRI and have since progressed to senior worker for the project. Volunteering gave me the confidence and experience to complement the theory and knowledge I gained on my degree course at university. It was an effective springboard to launch me into paid work.
Liz Piper – Project Worker HMP Lewes CARAT Service
I began volunteering for CRI in Lewes Prison on a pilot Pathfinder scheme funded by the government. The project was very successful and showed that the volunteers had a positive impact, helping inmates when they were being released into the community. I gained valuable experience working with the project, received training and supervision, an understanding of working within the criminal justice system and completed a diploma in working with addictions. This led to paid employment with a CRI project in Eastbourne. I am now with the CRI CARAT team at HMP Lewes.
What the staff say
“What volunteers bring to the service is enthusiasm, creativity and additional resources. They provide a different dynamic for clients. When we have a particularly vulnerable client, they often pick up on the openness and availability of volunteers and respond in a positive way to them. Volunteers also bring additional skills and knowledge that we would not other wise have access to”.
Damian Grainer (former CRI Volunteer with HMP Pathfinder Project) Project Leader Eastbourne DAIS.
“We have a sound history of working with volunteers and facilitating their progression into paid work. We recognize the added value which volunteers can bring to a service and the opportunities for recruiting new staff”.
Jay Harley – project Leader Turnaround Project.
Facts and figures:
- 75% of the volunteers indicated that their access to new contacts and networks had increased as a result of their voluntary work.
- 100% said they would recommend volunteering to others
Read more
Use these links to learn more about volunteering at CRI and volunteering opportunities.
