Would you like to use your autism experience to help other parents of autistic children?

We are looking for parents/carers of autistic children with more than three years of autism experience (your child has a diagnosis of autism and you have a good understanding of autism, DLA and other benefits, the EHCP process, etc.) looking for volunteer opportunities to help us support parents/carers new to autism or those who are struggling with specific issues. 

We are especially interested in recruiting volunteers who have autistic teenagers.

Ideally, you'll be friendly and welcoming and comfortable working with a wide variety of people. You are not expected to know everything about autism - this is a general support service.

We fully understand how unpredictable life is. Please don't feel you shouldn't volunteer because you may have to cancel some times. That's ok! We get it and we will work with you.

The Covid-19 pandemic has made it necessary to offer a wider range of virtual support options for parents and carers.

We are looking for dedicated volunteers for the following roles:

Phone support volunteers

Our phone support service enables parents to book a 20 minute support call to discuss a particular issue or to talk through general worries.

What's involved: our Volunteer Manager co-ordinates the allocation of calls to our volunteers. You would choose which calls you would like to make. You would have full support of BAS at all times.

How often? This is a year-round service but it is intended to fit round life, so you would be able to pick and choose when you want to volunteer.

Befrienders

Learning that your child is or may be autistic is an incredibly emotional experience. We are creating a pool of volunteers who can befriend parents and carers who are new to autism (awaiting assessment or who have received a diagnosis for their child in the past 12 months). A befriender would be assigned to a parent/carer new to autism for a period of six weeks. During this time, you would provide email, phone support and/or video chat support (you would have a BAS email address and phone, so you would not be using your own personal phone or email address).

What's involved: committing to a six-week period of support for a parent, supporting them in whichever way they choose. You would have full support of BAS at all times.

How often? Term time only. You can do as many six-week stints as you like. You would only be assigned to one parent/carer at a time. You would be expected to commit to that parent/carer for the designated six week period.

What's in it for you?

Volunteering is incredibly rewarding. Volunteering with BAS allows you to use your experience to help others. It's a wonderful way to make new friends. You will learn new skills as well as learn about services and support you didn't know about. Our volunteers enjoy perks such as free entry into some of our events and activities. We are happy to provide references for our volunteers as well.

Volunteering can be a great way to ease back into work after a break, or add new skills to your CV. You could even gain an NVQ in Understanding Autism, Counselling or Information, Advice or Guidance through volunteering with BAS.

Come along to our training session!

Our training day will cover everything you need to know to get up and running as a Phone Support or befriender This session will cover, among other things:

• The history and future of Bristol Autism Support
• What you need to know in order to help others
• How to be a BAS volunteer
• Safeguarding - children, parents and yourself
• Opportunities for personal advancement and training

Training is free and takes place via Zoom. We will email you Zoom details a few days before the session.

Any questions?Please email info@bristolautismsupport.com with any questions about these opportunities or the training.

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