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Volunteer Adult Advisory Group Member (Expert by Experience)
- Volunteering
- Impermanent
- Part Time
- Cooperative
As a member of the advisory group, you will use your lived experience to provide valuable insights, guidance, and feedback to help shape projects, policies or services. Your unique perspective will ensure that decision-making processes remain inclusive, empathetic, and grounded in real-world experiences.
About Caudwell Children
Established in 2000, Caudwell Children is a national charity that works to transform the lives of disabled children and their families, enabling them to challenge the barriers they face throughout childhood by providing practical and emotional support. The Charity is going through an exciting period of growth having recently opened a new state-of-the-art facility for multi-disciplinary therapy programmes for childhood disability and research of neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism, within the grounds of Keele University. It provides a state-of-the-art base for the Charity’s therapies and an environment where ground-breaking research can be undertaken, potentially changing the way some disabilities are treated, and affecting millions of people around the world. This is a fantastic and exciting opportunity to join a dynamic and fast-moving Charity at a time when it will attract national and international attention.
Outline of key responsibilities:
- Attend and actively participate in regular advisory group meetings in person.
- Share your lived experience and insights to inform discussions.
- Provide constructive feedback on initiatives, programs, or policies under development.
- Collaborate with other group members and stakeholders to generate ideas and recommendations.
- Review materials, proposals, and reports, offering comments and suggestions based on your expertise.
- Act as an ambassador for the group, promoting its objectives within your community or network.
Person Specification
- A passion for improving the lives and services for disabled or neurodivergent children.
- A willingness to share personal lived experience relevant to the focus of discussion.
- An open and collaborative mindset, with respect for diverse perspectives.
- Good communication skills, including the ability to express ideas clearly and respectfully.
- Commitment to confidentiality and ethical participation.
- Availability to attend meetings every two months at the Caudwell International Children’s Centre.
Suggested Time Commitment
To encourage consistency for the group, the suggested time commitment for group members includes:
- 3 – 4 hours of initial online training (covering charity induction, information governance and safeguarding).
- Attendance at an in-person meeting every 2 months, with meeting duration up to 2 hours; equating to 12 hours per year.
- Occasional time for reviewing materials or participating in additional discussions outside of scheduled meetings as agreed.
Support and Benefits
- Induction training and ongoing support to understand the advisory group process.
- Complimentary refreshments provided for meetings.
- Opportunities for personal and professional development.
- Optional attendance at events held for Caudwell Children volunteers (e.g. Christmas party).
- The chance to make a meaningful impact on projects and initiatives that align with your experiences and values.
Accountability
You will link with the Caudwell Children staff representative for the Advisory Group, alongside collaborating with other advisory group members.
Equal Opportunity Statement
We are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse environment. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences. If you require any adjustments or accommodations as part of the recruitment process, please detail this on your application form and we will endeavour to support any requests where possible.
Recruitment and Selection
Full detail on the recruitment process can be found in ‘Application Process’ flowchart. We strive to ensure that our advisory group reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. Therefore, whilst the person specification will be utilised to identify those suitable for the role, members will also be selected based on a commitment to diversity across the following areas: age, gender, ethnicity, culture, disability and neurodivergence. In addition, we hope to select people with a wide range of interests and expertise relevant to the group’s focus areas.
Through this inclusive selection process, we aim to build a dynamic and well-rounded advisory group that is equipped to offer diverse perspectives and insights.
Contact Details
Email volunteer@caudwellchildren.com or visit https://www.caudwellchildren.com/volunteer/
Find out more:
We can provide reasonable adjustments from the point of you applying, through recruitment, onboarding to supporting you in your volunteer role.
Please contact us to find out more.