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Be a Volunteer Victim Services, District of Parry Sound Assistance and Referral Service |
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About Volunteers Our volunteers provide short-term emotional and practical assistance to victims of crime or tragic circumstances. Our volunteers are on-call 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. We respond to all types of calls, including property related crimes such as break and enters, motor vehicle accidents, sexual assaults, domestic violence, and any other situations that have put an individual in a crisis state. We are called in by the Ontario Provincial Police or Anishinabek Police Service, with the consent of the victim. Volunteers attend on-site, whether it is the victim's home, the local hospital, the local police detachment, or some other suitable and safe location. Once there, volunteers provide support, suggestions and a listening ear to the victim. They may do something as simple as retrieving clothes from a vehicle that was involved in an accident, to taking a victim of domestic violence to the local women's shelter. We want to be there for the victim, to provide whatever assistance they need to find their coping skills. Becoming a Volunteer To become a Victim Services volunteer, you must first submit an application form, be interviewed by a panel of three people, provide the names of three references, undergo a criminal background check, go through 30 hours of standardized training, and finally successfully complete an evaluation. This seems like a lot for a volunteer to go through, but we want to ensure the highest quality volunteers are available to people who, in a time of crisis, are very vulnerable. Volunteers are expected to be available to be on-call for a minimum of four shifts per month. All volunteers carry pagers, and when you are on-call you must leave your pager on and be available to attend a situation within 45 minutes, whether it is 4:00 in the afternoon or 4:00 in the morning. In addition, we have monthly meetings volunteers are expected to attend. These meetings give volunteers a better idea of the services that are offered in the area, and are a good opportunity to talk about calls they may have attended in the past month. You will not get called every time you are on shift. We only attend to victims who want our help. You may go months without getting a call, then may get three within a month. Whenever you do go to a call, you will know that you have helped a person who really needed it.
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