Opportunity Details
Support Children with a Movie, Snacks and a Smile! (age 18+) Referral
CARES Northwest’s mission is to stop child abuse and neglect through multidisciplinary prevention, medical evaluation, and ongoing treatment in partnership with our community. Volunteers are an integral aspect of our program. They offer assistance and guidance to children, youth and families during a very difficult time. Volunteers are often praised for their support in the waiting room and engaging with children before and after an evaluation.
The role of the CARES Northwest Child & Family Support Volunteer is to entertain, supervise and keep children company in the waiting area, assist the family with completion of Crime Victim Compensation forms, and share relevant observations of children and families with the evaluation team. We are seeking volunteers who:
• Must enjoy children and relate well to children of all ages
• Knowledge of child development is helpful, but not required
• An understanding of children and families under stress
• An ability to remain calm in crisis situations
• Skills in communication, discretion, compassion
• Emotional stability, including clear boundaries
• The ability to listen and communicate well and unbiased
• A talkative, relaxed and friendly disposition
• Bilingual ability appreciated and helpful
• Willingness and ability to attend trainings by CARES Northwest staff
• Willingness and ability to register with Legacy Health Volunteer Services, including a criminal background check.
• Willingness to complete an Authorization and Notice of Abuse History form, to be submitted to Oregon Department of Human Services Background Check Unit.
Volunteers will gain experience working with children and youth who have experienced trauma. They will learn new skills and best practices in supporting children who are being evaluated for abuse and/or neglect. They will have one-on-one experiences with children and their families. Additionally, volunteers will observe the multi-disciplinary approach to child abuse assessment where many players are involved, including forensic interviewers, medical practitioners, law enforcement and DHS.
Volunteers are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing. However, there are a few exceptions which we follow from Legacy -- Please do not wear older blue jeans, denim, shorts, mini-skirts, or athletic wear (including yoga pants/leggings). Volunteers are welcome to wear colored jeans. Please wear clean and close-toed shoes with socks. (No flip flops, please) Legacy and CARES Northwest are fragrance-free. Please avoid use of perfume and strong after shave when you are volunteering. Please wear minimal jewelry. This is primarily for your safety when working around active children. Lastly, a mask is required to enter the clinic. Once you become a volunteer, you will be supplied with a medical mask when your shift starts daily.
Keywords: free_the_future
Opportunity Requirements:
-
Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older to participate in this opportunity.
Click on "Express Interest" below if you are interested in helping out!
**This is a Referral Opportunity, which means it is run directly by one of our nonprofit partners. Once you express interest, someone from the partner organization should follow up with you shortly to discuss confirming you as a volunteer for this opportunity.
**Please note, your hours may not be recorded in your Hands On Greater Portland account since this is a partner-managed opportunity.
Age Minimum (with Adult): 18+, Minimum Age:18+
Log in or Register
In order to register for this opportunity you must log in to an existing account or register to create a new account.
Sign up with a team
This link allows you to participate in this opportunity with a team. A team can be a family team, corporate team, or any kind of organized group. When you click on the link you will have the option to:
- Choose an existing team you're already a member or captain of, or
- Create a new team to sign up.
Signup Questions
Please respond to the following questions in order to signup for this opportunity:
FOLLOW US!