Covid emergency issues
We are sorry to inform the public that due to the safety restrictions in the Covid pandemic we have suspended the training of new volunteers. Please contact us for more information.
We normally encourage and love new volunteers and we hope to return to normal conditions as soon as possible.
(Latest update: 8 Dec 2020)
Are you the right combination of the Good Samaritan and a Fighter?
Would you like to fight against social injustice?
Do you like to work with families and children?
Do you live in Brighton?
Have you got some spare time? Are you bored?
Then, volunteer with us at CASE Central!
CASE Central needs help with our Welfare Rights and support work. We are literally drowned by desperate people who need help with worrying interviews or medical examinations, forms to fill or who need assistance with more complex cases – such as making sense of intricate situations and finding a solution. We also need help with running our social centre, to welcome visitors who just come for socialising and for a cup of tea. We receive and distribute free food to visitors and have free toys, books, videos and free clothes to display. Last, but not least, on certain dates of the year we organise educational and recreational events for children and we may need help at these events.
In helping people you will help yourself, by learning a range of skills: how to deal with vulnerable people, families and children; how to communicate in difficult situations; how to organise and plan complex work; how to prioritise tasks; how to exchange information, professionally, at various levels; and more. You will also develop the skills of a real warrior – strategy making: the capacity to understand when it’s time to wait or it’s time to attack! If you help us with our children’s events, outings and parties, you will be involved in creative and practical tasks, such as face painting, hanging fake spider webs to the ceiling, build and paint things, or even sowing clothes. It is a great collective experience and, why not, also a laugh.
How to apply
If you want to volunteer, please contact us, and tell us why you would like to help benefit claimants and people in need.
Don’t feel daunted! You will be expected to do only what you feel like, at the level you feel comfortable in. Training will be provided, at an easy pace. All you need to have is: passion, reliability, and an interest in helping benefit claimants. We also value your personal experience, because life is the best teacher! So please tell us about your present or past experience as a claimant, tenant, employee or public service user, or if you have helped other people in difficult situations before.
Testimonies from our volunteers
‘I am so grateful to the trustees and the staff of CASE Central for keeping this project up and running, giving me the opportunity to give benefits advice. I find that helping others, having to think about other people instead of myself, is a rewarding and therapeutic experience. I don’t know what I would do without this place, where I can come when I want, and where I feel welcome and safe all the time’ (received on 15 December 2017).
‘I have been volunteering at CASE for almost a year now and it has been a great experience for me. The welcoming and non-judgemental staff made me feel comfortable from the beginning, and I soon felt part of the team. Together, fighting for people’s Welfare Rights I have found my confidence growing. I have learnt a lot about the benefits system, and the more I learn the more passionate I become about advocating for those who are battling for their livelihood. Supporting vulnerable people through the process is a truly meaningful and rewarding experience. If you feel strongly about peoples’ right to shelter, food – basic human rights – then I would urge you to come volunteer with us here at CASE’ (received on 16 December 2017).
‘I’ve been volunteering with CASE for 2 years now. People have been very open and inclusive. I’ve met many people there that I now consider friends and have learnt lots of new skills from fundraising to building work. I would recommend CASE to anyone having issues with their benefits or just wanting some work experience’ (received on 16 December 2017).
‘I spent the summer of 2017 volunteering for CASE and I am so glad that I did. The staff, at once, made me feel welcomed and valued which made working at CASE a really enjoyable experience.
Turning up for work was something I actually looked forward to as I was able to select my own working hours and to direct my own learning experience through tailoring my workload to my interests. I worked within the Welfare Rights Team at CASE. The team instills initiative, resourcefulness and a positive attitude to win cases for clients who have often received rejection after rejection. My tasks involved writing appeals to government officials, accompanying clients to assessments, providing evidence for cases and even lobbying MPs. Such responsibilities and the team’s refusal to let down clients really empowered me to make a difference in my local community. If you are looking for something worthwhile to do, I would definitely recommend volunteering with CASE’ (received On 17 December 2017).
