Derby City Council believes that volunteering is an important way for people to get involved in their local community. There are many different volunteering opportunities available in Derby. Many of these are based within voluntary and community sector organisations. There are also opportunities to do voluntary work with the Council, with other statutory sector organisations and also within the private sector.

Derby Volunteer Centre

Derby Volunteer Centre helps people who are interested in volunteering to find suitable volunteering opportunities. The Volunteer Centre also works with organisations to promote good practice in recruiting and supporting volunteers.

The Derby Volunteer Centre will be hoasting a Speed Volunteering session at Spondon Village Hall, Spondon from 6pm on Wednesday 8th April.  If you have been thinking about volunteering, but aren't quite sure what to do, then speed volunteering is a good way to get started.  There will be 20 local organisations at the event with opportunities such as sports coaching, working with children or improving your community.  For more information about this free event, please contact Simon Hancox on 01332 227718.

For further details and support in accessing volunteering opportunities, please visit the Derby Volunteer Centre.

Volunteering and the Compact

As part of the Compact between the statutory sector and the voluntary and community sector, a Volunteering Code of Practice has been developed and can be accessed below:

Derby Volunteering Code of Practice  159kb

Volunteers needed to help reduce youth crime

Derby Community Safety Partnership’s Youth Offending Service is looking for volunteers over 18 from all backgrounds and Derby communities to help reduce youth offending by sitting on youth offender panels, acting as a mentor to a youth offender/someone at risk of offending or being an appropriate adult for young people in custody.

For more information on volunteering for youth offender panels please contact Claire Brandon Whiteon Telephone 01332 256883; minicom 01332 256900; or email claire.brandon_white@derby.gov.uk

To become a mentor / appropriate adult please contact Kelly Buswell on Telephone 01332 256826; minicom 01332 256900; or email kelly.buswell@derby.gov.uk

What’s involved?

Youth offender panels – this involves sitting on a youth offender panel alongside another volunteer and a member of the Youth Offending Service. The aim of the panel is to work with the young person and their parent/carer on a ‘contract’ of activities to address their offending behaviour. The panel will then be responsible for monitoring the young person’s progress with the contract. You would need to be able to spare two to three hours a week.

Mentors - offer one to one support to a young person for around six months at a time, meeting up with them for activities and supporting them with issues they face such as getting a job, returning to education, or addressing behaviour issues. You would need to be able to spare two to six hours a week.

Appropriate Adults - support young people who have been arrested while they are being interviewed by the Police if their parents can’t or don’t want to attend. You would need to be able to spare two to six hours a week.

Volunteers receive free training for these roles and out-of-pocket expenses are reimbursed.