Family Support Volunteer - Court

Overview: 

Volunteers in this role will attend court once a week on an agreed day. The purpose of this role is to provide practical information, emotional support and signposting to people when someone close to them is going through trial, is sentenced or remanded to custody. Volunteers will also promote the charity and our services to court staff and legal professionals. In addition, volunteers will have the opportunity to attend events and activities with Sussex Prisoners’ Families (SPF). Full training is provided and the role offers a rare opportunity to volunteer in the criminal courts.

 Role Description:

• Identify from the court lists and by liaising with court staff (such as; list callers, ushers and

probation staff) the court cases where custody is anticipated.

• Approach family-members of defendants (people on trial or awaiting trial) in the court waiting

areas, without prior arrangement, and be available to those who may need assistance or

information.

• Offer emotional support to the friends and family of defendants.

• Tactfully approach families where custody has occurred with the offer of information, such as

an SPF leaflet, how to arrange a prison visit and services that can be accessed from other

agencies.

• Quietly observe court cases where custody is anticipated and where families are present.

• Where families are not present and imprisonment occurs, approach defence council with the

offer of information about the charity, for families and their office.

• Develop good relations with court staff such as; ushers, probation, witness service, security,

court clerks and cells staff – promoting the organisation and service to them.

• Ensure court leaflet racks are stocked up with SPF leaflets, where applicable.

• Provide regular updates to SPF staff and to raise issues via individual and group support

sessions.

• Record details of all information given out to families/defence council/other agencies at court

on SPF monitoring forms and send back to office at agreed intervals.

• Champion the service at events and activities attended by SPF, and pass on information

about the experience of volunteering.

Note: This is a solo volunteering opportunity. Following training and induction volunteers will be

expected to carry out their duties without a member of staff present.

What skills do I need?

Person Specification:

• Has an interest in the needs of prisoners’ families.

• Professional and reliable.

• Friendly and approachable.

• Compassionate.

• Displays excellent listening and verbal communication skills.

• Has the ability to communicate confidently with a wide range of people.

• Able to work well independently.

• Able to show respect for the traditions of the court.

• Able to take a non-judgemental approach.

• Willing to work within boundaries and in accordance with policies and procedures.

• Able to keep a basic record of information given out at court and return this information via an

online form.

When do I need to be available?

Details

• Volunteers in this role must be available to attend crown court (in either Lewes, Brighton or Hove) or Magistrates’ Court (in either Worthing, Hastings or Crawley) on at least one half-day per week, for a minimum period of six months. • Volunteers will be required for a morning (9:30AM-1PM) or afternoon (1:30PM-4PM) session during court opening hours, which are Monday-Friday. • Successful applicants will be required to attend an interview. • Applicants who pass the interview stage will require an enhanced DBS check (arranged by SPF), must attend 2 full days of training in Brighton and will be expected to complete an online safeguarding course, before volunteering with us. • Volunteers should also be willing to attend training, support and development sessions provided by SPF. While we have closed applications for training in January 2026 we're eager to hear from anyone who would like to volunteer with us in the future. The next training dates for this role are not yet confirmed but will likely be in the summer 2026.