Cruse Bereavement Care

VOLUNTEERING WITH CRUSE

Thousands of wonderful volunteers - and Cruse always welcomes more!
All our bereavement volunteers working with clients must first complete our Cruse training - Awareness in Bereavement Care, a course requiring 60 hours of study - before they are able to support bereaved people. There are plenty of other roles too, whatever your talent - administration fundraising, management, for example.

The first step to becoming a volunteer:
Filling in a volunteer application form and sending it to our Central Office (address on the form) will give us the information to get you started on volunteering with Cruse, whether as a bereavement volunteer or in some other role. This form will be sent to your local area or branch of Cruse, where you would be working. Alternatively, contact your local branch direct; please click here for a list of branches.

For those wanting to become bereavement volunteers, we have information on where Awareness in Bereavement Care foundation training is planned; please click here for a list of upcoming training courses for bereavement volunteers.

National Helpline
There are opportunities to work with our National Helpline Volunteers if you live in striking distance of our central office in Richmond upon Thames. Please click here to contact the national helpline by email.

Cruse is a charity which:

Offers free information and advice to anyone who has been affected by a death
Provides advice and support to bereaved people, one to one and in groups
Offers education, support, information and publications to those supporting bereaved people
Increases public awareness of the needs of bereaved people through campaigning and information.

Who comes to Cruse for help?
Everybody! We support children, young people and adults - all ages and no matter where or when their loved ones died.

Cruse is the UK’s largest bereavement charity and last year (2009/10), we:

responded to nearly 100,000 requests for assistance.
helped 32,700 bereaved people face-to-face, including 2,500 children and young people under the age of 18
worked with more than 1,700 people bereaved by suicide

Clients referred on to receive bereavement support received a total of almost 100,000 sessions. Cruse volunteers - more than 5,000 of them - over the course of a year typically give well over half a million hours of their time to their work with bereaved people. Our clients know they approach Cruse because someone they love has died and they need someone who will listen and help them cope with their pain and grief.

Why does Cruse need volunteers?
Cruse needs volunteers in the Branches/Areas across the country, both to help bereaved people and to keep our local services running smoothly. It can be immensely rewarding work. All volunteers working with clients are carefully trained; they must first complete our foundation course, Awareness in Bereavement Care, and an induction period. Cruse also needs administrators, trainers and supervisors. Whatever you do to help Cruse, you will be helping bereaved people.

What can I do for Cruse?

You can help run a branch or area; this could involve fundraising activities, organising publicity, administration, or being part of a management committee
You can directly support bereaved people - as individuals, running bereavement groups, organising social groups, or through telephone or email support
You can become part of a team offering training and bereavement awareness programmes to anyone who wants to learn more about bereavement.

Who can volunteer for Cruse?
Anyone can apply to be a volunteer for Cruse. You do not need to have qualifications or previous experience, but you do need to care about bereaved people and have time to offer. You will be given all the preparation, training and support you need. We welcome men and women of all ages, races, cultures and backgrounds.

What is the reward for volunteers?
Your expenses will be paid and you are likely to find there is enormous satisfaction from knowing you make a positive difference to someone's life. You can also benefit from Cruse training (which can include nationally recognised certification) and continuing personal and professional development. Every hour of time given by a volunteer helps a child or adult face the future knowing that they are not alone.

What should I do next?
All volunteers working with Cruse must complete some training, and those wishing to work with clients must first complete the Awareness in Bereavement Care course which requires a total of 60 hours of study. You can click here to check our calendar of courses and here to see the list of local areas and branches nearest to where you live. Please click here to download the application form if you are interested in becoming a Cruse volunteer. (If you have already completed our training, please make this clear.)

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VOLUNTEERING WITH CRUSE Thousands of wonderful volunteers - and Cruse always welcomes more! All our bereavement volunteers working with clients must first complete our Cruse training - Awareness in Bereavement Care, a course requiring 60 hours of study - before they are able to support bereaved people. There are plenty of other roles too, whatever your talent - administration fundraising, management, for example. The first step to becoming a volunteer: Filling in a volunteer application form and sending it to our Central Office (address on the form) will give us the information to get you started on volunteering with Cruse, whether as a bereavement volunteer or in some other role. This form will be sent to your local area or branch of Cruse, where you would be working. Alternatively, contact your local branch direct; please click here for a list of branches. For those wanting to become bereavement volunteers, we have information on where Awareness in Bereavement Care foundation training is planned; please click here for a list of upcoming training courses for bereavement volunteers. National Helpline There are opportunities to work with our National Helpline Volunteers if you live in striking distance of our central office in Richmond upon Thames. Please click here to contact the national helpline by email. Cruse is a charity which: Offers free information and advice to anyone who has been affected by a death Provides advice and support to bereaved people, one to one and in groups Offers education, support, information and publications to those supporting bereaved people Increases public awareness of the needs of bereaved people through campaigning and information. Who comes to Cruse for help? Everybody! We support children, young people and adults - all ages and no matter where or when their loved ones died. Cruse is the UK’s largest bereavement charity and last year (2009/10), we: responded to nearly 100,000 requests for assistance. helped 32,700 bereaved people face-to-face, including 2,500 children and young people under the age of 18 worked with more than 1,700 people bereaved by suicide Clients referred on to receive bereavement support received a total of almost 100,000 sessions. Cruse volunteers - more than 5,000 of them - over the course of a year typically give well over half a million hours of their time to their work with bereaved people. Our clients know they approach Cruse because someone they love has died and they need someone who will listen and help them cope with their pain and grief. Why does Cruse need volunteers? Cruse needs volunteers in the Branches/Areas across the country, both to help bereaved people and to keep our local services running smoothly. It can be immensely rewarding work. All volunteers working with clients are carefully trained; they must first complete our foundation course, Awareness in Bereavement Care, and an induction period. Cruse also needs administrators, trainers and supervisors. Whatever you do to help Cruse, you will be helping bereaved people. What can I do for Cruse? You can help run a branch or area; this could involve fundraising activities, organising publicity, administration, or being part of a management committee You can directly support bereaved people - as individuals, running bereavement groups, organising social groups, or through telephone or email support You can become part of a team offering training and bereavement awareness programmes to anyone who wants to learn more about bereavement. Who can volunteer for Cruse? Anyone can apply to be a volunteer for Cruse. You do not need to have qualifications or previous experience, but you do need to care about bereaved people and have time to offer. You will be given all the preparation, training and support you need. We welcome men and women of all ages, races, cultures and backgrounds. What is the reward for volunteers? Your expenses will be paid and you are likely to find there is enormous satisfaction from knowing you make a positive difference to someone's life. You can also benefit from Cruse training (which can include nationally recognised certification) and continuing personal and professional development. Every hour of time given by a volunteer helps a child or adult face the future knowing that they are not alone. What should I do next? All volunteers working with Cruse must complete some training, and those wishing to work with clients must first complete the Awareness in Bereavement Care course which requires a total of 60 hours of study. You can click here to check our calendar of courses and here to see the list of local areas and branches nearest to where you live. Please click here to download the application form if you are interested in becoming a Cruse volunteer. (If you have already completed our training, please make this clear.) Home page
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