• Time involved: As required - Varied Hours
• Location: flexible but willingness to potentially be deployment to other communities
• Learn new skills and be prepared to assist when communities need you the most
• Contribute to Red Cross Emergency Services by helping before, during and after emergencies in a variety of roles
• Join a team of trained volunteers assisting communities in Regional NSW

The program

Red Cross has been responding to emergencies and providing humanitarian assistance in Australia since 1914. We are committed to strengthening and extending our emergency aid services to assist all Australians in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies. As part of our Emergency Services team, you will join a group of over 1200 trained volunteers ready to assist locally and across the state in times of emergency.

Our work spreads far and wide, including supporting communities, groups, and individuals to prepare for emergencies, as well as assisting with response and disaster recovery.  We also work with many stakeholders to provide training in psychological first aid, response, emergency management and recovery.

The opportunity

Red Cross provides a range of support to communities at-risk of disaster or that have experienced an emergency.  We work in communities before an emergency assisting with individual and community preparedness, during an emergency providing support in welfare and relief centres and through our emergency phoneline, and after emergencies as communities move through the recovery process. 

We are looking for people who are willing to be trained to provide this type of support to our communities in Regional NSW.

The opportunity requires volunteers to maintain their training so they can respond when needed.  This is not a predictable volunteering opportunity as we don’t know when emergencies are going to happen.  We are asking you to be prepared to respond when you are needed. However, you will have the flexibility to decide when you volunteer your time and what activities you would like to be involved with.

This also applies to our ongoing preparedness and recovery work.  Examples of this include participation at community events, meetings, admin support, training and facilitation etc.  You will be notified of opportunities as they arise. 

Your commitment:

• Upfront training in Psychological First Aid Skills (5 hour webinar or 1 day face-to-face)
• Mandatory e-learning modules

As a volunteer you will:

• join a local team which is part of a large network of locally based teams
• be provided with opportunities to engage in preparedness and recovery activities
• develop skills that allow you to provide psychosocial support, training programs and community development services in your own communities and beyond.

Successful volunteers are:

• open to working with all members of the community sometimes during very challenging times
• have strong interpersonal listening and communication skills
• be able to communicate in a respectful, sensitive, and supportive way
• enjoy working in teams and be driven to maintain their skills and knowledge.
• Basic computer literacy is required.

The impact

As a Red Cross Emergency Services Volunteer, you will have an impact on the ground in your community. Whether you are providing Personal Support (Psychological First Aid) to people affected by emergencies, helping communities recover after a disaster or supporting our training/operational work, you will be making a real difference.

Red Cross will ensure you have training, ongoing support and access to other opportunities within the world’s largest humanitarian network.

Red Cross strives to create a safe and inclusive culture with wellbeing at its centre. We embrace diversity and welcome Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and people with different lived experiences, abilities, gender, ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation. We are a child safe organisation with zero tolerance of any harm to children. Our vision is to be trusted as the leading humanitarian organisation making a genuine difference in the lives of people and communities.

Thank you for considering volunteering at Red Cross. We also have great career opportunities.