Volun-tees

SSAFA

SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity is a trusted source of support for serving personnel, veterans and their families in their time of need.

ABOUT US:

We provide lifelong support to those who are serving or have served in the British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Marines or the Royal Air Force, and to their families. Founded in 1885, we’re extremely proud of our long-standing heritage and of all the work we do with inspiring people from Cleveland, across the UK and around the world.

WHY OUR WORK MATTERS:

We love what we do. The sense of pride you get when you know you’ve helped someone get their independence and dignity back is extraordinary. Through volunteering for SSAFA Cleveland, you’ll have the chance to meet some truly inspiring people, with stories you’ll never forget. You’ll also gain new skills and experiences, but most importantly, you’ll make a difference in the lives of those who have dedicated their lives, often at great sacrifice, to protect and serve our country.

OUR VALUES:

COMMITMENT Our belief is that everything we do must be focused on delivering the very best level of support – with compassion, empathy and discretion – to those we are helping. Our actions must be in accordance with the integrity of SSAFA and the values and expectations of the organisation as one of the leading military charities, operating in the UK.

UNDERSTANDING We are committed to providing a service on a highly personal one-to-one basis in direct accordance to individual need. Therefore, we take the time to understand the details of every single case. Only then, do we decide on the most appropriate course of action unique to that person’s needs. We also endeavour to understand the issues faced by our own teams of employees and volunteers. We will continue to take action to understand and support each of them too.

INTEGRITY We will not simply do what is easy, we will do what is right. We will speak out against instances of injustice. We will use our influence and position to raise awareness of the issues that affect the Armed Forces family. We will work with integrity and stand up in support of our values and those who we represent and serve. We will research and publicise issues that we believe are important. We will report and fight for change in order to support the person behind the uniform and their family.

COMPASSION We will judge each individual case on its unique circumstances, without prejudice. We will take all fair and reasonable action that is in our power to resolve each case in the best way possible, acting in good faith every single time. All cases are dealt with sensitively and respectfully. Cases will be administered confidentially, personal data will be handled securely, protecting our clients, our employees and volunteers.

WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN OUR PEOPLE:

Friendly and approachable people
Confident people who feel happy to engage with the public, potential clients, volunteers and SSAFA colleagues face-to-face
Reliable attitude, staying connected
Ability to maintain confidentiality and keep information safely
Respectful and non-judgemental approach.

HOW WE ARE DIFFERENT:

What makes us unique?
We understand the unique demands of service life, whether it’s on UK soil or overseas. Support is available for people at any stage in their military career; from the youngest recruit to the oldest veteran – no one’s service is ever forgotten. We have more than 4,000 trained SSAFA volunteers who provide personalised, face-to-face support to those in their local area.

Our trained welfare advisors and volunteers work with each person to find out exactly what they need. Once we’ve assessed what is required, we’ll help the individual or family access the support they need. This may just be someone to listen to them, but, more often than not, we access financial assistance from statutory and military benevolent funds or foundations that we work with. In addition, we signpost to our other charity partners who can give much needed assistance to help people get their lives back on track.

Whatever they’re facing – from debt or addiction to mental health problems – our Forces and their families can rely on SSAFA and our personalised support to help them through it, for as long as it takes to get that person’s life back to where they want it to be.

When anyone in our Forces family finds themselves in need, SSAFA is the charity they can turn to. Whether it’s financial, practical or emotional, we provide the right kind of support, ensuring independence and dignity is protected at all times.