Prison Volunteering


Prison volunteers nurture the growth of the Shannon Trust in their prison. They help unlock the power of reading by offering advice, guidance and support to prison staff and mentors.


"
My time at Shannon Trust has been inspiring and I am grateful for the opportunity. The concept of prison mentors teaching inmate learners to read/write is effective and achievable within a complex and challenging institution. It is my pleasure to work with the mentors, as well as, other Shannon Trust volunteers and facilitators as the passion and enthusiasm is energetic and determined.
- Letitia, Prison Volunteer

Role commitment


As a prison volunteer your role will be at the heart of our organisation as you support our mentors in prisons. This will include delivering training to new mentors and supporting existing mentors to develop and deliver our Turning Pages and Count Me In programmes. You will be volunteering alongside Shannon Trust facilitators or frontline prison staff to empower mentors and ensure no one is left out of learning.

The prison volunteer role is available Monday to Friday during working hours and in line with the prison regime. You will be linked to a specific prison to support as a representative of Shannon Trust. Typically, you will visit your prison 2 to 4 times a month and you will also attend quarterly area meetings.

We ask volunteers to commit approximately 7 to 14 hours a month to the prison volunteer role, spread over 2 to 4 days to fit in with staff availability and the prison regime. This is not a role where your activities can take place on a set day or time each week and prison visits cannot take place at weekends. You will need to be flexible and be able to visit your prison at an agreed time with staff, during the daytime, Monday to Friday.

Prison volunteering recruitment dates



Thank you for your interest in joining our in-prison volunteer team.

The closing date for applications to attend our next round of training is 26 January 2025.

We will respond to all applications. Successful applicants will be invited to an interview between 17 to 28 February. This is an opportunity for you to meet our regional team, for us to find out more about you, and to share more information about the volunteering role.

You will be given high quality training to prepare you for volunteering with Shannon Trust. This takes place over 4 training sessions and via our online training portal, and includes an induction to the prison where you will be volunteering.

We ask that volunteers aim to complete the training in one course as this means that you will be ready to start actively volunteering.

The next training sessions for volunteering for people applying to be a prison based volunteer will take place:

4 March, 10am to 1pm (via Zoom)
11 March 10am to 1pm (via Zoom)
18 March 10am to 1pm (via Zoom)

Prison induction visit between 19 March to 7 April, arranged individually
8 April, 10am to 4pm (in person session, London)

Please check you can attend the dates prior to applying.
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Find the role for you

Prison Volunteering FAQs

What commitment is required to volunteer at Shannon Trust?
Is there a minimum age to volunteer at Shannon Trust?
I have access requirements, am I able to volunteer with you?
Do you provide transport to prisons and meetings as part of my volunteering?
If I live outside the UK, can I volunteer?
Will I need access to the internet if I volunteer with you?
Can I volunteer as part of my employer's corporate volunteering days?
I have convictions, can I volunteer with you?
What happens after I sign up to volunteer and fill in an application form?
Do you require a reference to volunteer?
What support will be available to me?
Will volunteering cost me anything?
Will volunteering affect my state benefits?
I'm interested in the prison volunteer role, can you tell me more about the administration and preparation involved?
How long does it take to become a volunteer?
When and how often will I need to visit a prison?
I’m interested in volunteering in a prison, but my local prison isn’t appearing in the vacancy list. How can I volunteer in my local area?

If you have any further questions, get in touch at volunteering@shannontrust.org.uk

Community Volunteering

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