Gateway Assessors

Can you cut to the chase?

Are you good at getting to the point?

At the Milton Keynes CAB, we’re experiencing record numbers of enquiries from across the local area. It’s good to know that people need our help, but we want to make sure that the service we offer can meet the current demand. This means we’re looking at new ways of managing our waiting room at our busy drop in centre at Acorn House.

We need volunteers who can prioritise and assess the level of advice and information that our clients may need. You won’t be giving ‘full advice’ but you will be carrying out short, ‘diagnostic’ interviews in order to establish the main facts about a client’s situation and help prepare information to allow one of our trained advisers to spend more time with them.

You will need to be able to gather as much detail as possible in a short period of time so it’s essential that you are able to explore the problem whilst being direct and focused in your line of questioning.

You don’t need any particular qualifications or experience to train as a Gateway Assessor, and we’re proud of the fact that our volunteers come from all walks of life. All we ask is that you can:

• Be good at listening
• Be able to work in a team
• Be able to read and write English and do basic maths
• Be open minded and non judgemental
• Enjoy helping people
• Commit to a minimum of 8 hrs per week.

We provide all our trainee assessors with a comprehensive training programme that will provide you with the skills you need to deliver a high quality service to our clients. You will be supported by our team of supervisors, experienced volunteers and our guidance tutor who are all on hand to offer you the necessary support, encouragement and advice that you may need.

If you are interested in joining an established and friendly team of staff and volunteers, who have been providing advice and support to the local community for over 30 years, then download/read the information pack and then complete an application form (both are PDF files).

The completed form should be posted or faxed to The Guidance Tutor at this address/fax number or you can email a scanned image of the completed form to guidance.tutor@mkcab.org.uk