Edinburgh Women's Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre

We rely on the many women who give their time, energy and commitment as volunteers to be able to provide telephone and face-to-face support to survivors of sexual violence, and their supporters. We also have, and welcome volunteers who contribute in other roles, including fundraising, admin, data entry work, complementary therapy and as Directors on our Board. In June 2010 we were delighted that our volunteer suport worker team won a Special Recognition Award for their outstanding volunteering at the Volunteer Centre Edinburgh's Inspiring Volunteering Awards. EWRASAC and its volunteers have also been awarded the Investing in Volunteers quality standard for 2012-2015.

Download our volunteer application pack:

• Volunteer job description
• Volunteer application form
• Equal opportunities monitoring form
• Self declaration form

Women only may apply under section 7(2)(d) & (e) of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I become a volunteer at EWRASAC?
Please complete our volunteer application pack above. If you would like us to post a pack out to you, contact us on 0131 557 6737 or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Do I need to have a qualification?
No. We look for volunteers who are willing to learn, able to listen to others, reliable and are non-judgmental.

What time commitment do you expect from me?
We ask that women offer a commitment of 4 hours a week, for a minimum of a year.

What training do volunteer support workers undertake?
Support worker volunteers undertake a comprehensive 60 hour training. This covers: support and listening skills; gender based analysis of sexual violence; effects of sexual violence; rape and sexual assault; the legal system; suicide and self-harm; ritual abuse. We run our trainings once a year. They are usually 2 days a week and can be during the working week, evenings or weekend. Afterwards, all volunteers will undertake an induction and a 3 month probationary period. We also offer professional development opportunities for all our volunteers. We have a rolling programme of internal trainings and practice development workshops to support all our volunteers to continually develop their knowledge, awareness and skills.

Is the training accredited?
We are working with Rape Crisis Scotland to get our training accredited but at the present time it is not. Our training draws upon our experience and knowledge over the last 30 years. This has allowed us to develop high quality training and offer our volunteers a supportive learning place/experience.

Will I receive expenses?
Yes. You will receive travel, food and other out of pocket expenses if you keep the receipt.

What support is there for volunteers?
Support workers can access support from any available support worker should any issue or concern have arisen for her during the delivery of support. All our volunteers receive monthly confidential supervision with our Support Service Co-ordinator or another support worker. We have also produced a comprehensive handbook for all our volunteers.

What other volunteer opportunities do you have?
We welcome volunteer applications for a variety of positions, including: assisting with administration and data-entry, fundraising and providing complementary therapies. These positions do not require the support worker training. When we receive your application we will contact you and ask you to come in for a chat with one of our workers to identify what opportunities would be suitable for you and the organisation. If you have any knowledge of fundraising we would especially love to hear from you!