Training portal

When you receive a booking, call the service user to introduce yourself and confirm the details on the booking form are correct (pickup time/address, appointment details, any assistance needs). Let them know you’ll call the evening before to check everything is unchanged and to confirm any last‑minute travel updates. If anything comes up between booking and the journey, ask them to contact the bookings team on 0141 266 6000. 

Call the service user the day before the journey to confirm the exact pickup point (be specific if you’ve never been there, e.g. “do you have a driveway or shall I meet you at the bottom of the street?”). Check for any access notes, mobility needs or escort arrangements, and review the expected timings. Look at the weather and local roadworks or disruptions and update the pickup time if necessary.  Ask the service user to use you as their direct point of contact between now and the journey. 

Before each trip (to take a service user to an appointment and for the return journey), enable and share your live location in your area WhatsApp group. Check in when you pick up the service user, again when you arrive at the appointment/drop them off, and once more when you leave to return home, then confirm when you have returned. If you experience any issues or have safety/welfare concerns at any time, contact your area Outreach Support Officer (OSO) immediately. Thank you for following this procedure to keep service users and volunteers safe. 

We have a duty of care to protect service users, staff and volunteers, and charity governance requires certain activities to be pre-approved. Please do not make unplanned stops or take service users for extra activities unless this was agreed on the booking and the required Activity Consent Form has been completed and approved. You may not have the full background information about a service user, and making changes to the plan could put them, and the charity, in a vulnerable position if anything goes wrong. If someone asks you to deviate, politely decline and contact the booking team or your area OSO for guidance. 

If a service user opens up and needs extra support, remember we’re proud to offer “More Than A Journey” while staying within our duty of care. Don’t overpromise or take on responsibilities you can’t confirm. Ask permission to raise the concern, then contact your area OSO who will advise and guide next steps. You may still act as a point of contact if appropriate, but please follow the OSO’s direction so the person receives the right support safely. 

We encourage volunteers to check in with their area OSO after each trip, especially if you need to offload or discuss how the journey went. Please use your area OSO only for these updates, a quick text or phone call after every trip is ideal. The area OSO needs this information so they can formulate appropriate support plans themselves; they coordinate across the region and report to Mike, Head of Outreach Operations, and the wider team, so it helps build a clear geographic picture of what’s happening. 

Vector24 requires your area OSO to meet with you at least once a month for a brief check‑in (informal — coffee and cake) to see how you’re doing and offer support. If you’re not getting these monthly meetings, please raise it with your area OSO or contact a member of the management team so we can arrange one. 

If you’re finding this role overwhelming or need time out for your own wellbeing, please tell your area OSO — part of our model is supporting recovery and integrating volunteers into a recovery pathway, so we understand mental health can affect anyone. You have a direct line to any member of the team; we will fully understand if you need to cancel last minute for your wellbeing and we have contingencies in place to cover shifts. 

Your area OSO will show you how to record and submit mileage and expense claims. We’re a small team and sometimes things don’t run perfectly so if you need extra support beyond the usual process, please speak to Kev.