Date: 06 January 2023
The Surrey Appropriate Adult Volunteer Service (SAAVS) offers support to vulnerable adults and young people who find themselves detained in Police custody.
The role of the Appropriate Adult is not to provide legal advice but to offer impartial support and be a friendly face in the absence of a family member or carer to people who may be feeling frightened, bewildered, and confused in an unfamiliar situation.
Being an Appropriate Adult is a challenging, fulfilling and often rewarding role. You do not need previous knowledge of legal procedures or social work.
SAAVS Appropriate Adult volunteers receive full training and there are regular quarterly and annual refresher training meetings throughout the year. SAAVS office personnel and mentors are on hand to offer support.
In 2022 alone SAAVS volunteers responded to more than 950 callouts to the three custody suites across Surrey. This number continues to grow year on year.
As one volunteer has said:
“The number of calls answered, visits made, and peopled helped - clearly indicate that SAAVS is a programme that is not just worthwhile but absolutely invaluable.
But the value of SAAVS can also be found beyond measurable outcomes. For those of us motivated by a Christian faith, the SAAVS programme directly fulfils Jesus’ mandate in Matthew 25.
I have learnt so much in the past year. I am sure that being part of SAAVS has helped me more than I have helped anyone. Some callouts come at inconvenient times and are more-often-than-not time-consuming and tedious. It takes discipline, commitment, and sacrifice to make oneself available shift after shift, week after week. This has taught me about fidelity and faithfulness.”
“Being part of SAAVs has forced me to contend with my own privilege, it has demanded that I face up to my own subconscious prejudices, it is teaching me to embrace difference, to welcome the ‘other’, to embody kindness and patience. I have realised that I don’t go into custody primarily to 'be Jesus’ to those in need, but to meet Jesus in them. SAAVS, to my mind, is the practical expression of a theology of inclusion.”
Who are we looking for?
SAAVS volunteers are people who have time to offer to the scheme (a 7-hour shift per week minimum). They are excellent communicators who are non-judgmental, flexible with a mature outlook and must have their own reliable transport (45p per mile paid). They must have good time management skills and enjoy working alone whilst enjoying the benefits of being part of a broader team.
If you are interested in becoming an Appropriate Adult please email info@saavs.org.
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