Interested in volunteering? Excellent! We would love to hear from you. Women’s Refuge relies on the work of dedicated and committed volunteers to answer our 24/7 crisis line outside of working hours. While supporting our after-hours crisis-line is the minimum commitment there is the opportunity to be involved in other activities as well.
Wellington Women’s Refuge and Te Whare Rokiroki, Māori Women’s Refuge, jointly provide a shared after-hour’s crisis line, initial training and ongoing supervision. Māori volunteers join Te Whare Rokiroki and all other ethnicities join Wellington Women’s Refuge.
On joining Women’s Refuge as a volunteer you will have an on-call buddy to support you through your first few months on the crisis line in addition to ongoing support and supervision from the organisation.
What volunteers for Refuge do:
Provide support to callers to our after hours crisis line
- Each volunteer does 4 shifts on the crisis line per month. These are all outside office hours and involve the line being transferred to your own mobile phone. Shifts are overnight or 9am-5pm days on weekends.
- While on roster, volunteers offer support to women who are experiencing domestic violence and are phoning to talk, as well as providing face to face support and admissions to our safe-houses where necessary. During their shifts volunteers can have the line coming to their personal phone and are able to continue with their usual activities as long as they have a quiet & private place to take calls if needed.
- Volunteers talk to women seeking support over the phone and may meet with them if required and safe to do so, but are never expected to go into dangerous situations without police support, volunteers are buddied for their first call outs.
- Volunteers are required to attend one supervision held on a Wednesday evening once every one-two months.
Criteria for volunteering – volunteers need to:
- Be 21 years or older;
- Be a self identified woman;
- Be living within our service boundary which is Central and Southern Wellington up to Newlands/Johnsonville/Kaiwharawhara; outside of this area is covered by the Hutt and Porirua Women’s Refuges.
- Be able to complete our 5 week induction training which consists of 4 Saturdays and 5 Wednesday evenings;
- Be able to meet the above crisis line and supervision obligations; and
- Have been living free from violence for two years.
- Have a minimum of 2 years to commit to Women’s Refuge.
Still interested? Next steps are:
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- Click on the link below and fill in the two forms.
Volunteer Application
Volunteer Declaration
- Thank you interest, please email completed forms to Kim at Wellington Women’s Refuge on officeadmin@wwr.org.nz
- If you have any questions please email or phone Philippa – 04 3851012 to discuss. Our next Women’s Refuge volunteer training is scheduled to start Wednesday 21st August 6pm-8pm and from there will be held Wednesday evenings and Saturdays 10am-6pm for five weeks through to Wednesday 11th September . Attendance at all training sessions is mandatory.
- If you have read the info and are keen to volunteer, please submit your application without delay. This date is not far off and as we schedule interviews beforehand please get in now so you don’t miss out.
- We have a limited number of places on the volunteer training and may not be able to accept every application. However completing the forms will ensure you are contacted by our volunteer trainer for a face to face meeting to answer your questions and establish your suitability ahead of the training.
