Volunteer Program Development

Victim Services seeks to maintain high quality services to crime victims by maintaining officer awareness of victims' concerns while also liaising with other networks and resources in the community. Victim Services are responsible for implementing and maintaining a comprehensive program to address the broad needs of victims. The Victim Services team has long considered the potential positive impact that a volunteer program could have towards helping victims of crime in the City of Peterborough. I administered a survey responsible for addressing questions regarding the recruitment and training process, as well as the job description of volunteers. The survey was conducted with seven Victim Services units across Ontario that have volunteer programs. These areas include: Windsor, Guelph, Toronto, Durham, Hamilton, Ottawa and Waterloo. From the survey, it can be concluded that all volunteer programs with Victim Services Units operate in their own unique way depending on the needs of their corresponding geographical area. Using the information gathered from the survey, I developed recommendations pertaining to how a volunteer program should be implemented in Peterborough. The main recommendations are further outlined in the report and include: approximately six to eight volunteers, with a minimum age of 21. In addition, I recommended that volunteers must commit to a minimum of one year of volunteering with Victim Services while completing a minimum of four shifts a month. Lastly, I suggested that the training for the volunteers should be conducted with online modules and in-class sessions.