Volunteers are a vital part of our work providing information, advice and support for people with criminal records. Volunteers undertake a variety of roles including working as helpline advisors, helping us monitor the impact of the helpline, working on our webchat and helping with the helpline administration. We also have regular opportunities for people to help us by writing content for our websites, becoming an active contributor towards our forum and online resources, or helping us maintain and develop the information we provide.
We’d love to have you on board. You can find more details on current opportunities below, or contact our Head of Delivery and Programmes, Debbie Sadler if you’d like to discuss volunteering in more detail: debbie.sadler@unlock.org.uk.
Current opportunities
- Helpline Advisor (office-based) – Our helpline advisors are the first point of contact for anyone seeking clear advice, support and answers about life with a criminal record. If you’re interested in being part of our amazing Maidstone team, please complete the application form and email or post it to Debbie.
- Insight Panel Member (Better Advice For All Project) – We’re inviting people with a lived experience of the criminal justice system to join our Insight Panel, part of our National Lottery funded Better Advice For All project. As a panel member, you’ll help shape Unlock’s information, advice and support. If you’re interested in the role, please complete and return the application form to BAFA@unlock.org.uk.
Our volunteer programme
People with convictions have been at the heart of Unlock since we began in 1999 – as staff, trustees and volunteers. We were founded by a group of former prisoners, and that lived experience continues to shape everything we do.
As a small team, we really value the contribution volunteers make in helping us achieve our mission. Volunteering can also be an important part of someone’s journey after a conviction, offering a positive step towards resettlement and, ultimately, stable employment.
We want to be clear: we actively welcome volunteers who have a criminal record. While not everyone at Unlock (including some staff) has a conviction, for certain roles (such as giving advice on our helpline), personal experience of having a criminal record is essential.
We believe every volunteer deserves proper support. But because of our limited resources, we’re not always able to offer as many opportunities as we’d like.
When volunteering roles do come up, we’ll post them here and we’ll also share them in our newsletter. If you’d lie to hear about new opportunities, be sure to sign up to get updates straight to your inbox.
About our volunteer programme
Since 2009, we’ve been running a volunteering programme that offers meaningful opportunities to both men and women from HMP East Sutton Park, HMP Standford Hill and HMP Rochester, as well as to people in the wider community.
Volunteers usually travel to our office a few days each week over several months, where they receive training and support to become Helpline Advisors. This hands-on experience not only helps them build workplace skills but also allows them to make a real difference in the lives of others.
Volunteering during times of transition (like leaving prison) can be especially powerful. It helps people grow in confidence, build self-esteem, learn new skills and develop a more positive sense of identity through helping others.
In 2024/25, we were lucky to work with 6 dedicated volunteers who together contributed an incredible 1,801 hours of their time.
Feedback from our volunteers
“It helped my self-esteem in the sense that I began to believe that I could be a valuable member of a team in an environment which deals with quite complex issues. I was treated with respect by people I would often shy away from. It helped me with a few of my own personal issues in a positive sense.”
“When I first came to Unlock I was a bit unsure of what to expect, but nonetheless I gave it a try. It was a lot different to the environment that I was used to working in before I came to prison 6 and half years ago. Back then, I was working as a site supervisor with a London Borough Council which never required me to work in an office or be in one place all day however I did feel I had transferable skills which helped me. It was all new to me but I saw it as a challenge and after starting, everyone at Unlock made me feel welcome. These people knew where I was coming from and work to help people like me. This put me at ease a great deal as it was a lot easier to disclose without fear of rejection.
“Being in prison for such a long time as I have been, I quickly realised that even though I was ready to work and keen to work it would take a while to adjust to a working environment with every day people. Working at Unlock helped me to overcome this barrier. Whilst in prison I trained in IT which gave me the foundations to carry out some of the work required of me at Unlock but since working there my skills developed considerably and my confidence has grown enabling me to work even better at researching and compiling data to a good level, as well as communicating effectively through letters, emails and telephone.
Can you provide pro-bono support?
We’re always keen to hear from individuals who have professional skills or services that they are willing to provide ‘pro-bono’ to help us provide our support. This might include you offering to provide pro-bono:
- Legal advice to our Helpline
- Training services to our staff and volunteers
- Graphic design for our websites, materials and resources
- Printing services for our marketing, so we can more widely raise awareness
- Office/computer equipment, so we can help more people
Please email admin@unlock.org.uk, with the subject line “Pro-bono support”, and provide us with more details or the skills/services that you’d like to offer.
