FAQs

Our opening hours vary on which office you would like to speak with.

For opening hours please visit our contact us page where you will find opening hours and other contact information on each office.

We have 5 offices placed across Lincolnshire to give us complete coverage.

Our offices are based in:

• Lincoln
• Sleaford
• Gainsborough
• Boston
• Spalding

For details on each office, please visit our contact us page.

Yes you can, and it is best to call and arrange an appointment.

Although most of our offices are located in buildings with receptions, we always recommend arranging an appointment to ensure you are seen by the right team member.

For volunteering and group support we offer phone/ video appointments and all of our offices are wheelchair accessible.

For Social Prescribing, we can visit you at home to support an initial assessment or we can meet you somewhere such as a community venue or other suitable environment within your community if preferred.

If you are looking to volunteer then there are lots of organisations that would appreciate your time.

Whatever your interest, we can find a volunteering role tailored to you. We are in regular contact with community groups and charities who are looking for people to support them in hundreds of ways.

If you are interested in volunteering, take a look at our volunteering platform where you can browse, register and apply for the opportunities suitable to you. 

Or you are welcome to contact one of our offices, who will be glad to start you on the path to becoming a volunteer.

You can technically volunteer from any age, as long as you are willing to volunteer, but often due to things like insurance, risk assessment, etc, it is usually over the age of 16. 

Some volunteer schemes may allow a child under this age if they are supervised by an adult, such as a parent or carer.

There is a scheme for young adults between 16 and 25 who would like to volunteer for example, and even if you do not have much spare time or would like to do some voluntary work from the comfort of your home, you can even do micro volunteering.

Check out our volunteering page, where you can find out more information on volunteering, how to get started and what volunteering opportunities are available for you.

Many organisations reimburse volunteer expenses for travel. A few may be able to pay towards other expenses. If you have any concerns about costs, please contact us as we may be able to find you a more suitable placement within your local community.

Organisations can often be flexible, dependent on the role, and appreciate any time you can give.

Yes, you could volunteer in between your lectures/seminars, weekends, evenings or holidays.

It shouldn’t, but please feel free to speak to the one of our Community and Voluntary Officers (CVO's) who can help you find a suitable opportunity.

Yes, talk to your Work Coach about the number of hours you can volunteer as part of your job search and let them know when you start to volunteer. They can offer you the latest advice.

Some volunteer roles require a criminal record check to be carried out through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). This is usually the case if you are applying to volunteer with children or vulnerable adults.

Having a criminal record does not necessarily prevent you from volunteering. If you have questions about criminal convictions you can consult The Information Hub by following this link to the Unlock website.

Simply let the organisation know. They will appreciate any time you have already given. Good communication will ensure you can volunteer for the organisation in the future if you wish to.

We can support your community group or voluntary organisation in finding volunteers and our volunteer brokerage service will support you to find suitable volunteers for your specific voluntary roles.

We provide a useful volunteering platform which is visible to the public and enables prospective volunteers to view and apply for volunteering opportunities which your organisation may have.

It is also free to use and all you need to do is register and then you can start posting your opportunities.

Unfortunately they cannot. We are a volunteer brokerage service which aims to support the individual with finding the right volunteering opportunity or the organisation with finding the suitable volunteers. 

Employer Supported Volunteering (ESV) gives employees the opportunity to take part in volunteering activities during their working hours.

ESV programmes can help to form a connection between companies, their employees and the wider community and could be things like a team-building activity or someting else that particularly aligns with the values of the business.

Visit our Employer Supported Volunteering section on our volunteering page for more information.

Micro volunteering is great for people who would like to volunteer from the comfort of their home, or don’t always have a lot of spare time for volunteering outside of their home.

Micro volunteering is suitable for any age and you can give as little as 5 minutes of your time to participate.

There are many micro volunteering schemes in which you can participate such as completing surveys, counting birds and even walruses, through to knitting and growing wildflowers.

Our micro volunteering section on our volunteers page will give you some great suggestions and you can get more information on how to participate.

Our volunteering networking forums aim to strengthen and develop the voluntary and community sector in Lincolnshire by bringing staff and volunteers together to share skills, information, experience, good practice, resources and to work collectively on issues of common interest.

These forums are held around various venues in Lincolnshire on a monthly basis.

Visit our networking and forum page to find one that you would like to come along to.

DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service), has been created to replace CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

Other than that there really is no difference between a DBS check and a CRB check.

A standard DBS check is suitable for certain roles, and will contain details of both spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings that are held on the Police National Computer, which are not subject to filtering.

An individual cannot apply for a standard check by themselves. For example, there must be a recruiting organisation who needs the applicant to get the check.

An enhanced DBS check is suitable for people working with children or adults in certain circumstances such as those in receipt of healthcare or personal care.

The certificate will contain the same details as a standard certificate and, if the role is eligible, an employer can request that one or both of the DBS Barred Lists are checked.

The certificate may also contain non-conviction information supplied by relevant police forces, if it is deemed relevant and ought to be contained in the certificate.

An individual cannot apply for an enhanced DBS check by themselves. For example, there must be a recruiting organisation who needs the applicant to get the check.

Although we no longer provide DBS services have brokered a deal with the provider uCheck to access discounted services for Lincolnshire. For more information visit our DBS web page.

Depending on whether you are a voluntary and charitable organisation or if you are any other type of organisation, will depend on what you will pay for a standard or enhanced DBS check.

Organisations in Lincolnshire can access DBS checks for an administration fee of £8.25 plus VAT, plus the usual cost of the check.

To access this service groups will need to sign up with uCheck for a one-off fee of £49.00 plus VAT, which lasts for the lifetime of their relationship with the provider.

The minimum age at which someone can be asked to apply for a criminal record check is currently 16 years old.

The DBS eligibility tool on the Government website can be used to determine what type of check a role could be eligible for, as can their eligibility guidance.

If you are still unsure, get in touch with one of our offices who will be glad to help.

This is a way of enabling people to make positive changes in their lives and within their communities by linking people to activities, voluntary and community groups and public services.

Our Social Prescribing Link Workers offer one-to-one, person centred support and advice to individuals, helping them to connect with their community, reduce social isolation and improve their health and well-being.

Visit our Social Prescribing web page for more information.

Social Prescribing can be suitable for anyone that has encountered the following;

• support with mental health
• those that feel lonely or isolated
• those that have complex social needs which may affect their general wellbeing
• those that need support with their physical health
• People who are veterans of the Armed Forces
• those with long term health problems
• those who frequently attend primary or secondary health care
• those who are willing to engage in self care/help management

We refer to primary care as being a place that you would go in the first instance for medical assistance such as a GP, dentist or pharmacist.

Secondary care is where you would then be referred on to by a GP for instance, such as a hospital, specialist or outpatients department.

Yes this is possible and information on how to do this can be found on our Social Prescribing web page.

If you are still unsure, then please get in touch with one of our offices who will be glad to help.

We do not provide funding directly, but we can help you to find funding and even write bids for funding.

Our Find a Funder page allows you to search through a list of funding providers where you can get more details on grants and eligibility criteria, etc.

We have lots of sources for obtaining information on funding, such as what funding options are available, how to find funding, how to write a bid for funding and we even provide funding forums.

We usually offer up free Funding Ready workshops, which are designed to help you prepare for applying for funding, such as grants.

You can get lots of funding help on our Group Support and Funding page.

There are many different types of funding available depending on your needs and these are;

• National Grant Funding
• Charitable Trust Funding
• Regional Grant Funding
• Fundraising
• International Grant Funding
• Local Government Funding

More information on the different types of funding can be found on our Group Support and Funding page.

Use our Find a Funder page to search through dozens of grants, where you can find out information on grant amounts, closing dates, funder details and eligibility criteria.

Grants are essentially free money that can be provided at local, national and even international level.

Where grants differ to a loan for example, is that they do not need to be paid back and therefore can help with cash flow, as there is no interest to pay or equity to give up. 

Grants can be for all sorts of uses, such as to help buy equipment, help with digital marketing, research and development and even training.

Some grants require you to fund a portion of the money required yourself. For example the grant may be for a maximum of 50% of the total cost, so you would need to fund the other 50% yourself.

In this example you could get a 50% grant towards buying computer equipment for your organisation. This would mean if the computer equipment costs £2,000, you can claim £1,000 back in grants towards paying for the computer equipment.

Often though, you have to fund the whole amount upfront yourself, so in this example the full £2,000, then claim the grant proportion back (£1,000), meaning you will still need to have the full amount of money to be able to pay for the equipment.

Grants are a good way to help cover organisation set up costs or expansion costs, but you need to remember that they will mostly only cover a portion of the total costs, and you will still need to fund the total amount of the costs from your own cash flow before claiming the portion of the grant back.

Some grants may have a maximum amount you can claim, or may be subject to other requirements such as turnover, or area.