Aim
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The SOVA and Essex Probation Service Partnership was set up as a project in April 1998. The aim of the project is to recruit, train and manage a team of volunteers to be available to work with offenders and/or their families as directed by Probation Officers. The project covers the whole of the county and volunteers stipulate those areas for which they are available.
Volunteers are not expected to undertake or replace the work of probation staff. Equally they are not expected to perform tasks for which professional training is required, e.g. counselling. However they can take part in a wide range of tasks which compliment and enhance the work of Probation Officers.
Based at the Chelmsford Probation Office, SOVA provides a countywide volunteer mentoring service for offenders and in some instances their families. While the volunteers may not be experts in any particular field, they can give individual support, encouragement and motivation to offenders trying to re-establish themselves or those with personal difficulties. They can assist with transport problems, corresponding with offenders in custody, form filling, or simply being someone to talk to and who offers a good role model.
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