Volunteer Services

Overview of Services

Volunteers are an integral part of the Department of Human Services. There is a broad range of volunteer opportunities that help serve DHS clients and staff. Volunteers are recruited and placed in jobs that help to meet community and DHS customer needs. Volunteers provide personalized ways to help DHS clients, staff, offices, and communities in a wide variety of ways.

Every effort is made to place DHS volunteers to opportunities that best meets their abilities and interests. As a volunteer you do not replace paid staff but donate your time and skills to supplement staff services.

DHS offers a broad range of volunteer opportunities, including:

• Transporting clients
• Locating resources
• Support and training for clients
• Family advocacy
• Tutoring and interpreting
• Supporting the independence of people who are elderly or disabled
• Activities for clients
• Child care, education and recreation for children
• Office assistance
• Mentoring
• Seasonal programs

Find out more about specific opportunities in your area.

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Prospective volunteers must complete a Volunteer Services Application and contact the local Volunteer Coordinator.  This can be done in two ways:

1. Go to the registration page and complete the information. When you have finished this it will be sent to the local Volunteer Coordinator who will contact you about an interview. Or,
   
2. Find the Volunteer Coordinator in your area. Contact this person and set up an appointment to complete the application and schedule an interview.

The online application must be completed and an interview held prior to a volunteer placement. The online application collects basic demographic information, preferences for placement, and personal reference contact information.

High school students and DHS clients are not required to supply references; however they must have been referred to Volunteer Services by a teacher, professor, DHS caseworker or a DHS supervisor as part of their case plan. While references are not required for high school students and DHS clients, individual districts can make that requirement as long as the requirement is consistent for all students and clients within the district.

DHS has a strong interest in providing a safe workplace for its employees and in protecting the State's other resources, as well as assuring the well-being of our customers and clients.  Volunteer Services will conduct reference checks on all prospective volunteers to ensure that they have not engaged in behavior that makes them incompatible with the Department's mission, a danger to the people we serve, or otherwise unfit to perform the functions of a position. These checks include obtaining criminal background information or information from the local juvenile authorities when applicable.

Please note: All volunteers must submit to a criminal history check.

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