CHILDREN’S QUALITY ASSURANCE and SAFEGUARDING SERVICE

CHILDREN, FAMILIES and LEARNING

INDEPENDENT VISITOR VOLUNTEER APPLICATION FORM

CONFIDENTIAL
Please use black ink and write clearly.

Please complete and return by email to iv@croydon.gov.uk

Or by post to
Independent Visitors Team
4 th Floor, Zone F
Bernard Weatherill House,
8 Mint Walk
Croydon
CR0 1EA

Applicant’s Information

Title:Miss… Surname:…Softa…….….… Forename:…Vanja…………… Maiden

Name…Softa..…………….

Address:136 Queen’s Court, Queensway, W24QS

London………………………………………………………………………...…………………..

…………………………………………………Postcode:….…W2 4QS………………..

Email:…vanessa.m.1989@hotmail.com…………………………………………….Mobile
No:………..………………………

Date of Birth:18…../…01…/…1989…. Town and Country of birth:…Sarajevo, Bosnia

and Herzegovina…….……………………………

Language/s spoken …English and

Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian………………………………Length of stay in the UK:…1
year…………

As a volunteer with the Children’s Quality Assurance and Safeguarding Service you will come
into contact with vulnerable children. The broad definition of a ‘vulnerable child’ is a young
person “who is in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability,
age or illness and who is or may be unable to take care of him or herself, or unable to protect
him or herself against significant harm or exploitation.” We therefore have a responsibility to
ensure your suitability to volunteer. The department reserves the right to contact all previous
organisations where you have worked in a paid or unpaid capacity.

Please give details of two people who know you well (not family members). Please give as
a referee one person who has supervised you as an employee or a volunteer.
Referee 1: Referee 2:
Name: ……Sandra Name:
Opawska…………………………………... ………………………………………...

Address: ……………...……………………… Address:

……………...………………………
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Postcode………………………. ……....

Tel no:…07989..829 263…………………………... Postcode……………………….

Email Tel no:…..…………………………...

address:…sopawska@rchmail.com…………………
………….. Email
address:………………………………
Relationship to Referee: ..
…Supervisor……………..…..
Relationship to Referee:
………………..…..

PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT

Please give details of any paid or voluntary work undertaken in the last 10 years ,especially
where relevant to this role:
Use extra pages if necessary

I volunteered in prison in Cork while l lived in Ireland last year. My role was to serve tea
and coffee to the families of prisoners and share the information about the organization
that was providing advice and help to the families. I was with them 3 months after l moved
to UK.
Few months ago l applied for volunteering in prison in UK. I passed many interviews and l
was invited to do 3 visits in prison. The only reason why l did not like this role was the fact
that everything was based on religion. We were supposed to talk with prisoners to accept
Jesus Christ which was unacceptable to me.
I have seen it as using vunerable prisoners to impose certain dogma on them. I
expressed myself straight away about the subject and l was not called by the preacher to
continue with the role.
 Conviction for Criminal Offences
Work in this Department is covered by the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders
Act 1974 (Exception) (Amendment) Order 1986. You are therefore required to disclose
details of all convictions, including those which might otherwise be deemed to be spent.

Do you have a conviction to disclose YES / NO-No

Please list below details of any convictions, bind-over orders or cautions which you may
have received.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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…

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Failure to disclose any conviction or providing any false information could result in
dismissal if recruited.

Have you ever had any allegations of misconduct, abuse or been subject to disciplinary
action in your workplace, paid or unpaid. (Any disclosures made are held
in strict confidence and will not necessarily prevent you from volunteering). YES / NO

If yes, please give full

details……………………………………………………………………….

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…

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Health: In line with Croydon Council’s recruitment policies, accepted applicants will be
required to complete and submit a health questionnaire for assessment by our
Occupational Health (OH) team. Our OH team will make contact with your GP in order to
assess your suitability for this volunteering role.

Interviewers:……………………………………………….. Date:……………………………..
 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Please provide details of your experience/training/skills that are relevant together with any other
information in support of your application, including details of your present post.

1. Why do you want to volunteer as an Independent Visitor (Mentor to a young person)?

2. I would like to use my time and energy to help someone and something good for them. Be a
reason for them to believe that there is still goodness in the world.

3. What are your interests and hobbies?

Reading and studying various subjects: psychology, history, politics, religions, art

4. What are the circumstances or difficulties that may prevent you keeping to this commitment?
5. Work. I work 9 hours per day, 5 days per week. We are getting rota every Friday so there is no
much time to have plans in advance. Plus l am studying Arabic every Tuesday night. I also
plan to start Master degree next year and that would start in September 2020. So before this l
would be able to find a time for this role.

6. Tell us what you think being vulnerable means?

Not being able to protect yourself on every level, phisical, emotional and psychological.