Volunteer

Welcome!

For 49 years, For The Child has participated in the prevention and treatment of child abuse in Long Beach and surrounding communities with the help and generosity of our volunteers. To continue in our mission, we are seeking individuals to expand our family of volunteers to better serve our clients and the community.

Our agency offers many unique opportunities for compassionate, energetic, and dedicated individuals who want to make a difference in the lives of abused and neglected children.

If you are interesting in becoming a volunteer, please feel free to familiarize yourself with our volunteer opportunities. If there are volunteer positions that interest you, click on the “Apply Now!” button and complete the online application.

Why Volunteer?

Did you know that volunteering not only helps the community, but it benefits you too!

According to World Volunteer Web and United Way, volunteers…

  • Learn or develop new skills
  • Predominantly express a sense of achievement and motivation
  • Can have increased career options
  • Find new interests and hobbies
  • Meet a diverse range of people
  • Can experience improved health
  • Make a difference in someone’s life!

General Volunteer Requirements

We’d love to have you on our team! As much as we’d like to accept any and all volunteers, we do have a few requirements that need to be met in order to qualify. Please see below to see our general volunteer requirements.

  • Must be 18 years of age
  • Submit to Live Scan background check (DOJ and FBI)
  • Submit to DMV background check
  • Complete assigned training as required
  • Provide proof of negative TB test within past 12 months (for child care and Kids’ Place volunteers only)

Meet Some of Our Volunteers

I decided to volunteer because I thought it was a great way to get involved with organizations that are helping out children in any way. I want to be a family and marriage therapist so I thought this would be the perfect way to get involved and learn about children and the family system.
Out of the time I have volunteered I have received a lot of experience working with children, which I did not have before. The experience has also made me realize that family and marriage therapy is something that I definitely want to pursue.
Karen

Kid's Place Volunteer

As a teenager, I started volunteering at For the Child and other non-profits because the company I worked for was very involved in the community. I have continued throughout the years with For the Child because they have done so much to help children. After a child has experienced the worst trauma of their life, I think it is important that they are able to connect with someone that can show them the correct way for an adult to act. It is very rewarding to know that I have done a small part to help change the life of a child.
Bryan

CART Volunteer

I can trace my strong sense of the importance of giving back to my community in part from my parents, who have always volunteered for one thing or another. As an adult, I have come to realize how fortunate I am to have grown up surrounded by a never ending supply of love – as a child, I never realized there was any other way. I’ve always adored children and to nurture and provide a loving environment – even if only for a few hours at a time – is a small way that I can pay love forward.
Emma

Child Care Volunteer

I originally signed up to fulfill hours for an internship for school. I fell in love with CART and the kids, and decided to stay on the team despite my internship hours being fulfilled. There is nothing quite like bringing a smile to a child’s face who has just endured the worst trauma of their life.
Chelsea

CART Volunteer

In 2003 I was looking for a way to keep busy and heard about an opportunity to volunteer at For The Child. It is a pleasure to share my training and experience driving large trucks and RV’s for a fantastic agency.
Eddie

Mobile Unit Driver

Volunteer Opportunities

Childcare for Parent Education Groups

Parenting well is not always easy or intuitive. For the Child provides a variety of parent education classes for challenged parents. Classes are 1.5 to 2 hours weekly. To encourage and enable attendance, we provide childcare to ensure their children are well-cared for and safe. Have fun playing, reading and doing projects in our lobby with the children while they await their parents.

Work with an experienced childcare person supervising and doing fun projects with infants to 12 year olds in our lobby while their parents are attending parenting classes. Crafts, coloring, holiday projects, rocking an infant, reading or helping with homework of older children are all part of this volunteer opportunity. Evening classes begin at 5:30 and end at 7. Daytime classes vary, but generally run from 10 to noon.

How do I qualify?
Have a desire to work with children. Enjoy meeting new children and reading, talking, playing…
A potential volunteer must be interviewed and complete a screening process (fingerprinting, DMV, referrals) before working with the children.
6 hours of training, including completion of an online child abuse reporting certificate required and provided by For The Child.
Be available on a regular basis to provide childcare at one parenting class – more if you have time! Need to arrive 15 minutes prior to the beginning of the class.

The Child Abuse Response Team (CART)
What is the Child Abuse Response Team (CART)?

The Child Abuse Response Team (CART) provides emotional support and crisis intervention to children when forensic medical exams and law enforcement interviews are necessary for suspected sexual assault or sexual abuse. The program utilizes carefully selected and highly dedicated community volunteers who receive 40 hours of specialized training to serve as the child’s advocate.

Highly dedicated CART volunteers respond to emergency calls when a child, teen, or young adult (through age 21) has been sexually assaulted. Volunteers meet the child and family at a hospital in Long Beach, San Pedro or Torrance to serve as the child’s advocate on the Sexual Assault Team. CART is part of the larger Sexual Assault Response Team, a Greater Long Beach Area multi-disciplinary collaboration of medical and criminal justice professionals that responds to most adult and child sexual assault calls that occur within 72 hours of the crime.

For The Child’s trained volunteers answer the call – day or night, 7 days a week. Carrying with them the tools of this trade – information, counseling skills and a bag full of toys and snacks to comfort, entertain and support – they head for the child and the hospital. Volunteers accompany the child through the forensic exam and also provide information for the family about the treatment services offered by For The Child for both the child and the parent(s).

Members of the CART team sign up for a 4-day weekday shift (daytime or evening) or a weekend shift to respond immediately when they receive a call that a child is being brought in to one of the hospitals served by For The Child for a forensic medical exam.

How do I qualify?

Have transportation and the ability to respond within an hour of a “call-out” during the shifts you choose.

Ability to sign up for available shifts: Daytime responders are needed Monday through Friday between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM; Night time responders are needed between 5:00 PM and 8:00 AM Monday through Thursday and Weekend responders needed for 24 hours on weekends and holidays (beginning on Fridays 5 PM). Shifts range from 3 to 5 consecutive days on the week the volunteer chooses depending on the time of shift.

Ability to attend mandatory team supervision meeting and ongoing training on the first Wednesday of each month from 6:00 to 8:30 PM in Long Beach.

Able to commit to one year of covering a monthly shift with CART.

Attend the 40 hours of training required and provided by For The Child. Training includes shadowing an experienced CART team advocate on a minimum of two calls. All sessions of the training are mandatory and must be completed.

A potential volunteer must be interviewed before the training begins and must have completed the screening process (fingerprinting, DMV, referrals) prior to training or within 2 weeks of the beginning training.

Have a desire to help children and their families at a time of great vulnerability and confusion for them.

For more information, download this helpful guide.

Special Projects and Events - Individuals and Groups Needed

Children and families need your time, your muscle, your expertise and skills, and your ability to raise funds and friends. Book drives, backpacks and school supplies, Thanksgiving food, holiday toys, Family Fun Fair as well as fundraising events. (contact volunteer@forthechild.org or call (562) 422-8472 for more information.)

Book Buddies:
Literacy is very important for children and For The Child strives to give each child a book during their first visit. We often have books donated by local Foundations or retiring Teachers, but we need help to keep the books coming in. Book buddies will help solicit donations from their network of friends, families, churches, schools, work, etc. New and gently used books are accepted for all ages including toddlers and teenagers. For more information on this opportunity, please contact Maribel.

Handyman:
Or Handywoman! For The Child has two office buildings that occasionally need maintenance and repairs performed. Our goal for 2021 is to get a list of qualified individuals in the area who would be interested in coming to our aid when things break, need painting, etc. We will work with your schedule and provide all the support and materials that we can. If you would like to be on our SOS email list or know someone who would be interested, please let Maribel know at mchavez@forthechild.org.

Social Media

An experienced marketer needed to assist in getting For The Child’ message, events, volunteer opportunities and education out to the community on Facebook et. al. (contact volunteer@forthechild.org or call (562) 422-8472 for more information.)

For The Child is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. We want to have the best available person in every job. For The Child does not unlawfully discriminate based on race, religion (includes religious dress and grooming), color, national origin, ancestry, disability (physical and mental), medical condition (includes HIV and AIDS), genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and/or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, age, military and veteran status, and sexual orientation, or any other basis protected by law.