Volunteering In Wiltshire & Swindon

Transcription

1 Volunteering In Wiltshire & Swindon page 1

2 WHY VOLUNTEER WITH US? Age UK Wiltshire is a charity that aims to enable older people in Wiltshire and Swindon to lead a fulfilling life. We believe that age deserves respect, kindness and sometimes a bit of help. Our volunteers and staff work towards providing that help through valued services such as: Information & Advice Wellbeing and friendship Café clubs, fitness & friendship clubs and community activities Toe nail cutting clinics Fundraising Support to our office teams We are also involved in campaigning for older people locally, public education and social advocacy, innovation and research, partnership and co-operation, and selling age-related products such as insurances and mobility aids. Through our services we deliver comprehensive support to older people across Wiltshire & Swindon and make a significant difference to their lives. In a society where people live longer, further away from their families and support networks, these services are essential. We can t do it without our volunteers. We can t do it without you. page 2

3 WHAT S IN IT FOR YOU? Giving up time to help someone in greater need is both rewarding and inspiring. It can help you gain experience and improve your CV; it will enable you to meet new people and be part of a friendly team; it will allow you to hone existing skills through training and support from Age UK Wiltshire. Our roles are flexible. Some of our volunteers who work full-time do telephone befriending from their homes in the evenings. Others choose to provide Information & Advice in the community, working around their other s. can be as little as one hour a week. Some of our volunteers hold more than three roles with us. We reimburse travel expenses. Our existing volunteers say it better than we can: I enjoy the face to face contact, being able to help around the home and making a difference in someone s life. Chantal Merle, Volunteer Home Befriender Just give it a try. I think that all people will have some skills that they can use to help other people and there are many opportunities within Age UK Wiltshire to fit those skills to a role that is both useful to the older person and rewarding for you as a volunteer. Jean Covington, Community-Based Information & Advice Volunteer I wanted to get more satisfaction out of life and do something for other people. I was hoping this would make me appreciate what a fantastic life I ve got. In the busyness of life, it's easy to forget that some people are really struggling in their personal situations. Volunteering takes very little of my time yet it makes a massive difference to the person (and family) you are helping. Mark McGuiness, Volunteer Home Befriender page 3

4 OUR ROLES Over the following pages we ve outlined some of the voluntary roles we have available. You can use our volunteer application form (supplied with this booklet or available online from our website) to tell us which of these roles you are interested in. If you are interested in exploring more than one voluntary role with us we are more than happy for you to do this. After reading through this booklet, if you are still unsure about the role you would like to pursue or you have something specific in mind that we haven t mentioned, then please speak to us or tell us more about this in our volunteer application form. For more information about our volunteering roles or to speak to us about any aspect of the volunteering process please contact us at By to volunteer@ageukwiltshire.org.uk By calling our office on Visit our offices in Devizes or Salisbury Visit our website TRAINING All our volunteering opportunities include an introduction to the charity detailing our history, our services and our principles. All our volunteers are required to receive this introduction in order to equip them with the knowledge to best help the people we support on a daily basis and to ensure that all our volunteers adhere to the principles and standards of the charity. Alongside this each specific role also has its own bespoke training and shadowing opportunities for perspective volunteers to understand more about the role and what is involved. We also have opportunities for volunteers to expand their skills with training events throughout the year, depending on the roles undertaken and the availability of these events. At all times you are encouraged to ask us for any training or skills you feel you need to undertake your voluntary role. page 4

5 Information & Advice volunteer community-based (Wiltshire & Swindon) Last year, our team helped increase the income of older people in Wiltshire and Swindon by over 2 million. What is it? DBS checks More information Community-based Information & Advice Volunteers visit vulnerable clients in their homes and help them apply for various state benefits. They provide them with information and advice and help them make phonecalls where. Last year, our team helped increase the income of older people in Wiltshire and Swindon by over 2 million. This success has led to us being awarded extra funding to develop this service: we are looking to increase the amount of home visits we offer and the range of support we can provide on a home visit. Good listening skills, confidence with forms filling, accuracy and a methodical, detail-oriented mind. Ability to interpret and convey complex information to service users. Confident talking to people face to face and on the telephone. Access to a car is required as volunteers will need to drive to and from appointments hours a month. Depending on the level of local demand volunteers can choose to do an average of 1-4 visits a month. Each visit lasts between 2-3 hours depending on travelling distance. You will need to be available week days during normal office hours. Due to the level of training involved, a minimum of one year is required. Across Wiltshire. You can say where you are willing to travel to. Introduction to Age UK Wiltshire 3 hours One office-based session on attendance allowance, shadowing experienced home-visiting advisor. Four training and support meeting per year. On-going training as identified As the volunteers are required to visit very vulnerable clients in their own homes, a disclosure & Barring Service check (DBS) will be required. Age UK Wiltshire will arrange it at no cost to you. volunteering@ageukwiltshire.org.uk or call page 5

6 Information & Advice volunteer office-based Be part of a team that handled approximately 4,500 enquiries last year ( ) What is it? Information & Advice volunteers take enquiries and provide information and advice to older people, their families and carers who call into the office or contact us via our telephone advice line. The variety of information and advice we provide varies enormously, ranging from benefits advice to information on residential care, finding help at home, housing or travel. With support from volunteers we are able to handle approximately 4,500 enquiries per year. DBS checks More information Good listening skills, likes research, confident using the phone, able to interpret and convey complex information to service users. Strong use of computer/internet skills. At least one session per week from 10am to 3pm. Due to the level of training involved, a minimum of one year is required. At our offices in Devizes or Salisbury Introduction to Age UK Wiltshire three hours At least one session per week for 13 weeks. Initial training comprises of personal study, benefits training and shadowing experienced staff and volunteers. Additional training as identified. As the volunteers are required to provide information and advice to very vulnerable clients, a disclosure & Barring Service check (DBS) will be required. Age UK Wiltshire will arrange it at no cost to you. volunteering@ageukwiltshire.org.uk or call page 6

7 Volunteer Befriender in the community What is it? Volunteer Befrienders visit socially isolated older people in their own homes and provide them with one-to-one companionship. Some volunteers are willing to help the person participate in their local community and assist them with some daily living or social activities. Good listening skills and sensitivity to older people s needs. Ability to initiate conversation. One Two hours a week maximum for each person visited (including travelling time). Across Wiltshire, within a 10-mile radius of your home or workplace. Introduction to Age UK Wiltshire 3 hours Befriending induction 3 hours Wheelchair training (if required) 3 hours 2 support/training sessions per year 6 hours in total can be provided flexibly to accommodate other s. As our service relies on regular visits for social contact, we ask that volunteers are able to give a regular for a minimum of one year. DBS checks More information What our volunteers say As the volunteers are required to visit very vulnerable clients in their own homes, a disclosure & Barring Service check (DBS) will be required. Age UK Wiltshire will arrange it at no cost to you. volunteering@ageukwiltshire.org.uk or call Because I have limited time, I befriend one older lady. I visit her about once every 10 days in the early evening, on my way home from work. We talk about all sorts of things: we catch up on family things - her grandchildren are the same age as my daughter - and I have been a sounding board for her deliberations about moving from a larger house into sheltered accommodation. We also play on-line games like Scrabble between visits, which is something I have always enjoyed anyway. I have occasionally offered simple practical help during my visit, like reading small print paperwork, or helping to research things on-line. Sue Geary, volunteer Home Befriender. page 7

8 Volunteer Telephone Befrienders Devizes or home-based What is it? Telephone befrienders call older people who live alone and have very little social contact. They give clients much companionship, a greater sense of belonging and the security of regular welfare checks. Many of the service users are on a waiting list for a befriending visitor, so the service gives them support and companionship in the meantime. Volunteers can chat with three to four service users in an hour. More information Be friendly and supportive. Sensitivity to older people, the ability to initiate a conversation and good listening skills. Ability to record information accurately and objectively. Two-to three hours per week in our Devizes office or up to two hours from home. At our offices in Devizes or Salisbury or from home. Introduction to Age UK Wiltshire 3 hours Befriending Induction Programme 3 hours volunteering@ageukwiltshire.org.uk or call page 8

9 Community Support Volunteer Living Well What is it? Help deliver our new Living Well service supporting older people in their homes and in the community. Working with older people to a personal support plan to aid and improve their health and well-being. Friendly and approachable with good communication and organisational skills. Reliable and dependable. Open minded in approach to individuals, avoiding judgement and stereotyping. A desire to help older people. 1 3 hours a week for up to 3 months, as agreed with the Living Well Project Worker. Across Wiltshire, within a 10-mile radius of your home or workplace. In people s home and local community. Introduction to Age UK Wiltshire 3 hours Ongoing training to aid development as required. Ongoing support and guidance can be provided flexibly to accommodate other s. DBS checks As the volunteers are required to visit very vulnerable clients in their own homes, a disclosure & Barring Service check (DBS) will be required. Age UK Wiltshire will arrange it at no cost to you. page 9

10 Community Support Volunteer Swindon What is it? Volunteer Community Support Workers support independence and help people live in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. Depending on their skills, interests and availability they will: provide a home visiting and telephone befriending service for those who are most frail and isolated. dispense low level time-limited support for those who have received post discharge support from the Red Cross Home from Hospital Service. The aim of this service is to continue the work of the Red Cross in helping with rebuilding confidence after admission to hospital and practical help with activities like shopping. help people find and take part in social activities in their local communities. facilitate a lunch club in Rodbourne. Good listening skills, the ability to talk and meet new people. Sensitivity to the needs of older people. A car is advantageous but not essential. Between 2-3 hours a week (including travelling time) for each person supported. For home befriending, a of a year is required. Other roles such as home from hospital support are more short-term and can last up to 8 weeks. DBS checks Across Swindon or home-based for telephone befriending An induction is provided and support throughout volunteering. As service users can be very vulnerable, DBS checks are required where home visits are. page 10

11 Toenail Cutting Clinic Receptionist What is it? Nail Cutting Receptionists work alongside our nail cutting staff and volunteers to help ensure the smooth running of our nail cutting clinics. They escort service users into and out of the sheltered housing schemes where our clinics are held, take and record payments and make future appointments. The also signpost users to the other services that Age UK Wiltshire provide, which might be of use to them. Interest in meeting new people, ability to record information accurately. A minimum of half a day every fortnight is required. Dates and times of clinics vary depending on the location. Varied, across Wiltshire. One induction morning or afternoon Shadowing of a member of the Admin Team. On-going training and support will be provided. page 11

12 What it s like to be a nail cutting clinic receptionist: meet Shelaagh Why did you volunteer with Age UK Wiltshire? What attracted you to the organisation and the role? Initially, I registered to have my own nails cut following a hip replacement. The nail cutter mentioned that the receptionist for Warminster had left and that it was hard to find volunteers, so I offered to take it on. Later, I was asked to do Westbury as well, which runs on the same day in the mornings. What does your role entail? I work alongside a trained nail cutter and my role is to welcome the clients, to take the money for their appointments, to issue receipts and to make future appointments for them. These are written on appointment cards. Sometimes, they need to wait for a short time and I talk to them while they wait. Occasionally, they need assistance to come into the centre or to get back to their transport. Someone from Age UK came and showed me what to do when I started and there is nothing difficult. What background do you have? I am a retired primary school teacher. Since retiring I have worked for Arthritis Care and I am also a school governor, a local Christian Aid organiser, a member of the town Fairtrade committee and I drive for the local blind club. What time are we talking about? The Nail clinics I volunteer at normally run every three weeks on a Monday. At present, I travel to Westbury in the morning, arriving about 9am. Finishing times are variable but clinics are never more than two hours, usually less. In the afternoon, I go to a clinic in Warminster, starting at about and we have usually finished by about 2pm. What do you like about being a Nail Care Clinic Volunteer Receptionist? I have got to know most of the clients now, and I enjoy meeting them and hearing their news. They are grateful for the service we offer, so I feel that I am doing something worthwhile, even though it is a very small thing. I get on well with the nail cutters who come and it is good to have time for a chat with them as well. It is helpful for me that it is a fairly small and I have the dates in advance, so that I can plan the rest of my time around them. I am involved a great many other things and would not be able to manage a regular weekly, so this suits me well. page 12

13 Office reception and Administration Volunteers What is it? Reception volunteers work in the office of Age UK Wiltshire in Devizes. The main duties are based around the reception role, i.e. answering telephones, transferring calls and taking messages for the appropriate departments and teams within Age UK Wiltshire. Our reception volunteers also meet and greet members of the public and other organisations that visit our public office in Devizes and help direct their enquiries. Alongside reception duties we ask our volunteers to assist with a range of admin duties, such as typing, data entry, filing and scanning. We also provide administrative support to the other teams and services in Age UK Wiltshire. We will aim to find a role within the team to support each individual. Good communication skills. A sympathetic and friendly approach to people and an ability to understand their needs. The ability to use and understand and confidently use a computer, s and the telephone are essential. No formal qualifications required. This is entirely dependent on each individual s own circumstance. We are happy to discuss what time you can give to support us. From our office in Devizes One induction morning or afternoon Shadowing of a member of the Admin Team. On-going training and support will be provided. page 13

14 Community Day Centre & Lunch Clubs Volunteers What is it? Throughout Wiltshire there are many independent community day centres and lunch clubs. These groups respond to a very local need and are run by local people who want to respond to the needs of older people in their community. These small organisations are often in need of volunteers for a variety of roles from serving up lunch to taking on the role of treasurer. Good listening skills, ability to get on with people and to initiate conversations. Varied Varied Dependent on the organisation You can find out about day centres and lunch clubs close to where you live on our website at page 14

15 Café Club Volunteer - Westbury What is it? Age UK Wiltshire has teamed up with the Mad Hatters Tea Rooms in Westbury to host a club that meets on a regular basis. Our volunteers act as hosts to support the club. The club is aimed at older people living on their own in the area who are looking for some company. Members buy their food and drink directly from the Café. Good listening and hosting skills, ability to get on with people and to initiate conversations. Club members meet between 2p,-4pm every Wednesday. There is also a lunch club once a month from 1pm-4pm Mad Hatters Tea Room, Edward Street, Westbury, BA13 3BD and support will be provided. Interested in helping us setup more clubs, maybe in a location near you? If you are interested, please contact us! page 15

16 Fitness & Friendship Clubs Volunteers What is it? Fitness & Friendship Clubs Volunteers help run our Fitness n Friendship Clubs and deliver activity sessions at events and groups for older people. The role involves setting up the room ready for the activity, welcoming regular and new participants to the club, accurately recording any payments, running a session with some of our activity equipment such as the New Age Kurling, Bowls and Skittles, arranging the refreshments and tidying up at the close of the session. Volunteers are also encouraged to find out about our other services so as to be able to signpost club members where appropriate. Likes meeting new people, can work as a team, happy to take responsibility for running activities. Could suit also someone who is keen on exercise and physical activity and who would enjoy encouraging others to benefit from being active. A minimum of three hours per fortnight. Across Wiltshire. Introduction to Age UK Wiltshire Running safe activities training, first aid session and moving and handling training session. For more information about this role or the fitness clubs in general, please contact Sally Evans on page 16

17 Fitness & Friendship Clubs Volunteer Organisers What is it? Fitness & Friendship Clubs Volunteer Organisers take responsibility for running a two-hour club every fortnight. The role involves ensuring the smooth running of the club, handling publicity in the local area, welcoming regular and new participants, ensuring the health and safety of the participants including safe to exercise forms, coordinating a rota of community activity volunteers, maintaining a stock of refreshment, arranging competition prices and equipment, maintaining records of attendance and organising special sessions including visiting instructors and a Christmas party. Likes meeting people, is a good organiser, can work as a team and is happy to take on responsibilities. Would suit someone with an exercise and physical activity background who can encourage others to benefit from being more active in later years. Regular of at least six hours per fortnight. Across Wiltshire Introduction to Age UK Wiltshire Running safe activity sessions training First aid training Moving and handling training For more information about this role or the fitness clubs in general, please contact Sally Evans on page 17

18 Fitness & Friendship LIFT Leader What is it? To provide hands on support of Age UK Wiltshire LIFT (Low Impact Functional ) programme by running local fitness and friendship clubs for older people. LIFT is a series of activities and games designed specifically for older people to take part in physical activity in a local environment using safe seated and standing exercises that can help improve daily life. You will promote LIFT locally, and attract participants to the programme. You will deliver LIFT sessions to older members of local communities and deliver taster sessions to other interested groups. You will work towards developing and running long term Fitness and Friendship clubs in your area and also share information regarding participation in the programme with Age UK Wiltshire. Ability / willingness to lead simple exercise classes Organised and self-motivated A good motivator Able to communicate effectively Approachable, friendly and professional Smart appearance Enjoy working with the public Be able to complete basic paperwork Regular of at least six hours per fortnight. Across Wiltshire You will receive specific and accredited training for your role of LIFT Leader where you will need to attend a four day LIFT training course (divided into two sets of training, each on two consecutive days). You must attend all four days in order topass the course. Age UK Wiltshire will cover all costs and expenses of the course. You will then be provided with ongoing support and equipment. You will also be offered ongoing support and training. For more information about this role or the fitness clubs in general, please contact Sally Evans on page 18

19 Age UK Wiltshire Champions What is it? We always need people to provide us with ad-hoc help to help raise our profile. The help we need can be as varied as running a fundraising event, raising money for our services through a bike ride or race, stepping in when we are in need of a volunteer cover at one of our clubs; help leaflets and put posters up in a town of village to attract new volunteers or make locals aware of our services; follow us on facebook and twitter and share our posts; use your personal and business contacts to help raise our profile, knit hand muffs, hats and Easter chicken to help us raise funds. You just need to believe in the work that we do and think that helping older people lead a fulfilling life is a worthy cause! Commitment can be ad-hoc and can be very little. It does not take long to like a facebook post. It will take a little more time to leaflet one area, but both activities will help us greatly. Across Wiltshire and Swindon Introduction to Age UK Wiltshire page 19

20 Frequently Asked Questions Will I be interviewed? There will be a telephone chat and an informal meeting. Both are opportunities to find out more about the role and to ask questions. We will ask you questions like why do you want to volunteer to find out more about you. This will help us to match you to the right role and client. You should certainly not feel worried about the meeting and if you do, please let us know so we can chat to you beforehand and ensure you feel comfortable meeting us. Do I need previous volunteering experience? No. You simply need to have some empathy and the ability to interact with another individual. Will my expenses be paid for? Yes we pay for reasonable travel expenses, including travel to and from a volunteering role. I work full time, is it still possible for me to volunteer with you? Yes. We do have volunteers who work full time. They will either visit clients after work in the late afternoon, early evening. Or they might prefer to do telephone befriending from home. We also have some volunteers who do home visits at the weekend. Am I too old to volunteer? You are never too old to volunteer. As long as you have empathy and the ability to listen and chat, you will be able to bring some happiness to an older person who rarely has the opportunity for social interaction. Will I need a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check? As we work with older vulnerable clients, the roles that include visiting clients in their homes or providing them with advice require a DBS check. The check is done at no cost to you and we will help you through the process. In addition, there is now a DBS on-line update service that enables you to keep the certificate up-to-date once you have it, provided you register for it. This means that you won t need to go through the paperwork process again should you wish to continue volunteering for a long time or to give up your time for another charity that requires the same level and type of checks. page 20