Volunteering Making a difference in Barking and Dagenham Adults and Community Services at the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham offer many exciting and rewarding volunteering experiences. There are a variety of volunteering opportunities for everyone including regular volunteering, one off projects and placements to suit your time, interests, skills and motivations. To discuss your volunteering aspirations contact 020 8227 3192 or email volunteering@lbbd.gov.uk
Volunteering Why should I volunteer? Put something back into your local community Help others and have fun Learn new skills and experiences Meet new people and be part of a team Further a personal interest or passion Valuable work experience (great on your CV) Gain training and qualifications 1
Opportunities How do I sign up? Contact the team who looks after each volunteer programme Complete an application form and attend an informal interview (varies per programme) Complete a police check (in most cases) Attend induction and training (varies per programme) Start volunteering (reasonable expenses can be claimed) Feedback or share ideas at meetings or when volunteering Volunteers are always needed so if you are self motivated, caring and enjoy working with people then we look forward to hearing from you! Every volunteer gives a gift when serving others and if you would like to find out more and get involved please contact the teams that run the programmes or visit www.lbbd.gov.uk/volunteering Helping older people and vulnerable adults Active Age Programme, various venues Details: Programme of activities for older people which offer the opportunity to take part in a range of physical activity and social activities Role: Assist with the running of activities and groups such as, arts and crafts. Bingo or leisure plus helping serve refreshments Contact: 020 8227 3641 or claire.dunne@lbbd.gov.uk George Crouch Day Centre, Dagenham Details: Day centre for older people Role: Cooking, assisting or running activities, helping serve refreshments and befriending Contact: 020 8592 9373 or anna.kuczer@lbbd.gov.uk 2
Volunteering Hear to Meet Service, various venues Details: Social and support groups for those with hearing loss Role: Assisting at the group, helping serve refreshments and befriending. Administrative opportunities also available making arrangements for the groups. Criteria: Regular commitment (fortnightly or monthly or more) Contact: 020 7296 8394 or clare.baars@hearingloss.org.uk Heathlands, Dagenham Details: Provides day opportunities for people with profound and complex learning disabilities Role: Supporting activities and access to community facilities and helping serve refreshments Contact: 020 8724 3317 or mary.mathurin@lbbd.gov.uk 3 Kallar Lodge, Dagenham Details: Residential home for adults with dementia Role: Assist with the running of activities, helping serve or prepare food and refreshments, supporting the handy person and domestic team, gardening and befriending or weekends Contact: 020 8724 1863 or christopher.neal@lbbd.gov.uk Maples Centre, Barking Details: Day centre for adults with learning disabilities Role: Assisting service users becoming independent within the community, encouraging choice and control Contact: 020 8724 3317 or mary.mathurin@lbbd.gov.uk
Opportunities Millicent Preston House, Barking Details: Extra Care building which supports service users to maintain their own tenancy and remain as independent as possible. Staff are on site from 7am to 10pm all year round. Role: Admin, gardening, helping serve or prepare food and refreshments and befriending or weekends Contact: 020 8507 9188 or ann.leach@lbbd.gov.uk Spartans Club, Heathlands, Dagenham Details: User led club for adults with learning disabilities Role: Secretary duties including taking and distributing minutes, taking registers and assisting with the reconciliation of money. Plus supporting the club committee and their events When: Thursday evenings ) Contact: 020 8724 3317 or mary.mathurin@lbbd.gov.uk Vipers Social Club, Dagenham Library Details: Club for people with visual impairments Role: Secretary duties including taking and distributing minutes and assisting the club committee. Plus general assistance at the regular Wednesday meetings including helping serve refreshments and guiding for the visually impaired. Guiding opportunities also available at events. When: Wednesday morning and events Criteria: Regular commitment (monthly) Contact: 020 8227 5286 or dean.apps@lbbd.gov.uk Volunteer Drivers and Walking Companions, various venues Details: Volunteer programme supporting older people and vulnerable adults with their transport needs to health appointments and day centres Role: Drive your own vehicle or weekends Criteria: Regular commitment (daily, weekly, fortnightly or more) Contact: 020 8724 3317 or mary.mathurin@lbbd.gov.uk 4
Volunteering Helping improve the care and support to our residents Service User Representatives and Mystery Shoppers, various venues Details: The integration and commissioning team (Adult Services) work with residents who receive services to ensure they are appropriate and help them to live the lives they want. Role: Volunteers to become involved in ensuring the quality of social care services being delivered to our residents, through telephone surveys with residents, visits with others to care homes and other places where people receive support, and supporting community events. or monthly for visits) Contact: 020 8227 2954 or amtul.irtiza@lbbd.gov.uk Working with the community to promote safety, health and wellbeing Broadway Theatre, Barking Details: Theatre hosting productions, events, hospitality and an annual panto Role: Event stewarding, assisting with productions and promotions When: Various (either weekdays, weekends and evenings) Criteria: Open to all to choose which opportunities suit you Contact: 020 8507 5610 or denise.cresswell@lbbd.gov.uk 5
Opportunities Community Health Champions Details: Volunteer programme supporting local health campaigns and delivery Role: Improve the health and wellbeing of the local residents, especially those living in socially deprived areas. Trained health champions will help others to enjoy healthier lives by raising awareness of health and healthy choices, sharing positive public health messages, removing barriers to wellbeing and creating supportive networks and environments. The Health Champions will be mainly supporting the delivery of the borough s Child Weight Management and Smoking Cessation programme. After 3 months of regular commitment to the programme volunteers will be eligible for the Royal Society of Public Health s Level 2 Award in understanding Health Improvement training. When: Various (either weekdays, weekends and evenings) Criteria: Regular commitment to Child Weight Management and Smoking Cessation and monthly feedback sessions with the Public Health Team Contact: 020 8227 3910 or communityhealthchampions@lbbd.gov.uk Community Volunteer Team, various venues Details: Volunteer programme that supports borough sport, cultural and charitable events and promotions Role: Administration, event stewarding, officiating at sports competitions, fundraising, promotions and surveying When: Various (either weekdays, weekends and evenings) Criteria: Open to all to choose which opportunities suit you Contact: 020 8227 2221 or alex.griffiths@lbbd.gov.uk 6
Volunteering Eastbury Manor House, Barking Details: National Trust Tudor manor house offering events, tours and education days Role: Event stewarding, admissions, tour guiding, assisting at education days, gardening and research When: Monday to Thursday and Sundays between April and September or monthly or more) Contact: 020 8227 2331 or eastburymanorhouse@lbbd.gov.uk Libraries, various across Barking and Dagenham Details: Library service which supplies books and media, IT access and holds events and training sessions for the public from six branches across the borough. Two libraries Robert Jeyes Community Library at Chadwell Heath Community 7 Centre and Marks Gate Library are staffed by volunteers with regular support and training from library staff. Role: Customer service and providing library service (Marks Gate and Chadwell Heath Community Association). Assisting with reading groups and supporting reading activities, after school clubs, coffee mornings and events, library duties or running IT sessions for beginners. When: Various (either weekdays, weekends and evenings) Where: Chadwell Heath Community Centre (Robert Jeyes Community Library) Marks Gate Library, Barking Learning Centre, Dagenham Library, Thames View Library, Valence Library, fortnightly or more) Contact: 020 8724 8725 library.volunteer@lbbd.gov.uk www.lbbd.gov.uk/libraryvolunteer
Opportunities Valence House, Dagenham Details: Museum and Borough Archives offering events, tours and education days Role: Event stewarding, tour guiding, assisting at education days, gardening, archiving, collections and research When: Various (either weekdays, Saturdays and some evenings), monthly or more) Contact: 020 8227 2034 or valencehousemuseum@lbbd.gov.uk Youth Offending Service, various locations Details: The Youth Offending Service aims to improve the lives of young people at risk of offending and social exclusion and those within the Criminal Justice System Role: Administration, referral order panel and scrutiny panel volunteers When: Various Criteria: Regular commitment, please note recruitment and training only takes place every 6-12 months, however a waiting list is open the rest of the year. You will be required to undertake a DBS check. Contact: 020 8227 2596 or phoebe.pluckrose-oliver@lbbd.gov.uk Walking for Health Programme Details: As a volunteer walk leader, you would be helping people to get active and healthy. Meet new people in your community, learn new skills and explore your local area and green spaces. Role: Work as part of a team, leading and assisting groups of people on selected short walking routes. If you don t think you can commit to being a Walk Leader but would still like to volunteer to help with the scheme, there are a number of roles you can help with, such as route planners and assessors of walks, administration or general support to walkers. Contact: 020 8227 3641 or claire.dunne@lbbd.gov.uk 8
Want to volunteer? Contact us today 9
Other volunteering opportunities There are many other opportunities at the Council on offer including working with children and young people. Childrens Centres Various volunteering opportunities working with children and families and administration placements Contact: 020 8227 2383 or joanne.dunn@lbbd.gov.uk Integrated Youth Services Volunteer youth support workers and volunteer mentors Contact: 020 8227 3306 or neil.noakes@lbbd.gov.uk Tenant Participation The Tenant Participation Team is here to help you get involved in your local area whether organising community events or having your say in housing and other issues that affect you and your neighbours. We also support the borough s network of tenants and residents associations, as well as helping people to set up new groups. Contact: 020 8227 5777 or participation@lbbd.gov.uk Our partners also offer a wide range of volunteering in Barking and Dagenham in the voluntary sector and community. Barking and Dagenham Council for Voluntary Services (BDCVS) 020 8532 7325 or azka.sohail@bdcvs.org.uk Barking and Dagenham Volunteer Bureau 020 8532 7346 or bardagvb@hotmail.co.uk Carers of Barking and Dagenham 020 8593 4422 or debbie.robinson@carerscentre.org.uk Community Resources 020 8597 2900 Ext: 234 or avril@communityresources.co.uk DABD (UK) 020 8215 9630 or volunteering@dabd.org.uk Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham 020 8526 8200 manisha@healthwatchbarkingdagenham. co.uk Metropolitan Police www.metpolicecareers.co.uk/volunteers 10
Volunteering opportunities Making a difference in Barking and Dagenham visit www.lbbd.gov.uk/volunteering You must not copy this document without our permission. 2014 London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Publication reference number: MC7536 October 2014.