YM204 - Helpline Volunteer

YM204 - Helpline Volunteer

YoungMinds is very proud of the positive development and impact achieved over the last four years for children and young people s mental health. We know we are doing unique, excellent work that no one else is doing. However, we know much more needs to be done. We are delighted with the government s commitment to transforming Children and Young People s Mental Health and services, but we also recognise the huge pressures experienced by young people and their parents on a day-to-day basis. If successful, you will be joining the passionate, committed and talented team at YoungMinds at a very exciting time. Our four-year strategic plan, developed through stakeholder consultation has challenged us to focus our work if we want to maximise our impact. We will also need to fulfil a huge agenda to really improve Children and Young People s mental health. To achieve this we need a team of excellent volunteers who are the best in their field. If you apply for one of our posts and come for interview, our staff will tell you more about why they get both professional and personal satisfaction from working for YoungMinds. I hope you will want to join us and will find all the information you need in this pack or on our website to help you complete your application. Sarah Brennan OBE CEO, YoungMinds A letter from Sarah Brennan, CEO Thank you very much for your interest in YoungMinds and for wanting to volunteer with us.

1 in 10 children and young people aged 5-16 suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder - that is around 3 in every class 850, 000 children and young people aged 5-16 have mental health problems 45% of children in care have a mental health disorder - these are some of the most vulnerable people in our society 1 in 5 young women show signs of an eating disorder What s the problem? 95% of imprisoned young offenders have a mental health disorder. Many of them are struggling with more than one type YoungMinds is the only UK Charity dedicated to improving the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people and empowering their families and carers

YoungMinds is the UK s leading charity championing the wellbeing and mental health of young people. We exist so that young people have the strongest possible voice in improving their mental health. We strive to make sure everything, from government policy to practice in schools and services, is driven by young people s experiences and aspirations. We support parents to help their children through difficult times, we equip professionals to provide the best possible support to the young people that they work with, and we empower young people to change their world. Our Goals To keep ourselves focused and on track, we ve set out four key strategic aims: 1. Foster innovation to meet the needs of vulnerable and excluded children and young people. 2. Promote good mental health to more children and young people than ever before. 3. Champion the voices of young people and parents to influence mental health policy and practice. 4. Inspire excellence to achieve transformed, integrated services. When our daughter was admitted to hospital under section, a call from your Professional Adviser kept me going and I still remember and replay her words, as times are still difficult. They will stay with me forever. I cannot express how much I needed your help that you gave. Thank you. Our Mission and Goals Our Mission

We empower children and young people Children and young people with mental health problems are at the heart of everything we do. From our free online resources to our innovative youth engagement programmes, we transform the lives of children and young people. We support families No one should suffer alone. YoungMinds provides a lifeline to thousands of families, advising and supporting them to understand their child s behaviour and secure the right help. We campaign for change We break the silence surrounding mental health by speaking out to change attitudes and policies. Driven by the experiences of young people, we campaign to build a society where mental health has no attached stigma and where those suffering get fast, effective support. We help professionals Many professionals tell us they don t have the knowledge and training to understand how young people are feeling, spot problems or help if needed. Our training and consultancy work helps schools and professionals make a real difference to young people s mental health. What we do Catherine, Parent Helpline Volunteer So, it was back in 2015... my eldest had been a victim of cyberbullying and I just turned around to my husband and said: that is where I have to go and volunteer, because I have to let other parents know how to deal with that situation. From that point on it did change my life.

YoungMinds Parents Helpline is a free, confidential and professional advice and information line for anyone worried about the emotional problems or behaviour of a child or young person up to the age of 25. The service is a lifeline to thousands of parents and carers every year; advice is offered via telephone or email. What do parents call the helpline about? Parents and carers call us with any concerns they have about their child s emotions or behaviour. Callers may be: very anxious and worried because they don t know how to handle their child s behaviour unsure whether to get help seeking advice on behaviour management to get them through a bad patch needing support whilst on a waiting list for local mental health services Calls cover a wide range of issues and problems, including: Depression; aggressive and anti-social behaviour; eating and sleeping difficulties; self-harm; friendship problems; bullying; abuse; Autism and Asperger s; ADHD; anxiety and obsessions; suicidal thoughts or attempts. What does the helpline provide? When callers ring the helpline they get through to one of our trained helpline advisers. The helpline adviser will: explore the caller s concerns, worries, problems and difficulties, as well as finding out what support they have had so far advise on practical steps the caller can take to get help advise on local or national services relevant to their particular problem send out or email a pack further information in relation to the particular problem Callers who need further, more in-depth advice will be offered a callback from a YoungMinds mental health Professional Adviser. The Professional Advisers are all qualified in the field of children and young people s mental health and can give advice on emotional and behavioural issues, navigating and making the best use of services and how to get the support the caller needs. Callbacks last up to 50 minutes. They are free and confidential. They give parents a chance to talk through the situation with an expert and work out the best way to proceed. Introduction to YoungMinds Parents Helpline

Core requirements Make sure that you can commit to a minimum of one full day per week (eight hours) volunteering from 09:20 to 17:20 on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday for 12 months. As we are keen to accept parents, carers and those with disabilities on to our volunteer programme, we try our best to be flexible with volunteers hours when difficulties with child care or other needs crop up. Make sure that you are able to travel to and from YoungMinds office based in London Bridge, Central London. Discuss and agree any additional support needed to enable you to fulfil your volunteering role with the Parents Helpline supervisors. Observe the requirements of YoungMinds policies, including: Parents Helpline Guidance Document Safeguarding Children and Young People and the Protection of Vulnerable Adults Risk Assessment Data Protection and Confidentiality Code of Conduct Health & Safety Equality and Diversity Training and support Helpline volunteers are kept up-to-date with developments at YoungMinds via newsletters and communications from the helpline employees. You will attend the daily debriefing session and regular reviews with your supervisor; both of these are opportunities for discussing your work and the calls you take. Whenever you have taken a particularly challenging call, a member of the helpline team will be available to talk with you about if afterwards and find out how you are feeling about it. Details of all the training we provide can be found on the Traning and Induction page Expenses In return for your time and commitment we will reimburse the following out-of-pocket expenses: Reasonable home-to-work travel costs up to a maximum of 10.00 per day Lunch allowance up to a maximum of 5.00 per day Introduction to YoungMinds Parents Helpline

Career and other benefits At the start of your working life, being a helpline volunteer is a great experience to put on your CV. We will provide you with a reference for prospective employers. Those looking for a career change or with a full and varied working life behind them, will find that being a helpline volunteer can provide an exciting new challenge and change of focus. It is also a great way of using all the skills you have developed over many years and many life-experiences. You will hear about, and be welcome to apply for, paid vacancies at YoungMinds. You can get involved in other aspects of YoungMinds work and events. Insurance All volunteers are covered by YoungMinds insurance policy. To ensure that you have adequate insurance cover it is important that you follow the guidelines of your role at all times. Introduction to YoungMinds Parents Helpline

Here at YoungMinds we aim to provide the best possible recruitment service, including working to remove barriers to Equal Opportunity at each stage of the process. Our commitment to you We will treat you in a polite, helpful and friendly manner at all times Information that you provide will be treated as confidential and will be seen only by those involved in the recruitment process We will remove all personal information from your application to ensure that the shortlisting panel are not aware of whose application they are assessing We will ensure that the information you provide on the Equal Opportunities questionnaire is only used for monitoring purposes We will endeavour to make any reasonable adjustments to the selection process (application form, shortlisting, interview, risk assessment) to enable individuals to participate equally We will advise you as soon as possible if you are selected to progress to the next stage We will aim to give you at least one week s notice prior to interview We will make a decision as soon as possible after interviews and you will be informed within one week Recruitment Process We will offer a placement on the Volunteer Programme subject to two satisfactory references; we will not contact your referees unless you give your permission Unsuccessful interviewees will be offered feedback. Step by Step Application and Selection Process Step 1: Fill in and submit your application form before the closing date. In shortlisting applicants, we will assess whether or not you have demonstrated that you meet the criteria for the Parents Helpline Volunteer, as listed on the Person Specification. Step 2: If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to attend an interview where we will assess whether you re suitable to volunteer on the helpline. You will be sent an interview invitation via email and on the day of interview you will complete a short IT test followed by a 30-minute interview to further demonstrate how you meet the Person Specification. Step 3: If you are selected, you will join the training course that starts soon afterwards.

You may either type or write in black pen to complete your application form. We strongly recommend you look through the YoungMinds website before starting your application form. Ensure you proofread your application for any errors before submission. Personal Details Fill out this section in full, making sure all contact details are correct. Training Dates You should not continue with the application if you are unable to attend the training dates that are specified in the Application Pack. Dates can be found on the Training and Induction page. Education and Training You must include all relevant qualifications and training courses. Paid and Voluntary Employment History Starting with the most recent placement state all of your previous experiences and give a brief description of your main responsibilities in that role. Covering Statement This description does not have to be very long as you will have an opportunity to expand on certain aspects in the Supporting Statement section. This section asks Please outline here why you are interested in working with YoungMinds for the above role. This is your opportunity to sell your personality, to refer to your past experiences and to state why you would be suitable for the vacancy and charity. We recommend you research YoungMinds and read about what we do before starting this section. Not only will this enable you to highlight your interest in the charity but it will also give you an idea whether YoungMinds is the right charity for you to work in. Completing a Volunteer Application Form

Supporting Statement This is an opportunity to highlight in greater detail why you are suitable for the role. The application form gives clear instruction to make sure that you relate your supporting statement to the requirements set out in the person specification. Carefully read through the job description and take note of the person specification and skills the company are looking for. That way you can tailor your answers to fit. At every opportunity you need to be positive with your answers, highlighting your strengths, responsibilities, skills and achievements. Give clear, short paragraphs that identify how your experiences meet the criteria. The most efficient way to approach this is by explaining how the skill was gained, what it enabled you to achieve and how it can benefit the voluntary role you are applying for. Please address each section in sufficient detail providing examples and avoid leaving any blank spaces or unqualified Yes / No responses. If you do not complete all of the sections, this may impact your likelihood of being shortlisted for an interview. Be honest! If you do not have experience in a certain field then you can demonstrate your understanding and your eagerness to learn about it during the voluntary role. Parents Helpline Volunteer Availability Please indicate the time commitment you would able to provide as a YoungMinds Parents Helpline Volunteer. Referees Always ask your referees permission before giving their contact details for your application. Your referees should be your current or previous line manager, academic tutor or a volunteer manager if applicable. Do not give details of family, friends or colleagues. We reserve the right to request to approach any previous line manager if deemed necessary. Referees will only be contacted after an offer has been made. We will confirm this with you before we approach your referees. If there is a problem with this then please contact us. Completing a Volunteer Application Form

Equal Opportunities Form Please be assured that this is not part of the application process and will be removed prior to the shortlisting process. However, the data we obtain from these forms is analysed due to our commitment to equal opportunities and the information will help us to guide our recruitment strategies. On successful selection, you will need to attend eight training days in total (details below). The training will be a mixture of classroom-based teaching and learning, role play and helpline observation and practice. You will learn about mental health issues and support services We will train you to ask the right sorts of questions, provide support and use all YoungMinds approved information resources to find help for parents/carers and their young person You will have opportunities to practise responding to calls before you go live. For your first few shifts on the helpline, you will be closely supported by a member of staff, who will also review your progress at the end of each shift. During training the afternoon sessions will enable trainees to complete the requirements for helpline observation, to see other volunteers taking calls and observe the processes around the helpline work. Volunteers must stay to observe the helpline after at least two of the six classroom sessions. Training and Induction Finally, trainees will be required to complete up to two full days of practical training induction on the helpline. This requires trainees to be observed whilst taking calls. If you have any questions in the meantime please contact Emma Saddleton, Parents Helpline Operations Manager: emma.saddleton@youngminds.org.uk Once you have successfully completed the training programme and practical training you will be volunteering on the Parents Helpline, supporting parents, carers and professionals. Summary of Dates Stage Dates Application deadline Wednesday 30th August 2017 Interviews Wednesday 6th September 2017 Interviews Thursday 7th September 2017 Training days September 2017: Tuesday 12th, Wednesday 13th, Thursday 14th, Tuesday 19th Wednesday 20th, Thursday 21st

Minimum commitment: 1 day per week for minimum of 12 months Based: Suite 11 Baden Place, Crosby Row, London SE1 1YW Supervisor: Parents Helpline Volunteer Operations Manager Overall purpose of the Parents Helpline Volunteer role Following successful completion of YoungMinds Parents Helpline Volunteer Training Programme, to support the provision of a high quality service to parents and other callers to the helpline. Description of tasks for the Parents Helpline Volunteer To support the delivery of the Parents Helpline Service in line with established guidelines To receive and respond to helpline calls, including: To record details of all calls using the helpline database. Participate in debriefing sessions and volunteer training days, and prepare for and attend review meetings with supervisor. Assist with any other administrative duties in the department and wider organisation as required. Attend any team meetings/evening events each year as required. General listening to and taking details of the callers concerns and enquiries assessing callers needs and providing information about relevant local and national support compiling and sending out appropriate information packs offering a call-back from a Professional Advisor where necessary, arranging a convenient time for this to take place, passing the details to an appropriate advisor and supporting helpline colleagues to ensure call back referrals are delivered within the seven-day service level agreement. To arrive in time to commence work at start of shift. To work within the policies and procedures of YoungMinds and the Parents Helpline, including the Data Protection Act, Confidentiality and Safeguarding Policies when working with young people, service users and case materials. To work within YoungMinds Mission, Vision and Values and to be aware of and apply the principles of YoungMinds Equal Opportunities policy in daily activities wherever possible. Form effective working relationships with all staff members, volunteers, Professional Advisers and relevant outside organisation. Role Description & Person Specification

Required skills and expectations Good communication and interpersonal skills. Good spoken and written English. Good IT skills with experience of internet use and Microsoft Office systems, i.e. Word, Outlook Good time-management and organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise own workload and work to set deadlines and targets with support. The ability to cope with a sometimes emotionally demanding workload. The ability to deal confidently with the general public and professional workers at all levels. Broad awareness of the emotional difficulties families can face and the impact on children and young people, and the types of resources available to them. Ability to communicate relevant information about issues and services simply and clearly to parents and callers. Ability to work independently and also as part of a team. Sympathy with the mission and aims of YoungMinds. Desirable skills and expectations Experience of working in the voluntary sector (paid or voluntary work). Understanding of the principles of telephone helpline work and Experience of working on a helpline (mental health or other) Understanding the importance of confidentiality when recording sensitive information Role Description & Person Specification