Volunteering at the Association of Carers

Telephone: 01424 722309


	Volunteering for the Association of Carers Why Volunteer? The Association has 3 part time paid staff everyone else is a volunteer! Without volunteers the organisation would not exist or if it did it would have to charge all the Carers for its services to pay the people providing the services and that is not a road we wish to go down. So we try as hard as we can to recruit and retain volunteers to help Carers within Hastings and Rother. I think it is a very valuable service to the community Wendy We have regular training sessions (at least two a month) on various subjects from basic training such as Health and Safety and First aid to more specific training such as Dementia training, Stroke training and Reminiscence. Volunteers do not have to attend these although we do encourage it as the can serve as a useful refresher even if you feel you already have experience in each area. Talk and Support Volunteers have a seperate training schedule which comprises of monthly support sessions with additional training every other month involving various topics and skill development. These are now run mainly by Hastings & Rother Counselling Service. All our volunteers are reimbursed for any agreed expenses which includes travelling expenses which is paid at 40p per mile. Telephone Talk and Support Volunteers will be reimbursed for the cost of their calls if they are charged by their provider, this is funded by Comic Relief. We also hold free lunches to thank our volunteers every June in National Volunteers Week and at Christmas we have a big lunch (nearly 100 come each year!) where we also invite all service users as well as the volunteers or we have a trip to the panto as an alternative. We would like you to benefit from volunteering as much as we benefit from you helping us give Carers well deserved support. What type of person volunteers for us? We value the Volunteer’s visits highly. The break is important to me and my wife enjoys the company which lifts her spirits. Eric We don’t have a specific “type” of person volunteer for us, increasingly we are having more and more men volunteer which is great – but we desperatley need more women and we only match female visiting volunteers with female cared for people. Our volunteers are all over 18 but we do not have an upper age limit. We welcome from all diversities and actively encourage people from BME and LGBT backgrounds to volunteer with us too as we help Carers from a range of backgrounds and we like to try and match people together as there is more chance they will get along that way. All we ask from you is to be committed to the role you wish to accept as the Carers, young and not so young, can really look forward to your visit or phone call, of course you are allowed holidays and if you are ill or an emergency comes up that is fine but you must be dedicated and do your upmost to arrive on time each week as often the Carers have appointments booked which need to be kept. You do not need any qualifications or past experience to volunteer for us just a friendly nature and an interest in people, but if you wish you could gain a CCV* while volunteering for us. Volunteering creates many opportunities, from meeting new and like-minded people to gaining work experience and it looks great on your CV . Volunteering can really help you gain confidence, new skills and new friends! How to get involved Training courses February to June 2012 Volunteer Visitor What they do… These volunteers visit and sit with the cared for person Give the Carer a break each week for a few hours ( usually 3 hours) This allow the Carer to go out without worrying and not need to rush back Offer friendly companionship to the cared for person and support to the Carer This helps the Carer by… reducing isolation increasing their wellbeing letting them know there is someone they can turn to for support keeping their loved one safe and feeling happy as they have a new friend who takes the time to visit them Young Carers Befriender/ Study buddy What They do…. Give Young Carers between 7 & 18 a break for 3-4 hours each week at the weekends, during the evening or even while they are at school during the day – service operates between 9.30 am and 9.30 pm any day of the week Collects and takes the Young Carers to and from the activity of their choice or meets them at home or school to help them with additional study time or homework. Have a non judgemental approach, listening ear and a supportive and friendly presence Offer support and companionship to the cared for person usually a parent or sibling of the Young Carer This helps the Young Carers by… Feling that someone cares for them Living a less isolated life Meeting new people Taking part in social activities Gaining confidence and learning new skills Enjoying 3 hours a week to do something for themselves without needing to feel guilty achieving their potential and giving them a better chance in life I really appreciate the service we have, as it gives me precious time to myself. Jean Young Carers is similiar to our main service but the volunteer doesn’t always sit with the cared for person as this isn’t always necessary, instead the take the Young Carer to an activity of their choice and either take part in this activity with them or waits until they are finished and brings them home again. It is a very individual and flexible service to fit in around the Young Carers wishes. This means that Young Carers, who can carry such a burden, can have a few hours of free time to do what their peers are doing without the worry of leaving the person they care for alone. Are you interested? We are always looking for volunteers to sit and give Carers of all ages some respite so please contact us! Talk and Support Volunteers What they do… Telephone Support Volunteers Call up Carers every week or fornight at an agreed time to have a chat and ask them how they feel about their caring role Provide much needed emotional support to the Carer they phone Leave the Carer feeling more positive than before they called This helps the Carer by… Making them feel more supported in their role Improving their access to information Enabling them to make informed decisions about their caring role Having increased awareness of support and outreach events Making them feel less socially isolated What you as a volunteer could gain….. The feeling that you have helped people live a less isolated life Knowing that you have reduced someones stress levels Meeting new people Being part of social events Confidence and new skills I enjoy being part of a team that offers such an invaluable service, no one is taken for granted. Margaret This is a fairly new project, we are looking for people who have preferably been Carers at some point in their life or maybe still are, who can empathise with Carers’ issues. Counselling skills training and regular support training will be given to all telephone support volunteers. This project is alreadymaking a real difference to Carers in our area and it could make a difference to your life to if you decide you would like to volunteer. Please conatct us for more information or visit the Talk & Support page on this site. Peer Support Group Volunteers What they do… Assist with running the Peer Support Groups for Carers and the respite activities for their cared for people Inspire and help the Carers to decide on future activity ideas for the groups Help organise the monthly support groups by selecting chosen activities, arranging them to take place and finding suitable venues to book. This helps the Carer by… Making them feel more supported in their role Improving their access to information Enabling them to make informed decisions about their caring role Having increased awareness of support and outreach events Making them feel less socially isolated What you as a volunteer could gain….. The feeling that you have helped people live a less isolated life Knowing that you have reduced someones stress levels Meeting new people Being part of social events Confidence and new skills Computer help at home volunteers What they do… Visit Cares’ homes up to 4 times to teach them how to use their own home PCs and enable them to do tasks such as home shopping, banking, emailing, letter writing, label printing etc. Help install programmes and software Fix any minor issues Help install other new electrical equipment ( such as a TV, DVD player) What the volunteer could gain… The feeling that you have helped people live a less isolated life Meeting new people Confidence and new skills We need volunteers with all abilities of computer literacy. This service is aimed at helping reduce isolation, either by introducing social networking online or by showing a Carer how to home shop this means that when they do have a respite break they can do something pleasurable not essential with their free time. Please contact us if you are interested in helping. Volunteer Driver What they do… Collect Volunteer visitors and take them to and from their sitting There will be nearly a 3 hour wait before you need to collect the volunteer again. You can have just 1 volunteer a week or as many as you like! Remember all your travelling expenses will be reimbursed. Please help us if you like the sound of this role as taxi fares are very expensive and we have at least 3 people each week needing a lift. Support Volunteer What they do… Help at fundraising and promotional events Collect money at local supermarkets Assist with Administration Sell tickets for our Christmas Raffle And much more! What they gain… Satisfaction that they have helped us to continue to support local Carers Feeling part of a team Having fun and meeting lots of new people! Are you interested? We are very grateful for any voluntary help – please contact us! Committee Members and Trustees What they do… Help us make executive decisions and share their experience and expertise Make sure that our Aims are always being achieved and that we are 100% accountable, trust worthy ethical To promote the Association as a diverse organisation who believes in equal opportunities Specialised high responsibility tasks – such as being Treasurer What they gain… Knowing that they can help shape and develop the organisation The knowledge that they are responsible for the organisations wellbeing Being part of a unique and high quality Charity specifically for Carers Are you interested? We would appreciate anyone with a passion for caring to contact us to become a committee member or a trustee. All backgrounds welcome including Carers former and present, and anyone with a business or Third Sector background. There is a huge need in the community for this as so many people are caring for their relatives with many difficult conditions Wendy We also are looking to rewrite our constitution and would welcome anyone with professional knowledge which may help us with the big task as we are also looking to be one of the first charities to become a CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation) whenit is launched next year. Character references are requested for all our visiting volunteers (this is all our services except our Talk and Support service as this will not be face to face) and CRB checks must be carried out prior to them joining our organisation if they are to be alone with any vulnerable adults or children. Volunteers do not carry out nursing or domestic tasks and all traveling costs and expenses are reimbursed. *CCV – Certificate in Community Volunteering is a free QCA approved course, Level 2 equivalent to two B grade passes at GCSE. In association with Hasting Voluntary Action and South Coast College, spaces are limited.
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