Volunteering

Category Archives

Home From Hospital Care seeks Volunteers for Befriending and Shopping

February 22, 2019by Mazeline Hemmings in Blog, Volunteering tagged , ,

Home From Hospital Care is a charity that provides aftercare for people who have recently been discharged from hospital. They support Birmingham residents in Birmingham Hospitals and, since January 2019, also support Sandwell residents who have been admitted to City Hospital.

The charity was established in 1972 and aimed to enhance the safety of hospital discharges. Today, HFHC is an essential part of the discharge planning process. They work to optimise recovery, reduce loneliness and isolation and to enhance wellbeing. Their support significantly reduces the risk of re-admission to hospital.

Volunteers help HFHC deliver the service and are most commonly involved in befriending and shopping, but there is also emotional help, benefits advice, aid to attend medical appointments, support with correspondence and form filling, a sitting-in service for carers and a cleaning and handy-man service. The service is for six weeks and it is free.

Home From Hospital Care is currently recruiting volunteers in Sandwell. Following DBS checks and training, volunteers are matched with a service user who they support for an hour each week for a six-week period. Visits can be more frequent if the volunteer feels able to commit to this. At the end of the period of facilitation, the volunteer can take a break, or be matched with another service user. It is important that volunteers commit to the six-week period so that the support provided is reliable and consistent. Home From Hospital Care can help volunteers to gain an NVQ2 with Free Courses in England, in a range of subjects, including Falls Prevention and Working in Health and Social Care.

An illness or injury and a hospital admission can be a difficult and life changing experience. Many people face this alone, or with little support. Having someone there in the weeks following discharge can reassure can transform lives.

For more information contact telephone 07483165930, email admin@home-from-hospital-care.org.uk or visit the website at www.home-from-hospital-care.org.uk

‘Do you have what it takes to join us’ – CVT Shared Lives looking to recruit Paid Carers to an innovative new Scheme across the Black Country.

February 19, 2019by Stuart Ashmore in Vacancies, Volunteering tagged ,

National charity, Camphill Village Trust, has recently been awarded the contract to deliver a Shared Lives Scheme on behalf of Dudley MBC, and are looking to recruit paid Carers to significantly expand this innovative service across the wider Borough and surrounding Black Country areas over the coming years.

As a starting point, Shared Lives is sometimes described as being similar to providing ‘foster care for adults with additional/complex needs’…but it’s so much more than that, as you support the Person to make choices and decisions, maximise independence and lead an ordinary life at the heart of the community just like you and me. Being a Shared Lives Carer, you encourage the Person to develop practical skills, build self-esteem and develop new friendships and social networks in the neighbourhood, which creates a sense of belonging.

CVT Shared Lives will provide a comprehensive induction programme and on-going support to ensure that the highest quality of care is maintained throughout each Shared Lives Arrangement. An Enhanced DBS Check and references are also required. Training will take place in your own home, via e-learning and also as a group at our community hub in Stourbridge. The Assessment process can take between 3-6 months. Once approved by an Independent Panel, you are carefully matched with a Person who comes to stay/live with you on either a live-in, short-break or day-support basis…it’s such a rewarding role!!!

96% of all Shared Lives Schemes inspected by the Care Quality Commission are rated as Good or Outstanding as people are known to lead longer, healthier, happier lives when living in the community. Not only is Shared Lives more cost effective but it also provides a viable alternative to other long-term settings such as hospital or residential care.

Registered Manager for CVT Shared Lives, Kate Morgan, said “We already have 38 households in the area supporting people with a learning disability, mental ill health, autism and physical disability. The recent demand for the service, means there is a continual need to recruit dedicated Carers and by joining our Scheme, caring people can build a paid career from their own home, doing a role they love and which is very much valued by all those involved.”

You must be over 21 years of age and don’t need any qualifications or experience, just the right values, commitment and of course…..a spare bedroom. If you don’t own your own home, you will need to ask your landlord’s permission to use your property as a Shared Lives Arrangement.

As a Shared Lives Carer you can be paid from £370 – £560+ per week, depending on the level of support you provide to the Person who comes to stay/live with you. That works out between £19-29K annually, as well as qualifying for tax relief and receiving four weeks respite.

To find out more about becoming a Shared Lives Carer , please go to www.cvt.org.uk/sharedlives Call 01384 441505. Email sharedlives@cvt.org.uk or follow us on Twitter: @CVTSharedLives

Volunteer Opportunities at Wildlife Trust

February 11, 2019by Mazeline Hemmings in Blog, Volunteering tagged ,

The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country have ambitious plans to grow their fundraising opportunities and are looking for flexible, organised and friendly individuals to help with community fundraising.  If you are interested in helping to grow your local Wildlife Trust and have good connections in your local community, please get in touch!

Volunteers will support with delivering a variety of community fundraising initiatives e.g. sponsored walks, pub quizzes, raffles, office dress down days and coffee mornings to raise funds for the Trust.

Volunteers may also be suited to member recruitment by supporting the team at community events.

For more information contact Emma Thompson on 0121 523 0094 or email emma.t@bbcwildlife.org.uk.

You can register your interest in volunteering online at https://members.bbcwildlife.org.uk/Volunteer-Registration – be sure to identify on the form that you are interested in volunteering as a community fundraiser.

Seeking Volunteer Chaplains for West Bromwich

January 14, 2019by Mazeline Hemmings in Blog, Did you know...?, Volunteering tagged , ,

Black Country Urban Industrial Mission is seeking to recruit volunteer Workplace Chaplains to visit with people in the Businesses, Shops and Factories of West Bromwich.

Who Are Workplace Chaplains?
Chaplains are men and women from a range of business, employment and cultural backgrounds who are good listeners.Chaplains wish to bring their faith and understanding to the world of work. Each Chaplain is a member of a church who can count on a reference from their church leader, vicar, minister or pastor.

Do you live in or close to the Black Country? Could you offer a few hours a week to be a workplace chaplain, and be part of an exciting area of the church’s mission?

One volunteer chaplain described being a Chaplain as the best experience in his Christian ministry.

A five week training course in basic Chaplaincy skills is planned for February. Dates, times and location will be decided in discussion with those who respond.

There’s no upper age limit, and workplaces can often accommodate different levels of agility. Chaplains may need to spend long periods on their feet.

Contact Bill Mash at bill.mash@bcuim.co.uk 01902 710407 for more information.

A Successful 2018 for Friends of Tividale Park

December 14, 2018by Libby Mahoney in Blog, Did you know...?, Volunteering tagged , ,

The Friends of Tividale Park are a residents’ community group (now in its fourth year) who work to improve Tividale Park in various ways, including fund-raising for new equipment, volunteering, and supporting events.

The Friends of Tividale Park Group support plans to improve the facilities in the park, organise and develop a range of community activities and events, to bring people of all ages together to have fun and enjoy the park.

During 2018, the group have successfully embarked on the following projects:

  • worked with Litter Watch to paint the entrances into the park to enhance the appearance of this local resource,
  • secured funding to purchase six new benches which will be installed on our behalf by Sandwell Council around the park,
  • secured a Co-op Community Fund grant to buy a commemorative World War One bench and
  • held ‘Black Country Gala Festival’ in July to mark the parks 90th birthday which featured five bands, three dance groups, Vikings demonstrations, 30 stalls and much much more.

Our long-term plan within the park is for a community centre and is nearly in fruition as Sandwell Council have cleared an area of land within the park and laid the foundations in preparation for the facility to be put into place in 2019. The Council has also promised 20 Cherry Blossom Trees for the park.

We are currently looking for people to help us to form some new community groups such as neighbourhood watch, walking and running groups who will use the new facility coming in 2019 within the park.

For more information or to become a new member of the Friends of Tividale Park, please email our secretary at secretary@friendsoftividalepark.org.uk or visit our website at www.friendsoftividalepark.org.uk

Your Library Needs You!

December 14, 2018by Libby Mahoney in Blog, Volunteering tagged , ,

Library friends groups are looking for new members to join and help support their library by:

  • Helping shape future library services,
  • Acting as library ambassadors in the community,
  • Fund raising for local events and activities,
  • Supporting at library and community events and
  • much much more.

You’ll have the opportunity to learn new skills with like-minded individuals, support the development of services and community activities taking place within the library.

We would love to hear from anyone who is interested in making a positive difference within their community or would just like to find out more about what is involved.

Meetings are held every six weeks so why not get involved and help us to keep your library a real hive of community activity.

To find out more please speak to a member of library staff or call 0121 569 4911.

Murray Hall Volunteer Recruitment Event

November 26, 2018by Mazeline Hemmings in Blog, Volunteering tagged , ,

Murray Hall Community Trust is a registered charity supporting people in Sandwell and the surrounding areas. To celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary in 2019, Murray Hall will honour the support given by volunteers and hope to recruit more volunteers to enable them to continue to support the most vulnerable in the community.

Murray Hall will be holding a Volunteer Recruitment Event on Thursday, 22 November 2018, 12 noon to 2.30 pm, at The Bridge, St Marks Road, Tipton DY4 0SL.

Volunteering can be an enriching experience and can enable you to meet new people, try new things and gain valuable experience.

The volunteer recruitment team will be on hand on the day to tell you more about the various volunteering opportunities across Murray Hall’s services, and talk you through the application process.

If you are interested in volunteering but cannot make it on the day, please call 01902 826 513, when a member of the team will be happy to help you.

Volunteering Does Not Need to Stop for Over 75’s

October 22, 2018by Libby Mahoney in Blog, VCS Feature, Volunteering tagged ,

Rates of volunteering fall sharply in the over-75s, yet evidence shows that older volunteers may benefit a lot from it. This blog presents the key findings from an evaluation of the Residents as Volunteers project, which aimed to support over-75s living in Abbeyfield care homes to volunteer. It will discuss what barriers to volunteering in later life exist and how they can be overcome. Find out more in the full evaluation report or the summary version.

Volunteering in later life has many benefits

In the UK, approximately 421,000 people live in care homes with the vast majority aged 65-years and over. Typically, older people living in care or residential homes have a number of health conditions and experience significant life changes. It is estimated that depression affects 40% of care home residents. This project was motivated by the growing evidence around the benefits of volunteering, especially for older people. It was believed that engagement in volunteering activities would have a positive impact on the wellbeing of residents living in care homes, which was later confirmed by findings from the evaluation. Residents who had taken part in volunteering activities reported multiple benefits. Residents felt that volunteering had the most positive impact on their emotional and social wellbeing, but it was also found beneficial for physical and mental wellbeing.

To read the full NCVO Article click here.

CCG Mystery Shopper Volunteer Recruitment

October 22, 2018by Leona in Blog, Volunteering tagged

The Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)is currently launching a new initiative to recruit local people by volunteering to help check the quality of NHS healthcare services by becoming CCG Mystery Shoppers.

What is a CCG Mystery Shopper?

A mystery shopper is a person who carries out a type of research to ensure patients are receiving the best quality service.

This could be telephoning a GP practice, checking information on an NHS website or visiting an NHS building for example.

Will I get expenses?

The CCG will give mystery shoppers who submit their feedback to the CCG thank you High Street shopping vouchers.

Should you be asked to visit NHS premises, you will be able to claim public transport, car mileage and car parking expenses from the CCG.
How do I apply?

Either read the Role Description and apply on-line through the CCG website (www.sandwellandwestbham.nhs.uk/mysteryshopper) or telephone the Engagement Team and request a Mystery Shopper Application Pack.

Submission Deadline:

Should you be interested in becoming a CCG Mystery Shopper, the deadline for submitting your Application Form is Friday 9th November 2019.

Contact the Engagement Team for an Application Pack:

Telephone: 0121 612 1447            Email: swbccg.engagement@nhs.net

Report Reveals Effect of Age on Donor Behaviour

October 1, 2018by Libby Mahoney in Blog, Volunteering tagged , ,

Younger donors are more than twice as likely to give to charity via mobile device than Baby Boomers and are significantly more likely to turn to social media for information about a charity – this is according to a new report looking at different generations and their online giving behaviours by donor management software firm, Blackbaud.

In the report, it was revealed that 92% of Millennials (born after 1980) and Gen Z (born after 1995) would be willing to give via a mobile device, compared to just 44% of Baby Boomers and 26% of Mature givers.

Information Sources

39% of Millennials and Gen Z find information about charities through social media, compared to only 9% of Baby Boomers.

Baby Boomers and Mature givers, however, are much more likely to find information about a charity directly through the organisation’s website, with as much as 79% of Matures saying they prefer the organisation’s website as a source of information.

They’re also more likely to search for a charity organically – 55% of Baby Boomers prefer to find sources of charity information through Google search, and far more Boomers pay attention to the news (55% compared to just 36% of Millennials).

Report recommendations

Understanding who your supporter groups are and which channels they prefer to engage on is key to building relationships with them and building a strong fundraising strategy.

The report argues it’s vital to know where to focus your efforts since the number of different channels available to fundraisers can cause ‘choice anxiety’ and put off donors. It also reveals the types of charities that different generations prefer to give to, highlighting the similarities and differences of supporters of different age groups.

Source: Charity Digital News

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