Community Volunteer for Independent Age
OFFERED BY:
Independent AgeLocation(s): Aspley, Basford, Berridge, Bestwood, Bilborough, Bulwell, Bulwell Forest, Castle, Clifton East, Clifton West, Dales, Hyson Green and Arboretum, Leen Valley, Lenton and Wollaton East, Mapperley, Meadows, Radford, Sherwood, St Ann's, Wollaton West, Outside of Nottingham City
Address where volunteering takes place: Nottingham and Nottinghamshire How many places are on offer?: 4
Purpose of Role:
Volunteers needed across all areas of Nottingham! As a Community Volunteer you will help to reduce loneliness and isolation in older people. We want to ensure that more people can live a happy, connected and purposeful later life and this role is pivotal in helping us do that. Roles are varied you could be supporting someone to get out and about again, meeting them for a coffee and a chat, or it could be supporting someone to use online services such as online shopping - please see the full role description for my examples of the types of activities involved. Please visit our website for more information on our Volunteering roles within Community Services:
https://www.independentage.org/get-involved/volunteering
https://www.independentage.org/get-involved/volunteering
ROLE DESCRIPTION:
Independent Age is a charity with a clear mission to ensure that as we grow older, we all have the opportunity to live well with dignity, choice and purpose.
As a Community Volunteer you will support and spend time with an older person to help them achieve their desired goals. We want to ensure that more people can live a happy, connected and purposeful later life and this role is pivotal in helping us do that. When an older person is referred into our service they will work with us to identify what they would like to achieve. You will meet up with the older person and provide support to help them connect with their community, this support is typically once a week or on a fortnightly basis but this is flexible. What you'll actually be doing will be varied, depending on the older person, but it could be anything from supporting someone to get out and about again, meeting them at a local cafe for a coffee and chat, or it could be supporting someone to use digital services such as online shopping.
In summary this role involves:
- Supporting an older person to achieve their goals. This could include supporting them to get out and about, assisting with shopping or enabling the older person to feel more confident using technology.
- Providing companionship, encouragement and ideas to help older people enjoy new experiences
- Working alongside the local Independent Age team
List of examples of types of activities involved:
-Meeting for a coffee in a cafe
-Going out for walks
-Supporting someone to become more active
-Support with IT/Technology
-Travelling with/Driving someone to appointments
-Accompanying someone to a social group
-Supporting someone to go shopping
-Trips out together such as, cinema, garden centre etc.
-Enjoying a hobby together such as crafting, gardening etc.
As a community volunteer you will be listening, and sharing your experiences as well as hearing about those of the older person you're getting to know (likely over a cup of tea!).
You will also:
-Keep us up to date with how things are going and reporting anything of concern
-Keep your skills and knowledge up to date by taking part in relevant training
-Read and following our policies and procedures - designed to keep you and the older person we support safe and happy. We've got guidance around safeguarding, lone working and confidentiality to help with this.
Benefits to you:
-Meeting new people
-Making a difference to lonely, isolated people in your community
-Developing new skills and experience
-Helping others, and giving something back
-Being part of something
We will do everything we can to help you get the most out of your volunteering and to make sure that your time as an Independent Age volunteer is enjoyable. Please let us know if there is something in particular that you would like to get out of your volunteering and we will do all that we can to support this.
A DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check will be necessary for this role which we will organise and pay for.
All volunteers are required to complete essential training to ensure that they are confident and supported in their role.
Please visit our website for more information on our Volunteering roles within Community Services:
https://www.independentage.org/get-involved/volunteering
As a Community Volunteer you will support and spend time with an older person to help them achieve their desired goals. We want to ensure that more people can live a happy, connected and purposeful later life and this role is pivotal in helping us do that. When an older person is referred into our service they will work with us to identify what they would like to achieve. You will meet up with the older person and provide support to help them connect with their community, this support is typically once a week or on a fortnightly basis but this is flexible. What you'll actually be doing will be varied, depending on the older person, but it could be anything from supporting someone to get out and about again, meeting them at a local cafe for a coffee and chat, or it could be supporting someone to use digital services such as online shopping.
In summary this role involves:
- Supporting an older person to achieve their goals. This could include supporting them to get out and about, assisting with shopping or enabling the older person to feel more confident using technology.
- Providing companionship, encouragement and ideas to help older people enjoy new experiences
- Working alongside the local Independent Age team
List of examples of types of activities involved:
-Meeting for a coffee in a cafe
-Going out for walks
-Supporting someone to become more active
-Support with IT/Technology
-Travelling with/Driving someone to appointments
-Accompanying someone to a social group
-Supporting someone to go shopping
-Trips out together such as, cinema, garden centre etc.
-Enjoying a hobby together such as crafting, gardening etc.
As a community volunteer you will be listening, and sharing your experiences as well as hearing about those of the older person you're getting to know (likely over a cup of tea!).
You will also:
-Keep us up to date with how things are going and reporting anything of concern
-Keep your skills and knowledge up to date by taking part in relevant training
-Read and following our policies and procedures - designed to keep you and the older person we support safe and happy. We've got guidance around safeguarding, lone working and confidentiality to help with this.
Benefits to you:
-Meeting new people
-Making a difference to lonely, isolated people in your community
-Developing new skills and experience
-Helping others, and giving something back
-Being part of something
We will do everything we can to help you get the most out of your volunteering and to make sure that your time as an Independent Age volunteer is enjoyable. Please let us know if there is something in particular that you would like to get out of your volunteering and we will do all that we can to support this.
A DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check will be necessary for this role which we will organise and pay for.
All volunteers are required to complete essential training to ensure that they are confident and supported in their role.
Please visit our website for more information on our Volunteering roles within Community Services:
https://www.independentage.org/get-involved/volunteering
SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:
- Enjoy meeting a diverse range of people and helping others
- An interest in older people and the issues of later life
- Reliability, consistency and dependability
- Good conversational and listening skills
- Patience, empathy and a non-judgemental attitude
- The ability to work independently but also recognise and seek advice where necessary, and/or report concerns.
- IT skills are desirable
- An interest in older people and the issues of later life
- Reliability, consistency and dependability
- Good conversational and listening skills
- Patience, empathy and a non-judgemental attitude
- The ability to work independently but also recognise and seek advice where necessary, and/or report concerns.
- IT skills are desirable
WHEN REQUIRED:
This grid shows when you can volunteer for this opportunity.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | |||||||
| Afternoon | |||||||
| Evening |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Are there age restrictions for this opportunity?: Yes
Age Restrictions:
18+
Are there gender restrictions for this opportunity?: No
Gender restrictions:
Is the opportunity accessible to disabled people?: Yes
Disability restrictions:
How long before volunteer can expect a response?:
Usually within 3-5 days
How long to complete training and recruitment?:
Around 4 weeks to process application, complete training (2-3 hour virtual or face-to-face session), on-boarding, DBS check
Volunteer Expenses offered?: Yes
Induction and Training offered?: Yes
Support and Supervision offered?: Yes
Has a risk assessment been carried out?: Yes
DBS Disclosure required?: Yes