How we can support you
We can help your health or care organisation to set up a new volunteering service, or adopt and adapt an existing one for your context.
Our expert support will equip you to deliver excellent services, meeting the needs of patients, staff and volunteers.
What we offer
- 1 to 1 support
- Peer group facilitated sessions
- Specialist subject workshops
- An online network of volunteer professionals
- Service guides with step-by-step guidance on adopting and adapting proven service models
Why adopt and adapt?
Successfully adopting an existing service takes effort. It’s not easy even when an idea has been proved – it needs work and consideration to make it effective in a new setting. However, adopting an existing service has huge benefits:
Tried and tested
The service is tried and tested. You can learn from other organisations’ experiences and best practice is already established. It will accelerate your organisation’s ability to deliver a sustainable service.
Reduces the risks
It reduces the risks associated with developing a new service, as impact is already demonstrated.
Helps get buy in
Having evidence of a similar service's impact can help you get buy-in from key stakeholders in your organisation. You can find this in our service guides, and use it to secure project budgets and resources.
Tifaine Carter
Deputy Voluntary Services Manager, Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust
How our adopt and adapt approach works
It has 3 key parts:
PART 1
Experienced Helpforce programme managers
Experienced Helpforce programme managers guide adopters through the ‘adopting and adapting cycle’ (see figure below). These are the stages an organisation (the adopter) goes through when adopting a new volunteer service model.
Depending on the adopter’s skills, capability and experience, the Helpforce programme manager will provide a mix of online support, 1 to 1 sessions, peer group workshops and self-led learning.
PART 2
Volunteer service guides
Our volunteer service guides focus on how to adopt and adapt a specific type of volunteering service, from end of life care to mealtime support. They provide contextualised guidance, learning, evidence, example tools and templates. They act as a framework for the adopter.
PART 3
Supporting organisations to measure success
We support organisations to measure service success. Identifying organisation readiness to develop a new service is a key first stage, then evaluation is a vital part of the process. The Helpforce Insight & Impact service will help organisations to gather the evidence they need to show their adopted service is delivering benefits for patients, volunteers, staff and the organisation.
Get in touch
Could we help your organisation adopt and adapt a service, or set up a new one? Email us on adopt@helpforce.community