Network members focused discussion – 8 October 2024

“Targets are a good starting point for building a vision”

Network members visions

• Consistency and clarity.

• Clearer service delivery plans.

• Wider representation of volunteers on Forums

• Grow volunteer roles.

• Continuity with building relationships between all staff and the volunteering department. Showing how volunteers can create positive experiences and support staff retention.

• Creating awareness and showing the impact of volunteer services.

• Utilise the skills including the lived experience of volunteers into meaningful roles.

• Get volunteers access to some data so that they can do appointment reminder calls to help reduce DNA’s.

• Increase volunteer base back up to what it was before COVID.

• Work with the local community and job centres to help the unemployed back into the workforce using volunteering as a way to help them to gain experience, build confidence and knowledge. This would bring in people who perhaps wouldn’t have considered volunteering or working in health and care.

• Help candidates that aren't ready to apply for jobs because they haven't quite got the right experience to do a volunteering role that will help them to gain that experience.

• Change the perception that volunteers are generally people who have retired and therefore got the time to do it.

• Looking at volunteer roles that can address health inequalities, for example digital exclusion, the recruitment process and application forms.
• https://unlock.org.uk/project/ban-the-box/
• NHS-People-Plan-Inclusive-Recruitment_0.pdf (nhsemployers.org)
  

Training opportunities in Wales

We Care Wales has a range of free training programmes for people who are considering a career in health and care in Wales.

They are looking at linking with local volunteer centres to access volunteers already working in social care or in a social care setting to support a career pathway.

They don't want to pull away volunteers, but they recognise that people often use volunteering to build confidence and build up a skill set so that they can move into care.

• https://wecare.wales/working-in-care/new-to-care
• https://wecare.wales/training/programmes

Recommended Community roles

• Companions who visit patients out in the community on a regular basis. The volunteers are matched with a patient. They receive a standard induction with additional training to support them around boundaries and lone working.

• Bereavement support groups run by volunteers in the community. Volunteers are supported by a bereavement coordinator.

Young volunteers

The subject of young volunteers being renowned for their unreliability is something that is often raised in discussion groups. Most young people have the ability to soak up information and learn quickly, however, if they lack interest in what they are doing as a volunteer role it will be a struggle to keep them engaged. Here are a couple of positive comments from the discussion.

“Some of the best volunteers we've had have been young people because they're just so determined to soak up every opportunity and experience and they learn really, quickly.”

“The key with young people is to really find out what interests them and move them in that direction.”