Community and Home Support Volunteers - Role description

Thank you to South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust for sharing this role description.

Accountable to: CCNT Lead Nurse for Volunteers, CCN Team Manager and SWFT Volunteer Coordinator

General Roles and Responsibilities.

What we ask of you:

• To be aged over 18 years.
• To undergo enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check.
• To be able to commit to volunteer work for at least 6 months.
• To be able to commit a full morning/ afternoon/ evening to any request.
• To give one month’s notice in writing to allow alternate arrangements to be made.
• To dress appropriately for the purpose of the volunteer work.
• To be motivated, friendly, and approachable, and able to work within any community setting.
• To be a good listener and like helping people.
• To be able to work as part of a team with other volunteers and staff, and to make new people feel welcome.
• To be willing to undergo all required training, both online and face to face.
• To observe the policies and procedures of SWFT, Confidentiality, Security and Health & Safety.
• Complete records if required to do so.
• Attend supervision/ debriefs as required.
• Feedback to Volunteer Coordinator of any relevant issues or concerns.
• It would be great if you can drive but it’s not essential.

What you can expect of us:

• Full training for the role.
• Membership of a supportive, friendly team of volunteers and community children’s nurses/ carers.
• Regular communication and updates.
• 24hr access to support and advice.
• Regular opportunities to de-brief and have supervision.
• A uniform and PPE where appropriate/ required.
• Renumeration for mileage and/or other expenses.

Activities may include:

• Housework.
• Gardening.
• Decorating.
• Ironing.
• Shopping.
• Driving and providing transport.
• Support for wider family members, including siblings - e.g. taking and picking up from school/ activities or to the park.
• Arranging and finding out about children and young people’s group activities on behalf of parents/carers.
• Supporting group activities for parents/families/ children and young people.
• Completing grant/ funding applications.
• Other Activities felt to be appropriate to meet the needs of the family.

Additional Roles

As volunteers feel more confident, they may wish to take on a more involved role with families. This may include:

• Crisis Intervention:
• This can be applied when usual family support systems are temporarily unavailable. This level of service can be offered for up to 4 weeks and under constant review. Volunteers maybe required to be more available during this time depending on the needs of the family.
• Palliative Care and Bereavement:

For the full document please download the attached PDF