Evaluation of the Volunteering in Care Homes Project

Emergent findingsMatthew Hill (matt.hill@ivr.org.uk)Learn and share eventsDecember 2014

What is the evaluation framework?• Formative evaluation & impact assessment

• Frameworks

• Volunteering Impact Assessment Toolkit (IVR, 2014)

• Senses framework (Nolan et al, 2006) - security, belonging, continuity, purpose, achievement, significance

• Methods (reliant on sites)

• Volunteer Investment and Value Audit (VIVA)

• Start and end online surveys - care home staff and volunteers

• Start and end telephone interviews with key staff

• Start and end 5 in-depth case studies – staff, volunteers, residents and relatives

What have we done so far?• VIVA data for all sites from October 2013-September 2014

• Volunteer and resident demographics

• Online Survey 1

• 32 volunteers (of 65) – 49%

• 14 care home staff (of approx. 25) – 56%

• Telephone interviews 1

• All 5 Volunteer Centres (6 staff)

• 7 out of 13 care homes (8 staff)

What do the volunteers do?

62 x Befriender4 x Boccia session 4 x Digital art session

Musical entertainment Illustrated talks

Gardening Reading support Craft coordinator

3 x Pub games 3 x BBQs

2 x Games sessions 2 x Kite session

26 x Reminiscence

Who are the volunteers?

Recruitment, selection and training• 66% of volunteers and 75% of care home staff are very satisfied

with the recruitment and selection process

• Range of methods used

• Supportive and sensitive

• ‘Selection’ is informal but has increased through the project

• Looking for commitment and emotional sensitivities

• 66% of volunteers and 58% of care home staff very satisfied with induction and pre-placement training

• Excellent minimum standard

% very satisfied with different aspects of the volunteer journey

  Care home staff (n=12)

Care home volunteers (n=32)

Induction and training within the home 50% 44%

Day-to-day coordination 42% 34%

Emotional support 33% 34%

Process for dealing with problems 33% 39%

Reward and recognition 50% 48%

Say that volunteers have in the way their volunteering is organised

42% 40%

The say volunteers have in the wider decisions within the care home

25% 19%

Clarity of roles 50% 44%

Staff/ volunteer relationship 58% 50%

% very satisfied with different aspects of VM support (n=12)Time for volunteer management 25Training and support for volunteer management

17

Senior management support 33 

Your skills and knowledge in VM 7 (rated ‘very high’)

Opportunities to share learning 17

Support from VC 77 

Support from NCVO 62 

Impact• Additional time and resources:

“It gets more residents involved… because there is more people to spend that time with them…” [Activities coordinator]

“The main thing I get is the residents have more time just with that one person to sit and chat to them… not to be called away to do things” [Care manager]

“I think it should always be the icing on the cake. Not the cake. We should provide the cake as in the activities and the team to deliver it” [Care Home Manager]

Impact• Volunteers make a distinctive contribution…

“For us it is a job. For them [the volunteers] … it’s more of an entertainment than a work relationship. They [the residents] see them as someone who is coming into have fun with them… we come in to do a job” [Care Manager]

“We are lucky here they are all lovely staff but the volunteers come in because that’s what they enjoy doing. They are not being paid to come in and the residents know that it’s like friends who pop in and visit… It’s a bit of a different dynamic” [activities coordinator]

Impact• High perception of social and emotional impacts for residents

• Befriending, company, stimulation, combating loneliness, pursuing interests

• These impacts can be profound

“It does reduce distress… because they like to be able to re-live their life and tell their stories… we don’t always have the time to be able to spend with them… it settles them… it is like a de-stress”

• Medical or clinical impacts

• Improved engagement at mealtimes

• Improved sleeping

Impact• Across different contexts, residents and volunteers. But the biggest

impact is in

• One-to-one interaction;

• Regular, substantial and on-going commitment

• Not around organisational culture (yet);

• Also for volunteers, staff and relatives

• Developing more systematic measures in-depth case studies;

• Think broadly - cost-effective delivery; distinctive contribution (Metz et al, 2012); community engagement

VIVA data - Value• 115 placed in 13 care homes

• Volunteers have contributed 2,014 hours representing £20,915 (£10.4 per hour)

• 1,027 hours over the last quarter

• Varies significantly between different sites and care homes

• Retention is roughly 40% from training to regular placement

• 18 volunteers contributed half the hours

VIVA data – Investment/ Value• What does this tell us?

• This type of placement requires considerable investment of time, resources and expertise

“So at the beginning it can be a lot of extra work but I think that pays off after a week or two and then you benefit… it is worth the input” [Care manager]

• The situation differs across sites, homes and volunteers

• There is a need to develop those volunteers who are making significant contributions of time

6 key conclusions• Strengths:

• Compelling evidence of impact (sometimes profound)

• Pre-placement activity is strong

• VC support for care homes is highly valued

• Challenges:

• Need to take ongoing volunteer management to the next level

• Variety across areas, care homes and volunteers

• Need to develop regular, substantial and on-going volunteering

Thank you for listening!

Any questions?

How can we develop ongoing volunteer management in the care homes?

How can we increase the level of volunteer activity in the care homes?