somerset you can do services working in partnership with somerset county council

Somerset You can Do Services working in partnership with Somerset County Council

Organisational Structure,

Somerset You can Do Services -an overview,

The Role of Volunteers within Community Support

The Volunteer Agreement and Plan,

The Referral Process,

The Customer Support Plan,

Policies and Procedures,

Lone Working,

The Volunteer Customer Relationship.

Course Overview 1:


Starting relationships,

Maintaining relationships,

Ending relationships,

Mentoring and befriending-similarities and differences,

Support Supervision and training,

Contact numbers.


Somerset You can Do Services (part of Careers South West Ltd) incorporates the next-step volunteer bureau and the Somerset You can Do Pilot project together with some new areas of work to form the Integrated Community Support Service in Somerset.

There are three strands to the service.


Strand 1 An information, advice and signposting service on what support is

out there in the community across Somerset. Dedicated information line 01278 664188

Service delivered by:- SYcD staff and volunteers Taunton Voluntary Action Mendip Community Support South Somerset Association for voluntary and Community Action Engage West Somerset Community Council for Somerset Village Agents Vista Active and in Touch volunteers


Strand 2Volunteering and Mentoring Service - actively promoting volunteering in local communities and developing volunteer roles that give support to vulnerable individuals to access their local communities for the support they need.

Volunteering within Somerset County Council includes :-Adult Social CareChildren's ServicesLearning Disability ServicesMental Health ServicesTransporting Somerset


Strand 2 continued

Community Support Volunteering is aimed at supporting people with emerging social care needs that are below the Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) threshold, and who currently have little or no support and may also feel isolated.

The service will aim to facilitate inter-dependence and promote the value of being part of a community where people care about and look out for each other.

Our volunteers are here to help people help themselves.


Strand 3Community development work with existing and new organisations and groups to establish, enhance or make the community support they offer more accessible for others to join in.

This service is provided by our sub-contractors:-

Mendip Community Support Engage West SomersetTaunton Voluntary ActionSouth Somerset Association for Voluntary and Community Action


There are 5 main roles within community support. Volunteers can choose to be involved in just one or if they prefer several. The roles are:-

Group Support Co-ordinator 1:1 support volunteer Volunteering mentor Text e-mail and phone befriender IT support


To co-ordinate, facilitate and support a group which is social or activity based, or both.

Aim to empower members to engage with each other and the wider community.

Work with group members to explore interests and assist with arrangements for social activities, visits and outings

To enable the group to become self sustaining


Welcoming,

Motivating,

Working with group dynamics,

Confidentiality,

Boundaries,

Enabling and empowering members.


Day to Day Management :

Room bookings and payment,

Membership,

Delegation and shared responsibility,

Membership costs and it’s benefits,

Keeping the group safe/risk assessments and health and safety.


Short term support for those needing to access local services and develop social networks,

Longer term support for those members who are more isolated or who need confidence to access local community services.


Working across the county supporting people wanting to become volunteers,

Supporting members to find local volunteering opportunities that they may be interested in and which suit their individual needs.

Help with the appropriate paperwork and the process of becoming a volunteer,

Accompanying them on their volunteering until such a time as they are comfortable and confident.


A team of volunteers working across the county supporting people1-1 or in groups using ICT and other communication tools including:

Text,

Phone, Skype,

E-mail,

E-groups blogs, Facebook, Twitter.


Introductions,

Motivating,

Working with phone, email and text - the challenges,

Confidentiality,

Boundaries,

Enabling and empowering members,

Moving people on.


A team of volunteers supporting the development of the e-volunteering project,

You will support customers and volunteers who need help and advice about installing, setting up and using equipment,


To respond to requests from the public for information about community support organisations using phone, text or e-mail

Using databases and online research to provide information.

Responsibilities of the SYcD,

Responsibilities of volunteer,

Signed by all involved,

Includes volunteer plan.


‘You can Do’ Members

Referral from SCC identified members of staff (during proof of concept)

referral by form, referral email or Website

+ Risk assessment

Decision to accept based on availability of volunteers and risk

assessment

Yes

No

Visit arranged to complete membership application and membership plan

Referred back to referee

If after the meeting, membership is not appropriate

Membership welcome pack issued Membership card issuedMembership logon and password Matching Volunteer to Member

Monitoring and feedback started


Referral Routes:

►Referred by social work and other teams within SCC,►Referred by other organisations,►Self referral.

Involvement and ownership:

►Having a say in what happens,►Understanding the need to move toward self sustainability,►Supporting the monitoring and evaluation process.


The plan includes:

The customer’s, the volunteer’s and SycD’s contact details,

What the customer would like to achieve and time scale,

The choices they have made,

The review date.


Careers South West is committed to achieve equality of opportunity for all and to remove direct and indirect discrimination to ensure a service that meets the needs of the diverse communities served.


We are committed to treating service users, employees and those with whom we come into contact with dignity and respect irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, religion and belief, sexual orientation and gender identity to ensure a culture of mutual respect and tolerance.


The promise:

To promote equal opportunities for all groups, Not to discriminate against any person or group directly or indirectly, That the same range of quality service is offered to all.

The implications for Staff and Volunteers:

To respect members as individuals, Recognise that some individuals belong to groups that may be

discriminated against, Work to empower all members as individuals.


Ignoring diversity and the needs of people who are different,

Speaking in a way that does not value people who are different,

Avoiding people

Negative body language

Excluding people who are different,

Making assumptions, labelling/stereotyping

Criticising or verbally abusing people who are different.


Confidentiality is about respecting the privacy of the people we work with, both members and staff.

Things to consider:

Keep information within the placement setting,Only pass information on to staff at SYcD if you feel someone is being abused or is in danger of self harm,Don’t off load on to family and friends,If issues are raised or feelings aroused by your work discuss these with your contact at SYcD,Breach of confidence can damage the trust needed and may lead to dismissal from the service.


Accepting or giving gifts,

Sharing telephone numbers,

Your home is not a workplace,

Friendship vs. working relationship,

Working with vulnerable adults and children – Safer Working Practices,

Appropriate touch.


Volunteers are treated as staff for the purposes of Health and Safety. You are responsible for both your own and other people’s health and safety

You should be aware of:

Protecting your own health,

Avoiding injury,

Assessing Risk.


Reliability

The work you do is important. Members and staff are relying on you to keep to your agreed commitments. Make sure that you give as much notice as possible if you are unable to attend because of:

Holidays, Hospital appointments, Sickness.


Expenses:

Usually paid monthly,

Paid directly by SYcD at 45p per mile, plus any agreed out of pocket expenses,

Can be paid even if you are claiming benefits including Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Job Seekers Allowance, Income Support and Housing Benefit.


Insurance

Careers South West’s insurance covers:

Public Liability,

Personal Accident.

But does not cover:

Loss or damage to personal Property,

Motor insurance.


Drivers

Volunteer driving has special responsibilities and therefore we have to check annually:

Driving licence,

MOT,

Insurance,

and also get you to complete a medical self assessment.


Tax liability and Drivers

Drivers’ mileage allowance might be taxable by Inland Revenue depending on:

Whether or not you are liable to pay income tax,

How high your annual mileage is, relative to the cubic capacity (cc) of your car.


SYcD comments suggestions and complaints We hope that most of the time we get it right, and we want to know

more about the service you are happy with. We welcome your comments on the quality of our service and your suggestions on how we can improve it.

To make comments, suggestions or complaints please contact the SYcD manager, Bryan Mitchell on 01278 664180 or e-mail [email protected].


Gifts and Bequests

Do not accept gifts or bequests of money , jewellery etc,

Inform the voluntary services manager immediately if a bequest is made in a will,

Do not get involved in helping with or advising about making a will or other legal document.


Smoke Free Work Policy

Careers South West operates a smoke free working policy which includes staff and volunteers. Therefore, smoking should not take place in any venue in which you are volunteering including:

Day centres and community halls

Members’ homes

Volunteer drivers’ cars.


What is abuse?

Abuse takes many forms:

Physical, Emotional, Financial, Sexual, Bullying, Neglect, Discrimination.


What to do:

To do nothing is not an option,

Report it to SYcD by contacting either Bryan on 07795 223673 or Peter on 07876 758138.

If unable to contact SYcD report it to Somerset County Council by calling 0845 345 9133


Please inform us of :

changes to your address, emergency contact number,Or if you wish to stop volunteering.

This enables us to keep our records up to date and to deal with your file in an appropriate way.


Much of the volunteering involves lone working. It is important to consider:-

Personal safety issues,

Need for risk assessments,

Incident reporting,

Lines of communication


Getting this right is vital to the success of the support being offered.

Think carefully about:-

Starting the relationship

Maintaining the relationship

Ending the relationship

What issues need to be addressed at each stage?


Support & Supervision

Regularly as agreed on in your volunteer plan, Opportunity to talk about issues and feelings, One to one or in a group, Opportunity to learn from others with similar experiences, Important when lone working.

Training

Educare online training especially personal safety, protecting vulnerable adults and equality & diversity,

Induction, Any other training necessary to carry out your role.


You will have clear channels of communication,

You will be provided with a main contact person,

You will have periodic reviews throughout your volunteering career,

You will have regular supervision,

You will be supported through any difficulties encountered in your volunteering role.


SYcD Services office Monday to Friday 9am-5pm:

01278 664180

Emergency contact outside office hours:

Bryan Mitchell 07795 223673,

Sue Hunter 07818 075842,

Peter Wood 07876 758138.


somerset you can do services working in partnership with somerset county council

Documents

somerset county councilnvb

somerset county council

somerset county council

lone working

support volunteering

support supervision

customer support plan

mentoring service