Volunteer Telford

Are you interested in the development of Adult Social Care in Telford and Wrekin?

We are looking for volunteers to join our Making It Real Board, which gives local people a really important opportunity to have their say about social care services locally and to influence the way these services are developed.

Members of the board meet once a month for a couple of hours to have discussions and share their knowledge about adult social care, including the opportunity to:

- Provide feedback to decision makers

- Bring and share powerful stories and experiences

- Network in a positive way with other people who have an interest in social care

- Inform policies and influence local services

- Test the accuracy and readability of public documents before they are published

Purpose of the role:

To provide consistent, trusted support to young adults leaving care. Helping them build confidence, develop life skills, and navigate their transition to independence. The focus of this role is to be a stable, positive presence in a young person’s life at a time when they need it most.

Volunteer Responsibilities:

Be a safe adult who is independent of a care leavers family and the “care system”

Develop a stable friendship with a care leaver, helping to build their confidence and self-esteem.

Bring stability, security and consistency to a care leaver’s life through regular contact for a sustained period.

Support a young adult to develop practical life skills.

Be able to introduce a care leaver to a range of new opportunities and activities.

Know when to provide advice and guidance, and when it’s better to just listen.

Support a care leaver to make and take forward plans for their future training, education or employment. This may involve driving them to appointments.

Support a care leaver’s emotional well-being as a trusted adult for them to talk to about the challenges they face.

Help a young carer develop a sense of identity and efficacy in their own life, enabling them to take greater control of their life.

Optional – Provide transportation for mentees to and from sessions.

Time Commitment:

Flexible, based on your availability and the needs of the care leaver. May include evenings and weekends if desired. Regular visits and calls are arranged during the matching process.

Location:

Community-based across Telford & Wrekin, with occasional meetings at Darby House.

Benefits:

For some it offers the chance to give something back or make a difference to the people around them.

For others it provides an opportunity to develop new skills or build on existing experience and knowledge.

Regardless of the motivation, what unites them all is that it gives them a purpose and it is rewarding.

Open up career opportunities as you gain new skills.

Provide you with valuable experience which enhances your CV.

Help adjustment from work to retirement.

Bring a great sense of personal achievement and self-worth by contributing to the community.

As a volunteer with Telford & Wrekin Children’s Safeguarding & Family Support Service, you will be supporting children and families across the borough to achieve better outcomes.

Our volunteers bring many benefits, including different skills, diverse life experiences and an understanding of their local communities

Training:

All volunteers receive safeguarding and role-specific training. Additional shadowing and ongoing development opportunities are provided. Volunteers are matched with care leavers based on shared interests and needs, ensuring a meaningful and impactful relationship.

All of our volunteers undertake safeguarding training which allows us to safeguard the children, young people, adults and families we support as well as protecting the volunteers themselves.

We will also provide role specific training and supervision to all of our volunteers.

Where possible, we match volunteers to service users based on needs and interests. Underpinning our approach is a commitment to positive and professional relationships between staff, volunteers and service users to achieve lasting impact.

Planting, weeding, watering, simple garden tasks. Instruction given. 

One morning per month. 2nd Tuesday of every month from 10 till 1pm, weather permitting.

Benefits include better physical and mental health, free food that you have helped grow, social interaction with others,

Opportunity to learn new skills and teach ones you may have.

Volunteers would report to the team leader, James Warham. They are responsible for themselves and any children they bring.

Leegomery Community Centre,

off Leegate Avenue,

Telford.

Training:

No training beforehand.  Learning is mostly on the job.

There will be other opportunities offered from Transition Telford from time to time.