Newsletter January 2004

Image » Edinburgh Millennium Volunteer Cliff Hunter takes a break from the long voyage to Sierra Leone, where he is now networking computers for local community groups. He is now desperately short of funds to continue the work. If you can help please contact Computers for Africa: ross@computersforafrica.com, 0131 335 5807.

No Room at the Inn for Volunteers?

New Year is frequently a time of new resolutions to start volunteering. We are over the excess of Christmas, still holding onto a general feeling of goodwill, and keen to do something useful with long dark nights after work.

I hope volunteers start flocking to your doors.

Christmas itself is a call to give time as a volunteer. Every year at Christmas the Volunteer Centre has a flurry of enquiries from people wishing to give up their time on Christmas day and over the holiday period. This year, perhaps because of our higher city centre profile, we have had even more. A family dropped in wishing to volunteer as Mum, Dad and three teenage children. A volunteer manager, whose own service was closed over Christmas, wanted a chance to volunteer herself. We have had daily enquiries for weeks. And there is almost nowhere for them to go. We have 500 volunteering opportunities on our database. None of these can accept one off volunteer help on Christmas day. On phoning and e-mailing round we have only 5 agencies who could involve new volunteers at all over the holidays.

My knee-jerk reaction is so what? Volunteering is not about a quick feel good buzz on Christmas day because you can’t bear the thought of a fraught family dinner or an empty flat. It is for life not just for Christmas. And it is almost impossible in many areas of volunteering to take one-off volunteers at any time of year. There is screening and vetting and induction and training and need for supervision and support. And at Christmas there is only a skeleton paid staff on duty if the service is open at all. They can’t possibly be expected to cope with an influx of do-goody volunteers.

But the issue demands a more understanding response. The same forces that make Christmas a catalyst for people to want to volunteer also make many users of care services feel particularly depressed, lonely and excluded. If you are someone with depression whose day centre is shut for two weeks and whose family don’t care, Christmas is miserable. If you are a frail older person staying at home alone as you watch television news about roads congested with people travelling to be with family and friends, Christmas is grim.

The barriers between the people who want to give their time and the people who might like to use services at Christmas are huge. They are about organisational structures, professional standards and client safety. They are also about a slightly self-righteous prejudice from those of us involved in volunteering all year round towards those we suspect of being patronising do-gooders with no idea of what supporting people is really all about. It may be that the needs of both groups just don’t meet in the middle. But it is perhaps up to us all, as volunteer engaging agencies, to look much harder at what we do over Christmas to see if we cannot find some way round them for a better Christmas for everyone.

I put my hand up. Volunteer Centre Edinburgh was closed between Christmas Eve and 5 January.

Do you agree or disagree with the issues raised in this article – we would be very interested to from you.

Harriet Eadie

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The Value of Training 

The problem with training volunteers is that sometimes you train them up and then they leave. Now I like a bit of positive spin as much as the next man, but if we are really honest, this is at best frustrating and at worst costly. Investing time and money on training a volunteer who then disappear moments later sucks. Plain and simple.

I have the answer. Don’t train any of your volunteers at all. Result: none of that unfortunate wasted training and potentially huge savings in cost! Which is good because you’ll need all of that lovely money saved on training to spend on creative ways of digging yourself out of the unholy mess that loads of untrained volunteers marauding around in your name have created!!!

Training volunteers is essential. You can’t get away with without it. Whether it is basic orientation - explaining the background of the organisation and where the coffee machine is or a full blown multi-week training course with an accredited qualification at the end. You need to do it.

Naturally the type of opportunity that you offer will dictate the level and type of training you need to provide. It is undoubtedly easier to get volunteers interested in training at the start of the volunteer relationship. It can be more of a challenge to persuade established volunteers to take part in on going training, but on going training is just as important as basic orientation for many volunteering opportunities. Training also comes up regularly in surveys as being a key motivator for volunteers – it makes them feel valued, trusted and can improve retention.

The other big golden rule for training volunteers is that the training must be relevant to their volunteering role. It is very naughty to send a volunteer befriender on a training course on how to be strip and rebuild a carburettor. Why? It’s not directly relevant to their role as a volunteer and potentially you could be accused of giving the training as a benefit in kind, a form of “payment”. This will not happen if the training is relevant to their volunteering.

Now as a volunteer coordinator, the next time you have to organise training, be it in house or (watch out shameless sales pitch approaching) one of the excellent generic volunteer training courses on Boundaries and Confidentiality, Equal Opportunities and Disability Awareness or Dealing with Difficult Situations that are available from Volunteer Centre, and those around you start the mantra “but what if we train them and they leave?” Just ask them “what if we don’t train them and they stay?”

For more information on any Volunteer Centre Edinburgh training course please contact Paul Wilson on 0131 225 0643 or email paul.wilson@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk

Paul Wilson

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Cold Feet 

Nick Woodhead recently gave up the salubrious surroundings of the new Volunteer Centre building in Edinburgh’s fashionable West End to take up a post establishing the South Edinburgh Volunteer Project in Edinburgh’s up and coming, differently salubrious Old Gilmerton Library. Here he reflects on his first week.

9.15 am. A blustery wind is beginning to blow rain in my face. The immediate view of high rise flats and some waste ground is not the most inspiring. The view beyond across the city to the Castle and Arthur’s Seat is spectacular but shrouded in mist and drizzle. I’ve been here 15 minutes. It’s my first day at my new job. I have stationary in my bag, ideas in my head and cheerful optimism in my heart.

Unfortunately I do not have keys in my pocket and the building is locked.
I am here to raise levels of volunteering in South Edinburgh – Moredun, Burdiehouse, Gilmerton, Gracemount and Inch. There are people walking down the road who seem to have some spare time. They could be volunteering so I need to get started.

The rain is getting harder and my feet are getting colder. Welcome to South Edinburgh.

But look! A car is pulling into the car park. Not only does the driver have a key but she also works at the project next door and has an enthusiasm for fresh coffee. Soon we are settled in the comfy area of her office discussing her project, my project and I even manage to get her to think about taking on a volunteer. That’s one new volunteer request achieved and I haven’t even entered my office.

My first week is spent visiting a variety of projects: big and small, city-wide and local; some already involving volunteers, some not; some well resourced, some toiling; some with their own premises, some occupying a corner of the community centre. But for all their differences they all share a decent, some might say old fashioned, attitude towards their fellow human beings, namely. “There are members of the community who need a hand and I’ve got time to do it.”

I meet a lot of people who are quietly making a huge difference to the lives of other people. Like the team of 4 volunteers who have been running a lunch club for over 30 years and are the management committee, the cleaning staff and the entertainment as well -all on a voluntary basis. Or the woman whose community spirit led her to campaign for the community centre when it was originally built 50 years ago. Or the woman who is so active in the community that I wonder how she manages to have a life outside. Or the people who have been personally responsible for removing vast amounts of rubbish from the Burdiehouse Burn. I feel moved and overwhelmed by the commitment of all these individuals.

I drink a lot of tea, eat a lot of cake, hear a lot of laughter, listen to a lot of moans and play the odd game of bingo.

And when we talk about how they might find more volunteers, people tend to look at me rather sympathetically and tell me that “people nowadays” won’t do anything unless they’re paid. But I have always been convinced people will do things once they have been asked. It’s just a matter of asking! Simple!

Perhaps Edinburgh’s West End has the edge over Gilmerton when considering the variety of outlets offering rocket, brie and sun-dried tomato sandwiches; we have Costcutter rather than Pret a Manger. But the negatives stop there. The view across Edinburgh still stops me in my tracks each day. I have a grip of the geography and the bus routes. A week on and the memory of standing outside the office in the cold and rain has faded to be replaced by inner warmth created by tea and the enthusiasm of all the volunteers I have met. My mission from now on is to make sure many more people in South Edinburgh are able discover the personal satisfaction that volunteering can bring to them.

nick.woodhead@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk

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News from Broomhouse

Jude Wilson reports from Broomhouse where partnership working is beginning to deliver results.

Volunteer Centre Edinburgh has a remit to provide a service to volunteer involving organisation throughout the whole of Edinburgh, but we are aware that smaller, locally based organisations can find it more difficult to access our services at our office in the city centre. We also know that community based organisations can face specific issues to do with volunteer involvement that are more effectively addressed on a local or individual basis. In order to address these issues we have been piloting a programme in the Broomhouse area over the last two months with the aim of making our services more accessible.

Working with Karen Watts from Broomhouse Empowerment Project we developed a programme that offered a combined package of training and support to nine paid and unpaid workers from eight local organisations – The BIG Project, Health Strategy Group, Bits & Bobs, Broomhouse Empowerment Project, Broomhouse Youth Befriending Project, Broomhouse Café Training Project, Sighthill Inclusion Project, Broomhouse Organic Garden and the YWCA. The training element consisted of two half day sessions covering Involving Volunteers and Recruiting and Selecting Volunteers and was run from a venue in Broomhouse. Paul (Volunteer Centre Edinburgh’s trainer) had developed the training following consultation with the participants to ensure that it was tailored to meet their needs. At the end of the second training session each participant completed a follow up needs assessment form identifying their support needs and I arranged a time to visit them for the first follow-up meeting. Feedback from the participants was very positive with everybody feeling it covered issues that were relevant to their work with volunteers.

Additionally, the participants commented on the fact that running the training in their local area had made it much more accessible for them and that it had been good to work with organisations from the same area.

At the time of writing the support element of the programme is still ongoing. I have met at least twice with each participant (except one who decided that it was not the right time to start developing a volunteer programme) covering a wide range of issues including: devising a volunteer policy; volunteer agreements; developing volunteer roles and task descriptions; devising a recruitment strategy; police checks; application forms and supporting volunteers. A key advantage of working individually with projects after the training has been that advice and information can be tailored to the individual needs of the project and can be provided for as long or short a time as they feel is necessary. Participants have commented that the built in support after the training has been beneficial in helping them to implement changes that they had identified as useful during the training. They have gone on to establish the Broomhouse Volunteer Managers’ Forum, which will allow them to continue to share their experiences and ideas with each other.

We learned a great deal while developing this programme, not the least of which has been the importance of working in partnership with a local project. Karen’s knowledge of the area and local organisations has been invaluable in helping us to develop a programme that was relevant to their needs. The fact that we reached out rather than expecting people to come to us also made a big difference to the organisations involved. The integration of our training provision with ongoing support and advice has helped the participants to be able to develop and implement aspects of good practice that are relevant to their own volunteer programme.

The programme in Broomhouse is ongoing, and all the signs are that it is a successful piece of work that is achieving its aims.

“ Often, questions and issues only surface after the training course and once you start putting what you have learnt into practice. Ongoing support gives you the opportunity to work through these issues” (Broomhouse participant)

The combination of working locally, tailored training and providing one to one support enables us to offer a service that is accessible and relevant to the organisations that need it. The success of the pilot programme means that we hope to continue to develop this programme and to offer it in other locations during the coming year.

If you would like any more information about this programme please contact Jude Wilson on 0131 225 0639 or email jude.wilson@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk

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Anti-sceptic 

You may remember that in an earlier newsletter we raised concerns about the future of volunteering at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. It seemed to the sceptics among us (yes, yes my hand is up) that the introduction of a commercially run café and shop facilities at the new Royal Infirmary, coupled with the refusal of many of the existing R.I.E volunteers to move to the new site, were not auspicious signs for the continuation of volunteering in the hospital. Diane Sutherland Lockhart, the newly appointment Volunteer Manager for Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust, hadn’t yet met with the private consortium’s managers at the new IIE, so it all seemed very perilous.

The handover to the new Infirmary took place on 31st May this year and as you will be aware it has attracted some negative publicity over the past few months. Another interview with Diane about the state of hospital volunteering, particularly in regard to the new hospital, seemed opportune.
So, has this new public/private initiative sounded the death knell for hospital volunteering as we know it? Not a bit of it.

OK, so you still have to pay a fair whack for your café latte and there are no longer opportunities to generate income for the hospital via a volunteer-run café or shop, but in all other respects it appears that volunteering is flourishing at the R.I.E

Diane reports that at the Lauriston site the R.I.E volunteers have been provided with office space at the Eye Pavilion. They still staff a kiosk there and have taken over the running of the café in the Lauriston Building. Volunteers assist with the changing of hearing aids in the Audiology Department and also make up emergency toilet kits, distributing around 300 packs per week. At the moment Diane herself is ferrying them up to the new hospital until someone else can take over this task.

At the new R.I.E your fist contact with a volunteer is likely to be at the main entrance where there is an information desk staffed by volunteers. Diane is managing to provide cover from 10 am to 4 pm during the week; from 7 – 8 pm three evening a week and also at weekends. Her office is strategically placed opposite the volunteer desk so she has had prospective volunteers beating a path to her door, something of which her counterpart in another Trust is very envious about.

Volunteers are also acting as hospital visitors; as ward helpers – changing flowers, replenishing water jugs and serving teas. There are volunteers in the clinics – tidying up magazines, leaflets etc and clearing away cups. Some assist the Learning Disability specialist nurse by spending time with patients who have a learning disability, reassuring them, diverting them and generally helping them to settle during their inpatient treatment. There are plans to introduce volunteer “buddies” to the Smoking Cessation programme. The buddy will link up with a patient in hospital and continue the support when the patient is discharged home.

Part of Diane’s job is to liaise with the other agencies which provide volunteer services within the hospital e.g. Chest, Heart & Stroke, SANDS and WRVS. Hospital staff certainly seem to have embraced the idea of volunteers providing “added value” and are coming forward with ideas for engaging volunteers in their units.

Diane is clear that the Trust’s policy of treating volunteers as part of the team is key to the success of volunteering at the hospital. She has received wholehearted support from the Trust and has ready access to the Chair of the Board, the CEO and the Head of Nursing.

All volunteers undergo an Occupational Health Assessment, are given a full NHS badge after appropriate checks have been carried out, have access to Manual Handling Training and the same benefits as staff. It is particularly encouraging that a number of volunteers with extra support needs have been taken on in a variety of settings.

Diane has been able to divert some of the former RIE volunteers to the Royal Victoria Hospital and is helping to develop a new volunteer chaperone service for patients at the Breast Clinic at the Western General Hospital. She is very enthusiastic about her work and the Lothian University Hospital Trust volunteer policy appears to be working well at the new Infirmary. Success breeds success and I have no doubt that innovative volunteer opportunities will be created at this and other hospitals.

So, as a self confessed sceptic I am happy to order a large slice of humble pie with my café latte.

Irene Whittaker.

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Recruitment Fair

After months of behind the scenes preparation our annual Volunteer Recruitment Fair was held on Thursday 9th October at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh. Organising an event like this is a bit like having a party: you arrange a venue, send out the invites, sort out the catering - and once that is done all you can do is wait and see if anyone actually turns up.

So when the day of the Fair eventually arrived there was an air of nervous anticipation amongst Volunteer Centre staff as we set up the stalls for the 80 organisations who had booked. Had anyone seen the hundreds of posters and thousands of leaflets that we had sent out? Would anyone have heard the information on Radio Forth Action? Would anyone pay any attention to the teams of staff handing out flyers on Princes Street?

Well the answer was a resounding yes, with over 800 members of the public coming through the doors on the day. The feedback from stallholders was very positive with the majority saying that they had spoken to many enthusiastic and willing potential volunteers - not just folk having a general browse. The public were equally positive with comments including ““First class event”, “Excellent variety of stalls – something for everyone”, “Good stands that raise awareness”; “Lots of information and helpful people”.

The response from both stallholders and the public made all the weeks of hard work worthwhile and confirmed our belief that events such as this provide a valuable way of raising public awareness of volunteering and informing folk about organisations working locally.

So will we do it all again? Well, given the overwhelming evidence of the event’s popularity the answer has to be yes. Therefore we have already provisionally booked The Assembly Rooms for Tuesday 5 October 04 and will send out information to all organisations on our database a few months before this date. Please remember to book early – we are sure that all organisations present this year will want to return if only for a repeat of the yummy doughnuts!

A big thank you to all those folk who made this day a resounding success.

Jill Smith

The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of Volunteer Centre Edinburgh.

Please send all contributions to mark.steven@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk.