Newsletter Spring 2002

Contents

All change at the exchange:
A change of Director, new funding, and a new identity give rise to the all new Volunteer Centre Edinburgh.

Befriending Project Piloted in Edinburgh
Bield Housing Association is launching a new initiative for older people living in two of its Care Houses in Edinburgh

Volunteering makes you happy
- says new Barnardos survey

End of an Era
Volunteer Centre Edinburgh's Director Nan McKenna reflects on 20 years at Volunteer Centre Edinburgh and the greener grass of retirement.

Shorts:
Supported Employment in South Edinburgh / Preparation for Voluntary Work Course / Buddying / New-ish Volunteering Website

Striking the Balance:
The regular feature on volunteering for people with support needs. Volunteer case study.

Volunteering in Healthcare:
South Central Edinburgh Healthcare Cooperative reflects on it's involvement of volunteers

National Minimum Wage:
Recent case underlines the dangers of paying flat rate expenses.

The Show Must Go On:
Volunteer Centre Edinburgh's Millennium Volunteering worker Linda McNeill reflects on the recent award night.

Volunteering World Edinburgh:
The biggest volunteer recruitment event in Scotland this year?: Volunteer Centre Edinburgh teams up with VSO for a huge event on 15 June 2002.

Volunteer Centre Edinburgh Update:
Irene Whittaker of the Support and Advice Team gives us the gossip on what's afoot at Volunteer Centre Edinburgh.

In the Lead:
Volunteering developments at Lead Scotland

MORE new services from Volunteer Centre Edinburgh:
In addition to the new services provided by the Support and Advice Team (see Shorts), Volunteer Centre Edinburgh brings you a free Publicity Distribution Database with which to promote your opportunities / help you work toward equal opportunities; and a new email facility with which volunteers can advertise their services directly to you, the agency. 

NAME EXCHANGE

Volunteer Centre Edinburgh is now known as Volunteer Centre Edinburgh. This is the result of a common branding exercise amongst the 50 or so Volunteer Bureaus / LVDAs across Scotland. The aim is to clear up confusion over what we are, to enable national media campaigns promoting volunteering to work effectively and to enable the public to find us logically under 'V' for volunteering when they search directories. The result should be that more people come through the doors, or the website, and end up volunteering for people like you. Volunteer Centre Edinburgh remains an independent charity in its own right and is as committed as ever to developing its services to meet local needs.

NAN MCKENNA RETIRES / NEW DIRECTOR IN POST

Last week at the Volunteer Centre was largely occupied with antics around the retirement of Nan McKenna, EVE's Director of some 20 years. Celebrations included a staff weekend in Ballachulish and a cheesy black tie do in EVE's office on Easter Road. Nan's post has been ably filled by Harriet Eadie, previously Project Leader of the Volunteer Centre's Resource Unit. Having just returned from a secondment to the Scottish Executive, and continuing in her role as Convenor of Volunteer Centre Network Scotland, Harriet is more than qualified to lead the Volunteer Centre into the next phase of its development.

NEW FUNDING

Volunteer Centre Edinburgh has won a total of £149,000 from the Community Fund and Lloyds TSB Foundation over a period of three years The new funding will enable us to offer more training to staff of volunteer-involving agencies, outreach to excluded communities, and support to volunteers.

Befriending Project Piloted in Edinburgh

Bield Housing Association is launching a new initiative for older people living in two of its Care Houses in Edinburgh.

Tenants will be visited regularly by a volunteer for a chat and a cup of tea or to get out and about and enjoy local activities.

The befriending project in Edinburgh will mark something of a pilot project for the venture, as the Association hopes to repeat it in other parts of Scotland if it is successful here.

Edinburgh's Befriending Project Co-ordinator, Ruth Bowen, said "This is a wonderful opportunity for our tenants who feel isolated or unable to get out on their own. Many would love to be able to do some of the activities they used to but of course for many just to have a chat and a cup of tea is all that's needed. With the support of someone else, this could be possible again."

The project is currently looking for volunteers who have a couple of hours spare each week or fortnight, enjoy working with older people and are looking for a rewarding experience. Enquiries are welcome from people of all ages over 18. Full training and support will be given and out-of-pocket expenses paid. Daytime, evening and weekend opportunities are all available. An induction for new volunteers is planned in March.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the Befriending Project can contact Ruth Bowen on 0131 273 4024.    

Volunteering can make you happy

A new survey of Barnardo's volunteers in Scotland shows that people who spend time working for the charity on a voluntary basis are happy in their work Barnardo's Scotland asked its 1400 volunteers for their views, and discovered that 86 per cent of respondents found voluntary work interesting, while 83 per cent found it satisfying, and 74 per cent found it challenging. Levels of satisfaction and commitment were so high that 92 per cent of those who responded said that they would recommend volunteering for Barnardo's to friends.

Barnardo's volunteers help the charity in a number of ways - raising funds by organising events, working in Barnardo's chain of high-street shops, helping to run children's groups, or being a 'befriender' to a child who needs extra help.

Barnardo's corporate volunteer development manager, Alison McLaughlin, said: "We wanted to make sure that volunteering with Barnardo's is a good experience for people, so decided to ask our volunteers about their views. We are delighted with the positive responses, which suggest volunteers are very happy in their work Voluntary work is sometimes seen as worthy but unexciting, but our volunteers are telling us that they love the variety and challenges on offer.

"We also recognise that volunteers need support in their roles, and that there is always room for improvement, so we will use the responses from the survey to make sure we maintain and increase our high levels of success in volunteer involvement in the future."

Anyone interested in finding out more about volunteering at Barnardo's in Scodand should contact Alison McLaughlin on 0131 334 9893.

Barnardo's Scotland runs 53 community-based services, supporting over 7,000 children, young people and their families, who are affected by disability, abuse, HIV/AIDS, family breakdown, poverty, educational breakdown, homelessness and alcohol or drug misuse. All of the money raised in Scotland is spent in Scotland.    

End of an Era

This is how it feels to me at least! At the end of March I leave Volunteer Centre Edinburgh. It's hard to remember far enough back to recall life before Volunteer Centre Edinburgh, although I have a very clear memory of the day I first came in for my 'interview' for voluntary work.

After a 14 year gap from work to bring up four children I felt totally de-skilled and did not have the confidence to apply for paid work. If anyone had predicted then that I would end up as Director of Volunteer Centre Edinburgh I would have laughed at such a wild fantasy. But voluntary work allowed me to build up my work skills again and slowly gain confidence in my abilities.

I've often been asked why I stayed at Volunteer Centre Edinburgh and never moved on. I think there are two main reasons: the first was the freedom allowed to develop the organisation at a time when volunteering was going through an exciting phase of development. Political recognition of the value of volunteering; new initiatives and new sources of funding opened up opportunities for Volunteer Centre Edinburgh and the work remained constantly varied and stimulating. For the second reason, I can look back to my own experiences of volunteering. Volunteering worked for me, and it's no exaggeration to say that it helped change my life at a time when I had become stuck. Throughout my time with Volunteer Centre Edinburgh I have seen at first hand literally thousands of people benefiting, in their own way, from a good volunteering experience. I have never lost my belief in the value of volunteering, and I have never ceased to be proud of the role played by Volunteer Centre Edinburgh in making this happen.

Harriet is taking over as Director at what is still a very exciting time for Volunteer Centre Edinburgh - in the next year there will be a change of name and, hopefully, a move to new premises. But Volunteer Centre Edinburgh is the sum of its parts, and the extremely skilled and dedicated staff and Management Board will ensure that the high standard of service remains constant. By the end of April I will be a fading memory!

I'd like to take this opportunity to say goodbye, and a huge thank you, to everyone I've had the pleasure to know and work with over the years. There have been ups and downs; agreements and disagreements, but I feel privileged to have worked within the voluntary sector, to have been so involved in the development of volunteering, and to have learned so much from the skills and talents of fellow workers.

So what will I miss most? Probably the company, it's been a brilliant place to work; also the challenge and the opportunities for imaginative development. What will I do? Try to complete the Munros; visit South America, Alaska and other far-flung places; spend more time with my grandchildren than I do at present; upset my husband's established routine; and, who knows, perhaps even get involved in some voluntary work. Watch this space.

Shorts

Supported Employment for South Edinburgh

Enable Scotland have announced a new, free service, which helps people with a learning disability find and maintain a real job at a realistic wage. South Edinburgh Supported Employment (SESE) is now taking referrals from agencies. Contact John Balloch or Andy Rosenfield on 0131 672 1541.

New service for potential volunteers

Volunteer Centre Edinburgh's Support and Advice Team (until recently known as the 'Community Care Team' ) is about to embark on an exciting new piece of work to develop its involvement with volunteers who require extra support. Over the next few months we will be piloting two different methods of preparing and supporting potential volunteers. One will be a "Preparation for Voluntary Work Course" designed for people who are interested in volunteering but aren't quite sure what they want to do, or who lack the confidence to take the plunge. The second is a "Buddying" project for people who wish to volunteer but lack confidence or skill with certain parts of their work. The plan is for a buddy to accompany the volunteer to their placement for the first month, providing support and encouragement 'on the job'. We envisage that the buddy will also assist existing volunteers and staff in their involvement of the new volunteer. A group of volunteers, placement providers and community care referrers are assisting with the planning of this work. For more information contact Marion, Sarah or Irene in the Support and Advice Team at Volunteer Centre Edinburgh. Tel +44 (0) 131 225 0630, Email marion@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk

www.voluntarymatters3.org

Is a new website for volunteer managers from the Media Trust. Its six main sections are: Making Decisions, Risk, Managing Conflict, Motivating Volunteers, Vision and Diversity. Its a nicely designed site and should prove to be a useful tool.

Striking the Balance

A regular feature about involving volunteers with extra support needs. This issue: the volunteer's perspective.

In the last edition of "Volunteering" we featured Alasdair who volunteers with adults with learning disabilities. In this edition we talk to Brian Mulligan who works with him at McLeod Street Centre.

" Coming Down to McLeod Street in the Pouring Rain ..." may not be a familiar song to many of us, but to the service users at McLeod Street Centre it is well known and often sung. The song was composed by volunteer Alasdair Robertson who assists the weekly music group. "Alasdair writes excellent songs, is a very competent guitarist - and a great person !" says Brian. "He makes a great contribution to the group. Working with people who have learning disabilities can be challenging at times but he handles it really well. Alasdair has shown a lot of empathy with our service users. He was, however, very nervous to start with and there were times when he found it difficult to come into the centre and meet with people. Over the months though his confidence has grown."

Both Alasdair and Brian identify three things which have helped make this placement a success :

1 Having a key member of staff to identify with is vital for a volunteer - Alasdair always works alongside Brian and is always fully supported.

2 Finding a focus for a volunteer's skill develops their confidence and brings a wealth of new talent to the organisation - no matter how low or nervous Alasdair is feeling, his confidence immediately soars when he picks up his guitar and begins to play. The feedback from service users is excellent - they love his music, particularly the songs he writes about them and about the centre.

3 Thanking a volunteer and recognising their effort and contribution is a simple thing to do, but makes all the difference in letting someone know they are appreciated. Brian has gone one better than a simple thank you and has recorded some of Alasdair's songs onto CD for him!

Initiatives in Volunteering and Healthcare

Looking Back Looking Forward: South Central Edinburgh Local Healthcare Cooperative reflects on the past and looks to the future.

Over the first 3yrs of its existence SCELHCC has been working towards providing care for patients and improving clinical services in response to local needs. Looking back at the Practical Partnerships in Volunteering Conference held last year the 1st June, the importance of volunteers to the community was under the spotlight.

The conference (funded through the Scottish Executive Primary Care Development Fund & Lothian Primary Care Trust) was aimed at introducing additional primary care staff to the benefits of partnership working with community and voluntary groups.

This was highlighted through many organisations and agencies, seeing volunteers as 'life's blood' to the maintenance and success of projects. The reasons for involving volunteers were illustrated as providing added value, increasing public involvement and patient participation.

This work has been developed through a few local health projects - one of which is Ageing Well. This is a partnership with NHS Lothian and Edinburgh Leisure that looks to improve the health of those aged 50+ living within the South Central Edinburgh area. The project aims to do this enlisting 'Senior Health Mentors' working on a voluntary basis. The Health Mentors are trained to act as a role model for their peers, encouraging physical activity and a healthier lifestyle.

Anita McCallum (Ageing Well co-ordinator) says of the project, 'This is a really exciting opportunity for older people to be part of a project that recognises that they are a valuable resource to both themselves and to others in their community".

For more information on the Ageing Well Programme contact Anita McCallum on 0131 6522178. For more information on public involvement in South Central Edinburgh health services contact Anne-Marie Comber on 0131 537 9V2.

Important National Minimum Wage News

(Excerpt from National Centre for Volunteering Information Bulletin - January 02 )

'The National Minimum Wage inspectors at the Inland Revenue have just judged that volunteers at an organisation who received a £6 flat rate expenses payment for every day they volunteered are employees.

It was decided because the payment was a flat rate that volunteers received regardless of what they had actually spent it constituted a 'consideration' that volunteers worked in return for, thereby creating a contract. The organisation has been ordered to pay the volunteers National Minimum Wage backdated to when the National Minimum Wage Act came into force in 1999, they are currently appealing against the decision.' In the light of this case many organisations will need to review how they reimburse expenses.

It is still very important that volunteers are reimbursed, not paying expenses creates a huge barrier to volunteers on low incomes. However organisations need to make sure that they are reimbursing receipted actual out of pocket expenses and not paying a flat rate. There is no limit on the amount that can be paid, the Inland Revenue allows for reimbursement of any reasonable expense incurred as a result of volunteering, (travel, food, care costs, special equipment).

What is important is that the volunteer receives a reimbursement of the exact amount that they have spent. Entitlement to the National Minimum Wage rests on the individual being able to show that they are an employee. This means that they have to prove that a contract exists. If a volunteer is being given a flat rate payment for every day they work which is not dependant on whether they actually have had to pay for travel or food then they are working in return for a payment and therefore a contract has been created.

Many organisations will worry that moving from a system of flat rate payments to a system where the volunteer has to provide receipts and will only receive a reimbursement of what they have actually spent will result in them losing volunteers. Hopefully this won't happen as long as changes are explained and volunteers understand why they are important.

It may well be worth calling a volunteer meeting or producing a fact sheet to explain why you cannot make flat rate payments any more. We have a range of articles and fact sheets at the Centre that may be useful. Hopefully if volunteers understand why the changes have to be made and that it is not something the organisation is imposing on a whim, they may be less upset at losing flat rate payments.

It is also helpful to note that even before the National Minimum Wage Act came in paying flat rate reimbursements to volunteers meant that volunteers on benefits were at risk of losing or having their benefits docked.

It has always been best practice to pay an actual receipted reimbursement because it safeguarded volunteers. Paying a flat rate may be administratively simpler but it has always had risks attached. This case has highlighted that now the organisation is at risk as well as the individual.'

The Show Must Go On

Image » Millennium Volunteers with Beat 106 DJs
Katie Topping and Mark Findlay

Imagine you are organising an event for over 100 people, 25 young people are going to be presented with Awards of Excellence personally signed by the First Minister, there's five days to go and preparations are well in hand. What could possibly go wrong now?

Four days to go and you get a phone call from the Scottish Executive asking you to cancel the whole event as all certificates signed by Henry McLeish are to be withdrawn in the light of his resignation. Do you a) call the whole thing off; b) have a nervous breakdown; c) carry on regardless?

We chose option C and what a night we had. Over 100 Millennium Volunteers and their guests thronged to the St. Brides Centre for a night of fun and celebration. Guests of honour for the evening were Beat 106 DJ's Mark Findlay and Katie Topping who presented 21 improvised (not signed by Henry McLeish) Millennium Volunteer Awards of Excellence and 28 Millennium Volunteer Certificates. (For anybody over 25, Beat 106 is a radio station specifically aimed at people too young to remember flares first time round). Once the formal presentations were over it was time to party and everyone took to the floor where we were treated to dance routines that Britney would have been proud of. There were even a few romances blooming!

The Millennium Volunteers scheme is currently under review by the Scottish Executive, alongside a UK evaluation by the Institute for Volunteering Research. Details from the review will be in the next newsletter.

Linda McNeill

New Showcase Exhibition for Volunteering

Volunteer Centre Edinburgh used to run it in Volunteers Week, calling it the 'Volunteer Recruitment Fair', while VSO ran their own event earlier in the year. This year the two organisations will combine resources to stage the biggest, most popular Volunteering Exhibition in Scotland to date.

The event will take place on a Saturday, which means more people through the doors, and hopefully, more volunteers recruited for local agencies. The mix of national, international and local groups should ensure that every potential volunteer coming to the exhibition finds something suitable for them. A huge publicity drive will take place with more newspaper advertising, wider distribution, and armies of volunteers rounding up punters on the busy streets. There will be an extensive programme of talks, video displays, and catering to service the 160 or so stall holders whom we hope will attend the event. Volunteering World Edinburgh is (more or less) in Volunteers Week, on Saturday 15 June.

Booking forms for stall-holders will be sent out at the beginning of March. Book early to avoid disappointment!

Contact Mark Steven for more information: mark.steven@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk.

Volunteer Certificate Ceremony

Volunteer Centre Edinburgh's other popular Volunteer's Week event will take place at the City Chambers - more details will be available soon.

Volunteer Centre Edinburgh Update

Welcome folks to the first news roundup of 2002. We hope that all you agencies out there sent your hard working staff and volunteers off on their Christmas/New Year holiday suitably replete and full of bonhomie. We at Volunteer Centre Edinburgh had a great time and have returned to work refreshed and brimming over with enthusiasm.

There's nothing better to improve morale than a name change. So, not to be outdone by the Post Office/Consignia change, the Community Care Team has metamorphosed into the Support and Advice Team. OK, ok, so it's not the most imaginative title but it more accurately reflects what the team does. Volunteer Centre Edinburgh of course will shortly become known as Volunteer Centre Edinburgh, in line with Volunteer Bureaus throughout Scotland.

Inspired by their make-over, the Support and Advice Team are embarking on 3 new projects to help people with extra support needs, or from socially excluded groups, access volunteering. Information about a proposed Buddying scheme and a Preparation Course can be found elsewhere in this newsletter. In addition, the team is joining with Edinburgh Prison and interested volunteer placement providers to look at volunteer opportunities for prisoners on the Training for Freedom programme.

Lara Celini recently joined forces with Volunteering First to run a stall at Cameron Toll Centre to provide information about volunteering and generally raise the profile. Word is that it elicited a lot of interest.

As you know, our current Director leaves us at the end of March and she is definitely showing signs of "gate fever". Meanwhile we are all anxiously awaiting the ascension to this high office of our erstwhile colleague, Harriet Eadie. The burning question is, will she assume the mantle of wheelie-bin putter-outer or will she (try to) delegate this task. Could be tricky. We'll keep you posted.

Irene Whittaker  

In the Lead?

Lead Scotland supports physically and/or sensory impaired adults to access lifelong learning. Staff provide support to home-based learners, involving trained volunteers.

As the Volunteer Development Officer for Lead Scotland, Anne Kid supports and develops all aspects of volunteering within Lead.

The new 'Lead to Volunteering' project is the result of a successful application to the Community Fund in June 2001. It builds on Lead's previous work with volunteers, and provides an opportunity to look more closely at the way volunteers are supported and trained. One aim is to provide volunteers with an opportunity for personal development that will be recognised externally as well as within Lead. An investigation into relevant accredited training for volunteers is part of Anne's role at Lead.

Lead volunteers are supported by their local Lead Organiser and meet at local forums to share their ideas and experiences. This is where on-going training is delivered in areas such as disability equality, boundaries and how adults learn. Training for Lead Organisers in volunteer management will also be developed.

The Voluntary Issues Unit of the Scottish Executive has awarded funds to Lead for a 3- year Active Communities Project - funding a Training Officer and Volunteer Development Officer in the Highlands.

More funding from the Scottish Executive within the Inclusiveness Project, (co-ordinated by Career Development Edinburgh and Lothians) has resulted in two part-time Organisers posts for Lead in Edinburgh and West Lothian. They are part of the 'Lead to Employment' Project which will be supporting young disabled adults (aged 16-24) to gain the skills to enter the job market. They will both be looking for volunteers to support their work.

Mairi Findlay (01506 633910 / mfindlay@lead.org.uk) is the West Lothian Organiser. Lead is currently recruiting for the Edinburgh Organiser post. To find out more about Lead: telephone 0131 317 3439 / email enquiries@lead.org.uk / visit www.lead.org.uk  

Volunteer Centre Edinburgh Makes Life Easier

Publicity Distribution Database

In order to help agencies better reach volunteers, and to promote their services, we have developed a database for marketing / publicity purposes. It includes information on most major distributors i.e.: libraries, community centres, GPs surgeries, Recreation Centres etc. as well as a range of other sites that display posters and leaflets.

One of the basic steps towards an inclusive service is to ensure that marginal / disadvantaged / excluded groups at least have access to information about the services & opportunities that are available. To this end we have made an extra effort to include all the Black / Minority Ethnic groups in Edinburgh we could find. Target groups can be 'tagged' so that you have the choice of using the database to mail only to them, or to every agency on the database.

If it proves popular, the database will be updated once or twice a year, and re-released. Future editions of the database will have more identified target groups and more locations willing to display material.

Email Service

Volunteer Centre Edinburgh will be developing a new service to volunteers and volunteer involving agencies. In a variation on our usual recruiting methods, we will be inviting volunteers with specific, often professional skills, to advertise directly to Volunteer Agencies.

The volunteers' information - what they're offering, what skills they have etc., will come to you via our regular email bulletin. Experience shows are that approaches from volunteers often enable organisations to think more creatively about how to involve people in new ways.

There's one catch: you can only benefit from this service if you have an email address on our records - get in touch now if you don't! Contact mark@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk