Supporting clients living with enduring mental health challenges through regular telephone conversations. Helping individuals identify and work towards personal goals, explore opportunities to connect with their local community and encouraging creative, positive approaches to overcoming obstacles and improving wellbeing. The role requires a compassionate and empathetic approach, strong listening skills and the ability to build supportive, trusting relationships.
About the Remote Telephone Support Programme
The Outreach Home Visiting Programme was set up to support people living with long term mental illness who may be suffering from loneliness and/or social isolation. The main aim of this service is to provide a connection with the outside world, for those living in their own homes and maybe disconnected from their community. Volunteers can encourage members to access services and support which may help them with their recovery.
Duties include
- Befriend and provide emotional and practical support to clients to help them maintain independence and relieve loneliness
- Detect and monitor the clients’ wellbeing, in person, ensuring their health, safety, and welfare paying close attention to any changes in behaviour
- Provide members with tactful guidance, encouraging independence, self-care, happiness, and social contact and integration where possible
- Support members to achieve their ambitions as set out in their support plans
- Encourage members to remain compliant with their medication and attend medical, legal or social appointments
- Support members to maintain their existing skills and develop new ones
- Encourage members to look after their own home, personal hygiene and health. (If it is felt that extra support is required, volunteers must inform the Outreach Programme Assistant/Manager so that this can be arranged)
- Support and encourage members to participate in leisure activities and hobbies, e.g., a walk at the local park, knitting or attendance to a group
- Always treat members with dignity and respect
- Perform all duties in accordance with the organisation’s policies and procedures
- Be aware of, and follow the procedures for, reporting any safeguarding concerns or incidents. Report any safeguarding concerns to the Outreach Programme Manager by completing the report form at https://hammersleyhomes.org/report-form/
- Record notes accurately after each visit, and report any concerns, incidents, or safeguarding issues to the Outreach Programme Manager
- Attend all training sessions deemed to be necessary for successful performance in this volunteering role
What are we looking for in this role?
- An approachable and friendly disposition with a clear understanding of appropriate boundaries
- The ability to communicate clearly with a wide range of individuals with diverse needs
- The ability to volunteer flexible hours by phone, to suit the needs of our members
- Commitment to helping others
- Empathetic with good listening skills
- Good problem solving and able to take the initiative
- Patience and emotional resilience
- Experience of safeguarding adults at risk, advantageous but not essential
What can Hammersley Homes offer you as a volunteer?
- Full induction training plus essential training including First Aid, Safeguarding Adults, Mental Health Awareness, Equality, Diversity and Human Rights
- The opportunity to develop new skills and enrich your CV
- The opportunity to undertake additional training
- You may ask for pre-approved expenses for petrol etc. as per Hammersley policy
And … The chance to make a huge difference to the lives of the adults we support at Hammersley Homes!
Benefits to self
• Full induction training plus essential training including First Aid, Safeguarding Adults, Mental Health Awareness, Equality, Diversity and Human Rights
• The opportunity to develop new skills and enrich your CV
• The opportunity to undertake additional training
• You may ask for pre-approved expen
Benefits to others
* Our members look forward to receiving phone calls as they provide them with contact with someone else and the 'outside world'.
* It can help them maintain perspective, offer them hope and enable them to have incentives to outside their home, undertake voluntary work and make new friends.
Location
|Anywhere, as the work is remote support.
Training available
We offer full induction training including First Aid, Safeguarding Adults, Mental Health Awareness, Equality, Diversity and Human Rights
Plus the opportunity to undertake additional training as appropriate.
Hours per week
Minimum 2 hours a week.
Fund-raising targets
Optional, this is a possibility but up to you.
Transport details
Not relevant for this post unless you choose to join in with our Activity Days or fund raising.