Light Touch Volunteer

Volunteer Role Description

Light Touch Volunteer

Responsible to: Volunteer Coordinator

Time commitment: Minimum 3 hour’s a week

Location: Home

About the service

North East Wales Mind is a progressive mental health organisation that supports people experiencing mental health difficulties to flourish. The aim of our work is to help people build on their strengths, overcome obstacles, and become more in control of their lives. We have faith and optimism in our clients and so the services we deliver are built around their needs. We support the people of Flintshire and Wrexham to discover their own resources to ‘recover’ from periods of poor mental health, and to live life independently with their mental health condition.

Purpose of role:

To provide phone support to service users from home/ office. This role is flexible (you can make calls anytime between 5-7pm and requires you to call a client for up to half an hour a week for a period of up to 3 months.

Must have access to the internet and a phone that can switch to private setting or NEWMIND can provide them with a phone, or use of office equipment.

Main tasks:

· Providing emotional support via phone

· Assessing surrounding support

· Advising them with available provisions and services locally

· Providing practical support such as learning activities, wellbeing practises and links available to service user from home

· Writing records of dates and times and phone discussions

· Reporting back to the Volunteer Coordinator via email and phone for any extra available support

· Report any safeguarding concerns immediately to a member of staff.

What we are looking for:

· Confident and effective communication

· Understanding of professional boundaries

· Caring nature

· Knowledge of local services is desired.

· Lived experience of mental health difficulty desirable

· Understanding of, or experience of caring for someone with mental health difficulty, can be helpful but is not essential.

· Good listening skills, non-judgemental attitude, and empathy

· Ability to motivate.

· Ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations in a calm manner.

· Commitment for a minimum of 6 months

· Volunteers must be aged 18 and over.

What we can offer you:

· All volunteers will receive training in mental health awareness, confidentiality, boundaries, risk management, plus on-going training relevant to the role.

· Regular supervision with the Volunteer Coordinator

· Volunteer expenses