Family Support Volunteer - Rushmoor and Hart

Family Support Volunteer - Rushmoor and Hart

Posted for Home-Start Hampshire

Posted by Volunteer North Hampshire

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Home-Start is a local charity supporting parents who are going through challenging times. Family Support Volunteers offer regular support, befriending and help to families under stress either in their own homes or at family groups, helping to prevent family crisis and breakdown. Because childhood can’t wait.

Families may need some extra support for a multitude of reasons - a parent or child may have an illness, post natal depression, family bereavement, spouse in the army, multiple births or disabilities.

Once fully trained our volunteers are matched with a family, or more, if appropriate and visit them in their home for 2 to 3 hours a week (at a mutually convenient time) usually for a period of around 6 to 9 months, providing support, most often in the form of practical and emotional support and reassurance. Volunteers can also help with our family support groups instead of home-visiting if they prefer.

Full training is provided and ongoing support is readily on hand with our Family Co-ordinator.

Due to a high demand for support for families, we are running a prep course for new Family Support volunteers starting on Thursday 22nd September 2022. This course will be a mixture of face-to-face training & virtual training.  

Volunteers must be 18+.

The course dates and times are below:-

• Thurs 22nd Sept: Face-to-Face (9:30am-2:30pm), Maurice Toye House, Aldershot
• Wed 28th Sept: Zoom (10am-1pm)
• Thurs 29th Sept: Zoom (10am-1pm)
• Wed 5th Oct: Zoom (10am-1pm)
• Thurs 6th Oct: Zoom (10am-1pm)
• Wed 12th Oct: Face-to-Face (9:30am-2:30pm), Maurice Toye House, Aldershot

What skills do I need?

• Be a parent or have parenting experience.
  
• Have a positive attitude to working with people of any gender, family status or sexual identity, or who are from any ethnic origin, culture or religion, or who may have a disability.
• Demonstrate a sensitive and caring attitude towards others.
• Have a non-judgmental attitude.
• Be clear about confidentiality and when a confidence remains so, but be able to take action when disclosure of a confidence is essential to the well-being of a child.
• Be reliable and understand the importance of reliability to families.
• Have good communication skills including an ability to listen.
• Understand the need for support.
• Have a warm and open personality and a sense of humour.
• Have time and enthusiasm for Home-Start.
• Be able to commit for at least 12 months following preparation training.
• Be able to work as a member of a team.
• Be prepared to keep and submit records as requested by the scheme.