Unit 21, Bury Business Centre, Kay Street, Bury, Lancs, BL9 6BU
T 0161 763 6335
E
W www.homestartbury.org
Thank you for expressing an interest in becoming a Home-Start Bury volunteer.
Please see the enclosed information about our service and the role of the volunteer. You will also find an application form, which we would be grateful if you could complete and then return it.
I will contact you again shortly after we have received your completed application form, to make arrangements for a convenient day and time when I can visit you at home. This will also give you the opportunity to ask any questions you may have.
We offer a solid course of Preparation to volunteers before they start visiting families. We run the course of preparation twice a year, usually in Autumn and Spring. This will be one day per week, for approx. 8 weeks, either (9.30am -2.30pm, usually Wednesdays.) Refreshments and all course materials will be provided.
Please contact me if you have any further questions.
Yours Sincerely,
Kate
Kate Brookes
Scheme Manager
Home-Start Bury is Funded with the support of: -
Home-Start Bury a Company Limited By Guarantee, Registered in England and Wales No. 6787618
Patron: Mr Ivan Lewis MP (Bury South)
SO WHAT IS HOME-START?
Home-Start Bury established in July 1999 is a voluntary organisation, supporting local families with at least one child under 5 years, who are experiencing difficulties or under stress.
Home-Start BuryWe have a team of dedicated volunteers who all have parenting experience, who visit families at home for 2 -3 hours per week. Volunteers are trained and vetted by references and checked by the Criminal Records Bureau prior to being matched with families and receive monthly supervision/support and on-going training.
What Our Volunteers Can Do?
ü Offer friendship, support and practical help for as long as it is needed.
ü Build on parenting skills; help boost self-esteem and confidence whilst enabling parents to cope with pressures of family life.
ü Help reduce stress and prevent crisis and breakdown.
What Is Different About Home-Start Support?
· Parent’s choice to receive support.
· Flexible home visits, not 9 – 5!!
· Support is not time limited.
· One to one support by parent volunteers.
· Tailored support to meet the “Whole Families Needs” working at their own pace.
Who Is Home-Start For?
Any family living throughout the Bury Metropolitan Borough who have at least one child under the age of 5 years.
Families Who Need …………
Friendship, an extra pair of hands, support to attend appointments, someone to share their difficulties, help with managing the household and the budget, time out and a well deserved break, help with managing the children’s behaviour, help when recovering from an illness or operation ………….
What Our Volunteers Can’t Do…………..
X Take children to school and pick them up.
X Baby-sit or look after children over night.
X Clean up, iron or carry out domestic chores at every visit.
What Shall I Do Next?
Ø Speak to the family about Home-Start.
Ø Introduce the scheme by giving them a family information leaflet.
Ø Only when the family want to accept support. Please explain to them about Home-Start Bury and help them to identify how they would like a volunteer to support them.
Ø Upon receipt of signed referral form we will try to visit the family within 10 working days.
Home-Start Bury is a Registered Charity 1127677
A Company Limited by Guarantee Registered in England and Wales No 6787618
Patron: Ivan Lewis MP (Bury South)
Home-Start BuryUnit 21, Bury Business Centre, Kay Street, Bury, Lancs, BL9 6BU
T 0161 763 6335
E
W www.homestartbury.org
WHO CAN BE A HOME-START VOLUNTEER?
Home-Start welcomes volunteers of all ages and backgrounds.
Volunteers do not need specific qualifications, but they do need the ability to:-
· Listen with understanding.
· Maintain confidentiality
· Be committed to the scheme and to the families they visit.
All volunteers are carefully recruited and selected and prepared before being matched to one or two families.
A volunteer may be a natural parent, a foster, adoptive or step parent or an older sibling who has taken on the parental role. They will have experience of the twenty four hour care of children for whom they have parental responsibility.
All prospective volunteers must fill in an application form, provide two references and agree to an enhanced disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau as well as completing a 20 – 40 hour Course of Preparation.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Home-Start BuryA Home-Start Volunteer should:-
· 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-judgemental attitude.
· Be clear about confidentiality and when a confidence remains so, but be able to decide when disclosure of a confidence is essential to the well being of a child.
· Be reliable and understand the importance of reliability to the family.
· 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 work as a team member.
· Be prepared to keep records as requested by the scheme.
· Be prepared to engage in ongoing Group Support and Training Sessions.
Home-Start Bury is a Registered Charity 1127677
A Company Limited by Guarantee Registered in England and Wales No 6787618
Patron: Ivan Lewis MP (Bury South)
Home-Start BuryUnit 21, Bury Business Centre, Kay Street, Bury, Lancs, BL9 6BU
T 0161 763 6335
E
W www.homestartbury.org
THE ROLE OF A HOME-START VOLUNTEER
Home-Start is a voluntary organisation in which volunteers offer regular support, friendship and practical help to young families under stress in their own homes helping to prevent family crisis or breakdown.
Home-Start Volunteer
This work requires a high level of commitment and reliability and will be supported by the Home-Start Co-ordinator.
Purposes Of The Work
Home-Start volunteers are expected to work towards the increased confidence and independence of the family by:
· Offering support, friendship and practical help
· Visiting the families in their own homes, where the dignity and identity of each individual can be respected and protected
· Reassuring families that difficulties in bringing up children are not unusual
· Emphasising the positive aspects of family life
· Developing a relationship with the family in which time can be shared and an understanding developed
· Encouraging parents’ strengths and emotional well-being for the ultimate benefit of their own children
· Encouraging families to widen their network of relationships and to use effectively the support and services available in their community
Responsible To
The Home-Start Co-ordinator that is turn responsible to the Board of Trustees.
Hours of Work
· Initial Course of Preparation, normally lasting 40 hours over a number of weeks
· Minimum of 2-3 hours per week according to family’s needs
· Regular support/supervision every 6 weeks.
· We recognise that volunteers may stop volunteering at anytime, but we would expect and hope that they would be able to offer their time to Home-Start Bury for at least 12 months.
Duties
· To be familiar with and committed to the Home-Start ethos as specified in the Constitution and Standards and Methods of Practice, the Home-Start Agreement and the Home-Start Policy and Practice Guide
· To understand and implement Home-Start’s policies on:
Confidentiality
Equal opportunities
Looking after children in the absence of their parents
Child protection
Health & Safety
· To be introduced to and support a family or families by visiting regularly (usually at least once per week) for as long as necessary
· To share information with the Co-ordinator and contact the organiser/co-coordinator immediately if there is concern about the physical or emotional well-being of any member of the family
· To take part in reviews with the family and Co-ordinator as requested
· To keep records of visits to families as requested by the organiser. co-ordinator
· To attend support, supervision and training sessions as arranged by the scheme
· To submit travel and telephone expenses on a regular basis, which will be paid at the agreed rate by the Board of Trustees at the end of each month.
The exciting and rewarding voluntary work which requires energy, commitment, reliability, creativity and a sense of humour. All volunteers can expect the support of the Co-ordinator, other volunteers and the Board of Trustees and, through the Co-ordinator, other professionals involved with the family. The Board of Trustees includes a representative volunteer. There are also opportunities for self development and social contact with others in Home-Start Bury.
Unit 21, Bury Business Centre, Kay Street, Bury, Lancs, BL9 6BUT 0161 763 6335
E
W www.homestartbury.org
THE HOME-START VOLUNTEER
PREPARATION COURSE
Every prospective volunteer must attend the Preparation Course.
The aim of the course is to build on the skills you already have as a parent or carer. You do not need any formal qualifications to complete the course, just parenting experience.
The content of the course includes the following topics:-
· The role of the Home-Start Volunteer.
· Values and attitudes.
· Family life : parent and children.
· Family life : stress factors.
· Communication skills.
· Community support networks.
· Child Protection.
· Confidentiality.
· Commitment, boundaries and support.
· Home-visiting and the mechanics of Home-Start.
· Endings, evaluation and what’s next.
The course is usually ten weeks (40 hours) long and held at various times. You will find the course to be non-threatening, informal and friendly, the best way to learn is through being relaxed and having fun.
Further training is available once volunteering starts, including first aid, drug and alcohol awareness and disability awareness.
APPLICATION FORM FOR VOLUNTEERS (ENGLAND)
Home-Start Bury is committed to safe recruitment practice as an important part of safeguarding and protecting children and vulnerable adults
CONFIDENTIAL
If you have difficulty completing this form, please ask the Home-Start organiser/co-ordinator for assistance.
NameAddress including postcode
If you have been at this address less than five years, please give previous address
Home telephone no:
Email address: / Mobile telephone no.:
Date of birth: / Place of birth:
National Insurance Number (required for DBS)
Emergency Contact name and phone no
REFERENCES: Please give the name and address of two referees that you have known for a minimum of two years (not a relative) include at least one professional reference, (previous employer wherever possible; alternatively, school, college or other professional such as a religious leader or a volunteer supervisor) who may be contacted by Home-Start.
Please ask permission prior to submitting referees details and confirm full address.
Referee 1 – time known this person
In what capacity? / Referee 2 - time known this person
In what capacity?
Name:
Address:
Postcode:
Email:
Telephone: / Name:
Address:
Postcode:
Email:
Telephone:
Monitoring Information
Asian or Asian British /Black or Black British /
White
Indian / Caribbean / British
Pakistani / African / Irish
Bangladeshi / Any other Black background Please specify / Any other white background Please specify
Any other Asian background Please specify
Chinese or other ethnic group / Mixed
Chinese / Any mixed background Please specify ______
Other
Male
Female
Transgender
We would like to get a picture of your experience to date, in the first box please give us details of any paid employment, in the second box details of any voluntary or unpaid work and in the third box details of gaps in employment with reasons e.g. career break to look after children or other dependants, travelling, training or education.
Please tell us about any paid employment, starting with most recent
Employer / Job title / From / To / Brief description of duties / Reason for leavingPlease tell us about any voluntary or unpaid work, starting with most recent
Employer / Job title / From / To / Brief description of duties / Reason for leavingPlease tell us about gaps in your employment history, starting with the most recent
From / To / ReasonDo you speak any additional languages (including sign language)
What is the maximum time you could offer to Home-Start as a volunteer on a regular weekly basis?
(suggested 2 to 3 hours per week)]
Have you any commitments which could affect your work with Home-Start e.g. part-time work?
What type of transport would you use? (Please note you will not be required to use your own car to transport the families you may support).
The following information is required for the DBS Check
Driving Licence Number
Is this a full UK Licence? /
YES OR NO
Do you hold a valid Passport /
YES OR NO
Passport Number
Nationality
Country of Issue
1) Please give information about your own parenting experience: e.g. are you a
Parent/step-parent/foster carer. Please give ages of children
2) What did/do you find enjoyable about parenting?
3) What did/do you find challenging?
What are your hobbies and leisure interests?
How did you hear of Home-Start?
Why would you like to become a Home-Start volunteer?
Have you any skills or personal experiences which may be relevant to your work as a volunteer for Home-Start? (e.g. budgeting, cooking, DIY etc)
Is there any other information you would like to tell us about?
Do you consider that you have a learning difficulty and/or disability eg Dyslexia, Hearing Impairment, basic literacy skills?
As volunteers are in a privileged position visiting families in their own homes and have contact with young children, Home-Start has a responsibility to ensure that no one becomes a volunteer who would misuse this trust. Therefore, it is essential that you complete and sign this form.