Hilt Volunteers

VOLUNTEER HOTLINE
020 8985 5511 ext. 222

Click here for recent news stories on volunteers awards in June 2004 and March 2004.

0.1 Why volunteer with HILT?
0.2 What's involved
0.3 Where will I be based?
0.4 What skills do volunteers need?
0.5 The Residential Volunteer Scheme
0.6 Part time volunteers
0.7 International
0.8 Support and Training
0.9 Apply today!

0.1 Why Volunteer with HILT?

There are many reasons why people choose to volunteer with HILT. Sometimes it is to gain work experience in the social care field. Or it might be that people have a few hours each week to spare and want to do something worthwhile for someone else with their time.

Volunteers gain excellent experience and skills that can be transferred into other jobs such as teamwork and working using one’s own initiative.

Volunteers provide a high level of support to paid staff. They act as a bridge between service users and other members of the community. Volunteers do not replace paid members of staff but support them in their work.

Many volunteers go on to join the organisation as Support Workers or as Sessional staff.

0.2 What's involved

Most of our volunteer roles are as independent living supporters to adults with learning difficulties. Being a volunteer supporter means having a belief in the partner that you support and being a positive role model within a relationship of equals.

What Does It Mean To Have A Learning Difficulty?

People with learning difficulties are as different from one another as everyone else. They may need extra support with doing things that most people take for granted like shopping, cooking or carrying out simple tasks.

Some people have very severe learning difficulties. This may mean they are not able to communicate the way they are feeling by speaking about it. It may also mean they are unable to do many of things that most people do every day.

HILT provides support to people in different ways depending on their level of need:

• For people with very severe learning difficulties HILT has Care Homes where staff are on duty 24 hours a day.

• For people with less severe learning difficulties HILT provides supported housing schemes where people can live in their own flats but be visited by staff or volunteers.

• Some HILT service users live locally with their families and HILT staff visit them or accompany them on outings.

Some of the ways in which volunteers have supported service users :

Pursuing sports,leisure and social activities.
Helping to arrange and going on holidays with service users.
Accessing education and training opportunities.
Supporting service users in achieving what they want.
Offering support in personal development.

0.3 Where will I be based?

The work of HILT is based in the London inner city boroughs of Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Islington in England.

Click on the links below to find out more about the settings and service in which you may be based:

REGISTERED CARE HOMES:

Downs Park Road
Evering Road
Flat 1 Lower Clapton Road
Flat 2 Lower Clapton Road
Narford Road

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SUPPORTED LIVING

click here for information on supported living

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DAY SERVICES

click here for information on day services

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For more information on the London boroughs where HILT is based visit the following websites:
www.hackney.gov.uk.
www.towerhamlets.gov.uk.
www.islington.gov.uk.

0.4 What Skills Do Volunteers Need?

No previous experience is needed to become a HILT volunteer, but applicants must have a good standard of spoken English.

If you decide you want to give it a try you may want to start by asking yourself the following questions:

• What kind of time commitment could you make?
• Are you interested in being a part-time volunteer or a residential volunteer?
• Are you patient, open-minded, reliable and flexible?
• Do you find it easy to be friendly but not familiar?
• Do you have an understanding of, and commitment to, equal opportunities?

HILT volunteers come from all walks of life, are of different ages and from many different countries.

0.5 The Residential Volunteer Scheme
Residential volunteers must commit to a minimum of four months volunteering with HILT. A year is the maximum amount of time that someone can be a residential volunteer. Residential volunteers support HILT’s Service Users for 30-35 hours each week on a shift basis. The shifts will probably not be the same hours every week, and will not normally be 9am-5pm.

Accommodation for residential volunteers is provided in one of two ways:
1. they share a flat with other residential volunteers
2. they share a house or flat with other volunteers and HILT service users

When volunteers share with service users other HILT staff will come and visit the project and work with the service users. This is to ensure that volunteers will only provide the agreed 30-35 hours worth of support each week, and get enough breaks and free time.

0.6 Part-Time Volunteers
Part-time volunteers receive travel and meal allowances in exchange for giving a few hours of their time each week.

0.7 International Volunteers

Volunteers from EU countries
There are no restrictions on volunteering by people from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. The same freedom is extended to nationals of Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.

Volunteers from non-EU countries
Volunteers from non-EU countries
The general rule is that non-EU nationals need a voluntary work visa to take up volunteer placements in the UK. There are separate rules for refugees and asylum seekers.

The rules for applying for a voluntary work visa state:
o Volunteers will not stay in the UK for more than 12 months.
o Volunteers will not seek or take paid employment whilst they are in the UK.
o People come to this country in order to volunteer.
o People from countries which a visa is needed to travel to the UK must obtain one before travelling.

HILT will support applicants trying to obtain visas from the British Consulate in their own countries or in the UK. HILT will provide a letter outlining the details of voluntary placement. This letter will only be given to applicants who are successful at interview and who have provided the names and addresses of two referees.

In exceptional circumstances it may be possible to carry out telephone interviews with people who are not able to travel to the UK.

Further information
Immigration and Nationality Department
Lunar House
40 Wellesley Road
CROYDON
CR9 2BY
Tel: 0181 686 0688
Fax: 0181 760 1181
www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk.

0.8 What Support and Training will I receive?

Your Supervisor
Every HILT volunteer has a supervisor who is a permanent member of your HILT team. Your supervisor will have experience of the kind of work that you will be doing. They are an important contact for you and you should feel free to approach them for advice and help.

It is very important for you and your supervisor to have regular supervision meetings. Normally, these are held on a fortnightly basis. Supervision will provide you with the following:

Guidance on your areas of responsibility and which decisions are yours.
To take the chance to talk about any ideas or worries - whatever you want to discuss.
Support including praise, encouragement, practical help and advice.
Constructive criticism and advice on how to improve matters when things go wrong.
Identification/discussion of training needs.Information about the project and the people working there.
Time to listen and think about what you are doing, and how you would like your role to develop.

Training
Volunteers spend the first 1-2 weeks ‘shadowing’ other workers or volunteers and learning from them. They do not begin to support HILT Service Users until they feel confident in doing so.

0.9 How do I apply to become a Hilt Volunteer?

You can either...

Email us here or
Write to Hilt Volunteers here or
Phone the VOLUNTEER HOTLINE on 020 8985 5511 ext. 222