Volunteer Support Practitioner

Closing date: N/A

Job Title:

Volunteer Support Practitioner

Responsible to:

Service Manager

Responsible for:

N/A

Hours of Work:

To be agreed

Location:

YMCA Together

Salary and benefits:

  • Travel to and from the service
  • Lunch – daily
  • Training courses tailored to your role such as, safeguarding, health and safety and professional boundaries
  • Volunteer support group
  • Support from a volunteer buddy

YMCA Together has been voted No1 Charity to work for by our employees in 2022. YMCA is a registered charity and company Limited by Guarantee. We were founded in 1846 and so we build on a long history of providing a place for people experiencing challenging times in their lives.

YMCA Together is a truly value driven organisation.

Our vision is that everyone should feel safe, understood, empowered and positive for their future. We meet our vision by working within our values of Strength, Humility, Respect, Empathy and Kindness. These SHREK values run through all that we do from recruitment to how we work alongside people in our services to our partnership approach with other providers.

Our clear vision and values come together to help us in our mission to inspire and support people to change their lives by instilling hope, valuing the person and maximising potential.

Support Practitioner Volunteer Role Purpose

The Support Practitioner volunteer will work alongside the Support Practitioners to be the first point of contact for residents. The volunteer will assist in the provision of effective high quality support services to complex, challenging individuals whom present with homelessness, mental health, substance misuse and offending behaviour with the aim of promoting independent living.

As a Support Practitioner volunteer, you will work with individuals who have a wide range of support needs, providing them with practical and emotional support and encouraging them to achieve their own personal outcomes in all aspects of their daily lives e.g. keeping safe, meaningful activities, community involvement, physical health, relationships, emotional health and wellbeing.  The support we provide is always person centred. If you have a passion for helping individuals enjoy as much fulfilment as they can and feel included in their community, then this volunteering role would be perfect for you.

Duties and Responsibilities

  1. Assist the Support Practitioners in providing support and assistance to people who we support in accordance with their support plans and the service aims
  2. Assist with initial and on-going assessments of people who we support
  3. Advise individuals who we support in accordance with guidance from staff or in accordance with YMCA Together’s aims
  4. Engaging with residents in the service, answering their enquiries or referring them to staff as appropriate
  5. Support and assist people who we support in crisis situations, and/or manage physical risk or behaviour likely to cause incidents, in accordance with the support plan or policy and procedure
  6. Assist the Support Practitioners with creating, reviewing and updating support plans, record events and observations and keep appropriate records as required in the service
  7. Co-ordinate elements of support in accordance with the support plan
  8. Administer medication and ensure that medication protocols are adhered to
  9. Assist the team with regular welfare checks
  10. Manage and resolve conflict promptly and raise or report issues appropriately using the correct procedures
  11. Liaise with workers from other agencies when requested to do so by colleagues
  12. Maintain confidentiality with shared information.
  13. Be aware of health and safety and contribute fully to keeping my work environment, community, people who use services and myself safe
  14. Maintain professional confidentiality and boundaries at all times
  15. Ongoing observation of the movements of residents around the service
  16. The volunteer may be required to attend, from time to time, training as required by their own training needs and the needs of YMCA Together
  17. To establish supportive and effective working relationships with other staff and residents in the service
  18. The post holder may be required to undertake additional duties commensurate with the level of this role.

Resident and Visitor Involvement and Engagement

  • Provide a safe, welcoming environment for all with excellent standards and an ethos of service delivery that encourages residents to engage. With an understanding and belief in the inclusion of all irrespective of race, gender, sexuality, age, religion, ability, identity, and experience

Health and Safety

  • Ensure at all times the safety of yourself and others on the premises in which you volunteer
  • Report, log and communicate all incidents to the appropriate people
  • To liaise with all emergency services when necessary
  • Ensure adherence to YMCA Together visitor’s policy and procedure.

Internal Relationships

  • Excellent communication with all YMCA Together staff and residents
  • Flexible and positive approach
  • To be committed to learning and personal development both as an individual and as part of a team
  • Sharing information and expertise with the team

External Relationships

  • Develop excellent and robust relationships with all visitors to the service.

General

  • Uphold and develop YMCA Equal Opportunities policy of anti-discrimination across all services
  • Ensure compliance with code of conduct, including professional boundaries and confidentiality at all times
  • Familiarise yourself with and ensure compliance with all YMCA policies and procedures.

The volunteer will be expected to carry out other duties consistent with the responsibilities of the volunteer post and to demonstrate flexibility in all areas of their work including the willingness to attend training if required.

It is recognised that the association operates in a dynamic environment and as such this role description may be varied in consultation with the volunteer to reflect the evolving needs of the business and changing nature of the role

Person Specification – Support Practitioner Volunteer

 

Experience

Desirable

  • Previous experience of working in the voluntary or statutory sector
  • Experience of working in hostels and or support services
  • Has experience of working with people who have barriers to social inclusion and supporting them to become more socially integrated

 

Skills

Essential

  • Excellent communication, engagement and interpersonal skills
  • Excellent administration skills
  • Patience, tolerance, and flexibility
  • Welcoming, friendly and helpful manner
  • An understanding of the importance of client confidentiality at all times
  • Positive attitude and the ability to work well with others
  • Good listening skills and patience when communicating with others
  • Ability to empathise with residents daily
  • Skills in following procedures and in recording including using basic IT

Desirable

  • A pro-active approach, self-motivated and enthusiastic with a good level of initiative, innovative and imaginative thinking

Behaviour/Attributes

Essential

  • A calm demeanor with a relatable and open behaviour
  • Friendly, empathetic and approachable with a welcoming inclusive approach
  • Patience
  • An awareness of the importance of professional boundaries and confidentiality
  • Ability to interact with people
  • Flexibility
  • Must be willing to develop skills used when supporting people through reflective practice, active learning, personal and professional development, supervision and feedback

Desirable

  • Experience of or the ability to interact with people with complex needs or challenging behaviours

If you would like to apply for this role please click here APPLY NOW

To download a copy of our application form, please click HERE

If you would like to apply not directly through the website, please email your completed application form to recruitment@ymcatogether.org.uk

Apply Now