Volunteer - TALKWORKS

Devon Partnership NHS Trust; Barnstaple; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job description

TALKWORKS is part of the national NHS Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression. It provides evidence-based talking therapies to adults across Devon [excluding Plymouth] who are experiencing depression and anxiety.

The bases for volunteering are:

West Pilton Health Clinic, Barnstaple

Interviews will be held on Thursday 1st May in Barnstaple.

What we are looking for: to support activity that either promotes access to TALKWORKS; or which facilitates TALKWORKS clients' path to recovery and wellness.

Why volunteer for TALKWORKS?

• To learn new skills and try something different
• To feel more confident and make new friends
• To make a difference to the lives of adults in our local community
• To gain work experience in a mental health environment

It is important to note that voluntary work at TW is for the most part sporadic and intermittent, i.e. it will not be possible to offer regular work, so flexibility of availability is important in order to maximise the work opportunities available.

Main duties of the job

• Supporting clients to complete inter-sessional tasks. This would usually involve going for a coffee to a coffee shop with a client but could involve other everyday tasks that take place in a public setting such as doing some shopping.
• Responding to surveys. Surveys for clients are a key way for therapists to help clients test out unhelpful beliefs, and it is very useful to have additional responses from people who are not themselves therapists.
• Being a conversational partner: this will involve a series of very brief conversations with clients as part of their therapy. It may be done remotely, via MS Teams, or face to face.
• Supporting marketing events: attending a marketing event and providing information [e.g. leaflets] to members of the public attending the event.
• Leaflet drop off: delivering bundles of leaflets to community venues.
• Meet and greet: Being present at reception at those times when reception would usually be closed to welcome clients to the waiting room.
• Speaking to patients on waiting lists
• Entering numerical data into service IT systems
• Helping trainee therapists by role playing being a client
• Promoting volunteering within the service.

About us

We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do.

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trust's core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Job responsibilities

Main purpose: to support activity that either promotes access to TALKWORKS; or which facilitates TALKWORKS clients' path to recovery and wellness.

Person Specification

Experience

• You will need to have good interpersonal and communication skills and a genuine interest in working with people as you will be required to interact with a wide range of people.
• Having a positive outlook and being non-judgemental is essential as you will be working alongside patients who are on their journey of recovery.
• Confidentiality is upmost and we ask volunteers to be part of the team and be discreet and reliable.
• Resilience and Motivation: We are looking for volunteers who have the motivation and ability to persevere through challenging situations, ensuring they can stay committed even during tougher times.
• Stability and Commitment: We hope volunteers can maintain a level of personal stability, allowing them to commit to the service for at least one year after completing their training. This ensures continuity and helps build long-term relationships with the service.
• Flexibility and Time Management: Volunteers should have the flexibility to take on tasks as needed and although work is sporadic and irregular a guide figure would be to be able to commit at least two hours per week during office hours to contribute to volunteering duties. To be able to take advantage of as many volunteering opportunities as possible it would be advantageous to either have plenty of free time, or, if free time is more limited, to have enough flexibility to be able to devote time to volunteering at the time required.
• Transport Access: Volunteers need to have access to transport, allowing them to travel to a local TW base as required.
• IT Skills: Volunteers should be comfortable with basic IT tasks, such as regularly checking NHS email accounts and accessing mandatory training materials online. This helps with communication and ensures they can stay up to date with training requirements.
• Personal experience of mental health difficulties and recovery is desirable.

Qualifications

• Personal experience of mental health difficulties and recovery is desirable.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.