The Supported Volunteering project is aimed at anyone who may require additional support from the Volunteer Centre as a result of health or disability. This project has been running for over three years now (since June 2008) and has been extremely successful. We have placed over 75 volunteers and continue to work with many more.

For Volunteers 

The Volunteer Centre will support you throughout your placement, attending your first day to help you feel comfortable and confident in your role.  After your first day we will make regular drop ins and phone calls to make sure you are happy with your placement.  

Through one to one chats we will work together to try and find the right volunteering role that will meet your needs.  

Whatever your interests, wherever you live, whether you have a lot of time or a little.    

For Referral Agencies

We would like to place as many people as possible in the most suitable role for them.  There are some key ways you and your agency can help:  

- Only refer those who will be able to work independently once settled in their placement

- Let them know that in order to look for the right placement we will need as much detail as possible from them

- The process will take time as there will be a lot of information to process and we want to find them a suitable placement  

We would like to work closely with your agency forming close links and together supporting the volunteers to find fulfilling placements, that they are able to sustain.

We aim to support volunteers with extra needs to integrate in to the community feeling confident in what they are doing and helping them to achieve their goals.

For the Charities

This is an opportunity for anyone who may require additional support from the Volunteer Centre as a result of health or disability.  

We will achieve this by:

- Detailed interviews

- Not rushing the process

- Carefully placing volunteers according to their extra need, interests and skills

- Creating a support plan for each individual that suits the volunteer and your charity

- Delivering training on Disability awareness and mental health            

For more information, please contact Phil Warner on 0118 977 0749 or click on the following link to email; supportedvolunteering@googlemail.com 

Volunteering can boost the confidence of those with mental health issues or learning disabilities.  Projects running in other boroughs like this have found that both the volunteer and the charities find these placements rewarding and that volunteering makes a positive contribution to their life.