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Volunteers contribute enormously to the success of Cairdeas House by helping to create a friendly, supportive atmosphere in the house and by offering companionship to guests on outings and activities.
We have had a successful volunteer programme since the house opened in 1992, and usually have between 8 and 12 volunteers. To maintain a team of this size we are always recruiting, so if you think you have the potential to contribute, please contact us.
Who can volunteer?
All kinds of people have mental health problems and we need all kinds of people as volunteers.
Our volunteers must be over 18, but apart from that we have a wide age range from young people and students through to retired people. We welcome volunteers from a diverse range of backgrounds and would like to encourage more applications from minority ethnic groups. Unfortunately, because of the limitations of the house, we are unable to offer opportunities to volunteers who are unable to manage stairs.
Prior experience of mental health or volunteering is not essential. The most important attributes are that you enjoy meeting all kinds of people and are a good listener. Being able to drive is useful, but not essential.
Why do people volunteer?
Different people have different reasons for volunteering and these often change with their own personal circumstances. Volunteering at Cairdeas House presents many opportunities:
- To meet a wide range of people with different life experiences
- To develop new skills and build your confidence
- To gain experience and references to help get a job or further training
- To support your own mental health
- To gain perspective on life
- To try out a new role to see if a career change is appropriate
- It’s an enjoyable and rewarding experience
This is what our volunteers say about their experience of volunteering at Cairdeas House:
“It’s a richly rewarding experience, and I have gained far more than I have been able to give.”
“If it were not for your kindness, patience, support and sense of humour, I would not have had the confidence to apply for the new role I’m about to undertake.”
“I always really enjoyed volunteering and always felt really supported in what I was doing.”
How much time does it take?
To ensure you have a worthwhile volunteering experience we ask for a minimum time commitment of 4 hours per fortnight for a 3 month period. The nature of respite means that our volunteers are often meeting a different group of people every week and because of this a longer term commitment is not essential, though it is better for us when our volunteers stay for longer. We need volunteers for evenings and weekends as well as during the day. Most of our volunteers choose to come for a regular session every week.
What does a volunteer do?
The basic role of a volunteer is to offer companionship to guests in the house and accompany them on outings and activities.
Volunteers sometimes accompany one or two guests; at other times they may go out as part of a larger group. Outings may be to shops, galleries, cinemas, theatre, bingo, sightseeing or trips out of the city in our people carrier. The participation of volunteers enables us to offer guests new opportunities or the chance to do things they may not have felt able to do alone, even if that means just going out for a coffee.
Volunteers also spend time in the house with guests, showing a friendly interest, chatting, playing games such as Scrabble or chess, or offering company when watching TV or videos. By sharing their own experiences and interests, and through personal contact with guests, volunteers help to provide a varied and stimulating environment.
We also welcome help from people with specific skills eg we have two volunteers who help maintain our garden as an attractive environment for the pleasure of guests.
Training
We do not require any specific qualifications, and there is no preliminary training course to be undertaken prior to starting to volunteer. However, during the course of your time as a volunteer, we will provide you with training to help you in your role, such as mental health awareness training, and listening skills. These training sessions are also good opportunities for you to meet other volunteers to share experiences and learn from each other.
Support
Volunteers receive individual supervision from the Volunteers Manager. This provides an opportunity for support, feedback and review of the volunteering experience.
Informal support is provided by our team of project workers who undertake to involve the volunteers in the life of the house, organising outings and arranging activities.
The process of becoming a volunteer
- Phone us, write to us or email us with your contact details
- We’ll invite you to Cairdeas House for an informal chat about the work of the project and the role of volunteers. We’ll give you an application form to fill in and send back to us if you decide you want to proceed. The application form asks for the names and addresses of two referees.
- After we have obtained references, we’ll invite you for a formal interview. Because volunteers work with vulnerable people, all applicants are also required to undergo Enhanced Disclosure (a police check of all convictions, spent or unspent).
- Following a successful interview and satisfactory Disclosure, applicants will be asked to join our team of volunteers.
Further general information about volunteering is available on the Volunteer Centre website www.volunteeredinburgh.org.uk.
Contact Details
For more information or to apply to volunteer at Cairdeas House, contact:
Ruth Ross, Assistant Director and Volunteers Manager
Phone: 0131 313 5081
Fax: 0131 313 4580
Email: ruth.ross@penumbra.org.uk
Post: Cairdeas House, 5 Coates Gardens, Edinburgh EH12 5LG.
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