HOW CAN WE HELP?
In this section you will find important information and tips:
How to Set up a Volunteer Group
Our top TIPS for coming out of lockdown
Mental Heath Support
Top Tips from Buisnesses
You will also find lots of useful links.
Setting up a Volunteer Group
COVID19: How To Set Up a Volunteer Group (Tips from those who have done it)
Contact your Local Council for Advice and Support
Recommendation
It is recommended that you inform your area’s district council of your group. Let the council know how they can contact you.
Find your local councils (UK) contact details here: https://www.fast.ai/2020/04/13/masks-summary/
How it works
The councils, both county council and their district subsidiaries, get phone calls from members of the public asking for help. They then decide if it is a call that is best answered by themselves or if a volunteer could assist. In this crisis, the volunteer community is essential in helping to supplement the help that the council can provide. There are many areas of assistance that the council cannot provide that the volunteer community can offer. By notifying the council of your volunteer group and and what services you provide, the council is able to delegate requests for assistance to your group.
The diagram below shows the structure of volunteer groups with-in the county council structure.
The diagram below shows the structure of volunteer groups.
The flow of requests for assistance to the councils is shown below. Calls from the public can go to either the county council or district council who then analyse which organisation is best placed to respond:
VOLUNTEER CARDS
Recommendation
Engaging with the community is both an online and offline activity.
● Most people have internet access and can use social media, text messaging and messaging services
● However, some people cannot do this. Often these are vulnerable people who need help. Supporting people who do not have access to technology is possible. One such method is through introduction cards. This also empowers people without online access with physical information about what help is available and how to seek the volunteer’s assistance. How it works Using introduction cards are a simple and effective method of offering help to neighbours during social distancing. It is also a handy way for them to keep the volunteer’s details to hand.
A template for introduction cards is here: Volunteer Introduction Card Download (text link
It is recommended that a volunteer group obtains a good supply of these cards printed at a professional printers on a thin cardboard. Volunteers fill in their name and contact details and post them through the letterboxes of the people they are volunteering to assist.
Click on the link below for a template for introduction cards.
Group Structure Recommendation
A volunteer group can get very busy, especially the COVID-19 volunteer groups. So we have been asking various successful groups for their tips and ideas. This is what we have learnt from others’ successes.
How it works
Structure your group so that you have:
Coordinators
● Three co-ordinators. These are the people who act as the main contact points for the councils, media, suppliers, volunteers seeking to join the group, etc. Volunteering is about ordinary people doing great things together, so there are no leaders as such, it’s all by consent and collaboration. However, the coordinators do the tasks that in non-volunteer organisations would be regarded as “leadership”.
● Having an odd number of coordinators is important when voting on decisions.
● The coordinators should define the geographic area that the group will operate in.
● This area should then be broken down into sub-areas. It’s these sub-areas that will have operational groups of volunteers.
● As such, take into consideration population density as well as well as physical distances and the ability of volunteers to cover that area.
Leaders
● Each sub-area has at least one leader. Ideally there will be at least two leaders to allow for handover of duties.
● If possible, the leaders should devise a duty schedule when each one will be “on duty” that fits with the time that they are able to donate to the group.
● Leaders receive requests for volunteer assistance and liaise with volunteers to get that assistance to the person/people who need it.
● An important part of the leadership role is efficiency: Attempting to deliver the most for the least possible requirements from the volunteers. For example, if groceries are to be picked up from the same store, aggregating several requests into one trip to the shop.
● Another important role is escalation. For example, should a volunteer discover that someone needs medical help, they can refer it to the coordinator freeing them to continue to help the person as best they can.
● Leaders also talk with their volunteer colleagues to keep up to date with their availability, any problems that may be occurring, stresses or emotional difficulties created by things that they experienced doing the volunteering activities. Volunteers
● Everyone in the group is a volunteer. It’s all about the volunteers and the important work that they do. Everyone is important. It can be a challenging activity and expose people to things that they might never otherwise encounter in their lives.
● It is important to note that as ordinary citizens, volunteers are not expected to be qualified experts in any activity. They are not medical or other assistance-giving professionals and should not be regarded or relied on as such. Volunteers should never be used instead of suitably qualified professionals.
● Several successfully running groups tell us that a volunteer should not be assisting more than 30 households. Even if it seems to the person that they can cover a larger area, the rapidly changing nature of COVID19 infections make this ill-advised as the situation can change very quickly. It is important to note that all members of a volunteer group are actively giving volunteer assistance as well as some members taking on additional coordination duties.
Volunteers
● Everyone in the group is a volunteer. It’s all about the volunteers and the important work that they do. Everyone is important. It can be a challenging activity and expose people to things that they might never otherwise encounter in their lives.
● It is important to note that as ordinary citizens, volunteers are not expected to be qualified experts in any activity. They are not medical or other assistance-giving professionals and should not be regarded or relied on as such. Volunteers should never be used instead of suitably qualified professionals.
● Several successfully running groups tell us that a volunteer should not be assisting more than 30 households. Even if it seems to the person that they can cover a larger area, the rapidly changing nature of COVID19 infections make this ill-advised as the situation can change very quickly. It is important to note that all members of a volunteer group are actively giving volunteer assistance as well as some members taking on additional coordination duties.
Mental Health Support
Mental health and wellbeing issues are important to us all because they can affect us all, whether directly or indirectly. One in four people in the UK will experience a mental health issue at some stage in their lifetime.
If you require URGENT help then please click on the button below.
Mental health and wellbeing issues are important to us all because they can affect us all, whether directly or indirectly. One in four people in the UK will experience a mental health issue at some stage in their lifetime. Sometimes the cause will be obvious and understandable, but often it will be entirely unpredictable, with effects ranging from mildly troubling to devastating. But no-one has to suffer alone.
Dedicated organisations can give help and advice on practical matters such as accessing benefits, coping with self-isolation and the best ways of caring for people with mental illness. They can also offer a sympathetic ear. For more information, go to: https://mentalhealth-uk.org/help-and-information/covid-19-and-your-mental-healthhttp://www.mindincumbria.org.ukMental health and wellbeing issues are important to all of us because they can affect all of us.One in four people in the UK will experience a mental health issue at some stage in their lifetime. The Coronavirus pandemic has led to added stress and anxiety by denying us the social contacts we normally enjoy with friends and family. The effects of this can range from mildly troubling to devastating, but no-one has to suffer alone. Dedicated organisations are there to give help and advice on practical matters such as accessing benefits, coping with self-isolation and the best ways of caring for people with mental illness. They can also offer a sympathetic ear. For more information, go to:https://mentalhealth-uk.org/help-and-information/covid-19-and-your-mental-healthhttp://www.mindincumbria.org.ukThe UK government is also offering online support to help people cope with their mental health issues during the outbreak. Details and links of Public Health England advice and guidelines can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-advice-to-support-mental-health-during-coronavirus-outbreak?utm_source=6030a355-bc47-42d5-acc5-8499a6f38573&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications&utm_content=immediate&fbclid=IwAR2p-_K0F-k_pfYdFHF0WZ8u1zALYojwhSbUEVm_qvDSzAU7e6x5_Fep1U8As the pandemic progresses, some restrictions are being relaxed or even lifted altogether and it can be difficult to keep pace with the latest situation.
Coming out of Lockdown
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Setting Up a Volunteer Group
Become a Volunteer
Businesses Working Together
Out of Lockdown