Volunteering

Why Volunteer With Us?

Volunteers can bring additional interests, perspectives and community connections into our services. A volunteer may introduce an activity, help someone practise a skill, support a group project or simply provide positive social contact within the boundaries of an agreed role.

Volunteering can also benefit the individual volunteer. It may provide experience of the supported living sector, opportunities to develop transferable skills and a greater understanding of person-centred support, safeguarding and professional boundaries.

We aim to make each volunteering arrangement purposeful. Before a placement begins, we consider what the volunteer can offer, what they hope to gain and whether the opportunity can be managed safely and consistently.

Possible Volunteering Opportunities

The opportunities available will vary between services and may change according to the preferences, assessed needs and interests of the people we support.

Examples may include helping with suitable social, creative, practical or community activities. Any activity must be agreed in advance and remain within the volunteer’s role description.

What Volunteers Do Not Do

Volunteers complement our workforce but do not replace employed support workers. They must not be used to fill staffing gaps or perform duties that require an employee, regulated professional or specifically trained member of staff.

A volunteer will not normally be expected to:

• Work alone with responsibility for a service or shift
• Administer or manage medication
• Provide personal care
• Handle service-user money unless specifically authorised under an appropriate process
• Access confidential records without a legitimate and agreed reason
• Make safeguarding, clinical or risk-management decisions
• Transport people in a private vehicle unless formally agreed and properly authorised
• Carry out physical intervention or respond independently to high-risk incidents
• Undertake tasks outside the agreed volunteer role description

Induction, Training And Guidance

Before beginning a placement, volunteers receive information relevant to their role and the setting in which they will volunteer. This helps establish clear expectations and supports safe participation.

The level of induction will be proportionate to the activity. It may include safeguarding, confidentiality, equality and diversity, health and safety, professional boundaries, incident reporting and the procedures for raising concerns.

Additional learning may be offered where it is necessary for the agreed role. Access to training does not authorise a volunteer to perform staff duties or undertake responsibilities outside their written role description.

Safer Recruitment And Checks

Because volunteers may have contact with adults who receive support, applicants should expect an appropriate selection and checking process.

The checks required will depend on the nature of the role. They may include an application form, informal discussion or interview, identity verification, references, right-to-volunteer confirmation and a Disclosure and Barring Service check where the role is eligible and requires one.

Providing an application does not guarantee that a volunteering opportunity will be offered. We must consider the applicant’s suitability, available opportunities, service needs, supervision capacity and the safety and preferences of the people we support.

The Volunteering Process

We use a straightforward process to understand your interests, identify whether a suitable opportunity exists and ensure the proposed arrangement can be managed safely.

Expenses, Employment And Expectations

Volunteering is unpaid and does not create an employment relationship or guarantee future paid work with Moreways Healthcare.

Reasonable, pre-agreed expenses may be reimbursed where this forms part of the volunteering arrangement and appropriate evidence is provided. Volunteers should not incur costs on behalf of Moreways Healthcare without prior approval.

Both the volunteer and Moreways Healthcare may bring the arrangement to an end. Wherever possible, concerns should first be discussed so that misunderstandings or practical difficulties can be addressed.

Make A Volunteering Enquiry

Complete the form below with your contact details, availability, interests and any relevant experience. Please do not include unnecessary medical or other sensitive personal information.