extra support

Are you a volunteer manager?

• Do you currently manage volunteers with additional support needs?
• If not, have you thought of the benefits of recruiting volunteers with extra support needs?

Every volunteer manager wants to run a programme that is as inclusive as it can be. There are many potential volunteers out there who could be real assets to your organisation but who would identify themselves as having extra support needs. This can be a daunting prospect for a volunteer manager but it needn’t be. The many potential volunteers that consider themselves to have a support need are in reality part of a huge pool of talent that can be successfully tapped into.

What does ‘extra support needs’ mean?

Volunteers with extra support needs include individuals who may have learning disabilities, mental health problems, physical disabilities, or sensory impairments. It can also include individuals who are going through drug or alcohol rehabilitation, ex-offenders, the long-term unemployed, housebound, people who have very little English or someone who has low self-esteem.

You are not alone

If you are thinking about the benefits of recruiting volunteer with support needs, or are already managing volunteers with support needs, then we can help.

Our Health and Wellbeing Team are specialist advisers who work with people from all walks of life who wish to volunteer, but have experienced some health or personal problem which needs to be considered. Typical examples would be: a mental health issue, a physical or learning disability, or a conviction. Many of our clients don’t need a lot of support, they just need an understanding Volunteer Manager to give them a chance.

• We work closely with Volunteer Managers and Volunteer Involving Organisations and can discuss whether your organisation would have the capacity to take on a volunteer with support needs.
• Some clients may lack confidence so may benefit from one of us working alongside them for first few weeks to help them settle.
• We also work closely with Support Workers, therefore if a client has longer term support needs, the Support Worker can accompany the volunteer and work along with them. The Health and Wellbeing Team are always there to support the organisation as well and can discuss issues that may arise.

If you would like to find out more about recruiting volunteers who have extra support needs, give us a call on 0131 225 0630 and ask to speak to someone in the Health and Wellbeing Team. You can learn more about our Health and Wellbeing service here.