Volunteer role description
Guidebook
Information Volunteer
Volunteers are vital to Alzheimer’s Society’s goal of improving the lives of people living with dementia. Thank you for giving your time. This role description is designed to give you clarity about what you are going to do and who will support you in it.
What is the Guidebook?
The Guidebook is a simple database that will hold information about relevant services for people with dementia. It will provide accessible printouts of information about local services. The database has been designed by people with dementia, and people with dementia will be providing the information to be held in it. They will do this by meeting regularly to review and add to the local information held on Guidebook. The Guidebook Admin volunteer will then update the database.
How does this role make a difference?
Guidebook volunteers will provide a key service that people with dementia have asked for, quality information about local support services that can help them. Your role will ensure that information about local support services is relevant and up to date, and incorporates the views and opinions of a range of people with dementia about local support available.
What will you do?
Volunteers are good at adapting to local need. So this role description highlights the kind of activity you may be involved with. Any local variations will be discussed separately as part of the recruitment process.
· Establish a group of people with dementia who will meet at least four times a year to discuss local support services (This may be an existing group.)
· Facilitate the group so that the views of people with dementia about local support services are sought and recorded
· Work closely with the Admin Volunteer to ensure they have accurate and appropriate information about local services for the Guidebook.
· Ensure that photos of local support services are taken and incorporated into Guidebook
· Ensure that the Guidebook is reviewed and updated as necessary at least 4 times a year.
Will the role be suitable for you?
The role may be ideal for you if you have:
· An interest in volunteering to support people with dementia, working closely with them
· Good listening and communication skills
· Knowledge of, or a willingness to learn about the contribution that people with dementia are able to make to service development
· A basic understanding of computers and digital photography
Any local variations will be agreed with you before you start volunteering.
How will you be supported in this role?
You will receive support from volunteer support staff and your line manager.
You will also receive one to one and group support from other dementia adviser volunteers.
How much time will you need to give?
This role is flexible. You need to be able to commit to a minimum of eight hours per month and to maintain continuity over at least a year. You will also need to undertake about 20 hours of induction, most of which can be organised as you wish.
How will the Alzheimer’s Society support you?
· You will receive relevant induction for the role
· You will benefit from ongoing training and other learning and development opportunities
· You will be provided with one-to-one and/or group based support
· You will be reimbursed your agreed out-of-pocket expenses, in accordance with Society policy.
Note:
As you will have access to vulnerable adults, an enhanced criminal record check will be required. Having a conviction does not automatically prevent volunteering, and any such information is handled sensitively. Alzheimer’s Society complies with the relevant codes of practice produced by the Criminal Records Bureau (England and Wales) and AccessNI (Northern Ireland). These are available on request.
Page 1 of 2 Last updated: Dec 2009