Volunteer Role Profile: Volunteer Hospice Biographer

Volunteer Role Profile:
Volunteer Hospice Biographer

About:

St. Catherine's Hospice is participating in a biographers project started by national charity, The Hospice Biographers Project. Our volunteer biographers will lead this project by supporting patients to audio record their life stories*, in confidence, for their relief and pleasure, and so that their families will be able to hear their voices and memories for generations to come. Our Hospice Biographer volunteers are required to commit to recording life stories for one day a month for at least 12 months.

You will need to undertake a two-day training session with Hospice Biographers on Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 October2017 at Greenwich and Bexley Community Hospice.

(*Life stories may be one or more parts of someone’s life, it may not be possible to record someone’s entire life story in 60-90 minutes)

Role responsibilities:

• Record confidential 60-90 minute life stories of people attending the St. Catherine's Day Hospice one day a month
• Make each confidential recording in a single session on a single day at the Day Hospice
• Provide each person with an unedited audio recording of their confidential life story on a memory stick
• Upload a confidential, digital, unedited copy of the life story in a digital library – accessible only by the person who has recorded their story or the person who holds the memory stick
• Liaise with Day Hospice staff, volunteers and people attending to arrange recordings of people’s individual life stories
• Discuss any queries, problems or observations promptly with the Day Hospice team
• Adhere to our Volunteering Code of Conduct at all times
• Attend relevant meetings and undertake all training required
• Act as an ambassador for St Catherine's at all times

What you gain from this opportunity:

• Full, professional training and support for this specialised role
• Opportunity to develop interview and recording skills
• Chance to boost your CV, including a reference
• The knowledge that you're helping us to offer the people we care for a

special and unique opportunity

• Help St Catherine's Hospice to support local people and theirfamily and friends when it's needed most
• Support as part of our expert team and enjoying regular social opportunities
• Long service and annual recognition awards

What we're looking for:

• Ability to develop links and build rapport with people
• Journalistic experience or experience of conducting interviews
• Ability to learn and use technical equipment unsupervised
• Good communication, active listening and timekeeping skills
• Good team working skills
• Good organisational and planning skills
• Respect for confidentiality
• Able to demonstrate strong emotional resilience
• Ability to be sociable, cheerful and courteous
• An understanding of Hospice care and philosophy and the ability to contribute to it
• Minimum age 18
• Able to give one day a month, for at least 12 months
• Commitment to continuous development, including regular training

Criminal Record Check Required:

This role involves regulated activity and is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

You must answer the Exempt Declaration on the application form and you will be asked to undergo an Enhanced with Adult Barring List Disclosure and Barring Service Check. It is a criminal offence for someone on these lists to work or apply to work in regulated activity.

Training Provided:

In addition to attending the required two day Biographer training course in October, you will be required to attend our in-house volunteer training sessions and to complete annual e-learning modules, in order to begin your role.

We also offer extra training courses to support your personal development.

Want more information?

If you have any questions, please call the Volunteering Team on 01293 447351 or email