Volunteering

We are proud of the work volunteers do in the College. Volunteers are part of the team and are equal partners in the running of the College. Many of our volunteers started as learners in the College.

We recognise that there are different levels of volunteering and that not everyone is able to give their time and skills to the College in the same way. There are two ways you can volunteer, as a formal volunteer or as a Friend of the College.

Friends of the Recovery and Wellbeing College is a new way to be more engaged and included in the life of the College without being a registered volunteer. The expectations and responsibilities of this role are less than being a volunteer whilst supporting your commitment to get more involved. It may also be used as a stepping-stone to volunteer with us more formally. It is also a good way of being more involved with us if you are a member of staff.

What can you get involved with as a Friend of the College?

Regular meetings with staff and volunteers, help with some practical tasks – this can include non-confidential admin tasks; grammar checks on communications; tidy up of the building; gardening; championing our work through local contacts and networks; providing articles and personal stories for social media and newsletters etc.

What happens when I join up as a friend?

We will invite you to have a conversation to see in what ways you want to be involved with the College and ask you to sign a friendship agreement.

Your friendship role will be reviewed each year and you will be asked to sign up again.

If you want to formally volunteer we ask you to enrol as a learner first, and to book on and attend one or two courses or workshops with the College, which gives you a feel for our College ethos and the way we work. If you’d then like to get more involved we’ll be happy to discuss the role you wish to undertake, your skill set and any training you need to do.

Once you are ready to volunteer, you will need to apply for a volunteer application pack.

We will support you with the process of volunteering so don’t worry about filling out forms, we will help and check it with you if needed. You will need a DBS check and two references. You may be asked some questions by our Occupational Health Team. This is to make sure you get the right support if you have any health conditions that may affect your volunteering role.

We will expect you to do some training each year and will offer you some development opportunities.

“I enjoy and love volunteering at the Recovery College because it gives me a chance to give back, a chance to positively make a difference, to someone’s wellbeing and to also help give me distraction, inclusion and direction. I also make some great new friends.” – Michael

“When I was originally approached to volunteer with the Recovery College I didn’t know what to expect. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to help people and give back to the community. In this time, the College has helped me grow as a person and develop skills I didn’t know I had. It’s been a long walk to get where I am now, and volunteering has helped a lot with that.” – Elliot

Please get in touch with us if you wish to be either a Friend of the College or a formal volunteer so we can arrange to discuss this with you.

Tel: 07717 867911

Email: ckrecovery.wellbeing@swyt.nhs.uk

For more information on volunteering and other opportunities in the Trust please see click on the link below.

https://www.southwestyorkshire.nhs.uk/get-involved/volunteering/