Activities Volunteer (Rachel House, Kinross)

Activities and play help children to build happy memories and have fun, while accessing a wide range of opportunities they might not ordinarily have the chance to get involved in.

We are looking for volunteers with a variety of interests, hobbies, and skills to join our volunteer team. The children will be of various ages, stages of development and with different support needs. The Activities Team will support the volunteers to adapt activities and play to meet the specific needs of the children staying within the hospice to ensure all children have the opportunity to take part and have fun.

What you will be doing

• Playing with and facilitating a range of activities with children and young people. This could include: arts and craft, music, playing games inside and outside in the garden, reading stories, baking
• Adapting activities/play to meet the age/stage and needs of the children
• Helping out at hospice social events and parties
• Keeping activity areas clean and tidy

The skills you need

• Experience of spending time with children (through family or work)
• An ability to relate to children and young people
• Outgoing, confident and fun-loving personality
• Empathy and patience
• An ability to represent CHAS enthusiastically and appropriately
• Great communication skills
• Adhere to rules around GDPR and a strong understanding of confidentiality

What's in it for you

• Meeting new people and being part of a team
• Making a real difference to the families of children with a life-shortening condition
• Enhancing your skills, experience
• Learning new skills whilst having fun

How much time should I offer?

We are currently looking for someone to support on a Thursday, a weekly or fortnightly commitment. Shifts are usually 2-3 hours in duration.

What ongoing learning/support/guidance will I receive?

It’s important to us that you feel happy, safe and confident during your time with us. As a CHAS volunteer you will be invited to complete a short core learning package that is tailored to your role.

Your Volunteer Manager will provide ongoing support and guidance to you. We have also partnered with the Skills Network to offer all our volunteers the chance to develop new skills and explore further learning opportunities.

We have an Assistance Programme provided by Health Hero to support our volunteers with all aspects of their lives, whether that is at work or at home. This is confidential and free of charge.

What else should I know?

We will pay your out of pocket expenses in line with the CHAS volunteer expenses policy.

CHAS is committed to providing a quality volunteering experience to all volunteers, free from discrimination and prejudice. Ensuring that CHAS is an equal, diverse, and inclusive organisation improves the quality of care we provide, helps us reach more families and children, and maximises a wide variety of knowledge, experience and expertise.

We welcome volunteer applications from those who are refugees, asylum seekers, benefit claimants and those with a disability. We can provide more information about your eligibility to volunteer and any reasonable adjustments we can put in place to ensure your volunteering experience is a positive one.

Disclaimer

This role requires membership of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme (children only). There is a simple form to complete and we will assist you with this. You may already be a member of the scheme – if so you will only need to complete an update form. The process won’t cost you anything and having a criminal record will not automatically exclude you from volunteering. We will assess each applicant on an individual basis. Further Child Protection training (either online or face to face, approximately 3 hours in length) is mandatory for this role, to be completed within the first year of volunteering with us.