JEWISH CARE

Dementia practitioner support Volunteer

Otto Schiff Residential Care Home, Golders Green

Role Summary: 

To assist Jewish Care’s one-to-one dementia practitioners supporting residents living with dementia across Jewish Care residential homes and resources. Volunteers will have relevant training as well as the support and guidance of our Dementia Practitioners. Each session varies dependant on the need of the resident and will be closely guided by the dementia practitioner at every session. This is a rewarding and interesting varied role and makes a huge and valuable impact to those living with dementia.

What you will be doing in the role:

• Supporting residents living with dementia
• Working alongside dementia practitioners to provide tailored appropriate activities with residents
• Providing help and activity support as required
• One-to-one befriending
• Task volunteering including setting up activities and helping as required
• Assisting practitioners with activities and tasks
• Guided role – Supervisor support at every session

Skills & experience required:

• Good conversational and listening skills with clear speaking voice, empathetic and non-judgemental able to confidently engage with a diverse range of people and enjoy helping others
• Empathetic and understanding attitude
• Ability to share appropriate information and follow processes
• Reliability and flexibility
• To abide by Jewish Cares policies- with reference to confidentiality and data protection.
• The ability to work independently (if required) but also stay within the role’s boundaries

Time Commitment:  Flexible hours: Ideally weekly but as arranged with role supervisor

Induction, Learning & Development:

Jewish Care will provide the following training, essential for this role:

• Provide you with access to a Volunteer Handbook and all Policies and Procedures.
• Provide Induction Training:  Getting to know Jewish Care, Communication & Disability Awareness, Boundaries & Confidentiality, Safeguarding, Health & Safety, GDPR.
• Specialist DementiAbility training
• Provide on the job induction.

Benefits to the volunteer:

• Learning new skills in the training provided
• Making a real difference to people’s lives
• Making new friends
• Being a part of a supporting multi-disciplinary team
• Regular supervisions

Why get involved with Jewish Care?
The work of Jewish Care and the services we provide to our community are vital.  We touch the lives of 10,000 people each week, with everything we do being underpinned by our Jewish values and ethics.  We provide services to:

• Older people
• People with Mental Health needs
• Holocaust Survivors
• People who are living with Dementia
• People with physical and sensory disabilities
• People who care for others
• People who are experiencing life limiting illnesses
• Living with frailty and co-morbidity

We can only do this thanks to our amazing professional staff of 1,400 and the 3,000 dedicated volunteers who help make our work possible.

Next Steps to becoming a volunteer at Jewish Care:
Step 1:
Please complete an expression of interest form for this role, which will automatically create a profile on our volunteer management system.  After you have applied, we will be in touch to discuss this role in more detail.  
Step 2:
Following a successful conversation, with a member of the Volunteers Team or Hiring Manager you will be invited for an interview (and asked to bring identification with you).
Step 3:
Following a successful interview, you will be offered the volunteering role and asked to add further information into your volunteer profile, providing two references and completing a DBS (previously CRB) application form online.  Additional paperwork may need to be completed for some roles e.g., volunteer driver.

Step 4: 
You will be invited to attend mandatory Volunteer Induction Training. Training is to enable volunteers to carry out roles to the highest professional standards, develop skills, build confidence and meet other new volunteers.
Step 5:  Mazel-tov/Congratulations!
Once we have received and recorded a suitable DBS, satisfactory references and training has been completed, you are ready to begin your volunteer role. You will be contacted by your role line manager and they will arrange with you a start date or on-the-job induction. 

If you have any questions at all about this role or about volunteering with Jewish Care,  please contact volunteering@jcare.org or telephone 020 8922 2405.

This is a voluntary position that supports the work of our services and is not replacing the work of a paid member of staff.