On 5 December it is International Volunteer Day, the perfect time for many people to think about how they, or someone they know, might be able to give some of their time and expertise to volunteer for a care home near them. While care homes rely on the dedication, talents and efforts of their paid staff, having a reliable team of volunteers willing to help out can ease admin pressures, support staff and give care home residents a whole new raft of faces to see and people with whom to enjoy spending time.

In honour of International Volunteer Day, Care Vision has put together a list of ways in which care managers and their teams can support and encourage volunteers who are keen to give time and skills for the benefit of residents, patients and the wider care home community.

Accurate advertising

When you are putting out the call for volunteers to join your care home team, make sure that you know exactly what you need them for, and what you plan for them to do. All too often, role descriptions for voluntary positions can be vague and untargeted, leaving people confused about what their duties would be, or concerned that the role might encompass task they did not sign up for, have not been trained to do or do not wish to undertake. Take time to put together a comprehensive job description and write an encouraging, accurate and honest advert, social media post or article inviting people to contact you for more information.

A warm welcome

Once someone has applied and been accepted as a volunteer in your care home, it is vital to support them in the early days and make sure they feel welcomed, supported and valued for their contributions. Provide plenty of information in the run up to their starting date and give plenty of opportunities for them to ask you any questions they may have. Once they begin their role, make sure that everything is ready to welcome your new volunteer(s), and that they have something to do right away, This may well be some form of training, role shadowing or getting to know people, but it is important that they are not left to their own devices. It is daunting for anyone beginning a new role, so a friendly welcome will be hugely appreciated.

Training and support

Even as your new volunteers settle into their role, it is vital that they are supported and trained to carry out their duties safely and correctly. This protects everyone involved and helps the new joiner settle in much quicker. Training can take many forms, from on-the-job demonstrations and practising to online courses, reading materials and in-person seminars. It is a nice idea to give all volunteers a buddy p- someone experienced in the area in which they will be working who they can go to with questions, feedback and concerns. All volunteer training and support needs can be recorded and tracked using Care Vision – the comprehensive digital care management system designed specifically for care settings and facilities.

Social benefits

Make sure that people enjoy volunteering with you, not just for the job satisfaction and new experiences, but for the social side as well. Often, people sign up to volunteer to meet new people, get out of the house and enjoy a richer social life. You can encourage volunteers and staff to spend time together when off duty and include volunteers in any social activities planned in the care home. This could include gatherings and parties on site, day trips and outings. At this time of year, a Christmas or New Year party could be the ideal excuse to bring people together and help the whole team get to know each other better.

Career and CV development

Finally, many care home volunteers are keen to put their time with you to good use and gain valuable professional skills and practical experience. As a care home manager or team leader, you can help them in this regard by discussing their areas of specialist interest with them and working to find opportunities to help them boost their CV. This not only helps your volunteers to increase their exposure to certain tasks and areas of work, but it could lead to you finding your next paid employee further down the line.