Submitted by Matthew Lloyd on
At Action Together we support voluntary organisations, community groups, and local services in recruiting and retaining volunteers. We spoke to Alison Pywell, Volunteer Coordinator for Oldham Children's Centres, to find out more about what volunteering with them involves. Find opportunities for Oldham Children's Centres here on our website.
“We have a variety of volunteering opportunities available across all 16 of our Children Centres, such as Receptionist, Stay and Play, Right Start and School Nursing Service, Oral Health, Healthy Walks / Pram Walks, Community events volunteer, and so on.
"Volunteers play an integral part of the service and are involved in a wide range of important and rewarding roles. There is no better feeling than to watch a volunteer gain confidence, self-esteem, learn new skills, increase their personal development or see a volunteer move on to paid employment or back into education.
"Our experience with the Volunteering team at Action Together has been excellent. They are always on hand to support or answer questions if needed, and can’t be more helpful to the organisations and individuals they support. They're 100% professional, a friendly and very knowledgeable organisation and staff.
"Volunteers are a great asset to our teams and enhance the fantastic work the practitioners are delivering. We regularly reflect and evaluate the role of a volunteer and will change to meet the needs of the volunteer / service if required.
“Volunteering - do it, it can change your life!”
Of their recent volunteers, 18 have gone into employment and five have secured places at university, including four volunteers who built on their experience to study nursing and midwifery.
There are a number of roles available with Right Start, School Nursing Service and Oldham Children’s Centres:
- Welcoming parents, children and visitors to the centre.
- Answering phone, making calls, responding sensitively and professionally to enquires and providing information, e.g. times of activities, such as groups and baby weigh clinics.
- Undertaking general office tasks e.g. Talk To Us Forms.
- Collect red health books and placing in time order to support the Health Visitors to run their clinics smoothly.
- Data inputting (dependant on role).
- Assisting in creating leaflets/posters and updating display boards.
- Assisting the team in the planning, preparation and delivery of Right Start interventions and universal groups. (Babbling Babies, Stay & Play and Baby Weigh & Play).
- Actively encouraging parents/carers to participate in play activities with their children.
- Our experience with the volunteer centre based at Action Together, Oldham has been excellent, always on hand to support or answer questions if needed, can’t be more helpful to the organisations / individuals they support. 100% professional, friendly and very knowledgeable organisation and staff.
- Assisting the team to evaluate sessions.
- Building positive relationships with families.
- Assisting parents to attend Right Start services and other relevant appointments.
- Assist volunteer coordinator in attending community events across Oldham.
- Assisting the Right Start team in the completion of questionnaires with families/clients.
- Face to face contact with families/clients to discuss change to services and collect and record feedback.
- Making phone calls/sending text messages to families/clients about proposed changes to services and record feedback.
- Support the SEND Team to contact families who have accessed their service.
- Assisting the School Nursing team in the planning, preparation and delivery of school based activities such as the National Child Measurement Programme or school based immunisation programme.
- Assist the School Nursing team with administrative duties including: preparing NCMP packs and photocopying.
Visit Action Together's Volunteering page to find local volunteering roles that match your interest, skills, or area you'd like to develop.