North Staffs Users Group
Volunteers
There are numerous volunteering opportunities with North Staffs Users Group depending on what you want to do & what you feel comfortable doing.
Office volunteers collate our various publications including our magazine
'The Voice'.
Our volunteer User Reps visit the hospital wards and resource centres to speak to service users and raise issues on their behalf.
Our User Trainers help to present training to service providers. We are currently providing training to Staffordshire Police and Keele Social Work students.
Group Reps attend service planning meetings and committee meetings with health providers and local authorities to ensure that a user perspective is considered.
Our Board of Trustees are all members of the organisation and volunteers. They govern the organisation and set its strategic direction.
General Questions
Can I do it?
Core Training will give you a chance to find out if you can do it, but the odds are that you can. We all tend to underestimate our abilities and people with mental health problems perhaps do this more than most. You might need convincing and you will probably need support in the early stages, but you could be surprised by your own capabilities!
Will it cost me anything?
No, other than your time. All travel expenses are paid by the NSUG. Where volunteer activities extend over more than three hours then a subsistence allowance is payable, to cover the cost of a meal where this is wanted. Our Members' Expenses policy gives details of repayments.
Partnering
You may be uncertain about whether a particular volunteering role is for you, or it may be that the volunteer training course that you are interested in is some way off in the future. In these cases, it is worth considering taking up a short-term role as a “Partner” volunteer. This gives you the opportunity to see exactly what is involved in the role without being put under any undue pressure.
"Partner" Volunteers accompany people who are already trained, such as User Representatives, as they carry out their roles. In this way, the partner gets to see directly how the role works and can ask questions of the volunteer that they accompany. It’s an option that gives you time to get a "feel" for the role you’re interested in.
Partner Volunteers receive the same support as other volunteers, but usually their role is a bit more passive – they would not be expected to act on issues raised by services users, for instance, or to participate directly in meetings.
Partner Volunteers who are still interested after their observation placements will usually be offered a place on the next available training course for User or Group Representatives
NSUG address:
North Staffs Users Group
The Dudson Centre,
Hope Street,
Hanley,
Stoke on Trent
ST1 5DD
NSUG telephone:
01782-683043
NSUG email:
mainoffice@nsug.co.uk
