Home
Family Group Work 
5s to 13s Project
News
Volunteers
Donations
Contact Us
Volunteering at Friends of the Family
Volunteers are at the heart of the work of Friends of the Family.
We are a small organisation with a committed group of volunteers. At the group meetings on Tuesdays and Fridays our volunteers work either as ‘Play Volunteers' with the children or as ‘Refreshment Volunteers' offering welcome and hospitality to our parents and children. In our new 5s to 13s Project volunteers visit families on a regular basis in the family home.
We are always interested to hear from anyone who can offer their time and experience to us in other ways – especially in our fund raising. We would welcome your ideas about how your talents could enhance our work! We welcome volunteers of all ages and backgrounds. The Quaker Meeting House, where the group meets, is accessible to people using wheelchairs.
We are registered with the Winchester Volunteer Centre and the Volunteer Centre Eastleigh. We ask volunteers to complete an application form and come for an informal interview.
We also take up references and undertake enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks for all staff and volunteers.
Please Click Here to download an application form.
So that relationships with the children and their parents can develop, we ask for a commitment of time on a regular basis, and in return we offer individual / team support and supervision, travel expenses and the satisfaction of knowing that your involvement with the families will make a real difference.
We also provide good quality training through which volunteers are encouraged to develop their skills and interests.
● Play Volunteers
We offer the experience of volunteering as a play helper in a small group for children under the age of 5. The play is child-led and non-directive and the aim is to provide a therapeutic play experience for children in vulnerable families. We have a high adult : child ratio to allow for individual attention.
Relationships between the volunteers and parents are very important too. The ideas and suggestions of volunteers about the progress of the children and parents are encouraged and valued. We welcome volunteers' creativity in enriching the work of this very lively and rewarding group.
Play volunteers have all had experience of working with young children. They work as a team under the guidance of the Play Leader.
We use our monthly Team Meetings with a retired Consultant Child Psychiatrist to discuss our work and develop our skills. Individual supervision is offered by the Project Leader or Play Leader. All volunteers are encouraged to take part in training courses.
Comments from our play volunteers:
“People often ask me why I chose to work with children. I'm still not sure but maybe it is because they are unspoilt and innocent, enquiring and energetic, responsive yet spontaneous and utterly, utterly rewarding”
and
“I find I am constantly learning from the children and their parents. This year, to update my childcare knowledge I am taking an NVQ2 in early years care and education, which I hope will be helpful. I also find Team Meetings useful, and the other staff supportive”
and
“I've been a volunteer helper with Friends of the Family for about a year, and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it is brilliant that the mums have somewhere to meet and talk, in relaxed surroundings and secure in the knowledge that their children are nearby and being well looked after.
The children have a lot of fun; there are always lots of activities on offer and something to suit all of them. There is a lovely garden where they can run around and let off steam, but we can also sit and be peaceful and read them a story if that is what they’d like. The good ratio of staff to children means we can give them plenty of individual attention and make sure they are happy. It seems to me that we work together well, making a pretty good team!
However, the best thing about Friends of the Family is that everyone there really does care about the mums and their children.”
● Refreshment Volunteers
This is a crucial team member: one who can offer a warm welcome to mums and children as they arrive, and also prepare refreshments for everyone at the groups on Tuesday or Friday mornings. Refreshment Volunteers also have the chance to spend time with the children and mothers in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. There is much more to this than being a tea or coffee person!!!
The first Tuesday of the month we have a shared lunch where staff, volunteers and parents bring food to share. A Friday Volunteer usually works alongside our Tuesday volunteer to prepare the food everyone brings, making it ready for the table. We then all sit down together to share the food. We have the use of a well equipped kitchen at the Meeting House.
Here are some comments from volunteers
“Making tea and coffee is very tough brainwork: “strong coffee please”, “weak tea please”, “more milk”, “less milk”....but I am so happy to be welcomed. The sunshine in the kitchen is gorgeous”
and
“Making tea for all at Friends of the Family brings a two-fold warmth. Tea is always pleasurable, but also participating in the work of the group, with its interest and its achievements. It is surely great to see support, comfort and advice. It is remarkable to me, a comparative newcomer, that the children coming here settle down so quickly and begin to blossom”.
● Family Friend Volunteers
This new volunteering experience provides long term support for vulnerable families and their children aged 5 to 13 in their own homes. These volunteers develop positive relationships with family members built on trust and confidentiality. They also help families find their own solutions to difficulties by using their own life experiences and skills to encourage the individual families to discover their own strengths.
Families are visited in their own homes by a carefully matched volunteer on a weekly basis for two hours a week. The volunteer assists parents and children with their day to day tasks and offers sustained emotional support to the family during difficult times.
Comprehensive training is provided before a volunteer is matched to a family and there is weekly support provided from the project leader. There are also ongoing training and support opportunities.
If you would like to know more about volunteering for Friends of the Family, or have ideas about how you might help us, please phone 01962 864466 or e-mail us at friendsofthefamily@btinternet.com