Home » Developing a volunteering framework for health and social care in Wales

Developing a volunteering framework for health and social care in Wales

A project is underway to develop a framework to support better Wales wide understanding and planning for volunteering in health and social care.

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how volunteers, working through third sector organisations, in community groups and within statutory services, can contribute practically and flexibly to address health and care needs.

What is more, new ways of working and collaborating between organisations suggest how volunteering could be even more effective in the future, if properly scoped, planned and resourced.

Even before COVID-19, volunteers have been actively contributing to the health of Wales in so many ways – this video mentions just some of them.

Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) would like to see volunteering better integrated into the planning of services, better resourced and better recognised as an integral component of mainstream health and social care provision, post-pandemic. The project aims to co-produce, with stakeholders, a resource to support this.

Take part in a survey…
If your organisation is involved in the planning, management or recruitment of volunteering to support health and social care delivery in Wales, WCVA would appreciate your time in responding to their  survey by 28 February 2021.

You can take part in their survey here.

The survey includes information about how to book onto focus groups…

• 16 February 10am  – Western Bay – Swansea City and Neath Port Talbot;
• 17 February 10am – Powys;
• 18 February 10am – North Wales – Flintshire, Wrexham, Isle of Anglesey, Gwynedd, Denbighshire, Conwy;
• 18 February 2pm – Gwent – Monmouthshire, Newport, Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly;
• 25 February 10am – Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan;
• 26 February 10am – Cwm Taf – Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf;
• 26 February 200pm – West Wales – Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion.

These are online group conversations – based in the seven regions – which will enable attendees to share their views and experiences of how volunteering currently contributes to health and social care services and how this could be developed in various ways.

Please note: booking details are at the end of survey.

WCVA Helpforce Cymru is leading on this project and working with Bevan Commission, Social Care Wales and Richard Newton Consulting Ltd as project partners.

The project is funded by Welsh Government from the Coronavirus Recovery Grant for Volunteering 2020/21.

For further information please contact Fiona Liddell, E: fliddell@wcva.cymru

Helpforce is working with Third Sector Support Wales (WCVA and 19 CVCs), Welsh Government and other partners to develop the potential of volunteering to support health and social care services in Wales,

The Helpforce page on our website includes links to recent articles, blogs, videos and case studies.