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Family Hub volunteer opportunities

If you have the time and passion to make a difference, we have various opportunities to fit your interests and skills.

By supporting children, young people and families in Sheffield, you play a vital role in giving every child a great start in life.

The benefit of volunteering

  • Make a difference: Contribute to your community and give back.
  • Learn new skills: Gain valuable experience and develop practical abilities.
  • Access training and personal growth opportunities: Enhance your knowledge and personal development.
  • Connect with others: Make new friends and establish meaningful connections.
  • A stepping stone to starting a new career: Explore potential career paths through volunteering.
  • Boost self-confidence: Volunteering challenges you and builds confidence.
  • Improve your mental health and happiness: The act of giving back positively impacts your overall well-being

Volunteer opportunities

We have the opportunity for 7 new volunteers to join us. Each volunteer will be based in a Family Hub and the surrounding locality.

Find out more about our Family Hubs

Anybody over the age of 18 and living in Sheffield is welcome to express an interest in volunteering as a Community Connector in a Family Hub locality. We follow our Equal Opportunities Policy when recruiting volunteers and welcome applications from all.  References will be taken up and a full DBS check will be completed if you are successful. Training will be provided before you begin volunteering. This will be in person on Wednesday 11th September 2024. The venue and time will be confirmed nearer the date.

The role of a Community Connector Volunteer:

You can make a vital contribution to the lives of local families in this volunteer role as well as building transferable skills, experience and knowledge.

Purpose: As a Family Hub Community Connector volunteer, you will meet and talk with parents / carers of 0-19(25)’s about Family Hub & Start for Life services that are available in the locality area. This will be in a Family Hub and in community venues.

  • You will support getting families registered with Sheffield Family Hubs.
  • You will signpost families to Sheffield Family Hub services utilising the Sheffield Directory.
  • You will share Sheffield Family Hub Network leaflets and QR codes.
  • You will promote Sheffield Family Hub volunteering and parent feedback opportunities.

You are not expected to know everything about the local services. After some initial training, including Safeguarding training you will also have an ongoing opportunity to access relevant free sessions available through the Early Help Training Offer.

Commitment: We ask for a minimum of 2 hours per week. This will be discussed with you at the informal discussion you attend if you sign up to do so. 

If you would like to express your interest in this opportunity, complete this form

Lead:  Sue Broomfield, Breastfeeding Volunteer Coordinator | Nawal El Amrani Lead for the project Sheffield City Council 

Target audience:  Women who have breastfed their children and then want to give back and support other mums. N.B. Must have breastfed to do this role. 

Purpose: The purpose of the project is to equip volunteers with evidence based information to support pregnant women and mothers, to make an informed choice on feeding and caring for their babies. It is also about supporting women in choosing to breastfeed for as long as they want. The volunteers will be over 18 years old, and will be trained on a variety of topics on infant feeding and relationship building. They are made aware of their roles, responsibilities and boundaries in supporting families. They will be expected to volunteer in Family Hubs and groups alongside the Infant Feeding Peer Support Workers and health professionals.

Volunteers will be expected: 

  • To have breastfed themselves and be positive about breastfeeding.
  • To be caring and sensitive
  • To be approachableand non-judgmental

Commitment: 5 weeks training programme (one day a week) and any other relevant catch up training, eLearning package and be available to volunteer half a day a week (negotiable)

Benefit: A massive sense of achievement when supporting mothers and families! An opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and experience to progress your career. Our volunteers are based in Family Hubs.  Some have left for further development to become infant feeding workers, prevention and intervention workers, midwives and some went onto doing social work and speech and language therapy!

How to take part: Please contact Sue Broomfield and/or Nawal El Amrani on: susan.broomfield@sheffield.gov.uk; nawal.elamrani@sheffield.gov.uk or ring Sue on 07792 327813

What to expect:

  • Open days will also be available and advertised. These are for you to gain more information and to ensure the program is right for you.  
  • You will be expected to then complete an application form and be invited to an interview.
  • Successful candidates will gain a place onto the programme

We invite you to join us at one of our open days, either online or in person, to meet the team and other volunteers.

 

Monday 25th November 2024 | 1pm – 3pm | Virtual sessions on Microsoft Teams

Follow the QR code to join or enter the below details.

 

Meeting ID: 386 028 965 794

Passcode: XTEQW2

Monday 2nd December 2024 | 10am – 12pm | Committee Room 3, Sheffield Town Hall Pinstone Street, S1 2HH

Lead: Helen Doxey & Samantha Forde, Doula Programme Leads, Sheffield City Council 

Target audience: Any female aged 18 and over with a right to work in the UK. No formal qualifications required but all volunteers will be expected to all training sessions to equip them with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to support vulnerable mums. Must be happy for us to complete relevant reference checks and DBS. 

Purpose: Broadly – to provide emotional and practical support to vulnerable mums for the last 6 weeks of pregnancy, during labour and birth if required, and the first 6 weeks postnatally. This support could include any of the following. 

A weekly visit between 1-2 hours each 

  • Befriend a mum to be who is referred to the project 
  • Meet or visit her as mutually agreed on a weekly basis at home or in public places 
  • Accompany to ante-natal class or appointments, if needed or necessary 
  • Available to be her birth partner or additional birth partner if appropriate offering practical and emotional support with use of 2nd doula with tag teaming if needed 
  • Effectively listening and displaying positive body language and communication skills 
  • Advocate for her if necessary or appropriate 
  • Giving encouragement and motivation and empowering her to make positive choices  
  • Respect her wishes  
  • Helping her to access appropriate services within her community 

Commitment: All training sessions are compulsory – run on 2 full days over 5 weeks – with additional online training in certain areas.  

Each match with a woman requires a weekly visit of 1-2 hours from week 34 of pregnancy until baby is 6 weeks old. 

If labour and birth support is required, there is an on-call period – which will be explained in full during the training 

Benefit: 

  • New skills and knowledge attained 
  • Confidence building 
  • Developing new friendships with other volunteer doulas 
  • Being part of a unique volunteer program, which will continue to support your personal and professional development 
  • Expenses are reimbursed 

How to take part: We run training courses twice a year. Each time starting with information sessions in advance of training starting. You can obtain further details here: 

You can also contact us direct: 

Doula Line: 0114 273 5733          DoulaProject@sheffield.gov.uk

Empowering Parents, Empowering Communities (EPEC) is a successful, popular, unique parenting approach. EPEC is for local parents, led by local parents.

As an EPEC parent group leader, you will:

  • Receive an amazing free training and support from our local EPEC team.
  • Learn to lead practical, caring groups for local parents.
  • Share tried and tested methods that give children the best start in life.
  • Join a group of like-minded parents to make a difference to your local community.
  • Develop your skills and confidence.
  • Gain experience that will help you to fulfil your ambitions.

You will then co deliver Being A Parent groups at Zest and citywide. These groups are also delivered to Parents of Children with ASD, parents of Teens and babies as well as for co parents supporting parents to work together.

All volunteers will be provided with training and full support from our Parenting Volunteer Manager, Lynn Wragg. 

New training dates to be announced soon. 

Childcare funded and expenses paid.

Apply here: https://forms.office.com/r/rbuuTLM12b

For more information contact: Lynn Wragg on 07792191522 / Lynn.Wragg@zestcommunity.co.uk

Dads who may have some lived experience of perinatal mental health themselves or that of a co-parent.You will be supporting relaxed, positive, social sessions where Dads can meet other Dads and help to give their babies the best start in life

Find out more: Steel City Dads - ZestZest (zestcommunity.co.uk)

Hear from some of our wonderful team members who started out as volunteers.

Here is what some of our volunteers said...

• “I thought I knew a lot about breastfeeding, but I learned so much more from the training. This meant I felt confident to support others with breastfeeding. The training is delivered in such a warm, real and interactive way, while staying faithful to the evidence base. I have made friends for life with my peers on the training course. We stay in touch and continue to support each other. My longer-term aim was to work in breastfeeding support/infant feeding, and as a direct result of the training I'm about to start a paid role with the city council.”

• “Being involved in supporting women to breastfeed has been something I've wanted to do since having my first baby 7 years ago. I found the course absolutely fascinating and have loved meeting so many amazing, supportive and knowledgeable women in the volunteering role, not to mention all the lovely mums and babies!”

• "Wonderful knowledgeable and experienced trainers with fantastic ongoing support after completing the training. I learned so much more than I anticipated and met a really great group of like minded women/doulas. Being able to support someone through their pregnancy, birth and new arrival in a way that they feel seen, heard and their experiences valid is a real privilege. I really hope the community of doulas in Sheffield continues to grow and thrive."

• "I was wanting to give something back to my community and I looked at many volunteering opportunities. After applying and being chosen by the Doula Team to attend the training program I wasn’t disappointed. I learned so much as the training is quite intense, but sets you up with everything you need to go out into the community and support everyone who needs it. I cannot recommend this training enough. I have learned so much!! It’s a must for anyone wanting experience and confidence to progress into further education hoping for a career in Midwifery."


• "Great, inspiring training. Specially brilliant sessions on breastfeeding. The Doula Programme Team provides everything you need to get you going as a Doula, plus superb ongoing support"

• "Informative and dynamic training delivered from friendly and approachable women in a relaxed atmosphere. Allows you to connect with people who are like minded. A fabulous training program for those who would like to support pregnant women and their families in a very unique way."

  • "The knowledge and skills gained from the EPEC training and volunteering role have really helped me progress. It gave me confidence and less anxiety.  The Volunteer Coordinator helped me with job application and interview skills. As a result, I have managed to gain employment with SCC as an Infant peer Support Worker. I think without having done the EPEC training and delivering I wouldn’t have even got an interview."

 

  • "I really enjoyed The EPEC parent group Leader training and I learnt a lot. The training was very thorough and I felt listened to and valued. My confidence has increased and I feel like I am a better parent and more confident in my own parenting style. I feel less alone, and I am more relaxed and feel better equipped in parenting my children.  I now know that what I do is Good Enough and no- one can be the perfect parent, and it has given me the opportunity to reflect on my own parenting skills. I’m more sociable, have built some great friendships with parents going through similar things. I now have the EPEC family to chat with and we regularly meet up socially. The knowledge and skills gained have really helped me progress and improved my confidence and supported my move into employment into a role I really enjoy."

 

  • "I absolutely loved it! I found the teaching styles great as they were fun and interactive, varied and structured. I enjoyed the community feel with different people involved. My husband says I seem happier and more excited to learn new things. He likes to hear about what I have learnt and we are now more confident in our parenting. I have more of an identity as myself and not just as a mum. I look forward to any training. I feel part of a team and have met some lovely people. I have seen an employment coach at ZEST and now have an updated CV for when I am ready to return to work. I feel involved in part of a community, I’ve met so many inspiring people and I’ve been to different centres in different parts of the city. It is lovely to work with others from diverse backgrounds and to feel part of a supportive team."

 

  • "Attending the training was the best thing that happened for me. I loved the teaching material and the way of delivering them. The trainers were friendly and they have strong backgrounds. I learned how to be more patient and how to take care of myself to be able to give to my children. I can say I have become more confident at parenting and sharing my experience and knowledge with others. I feel that I became a productive member in my community, involved in different volunteer work, and I am excited to attend further courses and training. I have now gained employment working within my community at ZEST."