Volunteering

Bath Mind offers a number of volunteering opportunities, with paid staff and volunteers working together towards a better life for people experiencing mental ill health.

Strategic direction and representation

Bath Mind is managed by a small committee of volunteer Trustees, providing guidance and direction to the charity. Trustees have a range of skills including knowledge of the mental health services as a user or carer, financial, fundraising and business skills. If you are thinking about becoming a Trustee further general information and an informative leaflet 'Thinking about becoming a charity trustee' can be obtained from the Charity Commission telephone 0870 3330123 or visit www.charitycommission.gov.uk.

Volunteer Advocate/Befriender

If you are concerned about the rights of people with mental or emotional difficulties, respect other people’s views, are a good listener, reliable and can commit to 2-4 hours per week find out more about becoming and advocate/befriender.

Bath Mind Advocacy offers a free, confidential and independent service for anyone who has experienced mental and emotional distress and their carers.

Many of our advocates will bring with them relevant life experiences, a degree of expertise and relevant qualifications in legal and social care areas, although all our volunteer advocates have to complete an in-house training course before they can work for Bath Mind. This course is 3 days long and is usually completed over 3-4 weeks. Once trained, advocates are assigned individual cases with regular individual and group supervision meetings for support.

The next advocacy/befriending training course will be held towards the end of 2010.

Community Outreach Volunteers

The Community Outreach service encompasses a drop-in centre and a range of activities providing opportunities for education, training and skills development, as well as volunteering work. People who attend the various activities may be seeking direction, wish to update their skills or boost their confidence in socializing with others.

Or outreach volunteers bring with them an enthusiastic desire to share their skills and an ability to teach people, so that others can benefit.

Housing Services Volunteers

Bath Mind manages a registered home, providing care for six individuals with long term mental health problems. Residents are encouraged, with the support of staff and volunteers, to socialise and take as much responsibility for their own lives as possible. Volunteers are invaluable in helping residents maximize their independence.

Once you apply to be a Bath Mind volunteer the length of the process varies from service to service. Your application will be assed and accepted if we can find a suitable match with the service you are interested in. The Advocacy service takes on volunteers twice per year to fit in with the training programme.

All our volunteers have to be checked by the Criminal Records Bureau, paid for by Bath Mind.

The amount of time you volunteer each week will vary but as a general rule we would be grateful; if you could commit to 2-4 hours.

Bath Mind provides relevant training, ongoing support and supervision. Our volunteers can claim out of pocket expenses, such as bus fares to visit clients.