Volunteering Feature: FACES
Opportunities to support Bedford Families through FACES
This September we wanted to introduce volunteers to FACES in Bedford and let you know about their various volunteering opportunities. FACES supports families for a variety of reasons - such as domestic abuse, isolation, mental health needs, parenting support and disability, either via 1:1 visits in their homes or in one of their family groups, which are held weekly at various Children’s Centres.
As FACES are holding an Open Day for professionals and prospective volunteers in September, we thought it would be a good time to tell our readers a little more about volunteering with them.
Amy, part of the staff team at FACES told us that:
“Volunteering with FACES is not just something to do to pass the time; volunteering with FACES means becoming part of a supportive, friendly and well-established team, helping to support vulnerable families within Bedford Borough, encouraging and empowering them during difficult times and seeing them flourish when they emerge on the other side."
The 1:1 and group family support work is where the value of FACES volunteers is truly evident. The charity supports hundreds of families over the course of the year and are only able to do so because they have a team of volunteers who give up their time and put in as much effort and commitment to families as the practitioners do. Each practitioner can have up to twenty families at a time requiring 1:1 support and without volunteers, we would be unable to provide the weekly visits required. Volunteers are also essential in supporting the families attending our weekly groups whose needs may not be as high as the 1:1 families but support is still required, and can be accessed via the groups. FACES tell us:
“Our volunteers build up wonderful relationships with the families, enabling them to understand how best to help and support, and ensure that the families can continue to thrive once the work is completed.”
People’s motivations for volunteering vary greatly. FACES has welcomed those who have retired and would like to feel part of something again, as well as those who have been out of work for a long time, perhaps after an illness or raising a family and are easing their way back into the workplace. They have also had people who were previously supported by FACES and wanted to ‘pay it forward’, to give another family the help they had which is amazing and a testament to how invaluable the support provided by our volunteers truly is.
FACES particularly values the life experiences that volunteers bring with them and understands how useful these can be, particularly with some of the more vulnerable families as they are able to relate to each other, making the support more effective.
Image: Faces Volunteer team in Volunteer Week 2022
FACES volunteers are provided with eight weeks of training in order to equip them with the knowledge and tools to support families, as well as out of pocket expenses, regular supervision and the reassurance that a member of the team is at the end of the phone should they need to call. They are also, on occasion, able to offer student placements:
“We offer our volunteers opportunities for socialising with the FACES team and fellow volunteers, celebrations during Volunteers’ Week and the opportunity for progression within the team. The training course itself can be extremely beneficial, not only because of the content but because it can help to improve trainees’ confidence and belief in their ability to support others.”
Volunteer Katrina speaks about her experience as a FACES volunteer:
“I began volunteering with FACES in May 2021, and after some intense and invaluable training, began supporting a young family. My weekly visits involve taking Mum and baby to the Family Centre run by FACES, where we enjoy lots of activities. We also do various things in the family home, playing games, cooking or visits to the park. I offer emotional and practical support whenever it is needed, and very much enjoy knowing that the family look forward to my visits and they are grateful for the support they receive from FACES”
Many volunteers have gone on to find paid employment in similar fields as the nature of the work provided them with the knowledge, experience, and sometimes confidence to get back into work, or apply for a role they were passionate about. Michaela turned her volunteering experience into paid employment and is now a staff member at FACES. She vouches for the support that the organisation provides to volunteers and staff:
“I originally volunteered with FACES in 2005 when it was part of Home Start. I started working for FACES in March 2014 and I’ve never looked back. The team at FACES are so supportive and have such a diverse range of experiences that make us what we are. I am so proud to be a part of Team FACES! “
If you are interested in joining the team to support families in Bedford, we have two different opportunities with them on our Simply Connect platform.
Follow the links above to find out full details for each volunteering position and if you are interested in the role, you can register your interest, and create an account on Simply Connect. From here you can view and register an interest in any of our volunteering opportunities across Bedfordshire and Luton. If you need help – please talk to one of our advisers – we will be happy to talk you through the process.
We have also put together a list of other opportunities on the CVS Simply Connect platform, volunteering iwth some of the many other organisations across Bedfordshire that are working to support families.
FACES Open Day – Friday 23 September 2022 1:30pm -3:30pm
We look forward to welcoming professionals and prospective volunteers to our open day. You will have an opportunity to meet the team, learn more about the services on offer and our volunteering opportunities. Refreshments will be available. We look forward to seeing you.
To talk further about volunteering, or if you would like some help using our Simply Connect Platform, then please do get in touch.
tel: 01234 354366
