Local Champions – Carers Catch Up Hosts
Please read the role description below for the Carers Catch Up host before filling out the application form.
Purpose of this role
This role is for family carers of people with severe learning disabilities whose behaviour challenges. Local Champions support the CBF by raising awareness of our work and services, raising awareness of issues for people whose behaviour challenges and by helping to run some of our peer support services. We are a small national charity with a small staff team; therefore, we need the help of dedicated volunteers across the country to reach families and give them the opportunity to access our information and support.
Tasks involved in this role
Carers Catch Ups are currently held on the first Monday of the month. Local Champions host these sessions online via Zoom for an hour and a half. Hosting these sessions includes starting the Zoom meetings, starting discussions and keeping discussion flowing, and making sure the meeting rules are adhered to. There are some small administrative tasks such as emailing the CBF to let them know of any resources that need to be sent out along with a list of attendees. Carers Catch Up meetings are confidential, but if a host becomes aware of a safeguarding concern, they will be expected to raise it with the CBF Safeguarding Lead.
Skills/experience needed
- Local Champions should be family carers of people with severe learning disabilities and behaviour that challenges, this includes parents, siblings, uncles, aunts and grandparents.
- They should share the CBF’s values.
- A basic understanding of IT, e.g. hosting Zoom meetings, sending and receiving emails.
- Good verbal and written communication skills, as well as enjoying talking to others.
- Confidence to start conversations or to steer a conversation back to topic.
Time Commitment
The Carers Catch Up sessions are hosted on the first Monday of each month. We are also looking at hosting a topic specific session once a month (days and dates to be agreed) in addition to this. We are hoping to recruit a small group of Local Champions to work together to host the Carers Catch Up sessions on a rota basis. We understand how busy life can be for our families and know that sometimes plans need to be changed or cancelled. By setting up an agreed rota it will mean the responsibility won’t always be one person, reducing the need to cancel sessions.
Like CBF staff, all Local Champion volunteers complete our Core Training programme, you will need to attend every day and the dates planned for this are:
Day 1 : Thursday 6th July 2023 (online)
Day 2: Friday 7th July 2023 (online)
Day 3: Thursday 13th July 2032 (online)
If you are interested in volunteering for us, please click below to complete the application form. If you are unsure whether this role is for you, please call Amy on 0300 666 0126 for an informal chat.
Closing date: Friday 23rd June 2023