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Volunteer Travel Buddy - Arts in Health (AiH)

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ABOUT US

Central and North West London (CNWL) Trust has almost 7,000 staff providing integrated healthcare to a third of London's population, Milton Keynes and areas beyond.

Arts in Health (AiH) is a step-down service from the Community Mental Health Hubs, offering a programme of regular creative activities to support adults with lived experiences of mental health difficulties. Read more about us here: https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/cnwl-arts-health.

Our main programme consists of a monthly Art Studio (currently at Paddington Arts Centre) and monthly cultural visits to museums and galleries (across London). These both currently run on a Thursday afternoon, alternating between the two. This means we run a session every 2 weeks on a Thursday afternoon until July.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are currently looking for a local volunteer ‘travel buddy’ (living locally in SW1P) to accompany and support a participant from home to the Arts in Health session locations, every 2 weeks. Participants may need support because they feel anxious travelling alone, going to a new place, taking public transport, have fluctuations in their mental health, or need the accountability of having a travel buddy. Travel will take place on public transport from Westminster.

You won’t be able to attend the 2 hour sessions (generally 2-4pm) of the project, but you will be free to spend those two hours looking at shops, museums, reading, or going to a cafe.

COMMITMENT AND LOCATION

You will need to be available on Thursday afternoons from 16th January 2025 to provide fortnightly support. There are two separate groups, which run monthly, starting at 2pm and end at 4pm, but you may will need to be available earlier to pick up/meet the participant beforehand.

Participants should aim to arrive at 1.45pm at reception for a 2pm start. Collection will be just after 4pm, to allow time to get downstairs to reception.

Travel buddies will have a short online induction with the Arts in Health team before the project starts to share more about the project and to answer any questions.

Locations:

  • 17th April to 10th July - 2 Temple Place, Temple, London, WC2R 3BD (Main Art Studio), nearly every week, except for the following two dates which are in different locations:

  • 15th May – Camden Arts Centre, Arkwright Rd, London NW3 6DG

  • 19th June – Serpentine South Gallery, London W2 3XA

KEY TASKS

  • Travel to the participant’s home or a mutually agreed location nearby; meet them outside
  • Supporting a participant to travel to and from the venue, from their home, using public transport, to ensure they get to the session with time to settle before it starts
  • Plan the journey from where you greet participant, to the session location in advance
  • Wait patiently for two hours without attending the session, and then travel back to their home location at the designated time
  • Encourage the regular attendance of participants
  • Report any issues or concerns to the AiH team
  • Read and follow our policies & procedures - designed to keep you safe, including guidance around confidentiality

KEY TRAITS, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

  • A kind, caring and supportive nature, with an ability to relate positively with both staff and clients
  • Be organised, with the ability to plan travel routes and travel confidently using public transport
  • Empathetic, compassionate, patient, tolerant and considerate
  • Good communication skills, including responding to emails and calls in a timely manner
  • An interest in working with mental health, adults with complex needs and learning more about using the arts for wellbeing and self expression.
  • An understanding of individual patients’ needs taking into consideration cultural and religious requirements
  • Reliability: to be someone we can rely on
  • Committed: to be consistent and dependable
  • The ability to work independently whilst staying within the role’s boundaries, recognising what should and shouldn’t be done, when to seek advice or report concerns.
  • Committed to the values and policies of the Trust, including Data Protection and Equal Opportunities

WHAT IS IN THERE FOR YOU?

  • The opportunity to gain experience and develop knowledge and skills of working with adults with experiences of mental health issues
  • Provide a supportive and empathetic service
  • Learn about safeguarding adults
  • Learn more about the ethos and work of Arts in Health
  • Experience and insight into working within the NHS and healthcare sector, and working within a community environment
  • Full support and a range of relevant training, including local induction and orientation
  • Access to the Volunteer to Career (VtC) programme to support you enter careers in the NHS through volunteering once 30 hours of volunteering have been completed
  • A reference for future volunteering or employment, following completion of at least 60 hours of volunteering
  • Following our expenses policy, reimbursement of agreed expenses