Flintshire Volunteers come to the aid of vulnerable residents

Over a hundred newly recruited Flintshire volunteers are starting to undergo training to help them to tackle the problems faced by vulnerable Flintshire residents in the wake of Coronavirus.  

The County’s Voluntary Council (CVC), is co-ordinating the volunteer effort in a move to support work done by Flintshire’s Social Care Staff, Flintshire County Council and Flintshire’s County Voluntary Council (FLVC).

They working together to make sure their newly formed army of well-wishers are equipped to give help where it’s most needed.

Through partnership working between the local authority, the local voluntary council and the local community, volunteers are being offered training that will help them carry out tasks that will support the work being done by Social Care staff based within Flintshire.  As all organisations are under immense pressure, the training package, developed by Flintshire County Council

Safeguarding Lead Jackie Goundrey, FLVC’s Millie Boswell and Social Care Consultants Ltd, will help to ensure that those who are vulnerable receive the care they need through a combined workforce of skilled care staff and trained volunteers.

Many voluntary roles have been developed by newly formed community groups including such tasks as preparing and delivering meals, shopping for essentials, collecting and delivering prescriptions and offering over the phone support to those in need, as the effects of the COVID-19 virus leaves a great number of unable to leave their homes. 

Flintshire Local Voluntary Council, in line with all other CVCs that join under the umbrella of Third Sector Support Wales, can offer support regarding the governance and funding of this activity and can help to link offers of support with requests for help from Statutory partners. 

FLVC have also been supporting newly-formed groups with basic safeguarding awareness, preparing volunteers with the right tools to protect the most vulnerable.

The response from people wanting help as this crisis has unfolded has resulted in a huge surge in new volunteers throughout Wales, as well as the rest of the UK, with hundreds of thousands of people signing up to do their bit.

Ann Woods, Chief Officer of FLVC, said ‘As the County Voluntary Council we are continuing to help to link the many hundreds of offers of support from volunteers with the support needs of Flintshire residents.  By working closely with the Local Authority, North Wales Police and Health Board colleagues, we can help streamline access to voluntary support to ensure we develop safe practice, maximise efficiency and conserve the energy of all involved.  The response from the community has been incredible’.

Anyone who’d like to volunteer can do so by registering on the Volunteering Wales website – volunteering-wales.net. Once registered, those wishing to volunteer in Flintshire, should join the opportunity entitled “Covid-19 Volunteering in Flintshire”.  To date, over 200 individuals have done this.  If you don’t have access to the internet, you can telephone FLVC on 01352 744000 to register your interest in volunteering.

The Volunteering Wales website also supports any organisation needing volunteers by allowing them to post opportunities that local people can apply for. 

Anyone wishing to volunteer directly with the NHS in North Wales should apply via https://www.bcugetinvolved.wales/volunteers.

If you are aware of anyone in need of the type of support mentioned in this article, please ask them to contact Flintshire’s Single Point of Access on 03000 858 858.

If you’d like regular updates on the latest COVID-19 news for the voluntary sector in Flintshire, including updates on volunteering and funding, please register for FLVC’s e-bulletins via the FLVC website.