Children & Young Adult Unit Support

Are you passionate about supporting children and young adults with complex health needs and disabilities? Join our volunteer team at St Oswald’s Hospice and help us create meaningful experiences for the children and young adults we care for. 

What you’ll do

As a volunteer, you’ll assist our care and therapy team in providing activities that:

• Inspire creativity (arts & crafts, sensory storytelling)
• Promote relaxation (music, mindfulness)
• Encourage physical activity (nature exploration, movement-based play)

You’ll help prepare and facilitate sessions, ensuring a warm, engaging, and supportive environment.

1. Engage with the children and young adults in a compassionate and patient manner, encouraging participation and ensuring they feel supported.
2. Supporting hospice staff and other volunteers to ensure the smooth running of activities you will assist in the preparation, facilitation, and clean-up of scheduled activities, these could include:

• Art and Creativity: Helping our children and young adults express themselves through various artistic mediums, including painting, drawing, and crafting.
• Baking/Cooking: Assisting with simple cooking and baking activities, ensuring safety, and encouraging participation.
• Personal Care and Well-being: support with basic hair styling, painting nails, and hand massages.
• Exploring Nature and the Gardens: Support nature-based activities, such as nature walks exploration and play in the hospice garden.  Support patients in planting, watering, and caring for plants in our hospice garden.
• Visits: Accompanying staff and children and young adults on visits to help ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience.
• Sensory Story Time: Engaging in sensory-rich story sessions, using props, sounds, and textures to enhance the experience.
• Yoga and Movement Sessions: Assisting with gentle yoga and movement activities, ensuring all abilities are supported.

1. Assist with the preparation of the activity space, ensuring all materials and equipment are ready for use.
2. Help with the clean-up and organisation of the space following the activity, ensuring it is left tidy and safe for the next session.

Room Preparation:

1. Set up rooms for incoming children and young adults, ensuring that bedding, posters, and personal items are arranged in a way that reflects the individuals’ preferences and interests. 
2. Comfort Enhancement: Add finishing touches to rooms, such as placing favourite toys, books, or other comforting items within easy reach.
3. Collaborative Support: Coordinate with nurses, caregivers, and other volunteers to ensure room setups are done efficiently and in a timely manner.
4. Creativity: Bring a creative flair to room setups, finding thoughtful ways to make each room unique and special.

Supporting the staff team:

1. Helping to creating visual displays and making resources to aid communication and choice making. 
2. Helping to organise and clean toys and equipment used by our children and young adults.

Full roles description available via our website at https://www.stoswaldsuk.org/get-involved/volunteer-with-us/current-volunteering-opportunities/

Skills

Skills and Experience:

• A genuine interest in working with children and young adults with complex needs.
• Enthusiasm for engaging in the chosen activity and supporting the staff and other volunteers.
• Patience, empathy, and the ability to adapt to individual needs.
• Good communication skills.
• Good organisational skills.
• Reliability and commitment to the role.
• The ability to work well with other volunteers and staff.

Personal Qualities:

• Compassion and Empathy: An understanding and sensitivity towards the emotional and physical challenges faced by children and young adults in hospice care. The ability to connect with them in a caring and supportive way.
• Adaptability: The flexibility to adjust to different situations, needs, and abilities, as well as being open to changing plans or activities as necessary.
• Positivity and Enthusiasm: A cheerful and encouraging attitude can make a big difference in creating a joyful atmosphere, helping our children and young adults feel more comfortable and engaged.
• Sensitivity to Boundaries: An understanding of appropriate boundaries, ensuring that interactions are respectful and professional, while also being warm and supportive.
• Emotional Resilience: The capacity to cope with the emotional aspects of working in a hospice setting, including dealing with challenging situations, while maintaining a positive and caring attitude.