Volunteer Gardener - London, United Kingdom - Choice in Hackney

Description

Volunteer Gardener
Our Volunteer Service aims to support disabled people in Hackney and reduce their isolation during the lockdown period.

The support is flexible, following the agreed boundaries of the person receiving the service and the volunteer, however It doesn't include personal care, advocacy, mentoring or any service covered by a person's care package.

A Volunteer Gardener will be visiting the gardens of disabled people to perform basic gardening tasks. We will ensure that the gardener will be able to enter and exit the garden safely (e.g. through a side entrance) and without directly contacting the service user. We match volunteers with service users according to mutual preferences and availability.

We will always look to pair Volunteer Gardeners with a person within a reasonable and safe distance of their current location.

Responsibilities within the Volunteer Gardener role include:

• Basic gardening at the home of, under the direction of the service user. Gardening tasks might include mowing a lawn, weeding, pruning, bagging up garden waste, tidying the garden to improve accessibility
• Maintaining a professional approach and boundaries in line with Choice in Hackney's guidance.
• Gardening and interacting safely in line with social distancing and other guidelines for volunteers.
• Relating to the service user in a respectful way and adhering to the Choice in Hackney's equal opportunities policy
• Keeping in touch with the Volunteer Coordinator and informing of any issues/change

Personal Specification (qualities, Knowledge and skills needed)
This is a list of the qualities, skills and knowledge we are looking for in a Volunteer Gardener.

Please don't be put off by this list of requirements - some of the skills and knowledge needed for the role can be learned during the induction period.

• Ability to carry out tasks alone and without close supervision
• Good communication skills: listening, talking, etc.
• Good communication skills: listening, talking, etc.
• Available to commit to completing 1 garden, usually at the same home as agreed
• Reliability: able to keep commitments and appointments and where necessary, to communicate changes to plans with as much notice as possible
• Empathy and an interest in understanding the barriers with which disabled people are faced
• Ability to recognise own limitations and ask for help when needed
• Ability to understand and follow relevant policies and procedures e.g. confidentiality, health and safety, boundaries.

Volunteer Benefits

• Satisfaction from providing practical help to someone who needs it
• Gaining awareness and better understanding of disability issues and the voluntary sector
• Joining a friendly and supportive volunteer community
• Flexible commitment (time, geographical area etc.)
• References for future employers etc. where appropriate

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check:
For all one-to-one roles, we carry out an enhanced DBS check. This is a legal requirement and

helps us to protect the potentially vulnerable adults to whom we have a duty of care. A criminal

conviction will not necessarily prevent you from volunteering with Choice in Hackney so if you have

any concerns about the disclosure, please feel free to discuss them in confidence with the

Volunteer Coordinator.


Job Type:
Volunteer


Benefits:

• Flexitime

Experience:

• Gardening: 1 year (preferred)

Work Location:
In person