volunteering in care homes: what do we know from a research perspective

Volunteering in Care Homes:What do we know from a research perspective?Matthew HillLearn and share eventsMarch 2014

Volunteering in Health and Social Care

Source: King’s Fund, 2013

Who volunteers?• Very diverse but some important differences

• Sex – women more likely to be involved in caring roles;

• Age – young people more focused on skills development;

• Region – more in South than North;

• Ethnicity – is not a predictor of volunteering; (DCLG, 2010)

• Different ways of thinking about volunteering;

• There is a ‘civic core’ (Mohan and Bulloch, 2012)

• What about in care homes?

The organisation of volunteering within care homes

Three types of involvement: •Organisational Volunteers: Using organisations to provide volunteers

•Home Volunteers: Individual homes recruiting volunteers directly.

•Community Volunteers: Making the home a kind of centre open to the community where groups can ‘bring life in from the outside’

For groups Exercise/dance classes/ music/ singing/ poetryRun/assist arts and crafts sessionsEscort outingsDiscussion group 

For groups or one-to-one: Reminiscence workOffer beauty treatmentsBring in a pet 

One-to-one: Drive/accompany people to dentist, hospital, doctor, shopsAct as advocates (helping people to articulate, defend or exercise their rights)Befriending  

Other: Fundraising

The impact of volunteering in social care

Time and resources

•Cost saving

•Additional services

The distinctive contribution of volunteers (Metz et al, 2012)

•Equality and closeness to users (Morris et al, 2012)

•Connection with the community (Gay, 2009)

•Skills and experiences (Hill et al, 2013)

•Altruistic dynamic of care (Ronel et al, 2009)

Issues within volunteer management 1• Boundaries (Hill et al, 2013)

• Training and support

• Practical and emotional

• professionalisation and formalisation

• overformalisation? (Howlett 2010; Rochester, 2013)

• in volunteer management

Issues within volunteer management 2• Staff/volunteer relationships

• Clarity of roles

• job substitution (Naylor et al, 2013)

• How is volunteering conceived?

• By the organisation - deliverers, community members...

• By the volunteer – work, philanthropy, care

• Increasing participation (Heatley, 2007)

• numbers

• roles

Known unknowns

• Statistics on how many, who and exactly what volunteers do

• Volunteering in the private sector

• Specifics of care homes

• Barriers to involving volunteers

• Volunteer management issues

• Impact of volunteering

Browne, J., Jochum, V. & Paylor, J. (2013) The value of giving a little time: Understanding the potential of micro-volunteering Institute for Volunteering Research

Gay, P. (2009) Review of Volunteering Practice in Care Homes, IVR

Haski-Leventhal, D., L. Hustinx, et al. (2011). "What Money Cannot Buy: The Distinctive and Multidimensional Impact of Volunteers." Journal of Community Practice 19(2): 138-158.

Hill, M., Ockenden, N., Morris, S. & Payne, P. (2013) ‘The position and power of volunteers within palliative care: A Bourdieuian analysis’ Paper presented to the NCVO/VSSN Annual Research Conference, Sheffield Hallam University.

Howlett, S. (2010). "Developing volunteer management as a profession." Voluntary Sector Review 1(3): 355-360.

McKee, M., M. L. Kelley, et al. (2009). "It takes a whole community: the contribution of rural hospice volunteers to whole-person palliative care." Journal of palliative care 26(2): 103-111.

Metz, J., van Baren, E., Roza, L., Meijs, L. and Hoogervorst, N. (2012) ‘The added value of volunteering to youth development’, ISTR Conference.

Mohan, J. & Bulloch, S. (2012) The idea of a ‘civic core’: what are the overlaps between charitable giving, volunteering, and civic participation in England and Wales? Third Sector Research Centre Working Paper 73 Morris, S., A. Wilmot, et al. (2013). "A narrative literature review of the contribution of volunteers in end-of-life care services." Palliative Medicine 27(5): 428-436.

Naylor, C., C. Mundle, et al. (2013). "Volunteering in health and care." King’s Fund

Rochester, C. (2013). Rediscovering Voluntary Action: The Beat of a Different Drum, Palgrave Macmillan.

Ronel, N., D. Haski-Leventhal, et al. (2009). "Perceived Altruism A Neglected Factor in Initial Intervention." International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology 53(2): 191-210.

Strickland A, Ockenden N (2011). Job Substitution or Volunteer Substitution?. London: Institute for Volunteering Research and Volunteering England. Available at: www.cypfconsortium.org.uk/UserFiles/File/job_substitution_volunteer_substitution_

Unknown unknowns?

The evaluation framework• Aims

• Formative evaluation

• Impact assessment

• Frameworks

• Volunteering Impact Assessment Toolkit (VIAT)

• SENSES Framework- security, belonging, continuity, purpose, achievement, significance

• Methods

• Volunteer Investment and Value Audit (VIVA)

• Surveys – staff and volunteers

• Light touch and in-depth case studies – staff, volunteers, residents and relatives

info@ivr.org.uk0207 520 8900www.ivr.org.uk

Thank you