Bevan - Volunteering

Welcome to Bevan, we are always interested to hear from likeminded individuals and organisations who can donate their time, skills, or things to help the people we serve.

Bevan is all about people. They are at the heart of everything we do, and we recognise that they are the experts in their lives and communities. We meet people where they are at and provide person-centred approaches that enable change. We are a ‘surplus for purpose’ business, so any money we make beyond what it costs to run the business, is put back into delivering more services. We work for people who have had the least opportunity in life and work with them to remove barriers and create opportunity for change. Bevan operate across West and North Yorkshire, and we work with:

• People experiencing homelessness or who are insecurely housed.
• Refugees and Asylum Seekers
• Commercial Sex workers
• Gypsy, Romany, and Traveller communities
• People who have experienced the criminal justice system.
• People who have been trafficked

Other marginalised individuals who can be excluded by mainstream services.

Our Values: Compassion, Innovation, Empower, Courage and Collaboration

Why you might volunteer with Bevan.

Working towards finding employment. At Bevan, several of our volunteers have gone on to paid employment with Bevan or other organisations and have accessed further education opportunities. You may want to gain experience working with individuals who have had difficult experiences to help you decide on your future career path or connect with new people and share skills you have and gain new ones.

Our approach

We recognise that people need right support from the right person at the right time, so we deliver services based on strengths and aspirations of the individual. People are unique and we know that everyone needs different types of support to use their strengths to get them to where they want to be.

We describe this as a ‘tiered approach’. The tiered approach helps us look at how we can best help each person get to where they want to be.

Tier 1 – this is all about giving people the information and guidance they need to access services.

Volunteering under Tier 1 could include:

• Meet and greet at our services including GP reception and guiding people to where they need to go.
• Being a digital friend and enabling online access
• Support at health and wellbeing events to welcome people
• Signposting to other services as needed e.g., welcome to Bevan session, financial advice, housing, food banks, how/ where to eat today.

Tier 2 – This will all be about working with people who may need a bit more support. It can include helping to deliver services rather than just supporting access or giving information.

Volunteering under Tier 2 could include:

• Delivering the ‘Welcome to Bevan and Welcome to UK’ session
• Delivering group work and activities
• 1:1 case load management for people who may need more support to access
• Helping to listen to patient voice and feed into service design.
• Using your own lived experience to help design services.

Our Roles 

Reception Front of House

In this valuable role you will be the face of the wellbeing reception team, meeting and greeting individuals and supporting them to navigate the building and wellbeing offer. You will also signpost individuals to events and activities that are held in our wellbeing centre and other community venues.

Wellbeing Event Support

Supporting Staff at health and wellbeing events that are facilitated by Bevan this could be at Your Space, the Homeless Drop In, Warm Spaces and Bevan Babies. Assisting with food preparation and general catering duties such as food service and washing up.

Tier 2 Volunteer Roles

We offer befriending support to individuals by assisting them to attend medical appointments and other appointments such as solicitors, housing, financial and welfare advice and going along with them to the appointment when needed.

Digital Friends

This is a peer support service delivered by Bevan to enable socially excluded people to overcome digital barriers to accessing health and wellbeing services. It could be supporting someone on a 1-2-1 basis or in a community setting to access the internet and learn essential digital skills.

Hotel Based Support

In this role you will support new arrivals to the country who have been placed in temporary hotel accommodation.  The support you will offer may include the following – Digital Friends, Welcome to Bevan sessions, registering with a GP via the NHS app.

Skills

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ANY OF THE ROLES ABOVE PLEASE EMAIL  Ann.Wild3@bradford.nhs.uk  AND ASK FOR THE FORM.