Volunteer Minibus Assistant

Volunteer with us..... To assist our driver on the 8-seater minibus enabling older people to attend their lunch clubs and/or go on weekly shopping trips.    Location: Various locations around Galway City and County Times: Thursday 11.30am-1.30pm Commitment: Minimum 6 months Responsible to:  The Community Support Worker and the lead worker in the Community Bungalow Level of English required:  Fluent  Our Vision A community where every person is valued, cared for and supported at every stage of life. We work to achieve this vision by providing essential supports for people at challenging times in their lives and by advocating for systemic change to remove the root causes of inequality and disadvantage that constrain the well-being and development of individuals, families and communities.  Our Mission Making a difference by empowering people, creating change and strengthening communities. We understand, respect and respond to the needs of those who struggle with the challenges of homelessness and domestic abuse, and we support older people towards healthy and active ageing.  Service description Our older people’s services support Healthy Independent Ageing at Home. Sonas Day Centre is a social centre for older people in Mervue offering social support, home visits, shopping, and laundry, information advocacy in relation to health, welfare and housing. Health promoting activities and classes are available. They run a weekly lunch club; breakfast club and link with local services to ensure older people are supported to stay living at home. The service is open five days per week.  The Community Bungalow: Offers exercise classes, arts and crafts, social clubs and lunch clubs throughout the week.  Community Support Project: Our community support workers support older people around the Galway City area. Group and 1-1 support is provided. Supports include information and advocacy in relation to health, welfare and housing, activities, outings and shopping trips.  What’s involved?  You will assist the Volunteer Bus Driver at all times. A risk assessment will be carried out on clients before they are allowed to travel on bus.  The COPE Galway minibus driver’s assistant will enable older people to attend their lunch club and/or go on a weekly shopping trip. You will be assisting the driver in collecting and dropping older people home, ensuring that they are safe getting on/off the bus and chatting with older people on the bus. You will be expected to: Ensure there is a mobile phone on board which is fully charged and working Along with the driver, liaise with the staff in charge regarding clients' collections and report anything of note Assist clients entering and leaving the bus Assist in securing clients on the bus Ensure the bus does not drive off before everyone is secured Inform the driver if any seat belts or other equipment is loose or insecure Prevent clients from leaving the vehicle before it has come to a complete stop Assist the driver in an emergency or breakdown Assist the driver in reversing or parking as required Ensure emergency contact list is on board  Personal Specification Be genuinely interested in older people and supporting them to live independently at home Good interpersonal and teamwork skills Good listening skills Ability to respond in a professional manner to challenges   A commitment to principles of diversity and inclusion Friendly, enthusiastic manner Ability to demonstrate respect and empathy to clients  Full, clean category B driving licence Flexibility Reference, police check and driving licence required  What will you get out of it?  Join a welcoming team while meeting and working with new people. The opportunity to develop social and experiential competencies such as Gaining communication and customer service skills. Building confidence. Adding valuable experience to your CV. References available once the minimum commitment has been made.  The option to access other training courses as appropriate to the role. The opportunity to contribute to a local Galway charity and help us realise our vision of creating a community where every person is valued, cared for and supported at every stage of life. Great personal satisfaction since you can make a real difference to our service users. What we would like from you Willingness to work within the values and policies of COPE Galway. Volunteers conducts themselves in a professional manner and maintains a respectful and courteous manner in dealing with clients. Maintain confidentiality in respect of all matters which come to their knowledge while volunteering. Volunteers should not undertake duties outside this role description without checking first with their Volunteer Supervisor.  Adhere to the “Volunteer Agreement” which includes their rights and responsibilities as outlined in our Volunteer Handbook. Will there be induction and training? You will receive a local induction and introduction to the role before you start.  You will be offered service specific training required for the role.  Other training includes:  Trauma Informed Practice (online module) ‘Stop & Think’ Reflective Workshops You will have the opportunity to participate in ‘On-boarding Induction’ with fellow volunteers and staff. In addition, Cope Galway will provide ongoing support and supervision through relevant to the volunteer role, which you will be informed about while you are volunteering.  Recruitment Process Applicant is sent an Application Pack (role description, application form etc)  Once the application form is received and the applicant is considered a suitable match for a particular volunteer role, the applicant will be invited to meet with the service manager. The interview takes place  Successful applicants will be offered the volunteer role subject to Garda Vetting to be completed in a timely manner 2 Reference Checks (one of whom must be resident in Ireland)  Induction and Orientation prior to commencement. Volunteers commencing with COPE Galway are subject to a trial period.