When I left my job as a midwife I really missed the contact I had with families. I had worked closely with Home-Start throughout my professional career so contacting them about volunteering seemed a good way to maintain involvement with families while continuing to use both the personal and professional experience I had accumulated over the years.
Getting started was easy. I contacted the office and before I knew it I was signed onto a training course. The course was informative and certainly good preparation for the role of a volunteer. It was great to mix with other trainees and share our experiences and concerns with one another. We had a few guest speakers join us too sharing information and advice.
Before I knew it, the course was over and I was ready to start volunteering! My Co-ordinator had already identified a family for me and it wasn’t long before I was on my way to meet them. Although a little apprehensive the whole experience couldn’t have been easier. My Co-ordinator was there at the initial meeting to support me and was always available if I had any concerns or needed advice. I arranged to visit ‘my family ‘every week for a couple of hours and found myself looking forward to the visits more and more as the weeks went by. At times I didn’t feel that I had done much but the family always seemed so grateful at the end of each visit that I guess I must have been doing something right!
Each family I have supported have been very different but equally rewarding. I have enjoyed every visit and although it has been sad to say good bye to the families at the end I know that I have made a difference and I also know from their feedback that they have appreciated my input. I’ve had a few people ask me why I volunteer for Home-Start and the answer is quite simple – I remember how hard it was being a mum myself and if visiting a family for a few hours a week makes life easier for them then it makes the work I do as a volunteer worthwhile.
Thank you Home-Start for making it possible.