- Working with older people
- Supporting people in the community
- Services to a minority community
The London Irish Centre is an independent charity based in North West London, and aims to respond to the unmet needs among Irish people by providing support, welfare and advice/advocacy to the Irish community in the area. Many Irish people came over to work in the 1950s and 60s as single people and have never married, with the result that they now have no immediate family. If they also have poor health, or poor literacy skills research has show that this leads to high levels of isolation, poverty and disadvantage amongst many older Irish people, living in rented accommodation in North London.
The Irish Centre has provided a luncheon club, fortnightly tea dances, computer and art classes and other services for many years. In 1997 an Outreach Project began in Camden, with a small volunteer befriending scheme being run by the one Older Persons Outreach Worker. In 2003 a second Outreach Worker and a Volunteer Organiser started in the western part of the catchment area Kilburn/Brent.
Referrals are received from a wide range of agencies including:
- General Practitioners
- Social Services
- The Police
- The Church
- The social clubs run by the centre
- Relatives/neighbours.
Once an individual has been referred to the service they are visited by an outreach worker who makes an initial assessment around housing, health, benefits and social isolation. The outreach worker provides practical support to ensure that individuals receive access to appropriate housing and health care, and claim their full entitlement to benefits, but often these problems are compounded by social isolation.
The role of the Volunteers Organiser is to recruit volunteers to visit regularly, and to help individuals deal with everyday life. In particular this means:
- Sorting the post to help individuals with poor literacy manage their affairs
- Accompanying people to the Post Office and the doctor’s surgery which in turn means maintaining good health
- Assisting people to get taxi cards and bus passes to enable them to go out more
- Helping people when they lose important documents such as passports and need to replace them
- Assisting people when there are mistakes with their benefit claims
- Help make contact with the appropriate agencies to contact missing relatives.
It is also hoped to develop a scheme for volunteers to take individuals to church, or local activities thus helping them remain part of the community.
Since the scheme started almost thirty volunteers have been recruited, of whom 30% are men and 80% of the volunteers are over 60. Most are recruited as be-frienders, although some work in administration work, luncheon club or organise the tea dance Almost all volunteers are Irish, or second generation Irish, and are recruited through:
- Advertisements in Church newsletters
- Leaflets, posters in libraries and primary schools (to attract parents)
- Speaking at Church services
- The local community website
- Camden Volunteer Bureau
- The Irish Studies Department at London Metropolitan University
- Word of mouth.
Two references are taken up for all volunteers and they sign a good practice agreement which clarifies their role, and rights and responsibilities. There are quarterly meetings for volunteers with a good level of attendance, which provide an opportunity to discuss developments in the service, such as introducing police checks for all volunteers in a befriending role and providing a structured induction programme to include training which benefits both the volunteer and the client.
There are plans to develop further services, particularly with people who are deaf and did not learn to use speech when they were young. Instead they were taught to use Irish sign language, which is different to British, although most can use both so volunteers will receive training in signing in order to communicate.
For further information contact:
Mary Leyne
Volunteer Organiser
14a Quex Road
London NW6 4PL
020 7328 9426
e-mail volunteerorganiser@btconnect.com
www.irishcentre.org
