Themes
• Community support group for parents
• Set up by Primary Care Trust (PCT)
Following the identification of a local need, ‘Teddybears' - a ‘drop in' parenting group for parents with children under 12 months of age - was set up in March 2003 using community budget and Sure Start monies, for rent on the church hall where meetings are held, and for educational, age-appropriate toys.
The aims of the group are:
• To provide a safe and stimulating environment for the babies to develop and play
• To reduce social isolation by providing a comfortable environment where people can make new friends and form new support networks in an informal setting
• To provide health information and family support
Each week a health visitor and nursery nurse are present at the group and are able to provide advice, information and support both in a group and one to one setting on subjects such as:
• Infant feeding
• Managing minor ailments
• Baby massage, baby first aid and resuscitation
• Play and development
• Stress management
• Health lifestyles
• Maternal health
• Sleep management
It was hoped at this time that the group would become self sufficient and be run by members of the local community but, because of the nature of the group, the group users stay only for a few months until they return to work when their maternity leave finishes. It had proven difficult to find someone to run the group so the PALS service found a volunteer who would be willing to do this.
The Voluntary Services Manager for Birkenhead & Wallasey Primary Care Trust attended a health visitors meeting and gave a short presentation on PALS and volunteering in community services for the PCT and following this, a health visitor approached the Voluntary Services Manager to ask about the possibility of a volunteer to help with the group.
The VSM requested a ‘task description' outlining the volunteer role and she arranged all of the appropriate checks including occupational health assessments and CRB checks for the new volunteer. Following receipt of new funding for the hall rent and new equipment from the local network fund the volunteer started at ‘Teddybears' in February 2005.
The volunteer is crucial in assisting the staff in opening up, setting up and tidying away equipment. She engages with group users and assists in song time with the babies while the mums go for a ten-minute tea break. Most importantly the volunteer is being instrumental in allowing the group to become self sufficient as she is able to collect subs from the group users (something the health visiting team are not allowed to do) and these subs will pay for the rent on the hall once the current funding comes to an end in March 2006. The mothers in the group appreciate the volunteer and without her the group would not be sustainable.
Contact details:
Linda Gorman
Pals Office
30 Argyle Street
Birkenhead
Wirral
CH41 6AE
Email: linda.gorham@bkwpct.nhs.uk
Tel: 0151-647-4251
