Does Anyone Do Voluntary Work?

[muchlovex]

I have put my name down to offer myself as a Befriender for local elderly people. It would involve anything from help around the house, gardening, chatting to them and some advocacy work.

Am really looking forward to when I start, but am just wondering if there are others on here who do similar voluntary work.

The organisation have said i would need A CRB check, which is fine, as I have had them for work, but should I tell them I had a check 1 year ago. As it may save them money.

[piggling]

Most companies/bodies will not accept CRB checks done for other bodies. Which leads to the ludicrous situation that one of my friends has 5 for different organisations.

[fliptheswitch]

Nope. They will need a new one each time. It is absolutely ridiculous!

[johnk]

I think you have to have one for every different job and every different area. My Grandaughter had one for a childrens nursery but had to have a new one for a care home. A friend who coaches junior rowers and is a teacher has about 6 of them!

[sara3]

they will be legally obliged to run their own checks.

I know someone who did befriending and it was quite gruelling, but rewarding.

[muchlovex]

Hi Sara. How was it gruelling?

[DENZIL88]

I work for a charity, we transport elderly people around the local area, we have volunteer drivers (most are over 65) and the old people expect them to carry sometimes up to 13 bags of shopping and deliver it to their kitchen all for free.........be careful old people really can take the pee !!

[sara3]

his first pairing was with a man who had cancer, and had no one to visit him at home.. and he died a few months later.

then he was paired with a teenage boy whose mother had cancer, and he had no other adults around him, so it was quite intense.

very rewarding though!

[maggiebee]

I'm a volunteer with Samaritans and we all need an advanced CRB check as we do face-to-face work as well as on the telephones. As a council employee I already had a check but it didn't matter, it had to be done again. Think it's a bit like an MOT for your car - only good for the day you get it.