Volunteer Handbook - 2014

1



INTRODUCTION
Welcome to North London Cares. As a young organisation tackling some big
challenges were always inspired to see new people joining our growing network
and rolling up their sleeves to support their older neighbours in Camden and
Islington. Were very pleased to have you on board and look forward to getting to
know you in the coming weeks and months.

North London Cares is a small community network recruiting young professionals
and students to support their older, often isolated neighbours with a little extra
practical help, social connection and human companionship.

We focus on recruiting young professional volunteers because we know that many
people living busy work and social lives want to be involved in their local community
but find it difficult to do so. For that reason we try to make our programmes as
accessible as possible. Many of our activities occur during evenings and weekends,
and we do not require you to commit to volunteering for weeks at a time unless you
want to. Weve also eliminated a lot of the paperwork, so we dont require you to be
CRB/DBS checked unless you want to support an individual through our Love Your
Neighbour programme or by becoming an NLC Organiser. That means you can
start straight away.

In turn, we ask our volunteers to stay in regular contact with North London Cares
staff by phone and email so that we can plan activities and interactions to make
them the very best they can be and to ensure they are always improving the lives
of our older neighbours. We also ask our volunteers to talk to us regularly so that we
can build a genuine social network flexible to changing needs. That means we can
be agile to your needs and the needs of our older neighbours over time but once
youve committed to an activity, well expect you to be there.

Volunteer Handbook - 2014

2
SOCIAL CLUBS
Over the coming weeks, youre likely to volunteer under our Social Clubs
programme. This project offers local older people the chance to get out of the
house, to interact with peers and young people, and to share new experiences, skills
and cultural exchanges in community centres and local cafes from Kilburn to Kings
Cross, Camden Town to Caledonian Road. These clubs might hook on one of the
following activities:

Film Nights
Cooking Sessions
Storytelling Nights
Lunch Clubs
New Tech Workshops
Concert Trips
Meals Out
Vintage Afternoon Teas

These activities are run for medium-sized groups normally 10-15 older people and
3-6 volunteers, although they can sometimes be bigger or smaller. While the cultural
exchange is important and we may ask you to help us make tea or chop up cake
and sandwiches, we like to stress that the real value added for all participants is in
the interactions youll have with your older neighbours, the conversations youll
enjoy, and the benefit everyone gains from those connections.

For that reason we ask all our volunteers to be confident; to arrive with an open
mind; and to sit and chat with your older neighbours. Ask them questions: how
regularly do they join North London Cares events? Have they always lived around
here? What did they do for a living? And tell them about yourself, too people are
interested to hear about your job, your family, your interests, what you got up to at
the weekend, etc. Be sure to respond to your neighbours if they want to follow up
a topic of conversation, go with it; if they dont, talk about something else.
Volunteer Handbook - 2014

3
A North London Cares member of staff or an NLC Organiser (a trained supervisor)
will always be in attendance at each one of the Social Clubs you attend. You will
know the name of this person before you get to the venue due to our
communications with you ahead of time. Please announce yourself upon arrival at
every venue and let the group leader know when youre ready to leave we dont
want anyone left behind! In the interim, the group leader will help to facilitate
conversations between people but feel free to be pro-active if theres a lull in
conversation.

The group leader is also important as a safety manager. If its your first time at
a venue he or she will show you where the fire exit is in case of emergency.
They will also be responsible for ensuring the venue is cleared in the agreed
way, with lights off and doors locked and security alarms enabled. Please take
direction from the group leader if they need your help with these matters.

Apart from that, youre going to have a great time so sit back, relax, converse and
get ready to build some relationships with some truly inspiring people. Just bear in
mind the Dos and Donts of our Code of Conduct before you start:

Please do:
Be talkative! North London Cares is an interactive charity building
relationships between people who might not otherwise have the chance to
interact. Just by signing up youve shown that youre our type of person so
dive in and be confident to chat.

Stay in regular contact with North London Cares between volunteer sessions.
Keep an eye on our website and social media channels, as well as our regular
volunteer email blasts, and let us know whenever youd like to join an activity:
well always have something for you to do across Camden and Islington.

Volunteer Handbook - 2014

4
Tweet and Facebook about your involvement and remember to tag the
North London Cares Facebook page and @NLCares on Twitter as you do.
Every little helps us to grow our support network even wider.

Please dont:
Be late! Sometimes its unavoidable, of course, but it really helps us run great
events if volunteers arrive on time, fired up and ready to go. Also, please
dont drop out at the last minute this could leave us with a big group of
neighbours and no volunteers.

Be anti-social. Tweeting and texting about what youre doing is great but find
a quiet moment to tell the world what youre up to; dont do it mid-natter with
Lily or Ray.

Get too personal. No one likes their physical space invaded or their most
difficult moments brought up for everyone to hear. Ask questions, be
inquisitive about the older people you meet but remember there are other
people around who dont need to hear embarrassing tales. TMI.

Smoke, swear, drink or do anything you wouldnt do in front of your Granny.
We all know which behaviour types are inappropriate keep it for the pub,
please.

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR
Once you have been volunteering with North London Cares for a while through our
Social Clubs programme you may like to participate in our Love Your Neighbour
project as well. This is where we match volunteers to individual older neighbours
who are often housebound or otherwise isolated, so that you can offer a little
practical support around the house, or just a little companionship to someone who
needs a friend.

Volunteer Handbook - 2014

5
Our older neighbours who we engage through the Love Your Neighbour
programme may be a little more frail or vulnerable than those who join our Social
Clubs. We therefore require a little more commitment from volunteers who would
like to support someone in this way. In particular, we need a CRB/DBS check before
we can leave you alone with one of your neighbours. Although it takes a little back-
and-forth and a few documents we can normally confirm a CRB check within two
weeks, and we can still make an introduction to someone who we may think is a
good fit for you in the meantime. Well do this as a team so its a nice informal
introduction.

In addition, we need you to make a commitment, if you are willing to, to see your
new friend regularly. This may be once a month, once a fortnight or once a week
well agree that together. But we do need to know that you can be where you say
youre going to be and at a regular given time. If you would like to do the Love
Your Neighbour volunteering, please speak to a member of staff at North
London Cares, wholl let you know much more.

NLC ORGANISERS
Starting in 2014 we are training some of our most dedicated volunteers to be NLC
Organisers. This is a special position that offers volunteers who want to give more
the chance to step even closer inside the NLC family to be trained to run events
under the North London Cares banner as group leaders themselves, to set up their
own activities, to administer parts of our database in order to mobilise volunteers
directly, and to ensure events are run smoothly five times a year.

In return, we will ensure our NLC Organisers have all the tools and contacts they
need to run successful events. Organisers will also receive the maximum NLC
love: a unique t-shirt, a mug, a certificate and a professional reference from the
charity as a thank you and the warm glow of a job well done. If you would like to
train to become an NLC Organiser please speak to a member of staff at
North London Cares.

Volunteer Handbook - 2014

6
FINALLY, BUT IMPORTANTLY
What North London Cares does, and the issues were trying to tackle, are
complicated and as with every walk of life may contain risks. Although we have
developed a robust risk assessment and policy framework to ensure that, where
possible, all potentially harmful situations are avoided, mitigated or managed, we
cannot avoid every eventuality and you are ultimately individually responsible for
your own behaviour, possessions, health and safety. To guide you in case of a
serious health emergency, please see the First Aid basics at the end of this
Volunteer Handbook and remember: if someone is in trouble please call the
emergency services immediately.

Once again, welcome to North London Cares. Were excited youre joining our
growing network of amazing volunteers and we cant wait to put you to work.




Volunteer Handbook - 2014

7
FIRST AID GUIDANCE
A) THE THREE Cs.

1. Check the surroundings. Evaluate the situation. Do not rush into a situation where
you could end up as a victim yourself. If approaching the victim will endanger your
life, seek professional help immediately. First aid becomes useless if you can't safely
perform it without hurting yourself.

2. Call for help. Call authorities or emergency services immediately if you believe
someone to be seriously injured. If you are the only person on the scene, try to
establish breathing in the patient before calling for help. Do not leave the victim
alone for an extensive amount of time.

3. Care for the person. Caring for someone who has just gone through serious
trauma includes both physical treatment and emotional support. Remember to stay
calm and try to be reassuring; let the person know that help is on its way and that
everything will be alright.

B) CARING FOR AN UNCONSCIOUS PERSON

1. Determine responsiveness. If a person is unconscious, try to rouse them by gently
tickling their bare hands and feet or by speaking to them. If they do not respond to
activity, sound, touch, or other stimulation, determine whether they are breathing.

2. Check for breathing and a pulse. If unconscious and unable to be roused, check
for breathing: look for a rise in the chest area; listen for the sound of air coming in
and out; feel for air using the side of your face. If no signs of breathing are apparent,
check for a pulse.

3. If the person remains unresponsive, prep for CPR. Unless you suspect a spinal
injury, carefully roll them onto their back and open their airway. If you suspect a
spinal injury, leave the person where they are, provided they are breathing. If the
Volunteer Handbook - 2014

8
person begins to vomit, move them over to their side to help prevent choking.Keep
the head and neck aligned. Carefully roll them onto their back while holding their
head. Open the airway by lifting the chin.

4. Perform 30 chest compressions and two rescue breaths as part of CPR. In the
centre of the chest, just below an imaginary line running between the nipples, put
your two hands together and compress the chest down approximately 2 inches at a
rate of 100 compressions per minute. After 30 compressions, give two rescue
breaths and check vitals. If the breaths are blocked, reposition the airway. Make
sure the head is tilted slightly back and the tongue is not obstructing it. Continue
this cycle of 30 chest compressions and two rescue breaths until someone else
(ideally emergency services) relieves you.

5. Remember your ABCs of CPR. The ABCs of CPR refer to the three critical things
you need to look for. Airway. Does the person have an unobstructed airway?
Breathing. Is the person breathing? Circulation. Does the person show a pulse at
major pulse points (wrist, carotid artery, groin)?

6. Make sure the person is warm as you wait for medical help. Drape a towel or a
blanket over the person if you have one; if you don't remove some of your own
clothing (such as your coat or jacket) and use it as a cover until medical help arrives.

7. Pay attention to a list of don'ts. As you administer first aid, be sure to be aware of
these things that you should not do in any case: Do not feed or hydrate an
unconscious person. This could cause choking and possible asphyxiation. Do not
leave the person alone. Unless you absolutely need to signal or call for help, stay
with the person at all times. Do not prop up an unconscious person's head with a
pillow. Do not slap or splash with water an unconscious person's face.




Volunteer Handbook - 2014

9
C) TREATING SPECIFIC PROBLEMS

Cut/gash/flesh wounds. Stop the bleeding first. After you have established that the
victim is breathing and has a pulse, your next priority should be to control any
bleeding. Control of bleeding is one of the most important things you can do for a
trauma victim. Use direct pressure on a wound before trying any other method of
managing bleeding.

Help a choking victim. One of the ways to help a choking victim is the Heimlich
manoeuvre. The Heimlich manoeuvre is performed by straddling the victim from
behind and bear-hugging them with your hands interlocked above their belly-button
but beneath their breastbone. Thrust upward to expel air from the lungs and repeat
until you are successful in clearing the object from the windpipe.

Burns. Treat first- and second-degree burns by immersing or flushing with cool
water (no ice). Don't use creams, butter or other ointments, and do not pop blisters.
Third degree burns should be covered with a damp cloth. Remove clothing and
jewellery from the burn, but do not try to remove charred clothing that is stuck to
burns.

Concussion. If the victim has suffered a blow to the head, look for signs of
concussion. Common symptoms include: Loss of consciousness following the
injury. Disorientation or memory impairment. Vertigo. Nausea. Lethargy. Signs of
concussion should be reported to emergency services.

Seizures. Seizures can be scary things for people who've never experienced them.
Luckily, helping people with seizures is relatively straightforward. Help the person
down to the floor and make sure that the person is breathing. This will help them to
calm down. Prevent them from hurting themselves by slamming into anything. As
soon as you can, write down any details that might help medical professionals
diagnose the situation.

Volunteer Handbook - 2014

10
Heart attacks. It helps to know the symptoms of heart attack, which include rapid
heartbeat, pressure or pain in the chest, and general unease or nausea. Rush the
person to the hospital immediately while giving them an aspirin or a nitroglycerin,
which the person should chew.

Strokes. Knowing the symptoms of stroke is important. They include temporary
inability to talk or understand what is being said; confusion; loss of balance or
dizziness; and severe headache with no precursor, among others. Rush a person
you suspect has had a stroke to A&E immediately.