Skills to Use for Addressing a Voluntary Placement

Developing Key Skills

Understand the importance of communication skills: Effective listening, speaking and writing are crucial, deal with service users, their families, and colleagues.
Recognise team working skills: Volunteering in health and social care requires working cohesively as a team to deliver care effectively.
Develop problems solving skills: Be prepared for unexpected situations and problems. Show your adaptability and creativity in handling those.
Improve organisational skills: Manage your time effectively and meet deadlines, keeping track of your responsibilities and tasks.
Aware of digital competence: With technology increasingly becoming part of health and social care, basic digital skills such as online communication and database management are beneficial.

Understanding Necessary Personal Qualities

Emphasise your empathy and sensitivity: You will be dealing with people in various stages of health and distress, your compassion helps in building trust.
Show your resilience and patience: Health and social care work can be challenging, maintaining composure and resilience is crucial.
Demonstrate your initiative: Be forward-thinking and proactive, taking the initiative to solve problems or to help others.
Display your passion for caring for others: Your genuine interest and passion in helping and improving others’ lives is key for successful volunteering.

Familiarising with Placement Setting

Understand health and safety regulations: Every health and social setting has regulations to ensure everyone’s safety, so familiarise yourself with them.
Know confidentiality rules: Understand the importance of maintaining privacy and confidentiality for service users.
Recognise role boundaries: Be clear on what you can and cannot do within your volunteering role to avoid overstepping your responsibilities.
Explore resources: Know what resources are available to you and how to use them effectively during your voluntary placement.

These skills and qualities, along with a thorough understanding of the setting and its demands, can help you address your voluntary placement effectively.