Maternity Support Volunteering at Homerton
Do you want to make a difference? Gain experience by volunteering in a busy healthcare setting?
Give something back? Learn new skills? Meet new people? Contribute in a positive manner to
someone’s pregnancy journey?
Then why not apply to be a Maternity Support Volunteer?
Volunteers come from all sections of the community and have different motivations for getting
involved. But they all have one thing in common – a commitment to give their time for free to
improve patients’ experience of their hospital stay.
Our Maternity Support Volunteer scheme aims to:
 Enhance the birth experience for women and their families
 Provide positive emotional, physical and practical support from a dedicated birth companion.
 Empower women in labour and encourage them to use a variety of relaxation and pain
relieving techniques
 Support mothers in caring for their babies and offer breastfeeding advice and support
 Support staff – by providing an extra pair of hands and taking on roles that complement and
enhance the care provided by Midwifery Staff.
The Trust is committed to ensuring that the involvement of volunteers complements the work of
paid staff. Volunteers must not be used to replace roles that are usually undertaken by employees
or to fill in for staff shortages.
Volunteers must always explain to women and their families their status and role as a
volunteer in the organization
Current Vacancies
Our next recruitment for 15 new volunteers will open on the 30th of September 2013 and will
close once we have recruited suitable candidates.
Please check the website again in January 2014 for any updates of our next recruitment
intake.
Many thanks for your interest.
Who can apply?
Volunteers must be eligible to work in the UK and be 18 years and over. Unfortunately this type of
volunteering is not suited for work experience or as an exploratory excursion for those thinking of
nursing or midwifery as a career. Our PRIMARY aim is to recruit and build a team of long term
volunteers whose main aim is to provide ongoing support and assistance that will benefit and
enhance the birth experiences of Homerton’s maternity clients. Therefore we are unable to accept
applications from students and from other short term applicants seeking experience on a maternity
unit. We set up a small number of medical placements for individuals interested in becoming a
doctor. If you are interested, please e-mail work.experience@homerton.nhs.uk
Please note this role falls within the Privacy and Decency sections of the Sex Discrimination Act
1975 and is therefore only available to women.
Who are we looking for?
Pregnancy and motherhood is a very exquisite occurrence and we are looking for volunteers who
can contribute meaningfully and enhance these experiences for women and their families. They
must be patient and caring women, who may be mothers or grandmothers and can volunteer their
time to support and help pregnant women and their families. Maternity Support Volunteers are
recruited on the basis that they are: patient, caring, tolerant, kind, enthusiastic, adaptable and nonjudgemental. They must be willing to help others, learn, able to work effectively as part of the
Obstetric Team and can give their time to voluntarily support maternity clients at any stage of their
pregnancy journey. If they have agreed to accept a referral from a client to support her in labour,
this can sometimes be at very short notice.
Target audience?
The target audience is all maternity clients who wish to accept the offer of the service. Clients can
self-referral and we also accept and fill referrals from midwives for vulnerable clients who would
particularly benefit from the extra support.
How long can I volunteer for?
Volunteers are expected to volunteer for at least 6 hours a week for a minimum of 6 months or
longer provided they have their annual updates, and appraisals with the Coordinator.
What training do I need?
Volunteers should be available for the initial four weeks training and the monthly updates.
On completion of the training program, successful applicants will need to have a cleared Enhanced
CRB check which is carried out by the Hospital, two Professional references, and Employment
Health Clearance before they can start to volunteer.
How to apply






Step 1 –
Step 2 –
Step 3 –
Step 4 –
Step 5 –
Step 6 –
ring the Volunteer Office
complete a short application form
attend an informal interview
references and CRB clearance
introductory training session
your first day!
If you have any questions about our recruitment process, please call our Volunteer Office on 020
8510 5235 or email maternityvolunteering@homerton.nhs.uk
TOP
Step 1 – Ring the Volunteer Office
If you’re 18 and over and can commit to a minimum of 6 hours a week for at least six months, call
the Volunteer Office on 020 8510 5235. We like to speak to all volunteers prior to applying to
explain what maternity volunteering entails and to check that you meet the requirements of the role
and confirm that there is a suitable vacancy. We will then send you a volunteer application pack.
This will include a short application form and a role description.
TOP
Step 2 – Complete a short application form
Completed application forms should be sent back to the Maternity Support Volunteer Office by
email maternityvolunteering@homerton.nhs.uk) or by post to (Maternity Support Volunteer
Office, Yellow Corridor Roof Offices, Homerton Hospital, Homerton Row, London E9 6SR).
TOP
Step 3 – Attend an informal interview
If your interests and availability fit our Maternity Support Volunteer role you will be invited for an
informal interview. This will be a chance to chat through in more detail what volunteering will
involve and to answer any queries you have.
You will be asked to bring along a number of documents to enable us to apply for enhanced
clearance from the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) on your behalf.
TOP
Step 4 – References and Disclosure and Barring Service (Formerly CRB clearance)
If you’re provisionally offered a volunteer placement, we will ask you to complete an online
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) form and follow up two references.
A final decision about your placement will depend on DBS clearance, your references and a Trust
Declaration Form completed at interview.
TOP
Step 5 – Training
All volunteers must be able to attend the four week training which includes two days
mandatoryTrust Corporate Induction, this occurs every fortnight on Monday’s and Tuesday’s from
9am-1pm and 9am-5pm respectively. Followed by three weeks of evening sessions on Tuesdays,
Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6pm – 8pm alternately they can attend 3 Saturday sessions from
9.30am – 3.00pm before they start volunteering. This will tell you more about the hospital and our
programme equip and teach you the skills needed to be a dynamic and effective birth buddy as
well as how you can support mothers to care for their new babies.
TOP
Step 6 – Your first day!
The Volunteer Coordinator will ask you to sign a volunteer agreement and you will be given a
Maternity Support Volunteer tabard and ID badge. You will also receive a local induction from the
ward or department in which you are working. Volunteers will be managed by the Maternity
Volunteer Coordinator but are answerable in the first instance to the Midwife that they are working
with and the Midwife coordinating the shift.
TOP
Frequently asked questions














Who can apply to be a Maternity Support Volunteer
What experience do I need?
I am under 18 and looking for work experience. Can you help?
I am interested in studying medicine. Can I shadow one of your doctors?
I am a qualified doctor/nurse/midwife/therapist etc. Do you provide clinical
placements...?
I am only available in the evenings and weekends. Can I still volunteer?
Will you pay my travel expenses?
Will I be offered any training?
Will volunteering affect my benefit entitlement?
Will I need health clearance?
Why do I need a Disclosure and Barring Service check (formerly CRB)?
Will you turn down my application if I have a previous conviction?
I have only recently arrived in the UK. Can I still volunteer?
Will you provide a reference if I volunteer?
Who can apply to be a Maternity Support Volunteer?
You must be 18 and over and eligible to live and work in the UK. You must be willing to give of
your time to improve clients’ birth experiences. You need to be able to commit to a minimum of six
hours a week for at least six months.
TOP
What experience do I need?
You don’t need previous experience of volunteering or working in a hospital. We’re looking for
individuals who are reliable, friendly and approachable and are aware of the precious and special
moments of pregnancy and childbirth, and are committed to making a difference to enhance the
experience for the mum and her family.
TOP
I am under 18 and looking for work experience. Can you help?
Homerton University Hospital receives many requests for work experience and we must balance
supporting these requests with providing quality patient care. In addition, we host many students in
training for clinical positions. Regrettably, therefore, the work experience programme for schools is
closed to new applicants.
TOP
I am interested in studying medicine. Can I shadow one of your doctors?
We set up a small number of medical placements for individuals interested in becoming a doctor.
If you are interested, please e-mail work.experience@homerton.nhs.uk.
TOP
I am a qualified doctor/nurse/midwife/therapist etc. Do you provide clinical placements...?
We provide a small number of clinical placements for doctors only. If you are interested, please
email work.experience@homerton.nhs.uk.
TOP
I am only available in the evenings and weekends. Can I still volunteer?
As a Maternity Support Volunteer, you can come in and offer your services at whatever day or time
that is convenient for you. However if you can only volunteer for short periods at a time, this might
be more suited to the Antenatal or Postnatal wards where your support will be most welcomed by
new mothers and staff.
TOP
Will you pay my travel expenses?
Yes, up to a maximum of £3.90 for each volunteer session. You will need to provide copies of bus
or tube tickets, a print out from your Oyster account or a receipt from your most recent top-up to
claim the expenses back.
TOP
Will I be offered any training?
Yes. All volunteers must attend the four week training course before they start their placement. As
well as regular monthly/quarterly updates.
This will tell you more about our Maternity Support Volunteer programme and what you need to
know about supporting pregnant women and caring for new babies. When you start, you will also
receive a local induction from the ward or department you are working in.
TOP
Will volunteering affect my benefit entitlement?
No. If you receive Jobseeker’s Allowance, you can volunteer for as many hours as you want as
long as you’re free to go to an interview at 48 hours’ notice and can start work within one week. It’s
ok to be paid expenses but you will need to keep hold of your receipts so you can tell the
Jobcentre what you get.
TOP
Will I need health clearance?
Yes, when you’re offered a volunteer placement you will be given a short health questionnaire to
complete and asked to make an appointment with our Employee Health Management Service.
They will discuss with you any health conditions that may impact on your time volunteering with us,
and any adjustments we need to make as a result.
As we treat patients with infectious diseases such as TB and Hepatitis they will ask what
vaccinations you have had in the past and you may need to have an additional jab to ensure you
are fully immunised.
TOP
Why do I need a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) (formerly Criminal Records Bureau)
check?
We are required by law to seek clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service(DBS) for all
staff and volunteers who work unsupervised with vulnerable adults and children. This is to provide
reassurance to patients, their families and carers about the staff and volunteers who will help them
during their hospital stay and we will need to wait for CRB clearance before you start volunteering.
For most volunteer roles, you will be asked to complete a DBS form and a Trust Declaration form
which asks you to let us know if you have any previous convictions. This information will be treated
in the strictest confidence.
TOP
Will you turn down my application if I have a previous conviction?
Not necessarily. We are only concerned about previous convictions or other information that might
affect your suitability for the volunteer role.
Decisions will be made on a case by case basis after discussions with you. The Volunteer Office
can answer any concerns you may have.
TOP
I have only recently arrived in the UK. Can I still volunteer?
To apply for DBS clearance you need to provide a range of identity documents. This can
sometimes be difficult for people who have only recently arrived in the UK. Visit
http://www.crb.homeoffice.gov.uk/id to check if you have the identity documents required.
TOP
Will you provide a reference if I volunteer?
We will provide references for all volunteers who have given their time for six months or more.
TOP
For more details about volunteering contact the Maternity Support Volunteer Office:
email: maternityvolunteering@homerton.nhs.uk
Tel: 020 8510 5235
Write: Maternity Support Volunteer Office, Yellow Corridor Roof offices, Homerton Hospital,
Homerton Row, London E9 6SR.