Service offers at Thirteen.

To give staff an awareness of the following;

• A brief overview of Thirteen

• Thirteen’s volunteer service

• Thirteen’s Routeways

• Contact information

Objectives

An introduction to Thirteen

• Provider of Social Housing – a social heart with a commercial outlook

• 35,000 properties across the North East from North Tyneside to York (30,000 across

the Tees Valley area)

• Housing Management

• Rental Income & Management

• Repairs and Refurbishment

• Building new properties – Regeneration

Overview – What do we do?

An introduction to the Thirteen ‘Customer Support Services’ department.

The Customer Support Service is a directorate in Thirteen that supports

vulnerable clients throughout the North East.

In Customer Support Services, we've been developing and delivering

support services for over 30 years. We've spent this time listening to our

service users and working together, as well as with our partners, to develop

a range of services to meet their needs.

Who we support.

Individuals or

families who are

homeless or are

threatened with

homelessness

Tenants who are

experiencing

difficulties Families with

complex needs

Young People with

various needs

Young

Parents

Women and

families feeling

Domestic

Violence

Individuals who

are experiencing

mental health

issues

Offenders and

those at risk of

offending

Our Volunteer Pathways

Volunteer Interest

Internal Opportunities

External Opportunities

Specific criteria – can

meet a variety of needs (Steps to Success)

Thirteen’s Volunteer Programme – so far

The volunteer programme went ‘live’ in September 2015.

Pilot area was ‘Supporting’ services.

The service has won 3 awards.

Investing in Volunteers Quality Standard

5384.5 hours submitted (until February 2019)

Thirteen’s Volunteer Programme - so far

We currently offer a range of volunteer opportunities in Thirteen.

These are in the Customer Supporting Services Directorate ONLY.

Volunteers can access a number of roles including:

➢ Trainee Peer Mentor

➢ Peer Mentor

➢ Trainee Befriender

➢ Befriender

➢ Counsellor

➢ Dementia Champion

➢ Activity Support Volunteer

➢ Community Ambassador

➢ Admin Support

➢ Health Champion

➢ Assistive Technology Volunteer

➢ Arabic Speaking Befriender

It is important to remember that some volunteers (and particularly our Peer Mentors) will

all have different levels of responsibility due to their different capability/capacity levels.

Thirteen’s Volunteer Programme – so far

We cover 6 of the

12 localities in the

North East.

Middlesbrough

Stockton

Hartlepool

Redcar and

Cleveland

Durham

Newcastle

Once a volunteer has chosen a role they look at where they would like to volunteer.

- Volunteers are always placed to their preference to aid retention.

Thirteen’s Volunteer Programme – so far

What else is in place?

A Volunteer Policy and 3 volunteer procedures

- Essential for consistent pathways and experiences.

Support and Supervision

- The Volunteer is managed by the a Team Leader in the chosen local authority

- Frontline staff give daily advice and guidance

- Regular supervisions are given (feedback and support)

- Opportunities to participate in the locality team meetings.

Training

- All Volunteers complete induction training which covers a variety of topics.

- Specific roles can complete our bespoke accredited course (minimum of 6 months).

Funding - Travel expenses and PPE (depends on function) NOT childcare.

Then placement begins….

Thirteen’s Volunteer Programme – so far

A robust recruitment process (gaining employability interventions)

Expanding the Volunteer Offer

Expansion

We are currently expanding our volunteer pathways into more of the service areas in

Thirteen.

This will increase our Volunteer Offer and develop our opportunities further.

Work has recently / is currently being undertaken to provide pathways into these teams.

• Extra Care and Older Persons Services

• Homeless Service

• Assistive Technology Team

• Estate Maintenance Services

• Financial Services (UC and MA teams)

Case Study

Volunteering opens the door to new opportunities

A previous volunteer is helping change lives following valuable experience gained through Thirteen's volunteering

and peer mentor service.

*John joined Thirteen as a volunteer two and a half years ago.

He started as a peer mentor at Thirteen's Kairos project and he first heard about the project when he was referred as a client.

Reflecting on his time at Karios, John said:

"Kairos helped turn my life around, and after receiving such fabulous support, I decided I wanted to become a volunteer with the service.

"Volunteers play a vital role in supporting clients, and when the chance came up for me to get involved, I felt it was the ideal opportunity to

give something back. "I could support the clients knowing that I've experienced similar pressures and challenges that they're facing each

day."

When Karios closed, John volunteered in Thirteen's Tenancy Support team in Hartlepool, an outreach team that helps vulnerable tenants.

Wayne is the first to admit he wasn't initially sold on the idea and he thought long and hard about it. He sat down with some of the team

who made the role sound really interesting, and he's so pleased he took up the opportunity as he hasn't looked back.

A tenancy support co-ordinator became John's mentor, and she was instrumental in helping him learn to deal with immediate issues, co-

ordinate with other agencies as well as prepare support plans and risk assessments. John was thrown in at the deep end, and he loved it.

It was the challenge he needed, and when a permanent role came up, he applied and was successful.

He's now a support service worker at Thirteen, and he works with 16 - 24-year-olds to help support them with their often chaotic lifestyles.

Wayne feels that volunteering with Thirteen has helped build his confidence and transform his life.

He said: "Volunteering has given me real structure and I've been able to get hands on experience while being encouraged to learn. The

team have all been so supportive, and I love coming to work each day. I believe the more involved you get, the better the experience and

I'd encourage anyone who's thinking of signing up to do so."

Any Questions?

Routeways

@

Thirteen

Introduction to Routeways

• Partnership with Durham Works

• Criteria is NEET (16 – 24 years of age)

• Cover the majority of County Durham

• Offer 2 Routeways programmes.

Hospitality Routeways

Introduction to the hospitality industry. The course covers:

• Multiple roles and duties

• Employability skills

• Support with access to recruiting employers locally

• Level 2 Food Hygiene qualification

Additional information:

• Will gain a Level 2 qualification

• No prior experience required

• Course is 8 days of delivery over a 2 week period

• Fun and safe learning environment.

Customer Service Routeways

Introduction to the customer service industry. The course covers:

• Multiple roles and duties

• Employability skills

• Support with access to recruiting employers locally

• Level 2 Customer Service qualification

Additional information:

• Will gain a Level 2 qualification

• No prior experience required

• Course is 8 days of delivery over a 2 week period

• Fun and safe learning environment.

Routeways additional support

Exclusive additional support.

• This is provided by Thirteen’s Engagement Officers Team.

• Their role is to contact local employers and source vacancies – some

which are exclusive!!

• Local employers are invited to attend the course and meet and talk to

participants.

• Follow up activities after the course involve the engagement officers

making weekly contacts with participants and helping them to apply for

vacancies.

Contacting us.

Email:

Durham Routeways Durham-routeways@@thirteengroup.co.uk

Volunteering Volunteering@thirteengroup.co.uk

Call us:

Routeways (Phil) 07789 923490

Volunteering 01642 947237

Any Questions?