Volunteer to Work (V2W) scheme
| Published date | 05 March 2014 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-03-2014-0008 |
| Date | 05 March 2014 |
| Pages | 21-28 |
| Author | Japleen Kaur |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Social inclusion |
Volunteer to Work (V2W) scheme
Japleen Kaur
Dr Japleen Kaur is a Social
Inclusion Programme Manager,
based at Oxleas NHS
Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the Volunteer to Work scheme running as part of a
return to work pathway.
Design/methodology/approach – Illustrative account of the origin, structure and processes involved.
Findings – Personal narrative accounts by current volunteers evidence the social and emotional benefits of
volunteering. Of the 237 people who have engaged as volunteers, 27 are now in paid employment.
Originality/value – A case study of one innovative project which has the capacity to grow and to be
transferred to other organisations.
Keywords Social inclusion, Recovery, Volunteering, Employment, Narratives
Paper type Research paper
Context
This paper aims to describe the Volunteer to Work (V2W) scheme which is being run by the
Social Inclusion (SI) Team at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust.
Volunteering means different things to different people and is a complex phenomenon (Carson,
1999; Hustinx et al., 2010; Wilson, 2000); Andreoni (1990) describes the “investment model”
which suggests that volunteers take this as an opportunity to invest in their skills, to receive
training and basically build on their human capital, it can include investing in your social network,
making business contacts which might improve your chances of employability.
In the last decade we have begun to see literature, which indicates a relationship between
volunteering and mental health (Morrow-Howell et al., 2003; Thoits and Hewitt, 2001). Helping
others is a self-validating experience for many people it induces feelings of self-belief, trust and
wanting to give back to the community (Krause et al., 1992).Individuals with disabilities often
find that volunteering not only gives them more control over their lives but it also helps them to
develop new skills (Murray et al., 2006), both vocational and interpersonal (Institute for
Volunteering Research, 2004). It allows them to demonstrate their ability to work and can lead to
paid employment (Evans and Repper, 2000).
Black and Living (2004) conducted a mixed method study in the UK with 74 participants
from four voluntary organisations and their results explore the motivations around volunteering
and suggest that it benefits both health and well-being. However, the findings might be
influenced by the low response rate (19 per cent) and a self-selecting bias (Farrell and
Bryant, 2009).
Social policy also promotes the use of volunteering (Cabinet Office, 2009; Social Exclusion Unit,
2004) and many health professionals use this as a pathway into recovery and well-being
(Rebeiro and Allen, 1998) for their service users.
The figures from DWP (2013) show the stark reality that among the working age adults mental
health conditions are nearly as pervasive as all the physical conditions combined together,and it
DOI 10.1108/MHSI-03-2014-0008 VOL. 18 NO. 1 2014, pp. 21-28, CEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2042-8308
j
MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
j
PAGE 21
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