Why charities inWales need volunteers now more than ever
The number of people seeking help from charities in Wales is on the rise. Bernadette BowenThomson, co-CEO of charity Safer Wales, explains why reversing the decline in volunteer numbers is critical to meeting this growing demand...
FIGURES released last month by the UK Government show a bleak picture of volunteer numbers dropping across the board in England.
The amount of people volunteering has continued to fall over the past three years, with just 39% of people volunteering at least once a month.
Although these figures don’t take Wales into account, the situation isn’t any better here.
Figures from the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) show that just 37% of adults formally volunteered in 2014/15.
Despite the falling number of volunteers, we know that the number of service users is rising quickly across the charity sector.
Last year alone, 95,190 food parcels were given out in Wales compared to 14,696 in 2012.
That is a staggering increase of more than 547% in just four short years.
With more than 40,000 people across the UK giving up their time to help the Trussell Trust last year, this is just one example of a service that would have undoubtedly struggled to help those in need without volunteers.
Making sure we are able to meet the needs of every vulnerable person across the country is no mean feat. With budgets shrinking and funding being pulled from vital services, the pressure is on for third sector organisations to be as efficient as possible.
For many charities, volunteers are integral to delivering services. In fact, a study carried out by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations found that 91% of the charities registered in the UK have no paid staff and are run solely by volunteers.
Though this helps to keep costs down while budgets shrink, hiring volunteers is about more than that. Many of those who choose to give up their time to specific charities do so because they have a personal connection with them.
Some may have been service users in the past and can relate to those seeking help with empathy and patience.
Last year we welcomed more than 30 volunteers to Safer Wales who donated an estimated 5,520 hours to our charity.
Whether they are out late into the night working with the StreetLife team, or offering support and guidance to victims of domestic abuse, our volunteers are fundamental to our frontline service delivery.
In fact, one of the services we offer would be near impossible to deliver without their help. Our Safer Wales Inclusive Service (SWIS) is a project for young girls aged between 12 and 16 who are considered to be vulnerable to or at risk of sexual exploitation.
It involves structured term-time activities focused on encouraging positive lifestyle choices. The project relies heavily on the support of volunteers to identify vulnerable cases and alert the authorities if necessary.
Volunteering isn’t just about oneway giving – some people gain valuable experience from working in the charity sector.
Elissa Keogh, a 22-year-old student from Tredegar, initially volunteered with SWIS in November 2015 as part of a university placement, but decided to continue volunteering after that placement ended.
She recognised the importance of giving her time and energy to help charities deliver these vital services to vulnerable individuals at serious risk.
Elissa said: “I wanted to carry on volunteering because I know the work makes such a positive difference to the lives of these teenagers. Most of our time is just spent hanging out and chatting to them, but because we’re all quite young, they open up to us a lot more and we’re able to identify serious issues and intervene before they escalate.
“A lot of the girls are naturally quite wary of authority figures, but they see us as on their level so they are often more likely to confide in us when it comes to subjects surrounding sexual exploitation.
“Volunteering has lots of other benefits beyond just making a difference to the lives of others. Most of the volunteers are in their twenties, so it’s a great way of meeting likeminded people and, of course, it can really help to strengthen your CV and make you stand out.”
Here at Safer Wales we believe everyone has the right to be safe and not live in fear because of the attitudes or actions of other people. We are continuously working to help people feel safer in their daily lives and we couldn’t do this without the help of our volunteers.
But the fact is, less and less people are choosing to give their time to worthwhile causes, and this cannot go on. Employers must do more to provide flexibility and support to employees who want to volunteer and charities must try harder to showcase the opportunities they have available. Without these actions, people across the country are at risk of being left behind, and we simply cannot let this happen.
If you are interested in volunteering, contact Safer Wales’ Emma Price by emailing ep@saferwales. com or telephone 029 2022 0033.