Professional Documents
Culture Documents
METHODS
Two approaches were used to complete the project. The first involved evaluating the present training program. The methods used for this was participation in the in class training sessions, and providing questionnaires to two different volunteer populations, current volunteers on the phones and those in training now. The second approach consisted of researching volunteer training programs of agencies that provide a similar service to Telecare, to identify their strengths and weaknesses.
Online Training when asked about completing a portion of the training online it was found to be most popular in the 18 24 age group. Agency Research Currently in progress, expected to be completed by November 28 2013.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. When possible combine topics that are similar into one training session. This could be done with mental health and depression, attachment and mindfulness, loneliness and grief, and issues of poverty and attitudes. 2. Further investigate having the option to complete some portion of the training online, this will be especially important when trying to recruit volunteers from the student population or those that work nights and weekends. 3. Continue to provide training sessions that encourage group interaction, especially the opportunity to participate in different role-play situations. This will help to create a sense of community among volunteers.
FINDINGS
Topics Covered Both groups of volunteers felt that none of the topics covered should be left out, however some observed that it would be possible to combine similar topics into the same session.
Training Topics Current Volunteers Found Most Useful
30 25 20 15 10 5 0
Our goal in completing this project is to provide best practice guidelines for the volunteer training to be implemented by Telecare Peterborough, our objectives are: 1. Identify the variations amongst different training programs in Peterborough and the surrounding area, paying particular attention to their strengths and weaknesses, and how these relate to Telecare training to develop guidelines. 2. To determine the opinion of volunteers on training and use the collected information to determine guidelines for Telecare. 3. Use the developed training guidelines to determine the current efficiency of their training module and possible ways to streamline the process in hopes that volunteers will be able to answer calls successfully and sooner, and that this will help attract more volunteers.
NEXT STEPS
1. Collaborate with training facilitators to streamline presentations and combine topics when applicable. 2. Evaluate the training manual provided to volunteers to ensure that material included effectively meets the needs of those on the phone lines. 3. Identify the possibility of collaboration the training program with other like-minded agencies in the Peterborough area.
References
Active Listening
30
Sucide Workshop
Loneliness
Mental Health
Community Resources
25
20
15
10
Addiction
Suicide Workshop
Active Listening
Poverty
Community Resources
1 Telecare Distress Centre of Peterborough. (2013). Retrieved November 14 2013, from http://www.telecarepeterborough.org 2 M. Graham, personal communication, October 3, 2013. 3 M. Graham, personal communication, October 3, 2013.