February 2024
Karen Fell
Volunteer Lead for Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust – – which provides a range of services across Norfolk & Waveney, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Bedfordshire & Luton and Milton Keynes.
Are you someone with personal experience of parenting or caring for a child who would like to support other parents on their parenting journey? You can do that if you become a Community Ambassador Volunteer for Norfolk & Waveney Children and Young People’s Health Services!
Our Children & Young People’s Health Services for Norfolk & Waveney provide a wide range of support for families of children and young people from age 0-19 years. This includes the Healthy Child Programme – which is delivered by health visiting and school nursing teams to support the health and development of children and young people.
Families can contact the service for support by calling Just One Number on 0300 300 0123 or texting Parentline on 07520 631590. Our Just One Norfolk website also has a wealth of information that parents can access for support and information about pregnancy, birth and the whole parenthood journey.
As well as accessing support from professionals, we know that connecting with others who are also caring for children and young people can be really helpful. Our Ask Norfolk Parents online community, hosted by Health Unlocked, is a safe and supportive place for families of children and young people to share experiences, find information and gain support from each other. Parents and carers can join in with the conversations and post their own questions by clicking Join on this page: https://healthunlocked.com/one-norfolk-parents
The Ask Norfolk Parents community has recently been relaunched and has seen an increase in activity – and we are looking for new Community Ambassador Volunteers to help with answering posts to parents. Our Community Ambassadors all have lived experience of parenting or caring for a child – parents, carers and grandparents are welcome to apply for this role.
This role is mostly an online role which can be done at any time of day, so it’s very flexible and can fit around family commitments. There is the also the option to attend occasional community events, alongside staff, to promote and raise awareness of the services we provide to Norfolk & Waveney families. Volunteering can be a great way to gain confidence, give back to your community, add to your CV and improve your own wellbeing.
Our Community Ambassadors Volunteers are trained and supported by the Norfolk & Waveney Healthy Child Programme Team throughout their volunteering journey with us. Volunteers are asked to access the online community regularly (at least once a week) and engage with others on the platform, making positive, helpful and supportive contributions to online conversations. They might introduce new topics as appropriate, for example in line with relevant health promotion weeks (with support & guidance from the Norfolk Healthy Child Programme Team). They might also signpost parents and carers to the Just One Number helpline, the Just One Norfolk website or another health professional if extra support is needed.
To read more about how we welcome, involve and recruit volunteers to our Trust, please look at our website: https://www.cambscommunityservices.nhs.uk/volunteering
To read more about the role and apply online – follow this link: Community Ambassador Volunteer
If you have any questions before applying – contact ccs.volunteers@nhs.net
October 2023 – New volunteer roles with the NCH&C NHS Trust
September 2023 – The Beguines’ Legacy and the Spirit of NHS Volunteering
August 2023 – Peer support
July 2023 – Perspectives from three NNUH Volunteers: “The ladies who do”
