Chaplaincy Volunteers’ Role Description

Purpose of Role:
Somerset Foundation Trust’s chaplaincy department responds to the spiritual, pastoral, ethical, religious and cultural needs of staff, patients and their visitors. The Chaplaincy Team seeks to support all people by acknowledging the diversity of life-experience and its interpretations by the individual.

Chaplaincy Volunteers enhance the care given by the multidisciplinary team of staff to patients and those important to them. Chaplaincy Volunteers minister alongside paid staff to provide non-medical support ensuring the best possible service and care for patients and those close to them.

Brief Description of Main Tasks and Activities

Chaplaincy Volunteers agree to work following the same ethos of healthcare chaplains, who provide patient-centered spiritual care according to guidance set down by the Department of Health and the UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy. The role demands that Chaplaincy Volunteers are willing and able to offer support to people of all faiths and beliefs. Chaplaincy Volunteers cannot just provide support to people of the particular (religious) tradition they themselves are affiliated with. Chaplaincy Volunteers are required to be mindful of and open to others’ (faith) traditions, in order to be able to enter into diverse dialogues.

Religious and Sacramental  ministry

A reference is required for those Chaplaincy Volunteers who want to carry out religious ministrations, as they have to be in good standing with their own faith community.
For sacramental ministry, approval or licensing needs to be issued by the Chaplaincy Volunteers’ authorizing faith community. The Chaplaincy Volunteer will receive training from a salaried chaplain in how to appropriately adapt sacraments and liturgy for health care settings.

Referral system  

Chaplaincy Volunteers report to the salaried chaplain appointed to the designated ward/unit, to assist with providing spiritual care for patients and visitors. Chaplaincy Volunteers receive referrals to visit or telephone patients and their visitors from the named chaplain via their Trust email, staff based on the wards or the chaplaincy champion.
Chaplaincy Volunteers will be issued with a Trust email account, which will be the principal manner of receiving referrals. The Trust can arrange for Chaplaincy Volunteers to obtain training in IT skills where necessary.

Time Commitment
Chaplaincy Volunteers have to agree to working a minimum of 6 months for ½ day/week.

Arrival and departure times, frequency of shift, and involvement in other spiritual care activities are discussed and agreed with the named chaplain and/or ward sister prior to commencement of the role.

Participation in induction and ongoing training is an essential part of the commitment required to join  the Chaplaincy Team.
To ensure best practice and on-going team support all Chaplaincy Volunteers are expected to attend a one hour Reflective Practice session four times a year. These are held via online meetings or face to face if appropriate.

Support Offered:

An  induction sessions are undertaken by the volunteer prior to the commencement of role, which includes an introduction to the ward/unit and the ethos of the chaplaincy department .
Before Chaplaincy Volunteers are issued with a Trust email account they are given information on Confidentiality and Information Governance.
Inexperienced Chaplaincy Volunteers may benefit from further shadowing to gain sufficient knowledge and skills before working independently.
Continuous training opportunities will be offered relating to Spiritual Care.

Regular opportunities to meet with the named salaried chaplain on a one to one basis either in person or one the phone are prioritized.

Each Chaplaincy Volunteer will be given an  Annual Review.
If a volunteer is unsure about any aspect of their work or has particular concerns about a patient or member of staff they should speak to the salaried chaplain.