Cumberland Hospital at Westmead offers a volunteer family support program to welcome relatives invited to attend a hearing under the NSW Mental Health Act (2007). Using an area set aside just for the volunteer service on Wednesday and Thursday, your role is dedicated to supporting family members waiting for a hearing to commence.

In order to prepare you for the role, training in privacy, confidentiality, communication and listening is provided along with a number of NSW Health mandatory training modules. Volunteers work in pairs. Training is completed over approximately 5 weeks in small group sessions.

We begin with Orientation, introduction to other volunteers, meeting 3-4 of our committee members and completing NSW Health applicant paperwork. Empathy and respect are shared with the families we support.

Benefits:

*Feeling supported in developing a unique volunteer role.

*Understanding some elements of mental health care.

*Assisting other volunteers who share a common interest.

*Negotiate your volunteer session days.