New volunteer charity launched to help vulnerable families in Edinburgh

A social change charity made up of a national bank of volunteers is teaming up with Edinburgh City Council to launch ‘Volunteers Supporting Families in Edinburgh’ to help vulnerable residents in the capital.

Spreading the word on the new service

The charity received a three year award from the Edinburgh Communities and Families Grant Programme to recruit and train support volunteers that will mentor families going through a range of challenges; are in crisis; or who need extra help in their lives.

This will be the first time Volunteers Supporting Families has launched in Scotland - with the programme already established in three local authorities across England.

Volunteers will provide a listening ear, practical support and encouragement, helping families with budgeting, healthy eating, setting routines and improving social networks.

They will also be able to meet their allocated family on a weekly basis, over a six-month period thanks to the council funding.

John Brown at Volunteering Matters, said: “Our volunteers, and the parents they support, continue to impress us with their energy, resilience, patience and commitment to overcome serious challenges, protect vulnerable children and rebuild family relationships. We are proud to be able to offer this key support to people across parts of Edinburgh and would like to invite prospective volunteers to contact us to find out more.”

The belief is that the support will empower parents to develop the skills required in overcoming serious challenges or hardships. In many cases this will enable the family to rebuild their lives and move on from social worker intervention, reducing the need of social services.

A council spokesperson, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Volunteering Matters who have had success in England during previous projects. This is their first project in Scotland and they will be providing a vital lifeline to vulnerable families across the Capital who are in crisis or in need of extra help in their lives. Now more than ever during these challenging times, it is vital that the council and third sector partners work together to bring about positive outcomes for those involved.“We would urge any prospective volunteers to contact the charity to find out how they can make a real difference in people's lives.”

To find out more visit this site.

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