As students, our volunteers AAs are keen to learn and -to build their CVs. You can say you’ve volunteered somewhere but it doesn’t hold as much weight as having an accredited qualification to show for it.
NAAN’s Level 2 Award In Working as an Appropriate Adult with Vulnerable Adults and Juveniles is something we keep talking about throughout the year, and once volunteers have been with us for a few months we give them the opportunity to enrol.
Every two to three months we bring our volunteer AAs together to talk through what they’ve been experiencing and to give them a few hours of working on their portfolios together. This reflection time has been invaluable in keeping volunteers engaged and feeling supported. It allows them to share any challenging experiences, talk about it with others, and put them in perspective alongside everything that’s worked well.
Volunteers are usually with us for a few years and sometimes for longer. Working towards the AA qualification helps to improve their practice, keeps them engaged, and gives them something concrete on their CV to show for it.
Sarah Connelly, Scheme Manager for the Northumbria Local Appropriate Adult Scheme