Posted: Monday 1 February 2010
For people with mental health problems, isolation and loneliness can become an ever present problem, leading to a reduction in their wellbeing. Ninety per cent of respondents to a survey by Welsh mental health charity Hafal said that loneliness makes the symptoms of their severe mental illness worse - depression in particular.
This is certainly the case for me. After many years of mental ill health, I felt separate from people my own age because I was not working or studying. I’m sure there are many people around the UK who face being alone for many long hours during the day.
Mind Cymru has a group of volunteers who work in their Cardiff office, supporting the work of staff. I joined them over a year ago and have never looked back.
As well as gaining office work experience, I have greater confidence and higher self-esteem from meeting new people, having somewhere to go and feeling that the work you are doing is useful, bringing the sense that your life has a purpose.
Beating loneliness and isolation is just as important to the recovery of people with mental health problems as treatments such as medication and talking therapies.
Volunteering of any kind not only helps the organisation you are working with, but brings the possibility of new social contacts and a new way of relating to the world. Go for it!
Katherine Dutson, volunteer, Mind Cymru
I believe any one wih a mental health problem considering doing voluntary of any kind should seriously consider their personal financial position.
Anyone relying on work related sickness benefit should be made aware that it is compulsory to inform the benefit agency that they are doing voluntary work.
It may well effect their ESA either work related or support group entitlement. the same applies to IB claimants.
THE CAN DO medical and work capability assessment under benefit rules can only increase the chance of loss of benefit for or partly due to a claimant doing voluntary work. They may well end up on job seekers allowance because they wanted to try and contribute to society or on lower rate ESA (work related group)
It should be noted some organisations do not tell their volunteers the pitfalls of voluntary work in respect of benefit entitlement. Only the benefit claimant has a duty by law to tell the benefit agency.
Paul
I work for Mind as an Asst Manager in one of there shops.
10 years ago I had breakdown and still suffer with clinical depression and severe anxiety. Most of our volunteers have mental health problems and the benefit they get from working with us limitless.
I started as a volunteer after my breakdown and it was the best thing I ever did.
Most charity shops are ideal for you to start volunteering with if thats what you would like to volunteer at, as you will find a lot of people with mental health problems volunteer in them so the people in charge have a good understanding.
Another way is get in touch with your local volunteer bureau most towns and cities have them. They have a lot of volunteering oppotunities and they can help you with any benefit queries you have
Take care
Su
While I agree that it is important to be aware how voluntary work
can affect your benefits, it is not automatic that you will lose your sickness benefits by starting voluntary work. This is the case for me. People can also try permitted work for 16 hours or less a week, or try a work preparation scheme which allows you to try a job without risking losing your benefits. The best advice is to contact your local Disability Employment Advisor at Jobcentre Plus who can advise you.
i am slightly worried that i wil lose sickness benefits which i rely on to live if i start volunteer work which is a shame because i need to get back into a work environment to help with my condition and the possibility that i can earn my own living in the future maybe. please advise............
I volunteer for the local advocacy and mind assoication. I was applying for disability benefits and one of the resons given by the tribunal for turning down my appeal was because I was doing voluntary work.
Hello Darren, it is important that you check out the rules set out by the Department of Work and Pensions in connection to volunteering while receiving benefits.
Volunteering will not normally affect benefits but it must be carried out with the full knowledge of the disability advisor at your local job centre. You must inform them of the volunteering that you intend to do, and you must not be paid money or anything else for volunteering. It’s OK to be paid your expenses but you must inform the job-centre of what you receive (so make sure you can access copies of your receipts).
The Department of Work and Pensions has a good introductory guide to volunteering while getting benefits http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dwp1023.pdf and Volunteering England has a good factsheet on Volunteering and State benefits http://www.volunteering.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/861BE4E0-5D56-4A76-9182-92DCF162DEBE/0/VolunteeringandStateBenefitsVE083.pdf.
For more information you can also contact your local Citizen's Advice Bureaux.http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/
Following my first two strokes and being told by an Occupational Therapist that I am totaly unemployable, I mentally raised two fingers to the world and began voluntary work for several charities. I am now not recognised as a brain damaged person but as someone may be slow but is otherwise normal. The work itself and the contact with many people has allowed me to improve myself one hell of a lot. I have been able to meet challenges that a few years ago I would have hidden from.
MIND - My Inspiration to a New Direction.
My thanks to ICVS, CAB, DAB and other charities. Volunteer they need you.
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