Our Office Manager, Salema Khatoon has many skills and talents to deliver her part-time role at Home-Start Bradford District and loves being part of the team. She loves it so much that in her spare time she is also a Home-Start Bradford Volunteer utilising a very important skill – the experience of being a mum of two sons!
We caught up with Salema for ten minutes to find out more about her role as a volunteer.
What inspired you to become a volunteer?
Because of the role that I have, I am in a privileged position to be able to see the efforts the other volunteers are putting in and the difference that they are making to the families that they support.
I had thought about it before and as my role is part-time, I had capacity during the week to become a volunteer and support families for a couple of hours each week.
What did you find most useful about the training?
I did the course just after the Covid-19 pandemic and while I had done part of the preparation course as part of my induction for my admin role, it was completely different completing it from a volunteering perspective. The training around safeguarding and looking out for triggers was eye-opening.
What do you love about supporting families?
I’ve supported five families over the last two years, and I provide mainly emotional support – a listening ear for families to open up about their worries and concerns, it makes me happy that they feel that they can open up to me.
I also love being able to accompany the family to playgroups – sometimes they may feel a bit overwhelmed going on their own for the first few times. I used to accompany a mum to Little Dots at St Stephen’s Church and she now goes there with her second child, which is lovely to hear.
I still keep in touch with another family that I support. Her mum thanked me for being there for her daughter and her grandchild.
What would you say to families to encourage them to use a Home-Start Bradford volunteer?
I would say that I think you should try it because the volunteers are there to help you and they will try everything to help you with whatever support that you need.
Tell us more about the Peer Support Group that you have set up?
As a team, we thought it would be a great idea for me to lead on developing a peer support group among the volunteers – a safe space where we could chat about our experiences and share knowledge, techniques and approaches.
I asked the team if I could take my fellow volunteers out to Bradford coffee shops and café’s for a cuppa, cake and a chit chat rather than come to the office. We have had four so far and the volunteers really enjoy it.
What would you say to friends to encourage them to become a Home-Start Bradford volunteer?
I would tell them that it is very rewarding and the little time you will invest in families will go a long way.
I would also add that if you are thinking of volunteering and aren’t sure, think of a time when you could have done with an extra pair of hands or were feeling isolated and lonely, I know I certainly could have done with one when my sons were little.
