Through the Peer Support programme, people can speak to a trained volunteer who really knows what they are going through as cancer patient. Because our volunteers have also had cancer, they too know what it’s like to live with the treatments and side effects of cancer and the emotional and practical issues that one may face as a cancer patient.
Become a Peer Support or Parent Peer Volunteer
About our Peer Support Volunteers
I am so grateful to be able to provide a support to someone when they need it most . I wish I had someone to chat with when I was first diagnosed so now I can be that person to someone else
Everything you need to know about being a Peer Support Volunteer
As the peer support programme is telephone based, the role is fully remote and can be done from the comfort of your own home. Our cancer support nurses will match those who wish to avail of peer support with a volunteer who has similar diagnoses/experiences. Volunteers will then make a call and on that call will have a chat, provide a listening ear and any emotional or practical advice with regards to their own personal experience. Full communications training will be given before your volunteering role commences and regular support is available from our Peer Support Coordinator. You will also be invited to regular group support sessions with other Peer Support volunteers and staff.
The volume of calls you will be referred for vary depending on your type of cancer and the length of a call will vary depending on each person. Typically you can expect to take 1 or 2 calls a month and these may average at approximately 30 minutes long each.
- Good listening and communication skills
- A caring, understanding and friendly attitude
- To be non-judgemental and respect confidentiality
- Completed cancer treatment at least 2 years ago, and no more than 5 years ago
We ask volunteers to commit what time is necessary to the patient once you are on a call with them. The length of the call can vary for each person, and we would ask you to be calm, caring and understanding when providing support.
- Application process takes approx. 4-6 weeks and consists of the following steps:
- Complete an online application form here
- Microsoft Teams interview with a member of the Peer Support team: A short informal chat to assess your suitability for the role and give you the opportunity to ask us any questions.
- Online Training: An invitation to a self-guided online training module will be emailed to you. This will include information about the service, your role and guidelines to be followed. A number of volunteer documents must be agreed to at this stage. Completion of this module is required to continue to the next round.
- Volunteer references checked. We ask for 2 references on the application form who we can contact at this point of the process.
- When the above steps are complete, you will be invited to a mandatory Online Group Communications Training session which will take place via group video call. At this session you will meet a member of the Peer Support team, other new volunteers and discuss the role in more detail with opportunities for questions.
- You are ready to join the Peer / Parent Peer Support Volunteer Team!
Current Recruitment
Due to the sensitive nature of this role, currently recruitment is by referral from a Daffodil Centre nurse only. However, if you think you may be a good fit for this role, you can reach out to our Survivor Support Coordinator Deirdre at dmurphy@irishcancer.ie
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