Edge Hill University Medical School has an ethos of social accountability and community engagement, with the aim of showing students that health and social care does not just take place in NHS premises.
Edge Hill University Medical School has been working in partnership with local Community Voluntary Sector (CVS) organisations to provide students with personal learning about the community context to health and social care. The voluntary placement provides opportunities for second year Medical students to work within a team to learn how to: build positive relationships; develop their communication skills and professional behaviours; work with service users and understand lay perspectives about health; and understand how their behaviours, values and attitudes might impact on others.
The placement will involve the students engaging with a community project, which would result in recommendations or lasting benefits to the voluntary organisations. The community project is not an academic research project and may include activities such as the development of a flyer or newsletter, impact assessments or evaluation. The students will present their project to each other and representatives from their organisations at a celebratory event organised by Edge Hill Medical School.
- Working in partnership with CVSs
- Programme Structure
- Benefits of the Placement
- Work with us
- Keep in Touch
- Meet Us
- Related Events and Training
- Further Resources
- Gallery
Working in partnership with CVSs
Working in partnership with CVSs
Halton & St Helens
Halton & St Helens Voluntary and Community Action (VCA) is an infrastructure organisation that provides advice, information and development support services to voluntary, community, not for profit and faith organisations and volunteers in the boroughs of St Helens and Halton.
Halton & St Helens VCA’s vision is: “A strong voluntary and community sector that is dynamic, responsive, diverse and improves the quality of life for local people and communities”.
Developing the VCSE sector across Halton and St Helens: Halton & St Helens VCA works to help the sector to access the resources and support its needs to stay resilient and do a better job for its beneficiaries/clients.
Giving the VCSE sector a voice: Halton & St Helens VCA works to provide an environment for VCSE sector views to be voiced and listened to. Halton and St Helens VCA develop policies and practices to source the views of the local sector and enable them to be heard by policy makers, strategic partners and elected officials, at national, regional and local level.
Connecting the Sector: Halton & St Helens VCA works to bring organisations together to share, support and learn from each other, encourage partnership working that will build relationships, secure funding and improve the services they offer.
Innovating with the sector: Halton & St Helens VCA works with organisations and groups to support innovative services, respond to local needs and work more closely with public sector partners on the challenges of cost and demand. Halton and St Helens VCA will promote and encourage new ways of responding to need expressed by local communities and provide opportunities for local groups to demonstrate their impact and value to commissioners and providers.
Sefton
Sefton Council for Voluntary Services (CVS) is an independent registered charity with a borough-wide brief to assist and support voluntary community and faith sector (VCF) activity across Sefton, Merseyside.
Sefton CVS’s mission is to promote and assist voluntary, community and faith (VCF) sector activity.
Sefton CVS’s vision is to develop a vibrant voluntary, community and faith sector that encourages and supports independent, resilient and sustainable communities.
Sefton CVS’s key activities are to:
- Provide support services to the VCF sector.
- Promote partnerships within the sector, and between the VCF sector and other sectors.
- Provide a channel through which the VCF sector is represented.
- Develop new ideas, strategies and organisations.
- Support and develop volunteering opportunities.
- Promote equality of opportunity and access, and the value of diversity.
West Lancs CVS
West Lancs Council for Voluntary Services (CVS) is an independent registered charity and the key local infrastructure organisation across the borough. As such we promote and assist our local voluntary, community and faith (VCF) sector and have a vision to “Support Voluntary action, empowering local communities”
West Lancs core functions are based around:
- Providing an accredited Volunteer Centre
- Providing VCFS governance advice and guidance
- Providing a fund raising support service
- Providing representation and support for the voice of the sector
- Promoting partnerships within the sector and to the public and private sectors
The CVS also supports organisations in the following ways:
- Connecting the sector through a virtual network social media and events
- Providing back office services and facilities
- Running a training programme
- Facilitating partnerships and networks
- Using an Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) approach
- Helping local people to set up and develop voluntary and community groups, and network with other organisations
Programme Structure
Programme Structure
Students will be attached to a voluntary organisation and will spend 18 half days on Wednesday mornings across the academic year working on the project for the voluntary organisation. This time will be spent on:
- Induction to the organisation and the staff
- Introduction to the project and goal setting
- Undertaking the project
- Discussions with staff/service users to understand the role of the organisation and impact on health and social challenges faced by clients
- Attending staff meetings, as appropriate
- Review of activity goals with the voluntary organisation supervisor
- Feedback to the organisation about the project and discussion about implications/recommendations
Clinical Partnerships: Voluntary Organisations
February 2021
Application window open: January 2021 to February 2021, closing on Sunday 28th February 2021.
March 2021
Projects are shortlisted in early March 2021.
April 2021
Visits to shortlisted voluntary organisations occur by Friday 30th April 2021.
May 2021
Voluntary Organisation Panel selects projects by Sunday 8th May 2021.
May 2021
Voluntary projects are registered and allocated to students by Monday 31st May 2021.
Benefits of the Placement
Benefits of the Placement
It is expected that the voluntary placements will result in several benefits to the Medical students and voluntary organisations.
Benefits for the voluntary organisation are expected to be:
- Projects to enhance quality service for positive change in the community
- Sharing ethos and highlighting importance of voluntary organisations for the health of individuals and communities
- The opportunity to enhance medical students’ understanding of the needs of the local community
- Support and training from Edge Hill University
- Personal development of voluntary organisation staff who supervise students
- Wider networking opportunities
- Reputational benefits of working with Edge Hill University Medical School
Benefits for the student would include:
- Leadership and team working, including self-awareness, managing yourself, developing networks, building/maintaining relationships, and encouraging contribution.
- Communication skills, especially with diverse clients and multi-disciplinary teams
- Understanding of health service systems and health promotion, including multi-agency working
Work with us
Work with us
Please note that students are not due to commence longitudinal voluntary placements until September 2021. Applications to work with us will be open from September 2020 – February 2021.
Organisations hosting students on placement will be expected to:
- Provide a safe and supportive placement environment
- Engage in an initial induction, identification of project, discussion of stages of project development and implementation
- Complete mid and end-of placement evaluation of students’ engagement and input
- Escalate safeguarding and professionalism concerns regarding students’ wellbeing or engagement and input to Edge Hill University Medical School for support
- Nominate a ‘Site Lead’, who will be responsible for organising the student induction, ensuring all members of the organisations are aware of related processes, and monitoring the student experience
- Nominate a ‘Student Supervisor’ (may be the same as Site Lead), who will be responsible for supervising the student while on placement, providing feedback on students’ professionalism and overseeing the community project
All organisations hosting students will be visited prior to any students commencing a placement with them to discuss and agree on an appropriate project that will be of benefit to the organisation and align with student outcomes. An audit will need to be completed by the organisation to confirm the suitability of the learning environment.
Keep in Touch
Keep in Touch
Further Resources
Further Resources
Other resources you may find interesting:
Gallery
Gallery
Below are some photos from the Community Engagement Events that were held on Tuesday 19th November 2019, Wednesday 20th November 2019 and Wednesday 27th November 2019. The events were for representatives of local voluntary organisations to find out more about Edge Hill University Medical School and the voluntary organisation placement.