The course was carried out with support from
Course Experts
- Luana MunteanuVolunteer Coordinator
at «Hospice Casa Speranței» - Leila AbdullaevaMedical lawyer
- Carolyn LosVolunteer Service Manager for the Galilee Palliative Care Centre, Greece
- Marina HardenVolunteering Advisor
St Christopher’s, London, UK - Felix Pinto BaquerizoSpecialist in non-medical palliative care, PACED Project Manager
Course Partners
A practical online course on working with volunteers in palliative care.
It helps you understand how volunteers can benefit your organisation, where to begin with recruitment, and how to organise everything when resources are limited.
The programme is specifically tailored for organisers and palliative-care professionals without prior experience in volunteer management—considering the limited time, budgets, and technical skills available.
All webinars are accessible in both English and Russian.
Who is this course intended for?
Regional palliative care advocates
Leaders of NGOs and community initiatives
Staff of hospices, inpatient units, and outpatient services
Medical and social care professionals
Coordinators of volunteer groups
Webinar 1
Why Volunteers Are Needed in Palliative Care
Guest expert: Luana Munteanu, Volunteer Coordinator at Hospice Casa Speranței in Romania, with seven years of experience in volunteering.
Key Takeaways
- Volunteers help bridge the gap between patients’ needs for care and the staff’s limited time.
- They offer human connection, presence, and warmth within the environment.
- Volunteer support improves the quality of life for patients and their families—lessening loneliness and enhancing meaning and dignity.
- Volunteers also strengthen public trust in hospices and hospitals, helping healthcare regain a ‘human face’.
- Simple, consistent activities: engaging in conversation, reading aloud, walking, running small errands, celebrating, enjoying music, and providing basic family support.
- Indirect roles are important as well: delivery and logistics, administrative support, fundraising, communications—not everyone needs to work directly with patients.
- Volunteers are the team’s ‘extra eyes and ears’, assisting in identifying where psychological or social support is required.
- Volunteers do not perform medical procedures, dispense medication, provide treatment advice, discuss diagnosis or prognosis, or replace professional counselling.
- Clear rules, basic training, supervision, and a straightforward ‘dos and don’ts’ guide are essential.
- Regular feedback, emotional support, and team meetings.
- Quick access to a staff contact for inquiries or emergencies.
- Volunteer hours and outreach (patients, families, events).
- Qualitative impact: less loneliness, greater family satisfaction, positive staff feedback.
- Conversion from ‘trial period’ to active volunteers, retention rates, and reasons volunteers leave.
- Use language that emphasises organisational benefits: reduced workload, improved time efficiency, better patient and family experience, and enhanced reputation.
- Show numbers: tracking volunteer hours equals measurable ‘saved’ shifts or staff time.
- Begin with a pilot phase (e.g., 3 months): lessens fear, demonstrates tangible results, permits adjustments.
- A starter document pack: role descriptions, code of conduct, confidentiality agreements, risk and ethics briefing, and a roadmap for service growth.
- Establish basic procedures, including the entry point (volunteer coordinator), scheduling, and communication channels with the clinical team.
- Plan recruitment and training: a brief introductory course plus mentorship; ongoing case discussions and check-ins.
- Gradual introductions (from group to individual), respect a patient’s choice to decline volunteer contact.
- Families and caregivers also require support: recognise fatigue, provide information, and offer short breaks or relief.
Webinar 2
Legal Foundations and Volunteer Safety
Guest expert: Leyla Abdullaeva, a solicitor and PhD candidate at Saint Petersburg State University. Leyla has been working in medical law for over four years and is writing her doctoral dissertation on the rights of incapacitated citizens.
Key Takeaways
- Main IdeaVolunteering in palliative care is both possible and essential—but only if it is legally and ethically protected. The absence of clear documents, instructions, and boundaries can lead to serious consequences for patients, the organisation, and the volunteers themselves.Key Principle‘Legal transparency represents a form of care and safeguarding for all parties involved.’
- The organisation is always fully responsible if a volunteer acts on its behalf.
- A volunteer may be held partly responsible if they deliberately breach instructions.
- Any task that requires medical expertise—such as lifting patients, administering medication, or performing care procedures—is strictly beyond the scope of the volunteer.
- Every action a volunteer takes must be approved, clarified, and recorded.
- A volunteer application form is the first step in assessing motivation, skills, and personal boundaries.
- A volunteer agreement outlines the roles, duration, and responsibilities of both the volunteer and the organisation.
- A code of ethics is a clear guide on boundaries, respect, and confidentiality.
- Volunteer policy and regulations—specify who is accepted, when, and under whose supervision.
- Consent for the processing of personal data (including photographs and biometric data).
- A training logbook is legal proof that the volunteer has received proper instruction.
- Safety checklists and quick guides serve as clear, visual reminders of what is and isn’t allowed.
- A volunteer is neither a patient’s friend nor a family member.
- Contact with a family following a patient's death is only made at the family’s request and with organisational approval.
- Volunteers do not discuss their personal experiences or emotional struggles with patients.
- The coordinator must observe volunteers’ emotional well-being and organise supervision when necessary.
Each volunteer must complete:- Sanitary and hygiene education.
- Safety and emergency training.
- Confidentiality and ethics briefing.
- Health clearance (medical records, chest X-ray, certificates from psychiatrist and addiction specialist).
- Oversee all visits via the coordinator.
- Prevent unauthorised and unsupervised visits.
- Maintain an emergency evacuation plan and protocols.
- Begin with a basic document package (application, agreement, code of ethics).
- Conduct mandatory orientation and record it in the training logbook.
- Appoint a volunteer coordinator as the link between staff and volunteers.
- Gradually add additional policies and documents.
- Establish psychological support and supervision.
- Develop clear scenarios and action plans for everyday and critical situations.
- Transparency, respect, safety, humanity.
- Volunteers are essential to the team, but they have distinct roles and responsibilities.
- Policies and procedures are not bureaucracy; they represent a way of showing care for everyone involved
Webinar 3Roles, Boundaries, and Support for VolunteersGuest expert: Marina Harden, Volunteering Advisor at St Christopher’s Hospice in London, a professional with extensive experience in developing volunteer programmes across a wide range of sectors.Key Takeaways- A volunteer is not just an addition to staff but a vital part of the palliative care system, helping to foster a living community around the patient.
- Through volunteers, a hospice becomes visible to society; they are the ‘voice’ of palliative care.
- Volunteering supports the health of the community and fosters open, meaningful conversations about life and death.
- Volunteering is a voluntary, unpaid activity undertaken for the benefit of others.
- It is neither caregiving for relatives nor a form of employment.
- A volunteer is not an employee; they cannot be ‘fired’ or disciplined as staff would be.
- Recognising this distinction safeguards both the organisation and the volunteer.
- Many volunteers come after a personal loss, seeking gratitude or meaning.
- A sense of purpose, community, spiritual growth, or professional development draws others.
- Motivation evolves over time; the organisation must recognise and support these behavioural shifts.
- Volunteer retention relies on how appreciated and necessary people feel their contributions are.
- Every volunteer should have a written role description: what they do, what they don’t do, and who they report to.
- Clarity of roles establishes boundaries and mutual respect.
- Volunteering is a matter of choice, not obligation—it should bring joy, not burnout.
- Roles should be reviewed and adjusted when circumstances change, incorporating feedback from volunteers.
- Risk assessment is not bureaucracy; it’s an essential aspect of the organisation’s ethical duty.
- Around 1,200 active volunteers participate in fundraising, clinical departments, administrative tasks, and gardening.
- A Volunteer Management System records data, schedules, training, and communication with staff.
- The hospice has a ‘Volunteer Voice’ group—representatives who share ideas and feedback with leadership.
- St Christopher’s holds the Investors in Volunteering national accreditation for excellence in volunteer management.
- The process involves: application → informal interview → reference checks → DBS screening → training.
- New volunteers receive support from experienced ones through a buddy or mentoring system.
- Training is both introductory and specialised (e.g., for those supporting dying patients). If someone realises a role isn’t the right fit—that’s okay; better to reassign than lose the person.
- Regular supervision and emotional support are essential to the programme.
- Formal and informal check-ins (‘How are you feeling? What do you enjoy? Any challenges?’) are more beneficial than surveys.
- Volunteers involved in end-of-life care require additional psychological support.
- Feeling valued and connected is the key factor for long-term engagement.
- Supporting patients at home demands particular safety measures:
- First visit accompanied by a staff member.
- Emergency contact and check-in system implemented.
- Regular reports following each visit.
- No medical procedures, only companionship and emotional support.
- In the UK, the Compassionate Neighbours programme trains volunteers to assist people in living independently and meaningfully at home until end of life.
- Volunteer management and coordination systems.
- AI tools for creating and matching role descriptions.
- Virtual Reality (VR) for volunteer training and for patient relaxation or pain management.
- It’s essential to celebrate achievements, show gratitude, and foster a sense of belonging.
- Volunteering is not a duty—it’s a voluntary act driven by compassion.
Webinar 4Launch Plan for a Volunteer ServiceGuest expert: Carolyn Los, Senior Volunteer Service Manager at the Galilee Palliative Care Centre in Greece. Carolyn began volunteering at a very young age, earned a university degree in Human Services and Sociology, and built the Centre’s volunteer service from the ground upKey Takeaways- The most challenging part initially is gaining the trust of the professional team, especially if they are not accustomed to working with volunteers.
- Without the backing of management and key staff, the programme will not endure.
- Volunteers can contribute significantly, but their involvement must be deliberately integrated into the organisation’s operational work.
- Volunteers don’t just ‘help’, they improve the care system on emotional, social, and logistical levels.
- Before recruiting volunteers, an organisation must identify the needs they will address and determine who will benefit—patients, staff, or the community.
- The phrase ‘let’s have some volunteers’ is not a strategy; it’s important to understand their specific role and purpose.
- They act as a link between patients, families, and the community.
- Volunteers are a vital resource for raising awareness of the hospice and nurturing a culture of compassion within society.
- In regions where palliative care remains little known, volunteering serves as a means of education and advocacy.
- This is a distinctive and frequently ignored area.
- Volunteers can organise concerts, dinners, and theatre events, and support the hospice’s mission through personal networks.
- Even small initiatives foster visibility, trust, and sustainability.
- However, fundraising requires extra caution; financial transparency and documentation are essential.
- Volunteering is not just about helping, but about bringing people together who share the value of caring for others.
- Every step—no matter how small—moves us closer to a world where no one is left alone at the end of life.
- Define the purpose and value of volunteers.
- Conduct an environmental scan—identify who lives, works, or studies nearby, and who could become allies.
- Develop a realistic plan.
- Prepare core documents, clear guidelines, and safe role descriptions.
- Create a pilot training programme and test the model on a small scale.
- Before starting, every volunteer must complete training that covers:
- Basics of palliative care
- Communication and empathy skills
- Self-care and prevention of burnout
- Understanding grief and loss
- Rules for interacting with patients and families
- No one should begin volunteering without prior training.
- A volunteer is not merely a kind-hearted person, but someone who is emotionally and ethically prepared.
- Volunteering is not advised soon after experiencing a personal loss or being diagnosed with a terminal illness, either in the volunteer or their close family.
- The selection process should incorporate a personal interview to evaluate teamwork ability and motivation.
- Mentorship is valuable but must be well organised to prevent power imbalances or dependency.
- The role of Volunteer Coordinator is vital—without one, the system will fail.
- The coordinator ensures effective communication with staff, maintains safety standards, provides training, and offers feedback.
- Leadership and external partners (lawyers, accountants, psychologists, faith leaders, media) should be actively engaged.
- Legal support should be established, including agreements, consent forms, and personal data protection policies.
- Each region faces its own unique cultural barriers, including religion, language, and attitudes towards death.
- Volunteer programmes should be adapted to local contexts rather than replicated from other models.
- In such environments, volunteers are essential in reducing fear and stigma related to the subject of dying.
- Small, steady steps — ‘drop by drop’.
- Sustained trust and openness.
- Open communication, appreciation, and acknowledgement of contributions.
- Support from leadership and partners.
- Emotional support: supervision, access to a psychologist, and safe spaces for reflection.
- Transparency, safety, and respect as fundamental values.
