A balancing act: Youth volunteering in hospitals, in the context of Covid-19

IVAR is the ‘learning partner’ for the Pears Foundation’s #iwill Match Fund, which supports the growth of inclusive, high-quality youth social action opportunities through 30 NHS Trusts and their respective charities. This briefing offers some initial reflections on the network’s response to Covid-19.

We summarise the main content of peer support sessions for hospital volunteer coordinators which took place, and share insights from the Pears Foundation on each Trust’s response to Covid-19 along with thoughts from #iwill ambassadors and NHS England and NHS Improvement.

Alongside this briefing, we are publishing resources to support young volunteer programmes in hospitals, developed and shared by the Pears #iwill Peers. These can be accessed at www.ivar.org.uk/youth-volunteering-in-hospitals.