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Volunteering in health and social care

  • Last modified date:
    14 May 2009

The Department of Health fully appreciates the major contribution volunteers make to health and social care to enable people to live fuller and more independent lives.

Towards a strategy to support volunteering in health and social care: consultation

Published: 3 June 2008

A volunteering strategy for health and social care will articulate the key actions needed to address the perceived obstacles to making a refreshed vision for volunteering in health and social care a reality.   The consultation will run until 30 September 2008, with a view to publication of a final strategy and implementation plan in early 2009. 

Opportunities for Volunteering (OFV) scheme

The existing Opportunities for Volunteering (OFV) scheme National Agents have now completed the  final applications round for grants in 2009-10.  The OFV scheme is now effectively closed in its current form.

The Department of Health is currently undertaking a procurement exercise to identify and appoint an organisation to manage a new Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund to replace the OFV scheme.  Grants for 2010-11 will be awarded by the new Fund Manager from April 2010.

Those wishing to apply to the new Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund in due course should consult the Department of Health website later this year for information, once the Fund Manager is appointed, on application process and timescales

OFV Annual Reviews

Further information and application forms

For further information on applying for an OFV grant, please see below

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