News

The Highlands Community Hospice Service will be launching in January 2025 and they are currently seeking their first cohort of volunteers.

The hospice service is a volunteer-based palliative care program offering compassionate care and practical volunteer support to individuals with life-limiting illnesses and conditions, and their caring community. This service will be based in the New England region of NSW, including Armidale, Uralla, Walcha, and Guyra and surrounding areas.

Operating alongside, and in collaboration with, existing palliative care and other services, the program aims to fill gaps in support, reducing the burden on carers and service providers. Volunteer services will be flexible, trauma-informed and person-centred, tailored to meet the unique needs of each client and their caregivers. Full training and support will be provided to volunteers.

While ‘companionship and connection’ is the primary focus, volunteers may also assist with a variety of practical tasks such as with home help, appointments, respite care, legacy projects, and grief and loss support.

People can also volunteer in different ways – they might choose to not volunteer as a companion but may have specific skill sets and interests such as gardening, pet care or professional support including legal assistance or counselling that they would like to offer. While these volunteers would still undergo the full training, they would not be matched 1:1 with a client as a companion, they may volunteer with one client or between multiple clients to provide support in their specialised area.

Highlands may have other volunteer roles in the organisation such as help with funding and grant writing, social media, resource development, events management, or be on a committee or sub-committee. There are many ways to be involved.

Volunteer training will be conducted between March–April.  If you would like to apply, please ensure you first read all of the important details in the Highlands Community Hospice Service documents linked below.

– Program Description
– Volunteer Position Description
– Volunteer Training and Development

Applications close 31 January 2025. Please click here to apply.

If you have any questions, please reach out to them at [email protected] and check out their website by clicking here.