Lynne Connolly, Helpforce Cymru Manager at Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), reflects on a new study from Bayes Business School and the Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care. Commissioned by Social Care Wales and funded by WCVA, the study shows the real difference volunteers make, the challenges care homes face in supporting them, and why investing in their role is so important to turn volunteering from hopeful to purposeful across Wales.
Volunteering isn’t evenly spread across care homes. Around 15% of voluntary sector-run homes involve volunteers, compared with 5% of public sector and 3% of private sector homes. Differences in resources, attitudes, and capacity mean that while many homes want to involve volunteers, not all have the time or skills to recruit and manage them effectively. For residents, the benefits are clear. Volunteers bring new faces, fresh conversations, and links to the wider community. One manager described them as giving residents “access to the outside community,” especially for those with limited family contact. They also bring “brightness to their faces,” offering one-to-one attention that busy staff often cannot provide.
For volunteers, the rewards go beyond doing good. Many develop strong bonds with residents, gain insight into their lives, and experience a deep sense of purpose. “It gives you such a good sense of well-being. It’s giving back to your community and enriching the lives of the elderly — you can’t ask for more than that,” said one volunteer. “It’s part of my life now and I like it — I won’t be cutting this out,” said another. Yet volunteering can also be emotionally demanding. Some volunteers feel anxious, particularly when residents they know well pass away. The report highlights the importance of “support and supervision to safeguard volunteers’ wellbeing as well as residents.”
Clear role boundaries are key to successful volunteering. Volunteers should complement, not replace, staff. Many managers, however, worry about risk, training, and supervision, often dreaming of the “perfect volunteer.” “We used to have a volunteer years ago who would come in and play Bridge… she loved it so much, she even offered to come on some of our minibus trips. That’s the kind of person we really need in a care home,” said one manager. The research notes that this ideal rarely exists. By focusing on flexible roles and supportive supervision, however, care homes can welcome a diverse group of volunteers who reflect the people living there, creating inclusion and meaningful impact for everyone.
Many care homes struggle to plan or manage volunteering, with staff stretched and little time for long-term strategy. Homes often rely on third-party organisations or short-term funded programmes to recruit and manage volunteers. While helpful, this isn’t always sustainable and can create duplicated effort across the sector.
The report concludes that approaches to volunteering are often “hopeful rather than purposeful, and reactive rather than proactive.” Volunteering is too often seen as a pleasant extra, not a core part of care home life. At a national level, the researchers call for greater policy clarity about volunteering in social care in Wales. How does it fit into workforce strategy? Who should lead this agenda, and to what end?
The study highlights five shifts to strengthen volunteering: clear national policy, committed leadership, skilled volunteer management, better coordination, and sustainable long-term support. Volunteers already bring joy, connection, and meaningful moments — but with better guidance, recognition, and planning, their contribution can be fully embedded and sustainable.
Volunteers are already making a real impact, and with Social Care Wales continuing its research, next year’s findings will show how care homes can make volunteering even more meaningful — for residents, volunteers, and the wider social care workforce.
