Volunteer host training
Training 2: hosting safely (3 minute read)
This module looks at how to ensure your tea party is run safety for the comfort of your older guests.
Host’s home checklist
Everyone who is interested in being a volunteer host is asked to complete a host’s home checklist as part of their volunteer application. There is a separate declaration for those to sign when hosting at an external venue (for example, at a church hall). Once an applicant has had an interview they can move on to the next stages which include an interview, ID checks and taking up references.
Once you have completed the steps above, your online training modules and signed your volunteer agreement, we let your group coordinator know you are ready to host. Your group coordinator will be your main point of contact from this point onwards and they will be able to talk you through everything you need to know prior to hosting your first tea party.
Good to know
Our host’s home checklist is all about identifying potential risks before you host a tea party. For example, if you’ve identified that a rug in your living room is a trip hazard, you could take away this risk by rolling up the rug and putting it in another room on the day of your tea party. If you’re finding it difficult to think of ways to mitigate a particular risk, your group coordinator will be able to help and advise you.
We ask hosts to look at the points below when considering an older person’s comfort and safety:
Location and local parking arrangements
It is important that there are adequate parking spaces near your house so that guests don't need to walk too long to get from the car to your house.
Getting into your house
Guests should be able to get into your house easily without having to climb more than three steps. If this is not the case, please check with your group coordinator to make sure that all guests attending will be able to manage access safely.
Getting to the toilet
All guests must have easy access to facilities. Having a downstairs toilet is one of the important factors to be able to host a tea party at your house.
Trips and slips
Please make sure you have removed or secured all trip and slip hazards in your house. Some examples of these hazards can be: loose rugs, trailing wires, loose tiles, wobbly tables or other things that might cause people to trip or cause accidents.
Seating
Older people may not be able to get in and out of armchairs and sofas easily. We recommend that you provide a variety of seating options for your guests.
Ventilation
You may host your tea party in a garden or a room which allows adequate ventilation for a Covid-safe gathering. If your tea party is being hosted indoors make sure you have adequate ventilation.
Lighting
If your tea party takes place indoors, make sure the room has adequate lighting.
Smoking
Re-engage events are all no smoking events. It is important to commit to hosting no smoking tea parties in your house.
Food safety and dietary/allergy considerations
Please make sure prior to hosting a tea party you’ve checked with your coordinator to see if any of the guests coming to the tea party have any dietary requirements. In the next training this topic will be explained more in detail.
Pets
The safety and comfort of all your guests is paramount. Please check with your group coordinator if any guests have allergies or a fear of certain pets and plan accordingly. Some pets may need to be secured away for the duration of the tea party.
Reducing the risks
If you would like to learn more about safety, the charity Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has lots of helpful advice on their website.