· Protecting Your Social Welfare Rights
· Coming Home Weekends
· Counselling
· Personal Debriefing
· Careers Signposting
Protecting Your Social Welfare Rights
As a volunteer or development worker that has worked overseas it is important to protect your social welfare rights so that it remains possible for you to claim your entitlements when you return home. This could be crucially important if you wish to claim unemployment, dental, maternity or other benefits when you’re back in Ireland. Comhlámh can advise you of your options including the Volunteer Development Workers Scheme (which can be applied for retrospectively), being retained on the Irish social insurance system or paying Voluntary Contributions. We administer the Public Service Pension Scheme for Volunteer Development Workers and can provide information about what to think about if you are leaving an occupational pension scheme. We also validate eligibility of development workers for the Free Fees Initiative for Higher Education Grants, Local Authority Grants and Allowances, maternity benefit and can issue supporting letters. For more information about protecting your interests click here or contact Stuart at stuart@comhlamh.org.
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Coming Home Weekends
If you returned home in the last year you may like to join us on a Coming Home Weekend. These weekends are held throughout the year in different locations for returned development workers and volunteers that have spent 3 months or more overseas. Coming Home Weekends are an enjoyable way to share experiences, meet others home from overseas; learn, socialise, network and exchange advice.
Feedback on the Coming Home Weekends:
"Comhlámh's Coming Home Weekend helped me find my feet on return from my overseas placement"
On describing emotions at the end of the weekend: "Energised, enthused, focused, comforted, supported, encouraged, refreshed, relaxed, enlightened, relieved, motivated, optimistic, positive and empowered"
For more information about Coming Home Weekends click here.
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Counselling
The period after returning from an overseas assignment can be a fruitful time to engage in counselling. It provides an opportunity to work through some ‘old’ issues, which may have come to the fore while overseas, or to talk out issues relating to the assignment, such as security problems, stress, trauma or illness.
The period after returning from an overseas assignment can be a fruitful time to engage in counselling. It provides an opportunity to work through some ‘old’ issues, which may have come to the fore while overseas, or to talk out issues relating to the assignment, such as security problems, stress, trauma or illness.
You don't have to have experienced a 'crisis' to avail of or benefit from counselling. Appropriate counselling can be helpful in the process of re-adapting.
Comhlámh provides a counselling service to individuals who have worked or volunteered overseas in a developing country for 3 months or more. We provide a subsidy of €50 per session (for a maximum of 10 sessions) of counselling with one of our approved counsellors. The individual pays the remainder of the cost per session.
All volunteers and development workers accessing this service will be allocated a client number. All counselling sessions and associated communications are held in strictest confidence. No information will be passed to any sending agency, Irish Aid or third party.
For further information on this confidential service contact the Support Services Project Officer on 01-4783490 or email supportservices@comhlamh.org.
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Personal Debriefing
Comhlámh offers a personal debriefing service to individuals overseas for 3 months or longer. Research has shown that personal debriefings can be extremely beneficial to returned volunteers, missionaries, development and humanitarian workers post-assignment overseas. Personal debriefings are distinguishable from programme or operational debriefings, which are primarily concerned with the work done on assignment and are conducted by the ‘sending agency’ at the end of a placement overseas. This type of debriefing is sometimes referred to as ‘exit interviews’.
Personal debriefings are concerned with how the whole overseas experience was for the individual and how the process of readjusting back home is going for them. The purpose is to help the individual to reflect on and process their overseas experiences, to bring about a sense of closure and help the individual move on.
Tailored group debriefings may be available on request. Please contact the Support Services Project Officer at supportservices@comhlamh.org or call 01-4783490 for further details.
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Careers Signposting
Volunteering overseas might inspire you to pursue a career in social justice. It can feel overwhelming to consider the options and issues involved. To help you choose the route that is best for you, you can download Comhlámh’s Careers and Courses leaflet, which lists all courses related to social justice in Ireland. Comhlámh also has a jobs noticeboard where you can view opportunities in the development sector.
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