Befriender Children Volunteer Roles
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Midland Mencap is a charity which works and campaigns for accessible and inclusive services and a better quality of life for everyone with experience of learning disabilities and additional needs
Purpose of the role
With your friendly attitude and knowledge of the local area, you could be the support a Midland Mencap citizen needs to access and enjoy their local community and make a big difference to their lives.
Some of our citizens may be dealing with a variety of difficulties including depression, isolation, physical and mental health problems, Your role will be to help them to enjoy their local community in the way that they want; this may include activities such as going shopping, attending an event, visiting a park or a local facility – and having fun.
What would I be doing?
·Visit a Midland Mencap citizen
·Accompany them to agreed community locations and activities
·Provide a befriending support role to ensure the citizen enjoys a positive experience
· To record and maintain basic records as required
·To ensure the activities undertaken complies with safeguarding, equal opportunities, health & safety and other policies and the guidelines provided by Midland Mencap.
What do I need?
· Being approachable and friendly
· Good communication skills
· Knowledge of, and able to travel to local places
· Accepting of others who might be different to you and the ability to work as part of a diverse team
· A willingness to learn and act within guidelines set out by Midland Mencap
· Good time management skills, reliability
· An enhanced DBS check will be required by all successful applicants.
When and where do you need me?
· A minimum of 2 visits per month
· Days and times are flexible and agreed in advance, but there may be some specific activities the citizen wishes to attend
· In the local community
What’s in it for me?
As one of our valued volunteers, Midland Mencap will offer you:
· The opportunity to make a difference to the lives of people with learning disabilities and their family carers
· An induction and settling in period
· Any training and development that is needed
· The chance to develop your skills and gain experience
· The opportunity to meet new people and be part of a diverse team
· Support within your role
· Any out-of-pocket travel expenses
· Lots of appreciation for your amazing contribution
· Positive wellbeing from doing something great
· Improve career opportunities by adding your volunteer role to a CV and ask us for a reference
To campaign for and deliver accessible and inclusive community health and wellbeing support services for individuals, families, and carers.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
We are looking for fun, reliable, and enthusiastic volunteer Independent Visitors from all different cultures, backgrounds and experiences who have a genuine interest in making a difference to the lives of children and young people.
Our Staffordshire and Stoke Independent Visitor Service is looking for volunteers in or near to Newcastle-Under-Lyme.
- Are you passionate about wanting to help young people?
- Do you have 2 to 4 hours to spare, once a month?
- Are you ready to make a long-term, regular, commitment?
If the answer is yes and you would like to support a child or young person currently in the care of their local authority, then we would love to hear from you.
You will decide with your young person what to do, but activities could include going to the cinema, bowling, playing football, going to a restaurant, riding a bike, or walking in a park. We will match you with a child you share common interests with.
You do not need experience of working with children and young people, just an interest in their development and welfare. Full training and support are provided.
Here’s a few of the young people we have waiting for a volunteer:
- Amy (12) lives with an older carer, she would like an active Independent Visitor who can do sports with her.
- Brad (13) lives in residential care with other young people, he doesn’t have anyone in his family visit. He would like an Independent Visitor to take him out and have fun, like the other young people.
- Cassie (16) lives with carers in a new town, she doesn’t have any friends in the area yet. She would like an Independent Visitor to help with her confidence and going out in the local area, she loves hot chocolate and cake.
- Danny (11) lives with foster carers and attends a special school. He would like an Independent Visitor to help him be more independent, he likes parks, aeroplanes, and animals.
- Emma (9) lives with her carer in a very busy household, she would like an Independent Visitor to spend some time with her on her own trying different activities together.
*names have been changed
The Application
- Volunteering mainly happens at weekends and after school hours as the young people are usually in school during the daytime
- The role requires commitment of at least 24 months with one visit per month; this ensures stability for the Child or Young Person
- Complete the Personal Statement section on the application form as fully as possible; tell us all about you; it forms part of the shortlisting process
Our values are to be Compassionate, Open and Bold. If this sounds like you, please click the apply button. Alternatively, if you would like to discuss the role in more detail, please call or email and we will be happy to help.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
At Staying Well we run a Telephone Befriending Scheme.
If you have up to an hour free once a week for 6 months then this could be the volunteer role for you!
This is what the Befriending Network say about befriending:
“Everyone needs other people, but not everyone has someone.
Befriending offers supportive, reliable relationships through volunteer befrienders to people who would otherwise be socially isolated. Around the UK, there are befriending projects which organise effective support for children and young people, families, people with mental ill-health, people with learning disabilities and older people, amongst many others.
The results of befriending can be very significant. Befriending often provides people with a new direction in life, opens up a range of activities and leads to increased self-esteem and self confidence. Befriending can also reduce the burden on other services which people may use inappropriately as they seek social contact.”
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Job Title – Children’s Advocacy Helpline Volunteer
Contract - Volunteer
Hours - Minimum 1 day a week for minimum of 1 year post training period, Helpline opening hours Monday to Friday 10am-6pm
Salary – Out of pocket expenses for travel (up to £10 per day) and Lunch (up to £5 per day)
Location – Coram Campus, 41 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AZ
About Coram Voice
Coram Voice exists to enable and equip children and young people to hold the system to account, to challenge and support it to do its job properly and to uphold the rights of children and young people to actively participate in shaping their own lives.
About the role
Our volunteers champion the rights of young people in care and on the edges of care, support them to access advocacy and make their voices heard. Training is provided. Whether you are currently studying, recently graduated, working part-time, retired or between jobs, volunteering with Coram Voice is a great opportunity to make a difference at the same time as gaining experience of working for a national children’s rights charity.
Our Helpline Supervisors will support you to develop valuable advocacy skills and knowledge of children’s rights and we offer specialist training in safeguarding, equality and diversity and advocacy. This training and other resources will help you to prepare for the role. You will be joining a team that provides quality support to young people in a friendly and supportive environment.
Our volunteer team is integral to our service and we could not provide the service we do without them, particularly in terms of the support we offer to homeless children.
We believe this role will be of particular interest to anyone looking to develop a career involving giving advice, advocacy, children’s and human rights, legal work, social work or youth work; or for professionals in those fields who want to use their experience to support the work of a children’s charity.
Please see our candidate information document for more information about our organisation and the training provided.
We ask that recruitment agencies do not contact us in relation to this position. We have chosen to recruit directly as this helps us to minimise our recruitment costs, ensuring that funds are not diverted from the children and young people we help.
To apply for this role, please click on the 'apply now' button below to complete the application, please note we do not accept cvs.
Closing Date: 2nd June 2024 23.59pm
Interview Date: Candidates will be interviewed as they apply
Coram is an equal opportunities employer and we believe a diverse workforce enables us to improve the services to the children and families we help. We are genuinely committed to encouraging candidates from all sections of the community we seek to support. This includes those from, Asian, African, Caribbean and other minority ethnic backgrounds, those that identify as LGBQT+, those with disabilities, those with lived experience of care, those with neuro-diversity, and those from other groups who are underrepresented at Coram.
If applicants feel comfortable, we would encourage them to draw on lived experience as well as professional experience as part of their application.
We are committed to the safeguarding of children and where appropriate will require the successful applicant to undertake a check from the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Registered Charity No. 312278.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Our volunteers champion the rights of young people in care and on the edges of care, support them to access advocacy and make their voices heard. Training is provided. Whether you are currently studying, recently graduated, working part-time, retired or between jobs, volunteering with Coram Voice is a great opportunity to make a difference at the same time as gaining experience of working for a national children’s rights charity.
Our Helpline Supervisors will support you to develop valuable advocacy skills and knowledge of children’s rights and we offer specialist training in safeguarding, equality and diversity and advocacy. This training and other resources will help you to prepare for the role. You will be joining a team that provides quality support to young people in a friendly and supportive environment.
Our volunteer team is integral to our service and we could not provide the service we do without them, particularly in terms of the support we offer to homeless children.
We believe this role will be of particular interest to anyone looking to develop a career involving giving advice, advocacy, children’s and human rights, legal work, social work or youth work; or for professionals in those fields who want to use their experience to support the work of a children’s charity.
Please see our candidate information document for more information about our organisation and the training provided.
We ask that recruitment agencies do not contact us in relation to this position. We have chosen to recruit directly as this helps us to minimise our recruitment costs, ensuring that funds are not diverted from the children and young people we help.
We are a leading children’s rights organisation. We champion the rights of children and get young voices heard in decisions that matter to them.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.