Befriending volunteer coordinator jobs

Project Background

Come and join our award-winning place-based volunteering programme that works with residents living across Hackney and the City of London.

You will be based out in the community - the programme is based at GP practices - to engage, support and enable local residents and patients to deliver local services for themselves, to meet local needs. We support residents to come together, to share their skills and experience for the benefit of each other, to deliver local groups and activities such as a book group, film club, exercise classes or cooking group. Residents from diverse backgrounds and demographics attend these activities together and make new connections, building strong local communities, all working together to make their area a better place to live. People, many of whom are isolated across all ages, and who have difficult life circumstances, are brought together, providing each other with mutual support and encouragement to develop new skills and pursue life goals, and to feel better able to voice their concerns to services.

You will be joining a nationally recognised project - having won an award from the Royal Society of Public Health in November 2024 - to support residents to fulfil their personal goals, make connections with others, and design activities and services that meet local needs. You will also be supporting people to improve their mental and physical health through signposting them to appropriate services and encouraging them to talk to their GP if they have concerns; and will be working in partnership with GP practice staff to co-create volunteer roles to make the practice more efficient and a better place to visit.

Who are we?

Volunteer Centre Hackney is a medium sized charity (currently 30 staff) based in the London borough of Hackney, working to support local residents to realise their skills and passions through volunteering and social action, and to share these for the benefit of others.

Our mission is to build and strengthen communities across Hackney through supporting residents of all ages and backgrounds to volunteer and build projects together.

In 2021, we were awarded the Freedom of the Borough Award by Hackney Council for our efforts to support residents during COVID, which included mobilising over 2000 volunteers to deliver food, prescriptions and essential items, provide emotional support to isolated residents and support the vaccine rollout. 

We work with hundreds of diverse community organisations and deliver various programmes to help residents share their skills and deliver their own social action projects to improve people’s lives. These include a befriending programme, volunteering brokerage matching local people to volunteer roles based on their skills, interests and goals, a specialist mental health programme, peer research and multiple resident engagement programmes at GP surgeries and estates across Hackney.

Post holders need to be enthusiastic and engaging, bringing energy to the role, be self-motivating and confident to work primarily alone, albeit with some support from the team members based at other sites.

Job Title: Independent Visitor Co-ordinator

Service: Children’s Rights Services, London and the South East

Reporting to: London Lead IV Coordinator

Salary: £27,000 - £27,675 per annum

Location: Hybrid (Coram Campus with homeworking and work in the community)

Hours: 35 hours per week

Contract Type: Permanent

Job Introduction

• Are you passionate about supporting and developing volunteers?

• Are you looking for an opportunity to help make positive differences to the lives of children and young people who are looked after or care leavers of the local authority?

• Do you want to work with a leading national independent children’s charity?

Then come join us here at Coram Voice. We have an exciting opportunity for you to become a co-ordinator of our independent visiting service in London. We are seeking candidates who are committed to our objectives for children and young people and equally committed to the organisation and the development of our services.

Our work

Coram Voice is a national independent children’s charity established in 1975 and has grown to become one of the leading organisations for children and young people in the UK.

Coram Voice is a leading children’s rights organisation. We champion the rights of children. We get young voices heard in decisions that matter to them and work to improve the lives of children in care, care leavers and others who depend upon the help of the state.

We provide:

• Advocacy services direct to children and young people in care, in need, in custody and to care leavers and children and young people with severe and complex mental health problems. Advocates around the country support children and young people to get their voice heard in decisions about their lives. This may be through the telephone helpline or through an advocate working directly with a child, for instance, to support them at a review meeting or to help them make a complaint about their care. Coram Voice provides visiting advocacy services to most of the secure units nationally, to Secure Training Centres, Juvenile Young Offender Institutions, psychiatric hospitals, residential special schools and children’s homes.
• A National Helpline to provide access for children and young people to advocacy and advice, with access to legal advice and links with other national services.
• Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) to advocate for young people as qualifying patients under the Mental Health Act, in order to fully support them to get their views heard in matters relating to their mental health.
• Independent Visitor services offers a child or young person in care an adult volunteer who provides independent, one-to-one visiting, advice and befriending support. Our independent visitors can become the only long-term, consistent source of support throughout a young person's time in care.
• Independent services provide independent person services for complaints by children and for reviewing whether children should be locked up in secure units on welfare grounds.
• Policy and campaigning to create a better system for all children and young people looked after by the state, for their care to be more child-centred and to give young people a greater say in decisions about their lives.
  • Participation services to ensure children and young people have a voice in the development and delivery of services and campaigns, and through the process, provide the opportunity to develop relevant skills which will be of benefit to them in their future lives.
  • Training, development and information for young people, advocates and child care workers, offering courses in advocacy, children’s rights and child-centred practice across a range of areas including the National Advocacy Qualification.

About the Role

You will co-ordinate and deliver a statutory independent visitor service to children and young people in care or care leavers of London.

You will recruit, assess and train volunteers to become independent visitors, who are volunteer befrienders to children and young people looked after or care leavers. You will manage a cash flow to fund suitable activities for independent visitors to enjoy with the young person. You will manage data and reporting for this statutory service so that service leads and other stakeholders can understand the activity in the service.

We are a child led service, you will not act outside of the young person’s instructions (except in matters of child protection and safety.)You will build strong relationships with the child or young person, independent visitors and other significant adults, you will support Independent Visitors to develop long term, meaningful friendships with the young person.

You will work in partnership with other parts of the service, organisation and external agencies and professionals. This is to ensure there are pathways to attract and retain Independent Visitors in the area and sometimes out of area.

What you will receive

We wish to reward and recognise the valuable contributions our staff make to the organisation and offer an attractive benefits package to do so. Coram Voice benefits package includes a competitive salary, a matched pension scheme up to 5% of salary, generous leave entitlements of 28 days’ annual leave per year, with increases linked to years worked at Coram Voice. A supportive work environment fostering a good work/home life balance and a suite of family friendly policies, which promote employee wellbeing.

You will get a genuine opportunity to make a difference every day.

Recruitment process

Shortlisting will be undertaken by Grace Maher, Children’s Rights Services Manager and Jade Joseph, London Lead IV Coordinator. Successful candidates will then be invited for interview. The interview process comprises of a written exercise and a panel interview. Successful candidates will have a further one to one interview in accordance within Warner recommendations. Internal candidates will need to notify HR of their interest in the post and they will provide further information on the internal application process.

Returning your application:

• We cannot accept general CVs. When completing your application form, address each point of the person specification and demonstrate how you meet it.
• Applications must be fully completed.

Closing Date: 11.59pm, 8th June 2025.

Interviews will be arranged for w/c 9th and 16th June 2025.

Coram is an equal opportunities employerandwe 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 seekto support. This includes those from global majority 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 encouragethem to draw on lived experienceas well as professional experiencein their personal statement as part of their application.

We are committed to the safeguarding of children and where appropriate willrequire the successful applicant to undertake acheck from the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Registered Charity No. 312278.

Project Worker 2 - Volunteer Co-ordinator (Maternity cover)

Are you looking for a new challenge? 

Would you like to join our exciting and innovative Barnardo's Swansea Bloom Service working with young people who are care experienced as they make the transition to independence?

About the Bloom Service

Barnardo's Swansea Bloom Service works directly with care experienced young people to help improve their emotional wellbeing, resilience and self confidence. Our aim is to create a positive space for them to explore their identity, passions, and potential. The support on offer includes  the opportunity to take part in amazing activities, life coaching, befriending and peer mentoring.

This is an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated individual to join Barnardo's as a Volunteer, Befriending and Peer Mentoring Co-ordinator (Project Worker 2).

The contract is for 25 hours a week to cover the maternity leave of the substantive post holder until 31st March 2025.

Bloom is a growing service offering a unique opportunity for the right person to develop, co-ordinate and deliver our Volunteer, Befriending and Peer Mentoring work using established and innovative approaches. The Co-ordinator will be responsible for recruiting and managing a team of volunteers, befrienders and peer mentors who will help young people to improve their physical and mental well-being by supporting them to access a range of exciting activities, helping them to find new interests and hobbies and engage in healthy activities in the community

You will undertake the role of Volunteer, Befriending and Peer Mentoring Co-ordinator reporting to the Children's Service Manager and acting as line manager to the service's volunteers.

The successful candidate will be required to carry out the following duties (in addition to those on the generic job description):- 

• Continued development and delivery of the Volunteer, Befriending and Peer Mentoring element of the Bloom service.
• Recruit and train volunteers, befrienders and peer mentors
• Effectively match volunteers/befrienders/peer mentors to support young people
• Effectively utilise the Barnardo's specialist volunteer management system (Vol 1)
• Provide ongoing support and supervision of volunteers
• Keep accurate statistical information and assist in producing service performance reports for the organisation and funders.
• Support project engagement events and empower young people to share their voice and ensure that Bloom continues to be a young person led project
• Assist in quality assurance of every aspect of the service
• The service requires flexibility of work as we support young people around their needs.

You will have: 

• Experience of working within a volunteering setting preferably at the level of co-ordinating the service this can be in a employment, education, training or volunteering setting
• Experience of recruiting, inducting and retaining volunteers
• Experience of keeping statistical information and completing performance reports for funders
• The ability to line manage  volunteers
• An understanding of the needs of care experienced/vulnerable young people and an awareness of the factors impacting on their lives

Bloom is made up of three elements all of which work together:

Life Coaching - there is a dedicated life coach

Giving young people the power to unlock their own potential for positive change, by providing them with the tools to build resilience, improve wellbeing and understand themselves better. Coaching empowers young people to think about and move forward positively in their lives, by creating and working towards specific goals through 1:1 sessions with our life coach. 

Volunteer, befriending and peer mentoring - there is a dedicated volunteer coordinator

• Volunteers – to help with activities
• Befriending - members of the local community befriend and provide ongoing assistance to service users are moving to independence
• Peer mentors – care experienced adults who can offer invaluable guidance to care experienced young people by drawing on their own experiences

Activities there are 2 engagement workers 

Giving young people regular opportunities to get together to experience activities not easily accessed by care experienced young people. Led by the expressed wishes of young people they could be experiences such as sports, adventuring, outdoor events, gardening clubs, cooking clubs.

Additional Information:

You must have the ability to travel independently to meet the requirements of the post.

You must demonstrate in your application that you currently use the skills outlined above, and in the Job Description/Person Specifications, or have used them previously in employment, education, training, volunteering etc.

This contract is for 25 hours a week to cover the maternity leave of the substantive post holder until 31st March 2026 .

Your main office base will be at Barnardo's Swansea, Heol Cadifor, Penlan, Swansea but you will be expected to work out and about in Swansea and Neath.

When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification, Job Description and Additional Information document. This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described.

Need more information?

If you require any further information about this opportunity, please contact Christine Parry (email address can be found via the job vacancy link on our website).

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.

Pay & Reward Framework

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values.  We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people. 

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay. 

Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours.  More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application. 

Director of Services

We are seeking an experienced Director of Services to work as part of the Senior Management Team to provide strategic leadership and direction for the organisation and deputise for the CEO as required.

You will be responsible for the Charity’s client-facing, free at point of access, service delivery operations, including Information, Advice and Advocacy, and Hospital and Community support services.

Position: Director of Services

Location: Hayes, London

Salary: £55,000 per annum

Hours: Full-time - 35 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Benefits: Flexible Working, Hybrid Working, Compressed hours available, Job share considered/Part-time hours considered, Training and development, 5% pension contribution, Health plan with employee assistance and 24 hour support, 26 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) rising to 30 days, London Living Wage employer

Closing date: Midday, Monday 12th May 2025

About the role: 

As Director of Services, you will be responsible for a wide range of services including Hospital services (A&E support, discharge and falls prevention), community services (activity groups, befriending, clubs), information and advice services (including benefits, housing, carers and statutory advocacy).

You will be responsible for ensuring all contracts and grants deliver to targets and provide services of the highest possible quality standards with demonstrable impact measures and feedback systems.

You will be a key member of our Senior Management Team (SMT), helping to develop and deliver on our new 5-year strategy, and contributing towards the annual business planning and budgeting processes.

Alongside our CEO you will be responsible for managing our external partnerships and third sector consortia. You will help to ensure we influence the priorities of our three local authorities and play a key role in the NHS transformation agenda across Northwest London. You will be based in a positive, creative and ambitious organisation, supported by a skilled SMT and responsible for a team of experienced managers.

Your key responsibilities will include: 

• Provide strategic leadership, direction and development of all Age UK HHB Services, contributing to organisational strategy and the annual business planning process.

• To work with the leadership team to identify and resource development opportunities, and to ensure our activity is providing optimum impact to improve the lives of older people in the borough

• Line Manage and develop Head of Services, Service Managers and other staff as appropriate, including setting targets and monitoring performance by ensuring that regular supervisions and appraisals are carried out, and tackling any performance issues in line with policies and procedures.

• Ensure Age UK HHB staff and volunteers are provided with up-to-date information sources, including any changes in national and local policy. To ensure services achieve external and internal quality frameworks and best practice guidance and to drive efficient working practices.

• Develop and oversee systems for feedback from service users to ensure the work, ethos and culture of Age UK HHB are informed by older people.

• To ensure quality data is captured for all service delivery allowing us to measure reach and impact for effective performance management, overseeing the provision of monitoring reports and dashboards for funders and board

• To work with the CEO, Managers and Trustees to develop annual budgets and to ensure services and projects are delivered to budget.

• Work closely with external partners and commissioning/funding agencies to ensure that Age UK HHB delivers the range of services that are required and/or contracted, on time and on budget.

About you: 

To be successful in the role you will need to be able to operate effectively in challenging times and a constantly changing working environment. Experience in successful leadership, managing people, organisational change and improving business processes to support the charity’s strategy will be essential to this role. 

Essential skills and experience include: 

• Educated to Degree level or equivalent, or substantial successful senior management experience. 

• Proven experience as an inspirational and successful leader of teams of staff and volunteers.

• Substantial experience in effective management of time, tasks and projects.

• Demonstrable experience of working within and/or influencing change in health and social care services.

• Experience in designing, planning, leading and mobilising new or remodelled services from concept through to business as usual.

• Knowledge of the voluntary sector and its ways of working with knowledge and understanding of user involvement and empowerment.

• Knowledge and understanding of local health and social care structures.

• Excellent written and verbal presentation skills.

If you feel you have the necessary skills apply today!

The charity is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity. 

About the organisation:

Age UK Hillingdon, Harrow and Brent provides a wide range of services for around 15,000 older people across the three boroughs of North West London. We employ 100 staff and are supported by 180 volunteers. Our turnover is in the region of £3.5 million.

Other roles you may have experience with could include Deputy Service Manager, Service Coordinator, Head of Services, Service Lead, Social Care, Social Care Services, Health and Social Care, Programme Manager, Service Delivery Manager, Registered Manager, Registered Service Manager, Service Manager, Services Manager.