Befriending Volunteers Jobs in Kensington, Greater London

Do you want to help build a world where no one feels lonely or left behind?

Do you care deeply about the welfare and dignity of older or vulnerable adults?

Do you have experience in social care or working with people with a wide variety of needs and abilities?

If you answered yes to all of the above, this could be the role for you! We’re looking for a Neighbourhood Care & Phoneline Coordinator with experience and enthusiasm for older people to join a well-established and vital programme. The Neighbourhood Care & Phoneline Coordinator reports to the Senior Manager – Older Adults & Volunteering and works in a team alongside the Neighbourhood Care Coordinator and the Befriending & Volunteering Coordinator. This part-time post plays a vital role in supporting isolated older adults in the Bermondsey and Rotherhithe areas. If you are a good listener, compassionate, flexible and able to take initiative, this is a fantastic opportunity for you. What we do Time & Talents is a lively, busy community centre in the heart of Rotherhithe, London SE16. Set in a leafy heritage building, and ‘T&T2’, our second venue in Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, we offer something for everyone. With a history of 137 years of supporting people of all ages in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey, we bring people together for mutual support, fun and friendship, with a wide range of services and activities for older people and other adults, along with children and families’ programmes and a range of volunteering projects.

The role

In this role, your key responsibilities will include:

• Supporting older people aged 55+ in Bermondsey and Rotherhithe: providing strength-based assessments of individual needs and support to help reduce loneliness, improve health and wellbeing and increase older adult’s opportunities to connect to their local community.

• Delivering a shared phoneline and inbox offering signposting support to older adults.

About you

You are passionate about the power of community, and particularly volunteers, to connect and support people, and you like to work in collaboration with others. You are methodical with demonstrable experience in supporting older or vulnerable adults, particularly able to show experience in working with volunteers to meet the needs of the community. You’re flexible, accountable, take responsibility, are highly organised and skilled in multitasking and balancing priorities.

 About us

We are an energetic, experienced, and passionate team of 17, with a strong sense of shared purpose and a lively sense of humour. You’ll have the chance to make a big contribution to a growing, ambitious and innovative organisation which has doubled its reach and impact in recent years. This role is 26 hours per week, with flexibility for regular evening and occasional weekend working. Time & Talents is wholly committed to inclusion and diversity, and to building a culture and environment where everyone is appreciated for the unique person that they are. We actively encourage applications from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences.

If you would like an informal chat about the job, please email recruitment @ timeandtalents. org. uk with your phone number and a suitable time for us to call. The closing date is 09:00 Monday 30th September.

Ruils is a user-led charity based in the Richmond borough that supports disabled children and adults and the elderly to live independently, be part of their community and to live life to the full. We provide information, advice, advocacy, befriending and activities to our clients and their families.

As part of this mission, we deliver accessible and inclusive community group activities and volunteer-based services for disabled residents. Our ambition is to enrich people’s lives, help with their mental health challenges and reduce their isolation and loneliness. We have broadened our community remit to also identify, advise and support residents living with health inequalities in the Borough of Richmond as an NHS Southwest London Integrated Care Board Core20Plus5 Partner.

The localities of focus will be Whitton/Heathfield, Hampton North, Barnes North, Mortlake and Ham & Petersham. These localities are also where Ruils has lower levels of volunteer engagement and consequently community service provision.

Purpose of Post

• Working with the Community and Volunteer Manager to deliver our Community Independent Living Services (CILS). The role entails supporting Ruils’ Group Activities, Befriending, Active from Home Walks, as well as the recruitment and management of Ruils Volunteers.
• Working with the Community and Volunteer Manager, to manage our Core20Plus5 initiative to target resident engagement with community organisations in areas where this is identified as being low.
• To establish the reasons for this and draw up a plan for improved  local engagement by driving volunteer recruitment  and delivering increased  befriending and Active from Home client matches, new group activities, and establishing a trusted reach-out path for the currently dis-engaged residents at our Health and Wellbeing events.
• To provide input to Health and Wellbeing events organised by the Health in your Hands team in areas of focus.

Key Duties

• Support with the recruitment, matching, on-boarding, training and management of Ruils Volunteers in particular areas of focus and across the charity when required.
• Support with the administration and management of the Ruils Befriending, Active from Home Walks, and Community Group Activities, particularly in key areas of focus.
• Support new clients being referred into CILs services to access activities and services.
• Work with clients (with guidance and support) to:
• Access CILS services.
• Match with appropriate befriending volunteers.
• Access social and leisure opportunities in the community.
• Support (where appropriate) with facilitating Ruils online group activities.
• Support with the monitoring of CILS activities.
• Manage our Core20Plus5 initiative to engage with community organisations (council, voluntary, health & wellbeing, resident associations), and local residents to:
• Increase Ruils understanding of local health and wellbeing support needs.
• Record findings of engagements as basis for new services deployment.
• Promote new volunteer requirement at micro-level in targeted localities.
• Evaluate what new group activities will meet local resident wellbeing needs and propose plan for delivery.
• Support the delivery of Ruils Health & Wellbeing Events in key areas of focus including contacting local residents to promote the events.
• Identify, reach out and establish ongoing relationships with like-minded organisations to attend their health and wellbeing events in the targeted localities. As a community connector, outreach should also identity individual influencers in these areas in order to utilise their knowledge, insight and influence with the challenges faced by local residents.
• The goal is to establish a trust and confidence to maximise our engagement with local residents.
• Other duties as deemed appropriate relating to the community services, or Ruils services generally.

Ruils Culture

At the heart of Ruils is good people. We believe in mutual respect where we value everyone’s strengths and celebrate our differences and imperfections. We all support a collaborative ‘us’ mentality where we share our knowledge for the benefit of our colleagues and clients.

Our culture is underpinned by clear, honest and transparent communication at all levels. We are all committed to creating an organisation that supports our personal and professional lives but can still be a fun and sociable place to work.

We all passionately believe in the same vision for Ruils and our clients, supporting people to become valued, effective and independent members of society. We will achieve this through open collaboration as a team and an empathetic approach to our clients.

For us all to grow and flourish we are committed to creating a supportive, caring and kind environment for every member of our team. We will do this by trusting our colleagues and acting with the utmost integrity and accountability with everyone we come in to contact with. We are all committed to the success and growth of Ruils and appreciate this will be achieved through being flexible and accessible in our approach to work and by supporting each other to reach our full potential.

Finally, we know that it is the people at Ruils that make the difference. We will encourage and welcome like-minded people to the team who share and are committed to our values.

It is necessary for all employees to be flexible, and all employees may be required from time to time to perform other duties that may be required by the employer to provide effective services to clients and to ensure the efficient running of the organisation.

General

The post-holder is expected to work in line with the Ruils’ policies and procedures including health and safety, confidentiality, safeguarding adults and children, and equal opportunities and diversity. In carrying out their duties the post-holder should endeavour to maximise the opportunity for disabled clients to be independent and to create opportunities that enable them to reach their full potential.

It is necessary for all employees to be flexible, and all employees may be required from time to time to perform other duties that may be required by the employer to provide effective services to clients and to ensure the efficient running of the organisation.

The post-holder will:

• Promote the work of Ruils.
• Be self-servicing and will maintain efficient files and records and records on the Ruils database.
• Attend monthly staff meetings.
• Attend personal and peer supervision and appraisal meetings.
• Attend and contribute to Planning Days and Events as and when required.
• Undertake any training necessary to improve performance.
• Comply with all relevant legislation.
• Ensure that confidentiality of client information is maintained in line with GDPR regulations.

Special Requirements:

• Flexibility to work outside of normal office hours on occasion. Ability to work remotely or online for a period of time, with strong IT skills. 
• We actively encourage applications from disabled people and people with long term health and mental conditions.
• We operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme in that we will guarantee an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post. Please state in a cover letter if you wish us to consider you for this guaranteed interview scheme.

Please apply in writing with a cover letter and stating your current salary to Viv Sage, our HR Consultant at Better Talent, via the Quick Apply button.

Union Chapel has been running an important project to assist asylum seekers resident in Islington contingency hotels.

With funding made available by Islington Council, we provide wraparound support in the form of orientation workshops; health and wellbeing; information relating to the asylum process; ESOL classes; social activities and befriending.

Union Chapel is a church with a strong commitment to social, economic, racial and climate justice. Alongside Margins our charity for people living precarious lives, we aim to ensure dignity and self-determination for all who are seeking safety within the UK. Union Chapel is also well known as a venue for music.

Union Chapel is located in Compton Terrace, N1 but the bulk of the work will take place either in the hotels or in premises close to them in Kings Cross.

The post holder will work closely within the Church team and alongside the Margins staff, especially with our Social Justice Worker.

This post is part time – 3 and ½ days per week.  Some early evening work may be required.

Responsibilities and Duties

Run regular ESOL classes and organise new groups according to students’ needs

Recruit volunteers who will provide regular learning opportunities and befriending for hotel residents, including recruitment from within the resident group

Arrange Safeguarding courses and DBS checks for volunteers

Provide information to potential and newly recruited volunteers on the values, activities and scope of the programme

Maintain regular contact and support for volunteers

Manage a timetable for ESOL groups

Liaise with hotel staff and external partners to maximise learning opportunities for students

Plan English classes and provide appropriate learning materials and resources

Provide volunteers and participants with information on other opportunities within our programme such as workshops on the asylum process and health and wellbeing and other free opportunities

Report any safeguarding issues in a timely manner

Work closely with our Social Justice Worker and attend weekly drop-ins

Carry out follow-up referral work

Person Specification

Essential

Experience of providing ESOL

Understanding of approaches to language learning

Understanding of the situation of asylum seekers in the UK and empathise with them

Experience of volunteering, recruiting and supporting volunteers

Good organisational and administrative skills

Experience of group work in a community setting

Knowledge and understanding of safeguarding concerns for vulnerable adults

Desirable

Ability to speak one or more of the languages spoken by hostel residents, currently Farsi, Arabic, Tigrayan, Kurdish Sorani, and French

Qualification in adult education

Closing date for applications:  4 October, 2024

Interviews: week of 14 November, 2024

Sands offers support to anyone affected by the death of a baby. 

This an exciting and high profile role which is responsible for developing the Befriender role to respond to changes in support requests, promoting ongoing training and ensuring that the recruitment and management of Befrienders promotes diversity.  The post-holder will work closely with our Volunteering, Bereavement Support Services and Training Teams to grow a strong team of flexible, competent, supportive Befriender Volunteers across the UK and support the volunteering function within Sands.

You will have an excellent knowledge of volunteering in the charity sector, have a proven track record of supporting and motivating volunteers as well as being able to use communication strategies and online platforms to engage with large numbers of geographically dispersed volunteers.

Experience of building programmes or projects around the principles of equality, equity, diversity, and inclusion is essential, as well as the ability to ensure befriending is represented across all types of bereavement including younger parents and parents from higher risk groups.

Additionally, you will have experience in establishing and maintaining productive relationships with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders whilst working in a collaborative and inclusive way.

With a highly organised approach, you will have excellent time management skills, and an ability to proactively manage and prioritise a varied workload

You will also be able to create effective and professional relationships so that Befrienders feel able to manage their volunteering commitments effectively.

We are looking to appoint an inspiring, motivated and resourceful leader to spearhead the work of Linking Lives UK as we continue to develop our crucial role in addressing loneliness and social isolation among older people across the UK. This exciting position comes at a key stage in our development as a charity as we develop new initiatives and consider future strategy and direction.

We are particularly looking for someone who has experience of:

• Strategic planning, operational management and delivering against organisational objectives
• Leadership of a national charity/ organisation and effective liaison with operational teams and trustee boards
• Delivering motivational presentations and written articles inspiring engagement with the work of the charity
• Operating within Christian faith organisations and their structures
• Building effective partnerships with key organisations whilst identifying areas of mutual benefit

Link Age Southwark is a vibrant and inclusive local charity, supporting older people in the London borough of Southwark for over 30 years. Our mission is to keep older people connected to their local communities, alleviating loneliness and social isolation, improving health and wellbeing and making communities stronger through volunteering. We provide a range of preventative services for older people and those living with a diagnosis of dementia. Volunteers are fundamental to our service provision. We have over 350 volunteers who support our work.

Our services include 1:1 befriending; social, exercise and activity groups; a regular newsletter; dementia specialist services and practical support including IT support and gardening.

Our fundraising includes community fundraising, a Patrons scheme as well as funding from Trusts and Foundations including Southwark based funders. We have good reserves and an ongoing contract with Southwark Adult Social Care that puts us in a strong position

The Chief Executive will support the development of our strategy which continues to put older people and those living with a diagnosis of dementia at the heart of our work and maintains our 30 year heritage as a trusted provider of services to older people. Building on our great work to date, the postholder will help us achieve sustainable growth

We are looking to appoint an inspiring, motivated and resourceful leader who brings:

● Experience of providing leadership in an inclusive environment

● Experience of developing organisation wide strategies including fundraising

● Experience of supporting communities with high / multiple and complex needs

● A track record of developing and maintaining relationships with a broad range of stakeholders and partners

If you feel passionate about alleviating loneliness and isolation of older people and those living with a diagnosis of dementia, we would love to hear from you.

About Us

Unfold is led by the people we serve and we get people where they want to be. We’re a bold, agile and growing organisation, with a friendly, energetic and welcoming team. As an established local charity (previously known as Westminster Befriend a Family), we’re powered by volunteers who support young people and families to identify and achieve goals that matter to them. We provide mentoring and peer support groups to people in Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea and the neighbouring boroughs.

We’re open to everyone, but we target those who face the most challenges: 93% of the people we work with describe themselves as coming from a racialized group, 85% of the families we support are single-parent households headed by a woman, and 75% of the children we support are eligible for free school meals. We also run specialized programmes of support for people seeking asylum and those with refugee status. Last year we provided one-to-one mentoring to over 246 people, and group support to a further 252 people. With increasing demand for our services, we expect to provide direct support to over 350 individuals in the coming year.

About the Role

We're seeking a driven, empathetic, Programme Officer to help make a difference in the lives of asylum seekers, refugees, and young people in London.

As a Programme Officer, you'll play an important role in supporting our work, from helping recruit and train volunteer mentors to ensuring our CRM system is up to date and being the first point of contact for young people and their families. You’ll also ensure our mentors feel supported and will help them to provide a great experience for the young people they support.

Your role will also involve hands-on activities, like organising half-term trips, running weekly Youth Support Groups, and working directly with young people in temporary accommodation.

About You

You'll be a confident communicator, who enjoys working with people from diverse backgrounds and has a passion for supporting children and young people to improve outcomes. Alongside an excellent ability to manage multiple tasks, you'll also be able to work as part of a growing team. You'll have empathy for people in challenging circumstances such as those seeking asylum, and will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the challenges that young people go through on a daily basis.

Virtual Drop-In Sessions

We will hold drop-in sessions for any questions you have about the role. The first session will be held on Wednesday 11th of September between 12-1pm and a second session on Tuesday 17th of September between 1-2pm. Please see the additional information for more details. 

Working with Us

• Holidays: 25 working days (along with additional Christmas closedown days)
• Pension: We offer generous pension provision: New staff are automatically enrolled for a pension after three months, and after six months we will match your contribution up to a maximum of 8%.
• Salary: We are committed to paying the London Living Wage in line with the Living Wage Foundation and review salaries annually.
• Team Working: We are a small but brilliant team: we're supportive, diverse and we help each other out. There are always opportunities to get involved in different aspects of the organisation, or lead on new initiatives.
• Wellbeing - How we feel matters: Staff have access to a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme, and our staff Wellbeing Champions support the delivery of our Wellbeing Strategy. Staff can join free on-site yoga classes, monthly massages and regular ‘Drinks and Links’ sessions with the team and colleagues in similar organisations.
• Flexible Working: We're happy to consider flexible working arrangements in line with the requirements of the role.
• Hybrid Working: We work from the office or at least two days a week between Tuesday and Thursday. (Depending on your role you may need to work from the office or other London locations on other days.)
• Ecofriendly, Modern Offices: We work in a beautiful, accessible, eco-friendly co-working space with a number of other charities, with plants, a leafy roof terrace and free hot and cold drinks, breakfast cereals and fruit. With comfortable spaces to read quietly or talk in a group, our workspace is somewhere you'll want to be. You can find out more about our on-site benefits at the Fivefields website. 

Age UK is currently recruiting for a passionate Corporate Partnerships Manager to join our award-winning Partnership Management team on an 18 month fixed-term contract basis.

As Corporate Partnerships Manager you'll manage and grow a varied portfolio of partnerships to help deliver income and impact for Age UK and older people. Going above and beyond to ensure that our corporate partners feel valued and connected to our cause, you'll use your creativity and networking skills to identify future growth opportunities that match the mission and priorities of Age UK and older people.

The successful post-holder will manage the entire partnership life-cycle from contract signing to delivery, ensuring that KPIs are met, income is accurately recorded, and that all activities comply with the Fundraising Regulator guidelines, GDPR, VAT and other legal requirements.

With a strong passion to support older people, solid account management experience, and excellent communication, presentation and negotiation skills; as Corporate Partnerships Manager you'll be able to manage diverse projects and have a proven track record in securing income.

This is a hybrid opportunity, a blend of homebased and office working. Our linked office for this role is in London and you would be expected to attend the office once a week (Thursday) for the Corporate Partnership team day. The role may involve occasional travel, including some overnight stays.

Age UK internal grade - 5L.

Must haves:

* A passion to support older people and the mission of Age UK.
* Solid account management experience ideally in a corporate partnerships environment.
* A proven track record in securing income.
* Excellent communication skills - both written and oral - you'll need to have the social skills and presence to communicate to a variety of audiences, including at Senior Leadership level.
* Great presentation skills.
* Good negotiation skills with a proven ability to establish long-term working relationships.
* Experience and ability to lead projects and manage project groups. Proven creatively in developing ideas to present to companies in support of a fundraising idea.
* Ability to think creatively and problem solve autonomously.
* Ability to spot opportunities, identify partners' needs and drivers and match these with the priorities of Age UK and older people.

Great to haves:
* Experience in managing 7 figure partnerships.

What we offer in return

• Competitive salary, 26 days annual leave + bank holidays + annual leave purchase scheme
• Excellent pension scheme, life assurance, health cashback plan and EAP
• Car Benefit Scheme, Cycle to Work Scheme and Season Ticket Loan
• Techscheme - buy any tech from Apple or Currys, up to £1000, and spread the cost over 12 months, interest free
• Blue Light Card Scheme
• You Did It Awards - recognition awards from £100-250.

Additional Information

* The role may involve occasional travel, including some overnight stays.
* This is a hybrid position with the Corporate Partnerships team attending the London office weekly on Thursday's.
* This role may have line management of a junior member of the team.

All CVs will be anonymised by our recruitment system when you apply for a role at Age UK. Please note that our system is unable to anonymise cover letters, and we would therefore ask that to support the work we are doing on making our recruitment selection process fairer and more unbiased, that you remove any personal information from your cover letter/supporting statement, including your name before uploading this. All equalities monitoring information is also anonymised and not shared with the hiring panel. Your name and address will only be known to us once you are invited for an interview.

Age UK is an Equal Opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates, regardless of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital/civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity. We guarantee an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria under the Disability Confident Scheme. Please note that on occasion, due to high numbers of applications, Age UK reserves the right to limit the overall number of interviews offered, and therefore, it may not always be practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people that meet the minimum criteria for the job.

Age UK is committed to safeguarding adults at risk, and children, from abuse and neglect. We expect everyone who works with us to share this commitment.

Early application is encouraged as we will review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert at any time.

Age UK politely requests no contact from recruitment agencies or media sales. We do not accept speculative CVs from recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.