Family Befriending Volunteer Roles in Kensington, Greater London
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!
WHEAT Mentor Support Trust
WHEAT Mentor Support Trust is dedicated to supporting vulnerable individuals and communities through a range of mentoring, befriending, and community-building activities.
These activities include:
-
The trust runs mentorship workshops, provides training, research, and consultancy services.
-
It provides one-to-one mentoring and befriending support to refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and other vulnerable adults with different needs.
-
Children's activities: For children and young people, the trust provides coaching in basketball and table tennis, teaches dance, art, gardening, and promotes healthy eating & environmental awareness.
-
Community impact: The mentoring program aims to create a strong and cohesive society by bringing people of diverse professional and cultural backgrounds together. Additionally, the children's program intends to bridge the intergenerational gap by bringing families together.
-
Assistance to organisations: The trust also assists organisations that support vulnerable individuals/groups through research, consultancy, training, fundraising, and in setting up their own mentoring schemes.
Wheat Mentor Support Trust is seeking a dedicated Volunteer Social Media role to join our team!
Are you passionate about making a positive impact in the world?
Do you love connecting with people and spreading meaningful messages?
If so, we have the perfect opportunity for you!
We are seeking enthusiastic individuals to join our team as Volunteer Social Media Ambassadors. In this role, you will have the chance to use your creativity and communication skills to promote our cause and engage with our online community.
Key Responsibilities:
- Create engaging content for our social media platforms
- Share inspiring stories and updates about our organisation
- Interact with followers and supporters to build a strong online community
- Collaborate with the marketing team to develop impactful social media campaigns
Benefits:
- Gain valuable experience in social media management
- Showcase your creativity and communication skills
- Make a meaningful difference by spreading awareness about our cause
- Join a supportive and passionate team of like-minded individuals
Requirements:
- Passion for our cause and a desire to make a positive impact
- Strong communication, creative and writing skills
- Graphic design / illustration skills
- Familiarity with popular social media platforms
- Ability to commit a few hours each week to the role
If you're ready to use your social media skills for a great cause and be part of an inspiring community, we would love to have you on board!
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!
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.
Purpose of role:
With an ageing population, more and more older people are at risk of isolation and loneliness as partners and friends pass away, family members move away and the community around them changes at a fast pace. As a Befriender, you will become part of the solution to tackling the issues of isolation and loneliness by developing strong relationships with clients and encouraging them to engage in a variety of ways.
Main activities/tasks:
- Visit or call an older person once a week for around an hour
- Spend time getting to know them and understand what things they may like to do at home (e.g. chess, knitting, reading)
- Offer healthy and fun conversation and encourage them to talk
- Give support to enable them to get out in the community and encourage participation in activities
- Promote healthy living and wellbeing
- Accompany them on visits out of the home e.g. going for a walk, shopping
- Support them to find information
- Make monthly reports on visits carried out
The Irish Chaplaincy is a leading social action charity, rooted in faith, providing high quality services and support to excluded, vulnerable and isolated Irish people in England and Wales. As we reach out, we hope we're contributing to a fairer, more just society, one person at a time. The Irish Chaplaincy is the oldest Irish Catholic welfare charity in Britain and our aim remains to galvanise the whole Irish community to work together to improve the lives of those most vulnerable of Irish emigrants and ensure that no member of our community is forgotten.
There are three main strands to the work we do:
Prisoners: A prison visiting, information and advocacy service for Irish prisoners in Britain and their families.
Travellers: Research, advocacy and education to improve the situation of Travellers within the criminal justice system.
Seniors: Pastoral outreach and befriending to alleviate the social exclusion and loneliness of older Irish people, and to offer a knowledgeable, compassionate and comforting presence for end-of-life issues and funeral arrangements.
To help us navigate the next stage of our charity's development, we are seeking to recruit two new trustees. We welcome applications from those with experience in our sector and beyond. In particular it would be beneficial if applicants have particular expertise in fundraising or with strong connections in the Irish community in the UK.
Please send your CV and covering letter to our Chair of Trustees by Friday 31st May 2024.
Please send your CV and covering letter for attention of Chair of Trustees, Clare Coffey by Friday 31st May 2024.
The Irish Chaplaincy is a leading social action charity, rooted in faith, providing high quality services and support to excluded Irish emigrants.
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!
Unfold does governance differently. An award winning charity, we are led by the people we serve, with inclusive, participatory governance structures which have twice been short-listed for excellence in the Charity Governance Awards.
Unfold (previously known as Westminster Befriend a Family) is an established local charity that gets people where they want to be. Powered by volunteers, we support children, young people and families with one to one mentoring and peer support groups across Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea. We're open to everyone, but we target those who face the most challenges: 93% of our service users are people of colour, 75% are single parent families headed by a woman and in 50% of the families we support there is a child with disabilities or special education needs.
We support the local community and we have also developed specialised programmes for people with specific needs, including refugees, children excluded from mainstream school and children with experience of the care system.
Unfold Trustees
We have a dynamic, committed, open and friendly board, and we're seeking two new trustees to join us, bringing skills and experiences from the not-for-profit or public sectors.
To reflect the experiences of our service users, we're aiming to maintain the diversity of our board - we're particularly keen to hear from people from the global majority, women, and people who identify with other under-represented groups, including those with disabilities or who identify at LGBTQI+.
We have grown considerably in the last five years, and we now support ten times as many people a year, with five times the budget. Along the way we've re-branded, undergone a digital transformation, become user-led and significantly expanded our team. This rapid change reflects both the extent of the community needs, and our ambition to meet those. We're looking for trustees who can help us go to the next level as we set our strategy for the next five years.
Trustees play a key role in ensuring that Unfold achieves its core purpose and overseeing the overall management and administration of the charity. They also help to ensure that Unfold has a clear strategic vision and that we are working in line with our charitable aims. Trustees support and challenge Unfold’s CEO to enable Unfold to thrive.
We are looking for two Trustees to support our vision and take on the following responsibilities:
Responsibilities
- Engage with and be accountable to our service-user accountability structures, our Youth Advisory Council and our Women’s Advisory Council, who support us in setting strategic direction and to whom we are accountable.
- Support and advise on Unfold’s vision, goals and activities
- Approve operational strategies and policies and monitor and evaluate their implementation
- Oversee the charity’s budgets and financial plans and monitor and evaluate progress
- Ensure that risks are being identified, monitored and managed effectively
- Ensure the effective administration of the charity
- Provide support and challenge to Unfold’s CEO
- Keep up to date with changes within the environment that Unfold operates
- Contribute to reviews of the charity’s governance
- Attend board meetings and be adequately prepared to contribute to the discussion. These meetings are held in person in our fully accessible London office.
- Support the promotion of Unfold's aims and reputation
- Contribute to the charity’s sub-committees and attend sub-committee meetings adequately prepared to contribute to the discussion
Skill and Experience
- Knowledge and experience of the charity sector
- An understanding of and commitment to participatory and inclusive governance.
- An understanding of and the ability to support Unfold’s fundraising strategy
- An understanding of statutory services which might be supporting families, children, young people, mental health and wellbeing, which might be through knowledge and experience in local authorities or the public sector
- Strong communication skills and able to contribute to board discussions
- Knowledge or lived experience in the borough of Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea or neighbouring boroughs
- Understanding of safeguarding the welfare of children or vulnerable adults
Personal Attributes
- Personable and positive
- Willingness to learn and contribute.
- People orientated with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion
- Passionate about supporting families to improve outcomes for children, young people and parents.
Values
Trustworthy, non-judgemental, transparent, caring and compassionate, empowering, proactive, self-motivated and accountable
We particularly encourage applications from:
- Candidates from under-represented groups including women and those from Black, Asian, or minority ethnic backgrounds
- People from marginalised groups, such as people who consider themselves LGBTQ+, disabled or otherwise facing challenges.
- Individuals with knowledge or lived experience of Westminster and the surrounding boroughs.
- People with less experience but a keen enthusiasm and commitment to our aims based on lived experience.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you for wanting to find out more about becoming a member of Age UK Lambeth’s Board.
Our Board members are unpaid volunteers called trustees. They fill an essential role in ensuring our charity improves the lives of older and vulnerable people around the borough of Lambeth. We hope that this pack lets you know more about the charity, the role of a trustee and how to apply to become one.
We currently have seven Board members with space for up to five more. We want to find people who have a desire to direct services that enable lives to be changed for the better. We want to increase the diversity of the Board bringing different life experiences which match the Lambeth community, broad and diverse as it is. Ideally we want people that bring new skills and experience or enhance those already in place, but this is not essential. It’s not necessary to have previous Board experience.
Please check the Recruitment Pack attached.
We look forward to hearing from you!
How to apply? Whilst we want the application process to be simple, it is for us, a small local charity, a big decision. We need to make sure we have the right people on our Board, which means the process is not necessarily the quickest, but we hope at every point it helps ensure you are doing the right thing for you and us, by becoming one of our Board members. To get the process started, please send us your CV with a covering letter explaining why you think you would make a good Board member for Age UK Lambeth. Be clear about how you think your skills and/or experience will contribute to the effective governance of the charity. We are running a rolling recruitment programme, but if you can get us your application by 17th May you will be in time for our first tranche of interviews with shortlisted candidates, w/c 27th May. Following a successful interview you will be invited to attend a Board meeting as an observer. This gives you a chance to get a proper feel for whether being on our Board is for you. If both parties are happy after that, then you can be appointed as one of our new Trustees.
Could you make a significant contribution to help people live later life well?
Are you a member of the Methodist Church in Britain seeking to use your skills, expertise and gifts in a new way?
We are seeking a Methodist Church nominee to join the board of Methodist Homes (MHA).
You will be working collaboratively with other MHA trustees to help shape MHA’s future strategy and ensure good governance across the charity.
As a Board Member you will have passion for the wellbeing of older people and will bring a wide-ranging skills and experience.
Expressions of interest are invited from both lay and ordained members of the Methodist Church in Britain. You're encouraged to apply if you feel that overall, your skills and experience meet the role requirements.
Reflecting the diverse communities that MHA are proud to serve, MHA is committed to widening the diversity of its leadership and board. Therefore, we actively and warmly encourage applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences.
If you would find it helpful to discuss the role before applying, please contac us to arrange a phone conversation with a member of the Nominations Committee.
Closing date: 28 May 2024
Short listing date: 30 May 2024
Interviews /exploratory conversations: 10 June 2024 (PM)
The calling of the Methodist Church is to respond to the gospel of God's love in Christ and to live out its discipleship in worship and mission.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.