Family Support Volunteer Roles
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
JOB DESCRIPTION
Coping with a diagnosis of a terminal or life-limiting illness involves painful feelings, coming to terms with loss and making adjustments in life.
We are looking for volunteers to offer emotional and/or bereavement support either in a group setting through facilitation of support groups, or on one to one individual basis. You will be helping people to explore their feelings and adapt to their new life after a diagnosis or the death of a loved one.
This role is supporting patients and families who are over 18 only.
Your role will include some of, but is not restricted to, the following tasks:
- Provide emotional and/or bereavement support either in the hospice, in a small group setting, over the phone or at the person’s home, according to local resources.
- Actively listen to clients and explore their feelings around the diagnosis/loss with empathy
- Pass on appropriate information to your line manager.
- Complete appropriate documentation as required in line with our confidentiality (service user) policy.
- Assist staff in the Patient and Family Support team when necessary
- Adhere to hospice record keeping procedures
- Assist with other related tasks when necessary
ABOUT US
Every day of your life matters – from the first to the last. When you volunteer for Marie Curie, you understand that better than ever. We’re a passionate, committed and diverse team of more than 4,400 staff and 6,500 volunteers, here for people living with any terminal illness, and their families. We offer expert care, guidance and support, to help them get the most from the time they have left.
Marie Curie is committed to its values, which underpin our work. We take stringent steps to ensure that the people who join our organisation through employment or volunteering, are suitable for their roles and are committed to safeguarding all our people from harm. This includes our staff, volunteers and all those who use or come into contact with our services. We are dedicated to creating not just a safe place to work but also a supportive and rewarding one.
Marie Curie is committed to a world where everyone can thrive and fulfil their potential. We are devoted to the social justice imperatives and organisational benefits of full diversity, inclusion and equity in the workplace, and are a Stonewall champion. We actively encourage and welcome applications from candidates of diverse cultures, perspectives and lived experiences.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
***This is an unpaid voluntary role***
Mornings couldn’t be more fun! You’ll be part of a wonderful team of dedicated staff gaining excellent experience in childcare and family support.
Our Children's Services runs creative, fun sessions for under 5s and their parents/carers which offer a nurturing and supportive environment for all children. In these roles you could be assisting with activities like crafts, storytime and songtime, helping children develop skills inline with Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, setting up and clearing away equipment, greeting parents and carers and building relationships with them.
Qualities you need for this role
- Reliable, dependable, and great at timekeeping
- Honest, committed and patient with a good sense of humour!
- Open-minded, respectful, and an excellent team player
- All Children's Service volunteers undergo a DBS check and induction with their manager; they must also submit two references.
When you'll be needed
Drop-ins: Mondays -Thursdays 9.30 am – 12.30 pm and/or
Creche: Volunteering Monday – Thursdays 12.45pm – 3.15 pm
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!
We are looking for an enthusiastic Clinical Trustee to join our friendly team of Trustees.
Essential qualities and experience
- An experienced professionally trained therapist (such as a Clinical Psychologist, Counselling Psychologist, Family Therapist, Psychotherapist)
- Ideally have some background and/or training in safeguarding and child protection to provide support to the Children and Young People's Co-ordinator on the unusual times when such concerns are raised.
- Will enjoy innovation, critical thinking and progress.
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!
Ref: V224 | Support Group Volunteer | Wolseley
We’re looking for Support Group Volunteers over the age of 18 years old, based at Wolseley Business Park, Wolseley Close, Plymouth, Devon, PL2 3BY.
You’ll be volunteering 3 out of 4 Wednesday mornings per month, from 10am until 1pm
As a support group volunteer, you will help with the running of the group. The role is designed to suit the needs of the group, and the skills of people offering support. If you enjoy getting to know your community, working with others and making a real difference then this is the role for you.
The volunteer will be
· A people person, with good listening skills
· A great communicator who enjoys meeting new people
· Good at putting people at ease
· Reliable and organised
· Passionate about supporting people affected by stroke
· IT literate, have good administrative and record keeping skills and be able to follow relevant policies
A DBS check is required for this role.
Interested in this role?
Find out more by downloading the role description for the Support Group Volunteer role.
If you are interested in this role, please complete click apply.
About Us
Stroke Association. Rebuilding lives after stroke.
When stroke strikes, part of your brain shuts down. And so does a part of you. That’s because a stroke happens in the brain, the control centre for who we are and what we can do. It happens every five minutes in the UK and changes lives instantly. Recovery is tough, but with the right specialist support and a ton of courage and determination, the brain can adapt.
We believe everyone deserves to live the best life they can after stroke. And it’s a team effort to get there.
We provide specialist support, fund critical research and campaign to make sure people affected by stroke get the very best care and support to rebuild their lives.
We’re working to improve the diversity of our team. Because we know that individuality leads to a richer experience for our people and better support for those affected by stroke.
We strongly encourage people from all backgrounds to apply. And we’re particularly looking to increase the number of applications from those with lived experience of stroke and those from under-represented communities.
Every five minutes, stroke destroys lives. Help us rebuild them and join our team.
To help us deliver our strategy and make a real difference, we are looking to recruit talented people to a number of new roles.
If you would like to support stroke survivors to rebuild their lives, we want to hear from you!
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!
Do you have good listening skills?
Are you friendly and caring?
Can you offer 2-4 hrs a month to support people living with and affected by MND?
Then you could become a Support Volunteer (Association Visitor).
We are looking for volunteers who can provide friendship, information and support to people living with and affected by MND.
Volunteers play an important role in the MND Association. They help to ensure that people with MND and their families receive the support and services they need.
This rewarding role is flexible and can fit in around your other commitments. Full training is provided and all out of pocket expenses are reimbursed.
About us
MND is a fatal, rapidly progressive disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. It attacks the nerves that control movement so muscles refuse to work. It can leave people locked in a failing body, unable to move, talk and eventually breath. It kills a third of people within a year and more than half within two years of diagnosis, and it has no cure.
The MND Association was founded in 1979. Our mission is to improve care and support for people with MND, their families and carers. We also fund and promote research that leads to new understanding and treatments and brings us closer to a cure for MND.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Lead Volunteer Role Description
- To update the Volunteers’ Rota from the Court diary and ensure that each Volunteer in the team and the CCSS office has a copy. Wherever possible, the Rota should be kept on a computer for updating and emailed to the rest of the team and the office.
- Ensure sufficient numbers of Volunteers are on duty for effective and appropriate support for bereaved families and witnesses who attend the Inquests.
- To arrange and re-arrange the Rota between the Volunteers, noting any holiday or leave of absence dates.
- Ensure a finalised Rota is sent to the office at the end of each month in order for volunteer expenses to be checked and processed.
- To ensure that all the Volunteers have each other’s contact details and the Volunteer emergency contact details are included in the court file and updated when changes occur.
- To ensure monthly and yearly statistics are kept up to date and to send the Monthly Statistics to the Volunteer who collates the stats at the end of each month.
- To ensure there are sufficient Report Forms for the Volunteers’ use if collecting stats in paper format. If alternative methods of collecting stats are used, to ensure that the team are all using the same method.
- To inform the Operations & Training Manager and the CCSS office of the need for more Volunteers or of any leavers.
- To assist with the recruitment interviews and induction of new Volunteers.
- Responsible for the support of new Volunteers and their final sign off. Where the Lead Volunteer has concerns about the level of support required or the competency of a new Volunteer, they should refer those concerns to the Operations & Training Manager.
- To organise Volunteer team meetings (minimum of 3 meetings per year) and to inform the Operations & Training Manager and the CCSS office via email of the dates of these so they can attend if necessary/appropriate.
- To immediately refer any serious concerns raised by the Coroner or Coroner’s Officers to the CEO.
- To inform the CEO immediately of any issues or concerns that arises at the Court that might impact on the CCSS.
- To provide local information for the Helpline Court Information Sheet when requested.
- To ensure the team follow the practices of the court and work in partnership with the court staff.
- To forward any testimonials about the support provided by our volunteers to the CCSS office.
- Responsibility for maintaining the stock of CCSS leaflets.
- Organise cover for themselves when they are on holiday or need to take time off.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Do you have good listening skills?
Are you friendly and caring?
Can you offer 2-4 hrs a month to support people living with and affected by MND?
Then you could become a Support Volunteer (Association Visitor).
We are looking for volunteers who can provide friendship, information and support to people living with and affected by MND.
Volunteers play an important role in the MND Association. They help to ensure that people with MND and their families receive the support and services they need.
This rewarding role is flexible and can fit in around your other commitments. Full training is provided and all out of pocket expenses are reimbursed.
About us
MND is a fatal, rapidly progressive disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. It attacks the nerves that control movement so muscles refuse to work. It can leave people locked in a failing body, unable to move, talk and eventually breath. It kills a third of people within a year and more than half within two years of diagnosis, and it has no cure.
The MND Association was founded in 1979. Our mission is to improve care and support for people with MND, their families and carers. We also fund and promote research that leads to new understanding and treatments and brings us closer to a cure for MND.
Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Our system keeps your personal information hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Service: Perinatal Support for Partners Service
This is a service that offers fathers and non-birthing parents, who’s partner is being supported by the West London perinatal mental health service, an evidence-based 1:1 assessment to support their mental health and wellbeing. The service signpost partners to relevant services (including a PSFP peer support group).
Role Description:
To support our PSFP Service with a variety of tasks such as conducting a 1:1 assessment, (which includes onboarding to the service), co-facilitating monthly peer support groups, signposting and helping partners to access other organisations, taking care of our inbox emails and other administrative duties.
You can download a PDF of the full role description below.
Main responsibilities:
To work closely with our PSFP caseworker supporting referral enquires & service-users in accessing this service. Co-facilitating a monthly peer support group.
Tasks:
- To answer emails and enquiries for the service within our service level agreements
- Triage clients for the service through an onboarding process.
- Co-facilitate a monthly peer support group
- Provide support to our PSFP caseworkers, as and when needed
The type of person we are looking for is:
We welcome applications from those completing studies in Psychology, Counselling/Psychotherapy, or any Allied Health Profession with a focus on supporting those with mental health needs. However, your attitude, motivation, and commitment are just as important as your training/qualifications, or any previous experience. We will review all applications individually and assess them on their unique merits, so do not be discouraged from applying if you do not meet all the criteria listed below. We encourage applications from those with lived experience of mental health problems, as well as those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.
Essential:
- An interest in supporting those with mental health needs to access PSFP
- An appreciation of the complex factors that can precipitate, maintain, and exacerbate mental health problems
- Good oral and written communication skills (including listening skills); the ability to communicate in a patient, considered, and empathetic manner
- Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to follow administrative procedures
- A team player who is willing to chip in and work reflexively, responding to the challenges that arise from working in a dynamic environment
- IT skills – able to update spreadsheets, use web-based applications, video-conferencing software, and Microsoft Office applications.
Desirable:
- Customer Service experience, including with friends and family
- Experience of supporting people with mental health needs, in a voluntary, paid, or personal capacity, (i.e., friends and family)
- Previous involvement with local community groups/networks
- Awareness of the cultural barriers that may exist to seeking mental health support
Time commitment and expenses:
- 6 hours per week, during our core hours of 10am - 4pm.
- Please indicate your preferred volunteering day(s)/time(s) on your application
- We request a minimum commitment of 3 months of volunteering after the completion of your induction
- We will provide volunteers with an induction, training, and ongoing mentoring to support them in the role
- Reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed
Why Volunteer at Hammersmith, Fulham, Ealing, and Hounslow (HFEH) Mind?
Volunteering at HFEH Mind is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to the work of a leading national mental health charity. We provide initial and ongoing training, as well as plenty of opportunities for progression within the organisation. You will be treated as a core member of the team from day one and be surrounded by supportive and knowledgeable colleagues fighting for mental health.
What’s in it for the volunteer?
Volunteering opportunities have been a route into paid employment within our organisation for many of our previous volunteers. However, the skills and experiences you will gain are likely to support applications for paid employment within the sector more broadly, as well as further training and education opportunities (e.g., Business courses, social work, mental health qualifications).
We are keen to foster the individual strengths and interests of volunteers. With the support of the PSFP Team, we will work with you to ensure that your volunteering experience is meaningful and valuable, whilst balancing the requirements of delivering the service.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Demelza Charity is seeking high calibre individuals to join our team of Trustees.
Demelza is an inclusive organisation, and we are committed to building a representative workplace, ensuring that we reflect the diversity of the children, families, and communities we support.
We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply for positions at Demelza and we celebrate the value of difference.
You do not need previous Trustee experience. We offer comprehensive training and we pay all out of pocket expenses. Time commitment is up to 2 days every 3 months, broken down into meetings of around 2 hours and reading papers beforehand. All dates are given one year in advance.
This year we have added targeting to our general trustee recruitment by looking for talented individuals with expertise in the following specific areas, to support our vital work in providing expert palliative and end of life care to babies, children and young people and support to their families.
• Do you have senior nursing expertise at board level or equivalent, with oversight for
clinical governance/quality. You will support delivery of the clinical strategy with the
highest quality and user experience. You will have excellent safeguarding expertise.
• Medical expertise to strengthen the clinical strategy delivery and support a multi
disciplinary approach. Your expertise might come from any relevant medical discipline –
eg paediatrician, critical care, any area of acute medicine.
• Are you a senior experienced retailer, familiar with all aspects of maximising profitability
and positive customer experience. You will help us to maximise the financial,
reputational and PR opportunities of our suite of retail outlets and optimise the model to
support growth.
• We seek professional fundraising expertise for an income stream in excess of several
£million. You will support the broad portfolio to strengthen and sustain the Charity for
the future.
• Communications expertise to help us deliver a concise message to all our stakeholders.
You will have previous senior level experience of delivering key messages and developing
a tone of voice that is inclusive and compelling to all involved with Demelza.
You may have other valuable skills.
Closing date 26th May 2024, interviews to follow.
We deliver extraordinary care to extraordinary children facing serious or life-limiting conditions, providing support for all the family.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Why we need your help
• To enable us to provide a rehabilitation and enablement service to patients in their own homes.
• To promote independence and support to help someone to achieve their goal
• Increase patients’ self-confidence and ability to self-manage their difficulties or symptoms.
What activities will you be involved in as part of this volunteer role?
You will be providing rehabilitation for patients in their own home. This may include;
· Helping with exercises that may make things easier for them at home (for example standing from a chair)
· Supporting people to manage their breathlessness
· Helping a patient to put some techniques into practice that may help with day to day activities.
· Helping someone to mobilise
Other activities include;
· Attending a joint visit with the therapist to be introduced to the patient and the exercises they will be doing.
· Dealing sensitively and politely with patients that you visit at home.
· Respect that you are in someone’s home and acting appropriately.
· Arranging further visits as agreed with the patient and the therapist within agreed hours.
· Promoting rehabilitation in all of your interactions with both patients and their families.
· Contacting the Living Well at Home team prior to and directly after a visit to ensure your safety at all times.
· Complete the visit report and submit it to the Living Well at Home team on the same day as the visit.
You will not be involved in the following;
· Toileting or personal care.
What you can gain from volunteering in this role
• Know you are helping dying people in your local community have access to care and support, whenever and wherever they need it.
• Experience of rehabilitation and really helping to make a difference to someone’s quality of life
• Opportunity to meet and work with interesting and diverse people
• Join an enthusiastic team, meet new people and get more involved in your local community
• Use and develop your skills, enhancing your CV if that is important to you
• Know you are helping dying people in your local community have access to care and support, whenever and wherever they need it.
Training and support provided
• An Introduction to Supporting People at End of Life training, date to be confirmed.
• Staff and volunteer induction training (covering all mandatory training)
• Living Well at Home Project training. Up to 1 day, at the Sydenham site or by zoom, depending on your availability. (Training is flexible at present and we will try and fit in with your availability)
• Ongoing informal training specific to the patient that you are visiting
• Monthly supervision sessions with the Living Well at Home team.
• Contact with the Living Well at Home team for support or questions regarding the patient/family at any time during working hours.
• Reasonable travel expenses will be paid
• Support from the Volunteering team including a regular e-newsletter
• Volunteer handbook and volunteer workbook
• Regular updates and training through MyImpact
We are looking for someone who is
· Approachable and friendly and able to get on well with people of many different backgrounds
· Caring and committed to help improve the quality of life for our patients
· Able to work in a professional manner with patients who have a terminal illness
· Capable of completing entries in patient files and updating other written documents as instructed
· Enthusiastic about learning and keen to develop new skills
· Reliable and can be flexible in the offer of time
• Able to follow our policies and procedures to keep you, our staff, our patients and our customers safe
• Able to represent St Christopher’s and our values positively.
Anything else you need to know
• There is a short settling in period to see if the role is right for you
• This role will require pre-volunteering checks, which will include a DBS Check. Having a criminal conviction will not necessarily prevent you from volunteering with us. Every situation is assessed on an individual basis.
• At St Christopher’s we believe that no volunteer should be out of pocket because of their volunteering. The reimbursement of reasonable out of pocket expenses incurred whilst volunteering will help ensure volunteering is accessible.
Commitment to volunteering
Signing up to be a volunteer with St Christopher’s Hospice is a big commitment and requires lots of training and support from the organisation. With this in mind, ideally you would be able to volunteer with us for a minimum of a year. We would also ask that you to inform your manager if you are unable to attend your shift with as much notice as possible.
Equality and diversity
St Christopher’s recognises the qualities and strengths that a diverse group of volunteers bring to the organisation and we therefore particularly welcome applications from underrepresented groups within the local communities and from a range of different cultures and backgrounds.
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!
Ref: V225 | Support Group Volunteer | Maldon
We’re looking for Support Group Volunteers over the age of 18 years old, based at Fullbridge Church, 27 Fullbridge, Maldon, Essex, CM9 4LE.
You’ll be volunteering fortnightly on a Thursday from 10.15am-12.15pm.
As a support group volunteer, you will help with the running of the group. The role is designed to suit the needs of the group, and the skills of people offering support. If you enjoy getting to know your community, working with others and making a real difference then this is the role for you.
The volunteer will be
· A people person, with good listening skills
· A great communicator who enjoys meeting new people
· Good at putting people at ease
· Reliable and organised
· Passionate about supporting people affected by stroke
· IT literate, have good administrative and record keeping skills and be able to follow relevant policies
A DBS check is required for this role.
Interested in this role?
Find out more by downloading the role description for the Support Group Volunteer role.
If you are interested in this role, please complete our application form on our website.
About Us
Stroke Association. Rebuilding lives after stroke.
When stroke strikes, part of your brain shuts down. And so does a part of you. That’s because a stroke happens in the brain, the control centre for who we are and what we can do. It happens every five minutes in the UK and changes lives instantly. Recovery is tough, but with the right specialist support and a ton of courage and determination, the brain can adapt.
We believe everyone deserves to live the best life they can after stroke. And it’s a team effort to get there.
We provide specialist support, fund critical research and campaign to make sure people affected by stroke get the very best care and support to rebuild their lives.
We’re working to improve the diversity of our team. Because we know that individuality leads to a richer experience for our people and better support for those affected by stroke.
We strongly encourage people from all backgrounds to apply. And we’re particularly looking to increase the number of applications from those with lived experience of stroke and those from under-represented communities.
Every five minutes, stroke destroys lives. Help us rebuild them and join our team.
To help us deliver our strategy and make a real difference, we are looking to recruit talented people to a number of new roles.
If you would like to support stroke survivors to rebuild their lives, we want to hear from you!
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!
Tushinde Children’s Trust, founded in 2010, believes the best place for children to grow up is in their family units. We work in the informal settlements of Mathare and Kiambiu of Nairobi, Kenya. Our targeted programmes and dedicated social workers provide tailored family care and access to education for the poorest families. We help families strengthen and stay together. We provide families with a path from crisis to independence. We support families to help children thrive.
Tushinde is a child-focused organisation and committed to child protection and the protection of vulnerable adults. All shortlisted candidates will be screened prior to joining the board and have background checks that may go beyond contacting referees. Every candidate, regardless of post applied for, will be expected to adhere to the principles of child protection and ensure that those around them do the same.
Tushinde is a UK registered charity, with a board of six trustees. Its programme is delivered through a Kenyan registered NGO of the same name, which has its own independent board of trustees. We are looking for up to three new trustees to join our UK board, to compliment and broaden the skills and knowledge of our existing trustees.
The Board of trustees meets four times a year and is responsible for ensuring:
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We comply with our governing document and the law
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Act in the charity’s best interest
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Manage the charity’s resources responsibly
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Act with reasonable skill and care
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Ensure we are accountable to our stakeholders
In addition, we focus on:
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Oversight of the Kenyan operations, particularly safeguarding
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Fundraising to support our ongoing programme
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Potential partnership opportunities
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UK charity governance
Beyond the regular board meetings there are plenty of opportunities to support the organisation both in the UK and Kenya. All UK meetings are remote and are typically scheduled at 18:00 UK time.
We are looking for a flexible, committed and reliable individual who has an interest in child welfare in Africa. In addition, we would be particularly interested to hear from individuals with any of the following skills or experience:
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Fundraising, particularly growing or diversifying income streams
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Child welfare, particularly in low or middle income countries
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Risk and charity governance
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And finally, if you have experience of or a connection to Kenya or East Africa even better!
Unfortunately, we only have the resources to contact those candidates who are shortlisted. Please apply as soon as you can: we reserve the right to close our recruitment process early if suitable candidates apply.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Getting the right support at the right time can make a world of difference as people try to navigate their way through their grief.
In the challenging times that follow the death of a patient, we support families, friends and relatives as they cope with their loss. Providing volunteers who will spend time with those who are grieving is an invaluable service that we feel privileged to offer to our community.This support is given in many ways, via face to face meetings (usually in the hospice or occasionally home visits) or by telephone or video call (e.g. Zoom). As a Bereavement Support Volunteer, you will have regular one to one support sessions with individual clients, keep an online record of those sessions and write a closing summary.
You will be required to complete a 12-week in-house training programme starting on Monday 16 September and then held every Monday for approx 9.30am-4pm.
We are encouraging early applications with a deadline of 16 June 2024
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!
Do you want to make a positive difference to the lives of children by helping them to find their forever family? Do you want to ensure there is ongoing, specialist support for children and families for as long as they need it? If so, this fantastic opportunity could be for you.
We are looking to recruit 2 new trustees, to join our Board, with a commitment to CCS and its mission, and a willingness to put time and energy into the trustee role.
We are looking for someone who has either professional or personal experience of finding permanent homes for vulnerable children who are unable to remain with their birth parents.
We are particularly interested to hear from you if are you are an adult adoptee who would be willing to bring your lived experience to this role. Or you may be an adopter who wants to bring their skills and experience. We are also particularly looking for individuals with expertise in the fields of Fundraising/Marketing /Health and Social Care.
Ideally, but not essential, it would be helpful to have experience of working in the voluntary sector. Whether you are an experienced Trustee or wanting to take the first step at Board level, if you share our ethos, we'd like to hear from you.
CCS Adoption is a Voluntary Adoption Agency. We find permanent, loving homes for children who have a plan for adoption, including those who tend to wait longest. We also provide a range of therapeutic packages to adopted children and their families; and a wide range of innovative support services for adoptive families, offering groups, activities, workshops and training for Adoptive families from The Centre. Rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted for the 5th time in a row in February 2024, we are continuously developing and improving our services for adoptive families.
CCS values itself on being an inclusive employer, committed to developing a diverse workforce and looking for people who can demonstrate dedication to our cause and core organisational values. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and continue to celebrate the diverse community that different individuals create.
Commitment Required
· Preparation and Attendance at Board meetings (Quarterly, usually on a Tuesday evening)
· To make available skills and experience to CCS
· Participation in subcommittees as delegated by the Board (Quarterly)
· Availability by phone or email to the Chair or CEO from time to time
· To respect confidentiality
· To act solely in the interests of the charity
· To gain a better understanding of the charity by attending at least one event per year, for example, the Agency Day (half a day during office hours) or an Information Event (usually virtual, in the evening)
Role Summary:
To provide peer support at resilience group sessions for expectant and new mums (pregnancy up to 1 year) at Children & Family Centres across the London Borough of Bexley, or online via Zoom.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Successfully complete a training course for Mindful Mums Peer Support Volunteer. You will be fully supported during this time and on successful completion will understand different mindfulness, wellbeing, resilience and coping techniques and be confident in leading the peer support within these groups.
2. Prepare for and lead the peer support for a minimum of three Mindful Mums groups (over 5 consecutive weeks). Group dates and times will be discussed with you in advance.
3. Liaise with the Project Coordinator regarding sessions that need volunteers.
4. Contribute to the development of the content of the Mindful Mums sessions based on your experience as a parent.
5. Report any concerns arising from the sessions to the Project Coordinator and, where appropriate, the contact at the venue.
6. Participate in catch-up meetings with the Project Coordinator, group volunteer meetings and training on Safeguarding Children and Adults.
7. Take part in some Mindfulness practise.
8. At all times work in accordance with the organisation’s policies regarding Health & Safety, Equality & Diversity, Safeguarding Children, Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults and Confidentiality & Data Protection.
Person Specification
To undertake the role of Mindful Mums Peer Support Volunteer, you must be able to show that you have the following:
o Experience of having felt stressed, low, anxious or have struggled with your mental or emotional wellbeing in other ways during the perinatal period (pregnancy to 1 year).
o Ability to communicate well with other mums.
o Skills to effectively facilitate sessions.
o Good interpersonal skills.
o Ability to work well in a team.
o Understanding of the pressures and stresses facing pregnant and new mums.
o Willingness to engage in some Mindfulness practise.
o Willingness to talk from your own experience in an appropriate way.
o Ability to maintain appropriate and professional boundaries.
o A commitment to attend training, support groups and to deliver 5-week programmes in Children & Family Centres across Bexley, or online via Zoom.
Benefits of getting involved
·Being part of a team of local mums, who have all experienced perinatal mental health issues and who want to help pregnant and new mums build skills to manage their mental health in a positive way.
· Delivering an exciting and innovative project that really makes a difference to pregnant women and new mums.
Other Information
Successful applicants will be required to provide details of two references and agree to submit details for and undertake a Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) check.
The majority of courses will be run during school term times.
Free crèche facilities are sometimes available at the Children & Family Centres.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.