Our award winning MS Helpline are looking for a new Helpline Services Volunteer Officer to join our fantastic and supportive team.
Helpline Services Volunteer Officer
Type: Part-time (21 hours/or 3 days a week), permanent
Location: Office-based in London, N4 with flexibility to work remotely
Salary: £19,293.60 - £20,552.40 per annum (FTE £32,156 - £34,254) plus excellent benefits
Salary Band: Band E1
About us
We make sure people living with MS are at the centre of everything we do. And it’s this commitment that unites us across the UK.
Our strategy is based on what people affected by MS have told us is important to them. It gives us a clear and determined focus.
Our work is based on the hopes and aspirations of our MS community. Together we campaign at all levels, fund ground-breaking research and provide award winning support and information.
Our people are our greatest asset and the key to our success. We offer a vibrant, progressive working environment where you'll be able to make a difference.
About this job
Please note this role is part-time 21 hours/or 3 days a week.
Our Helpline runs from 9am to 7pm Monday to Friday, and we’re looking for an enthusiastic, warm and experienced individual to support our dedicated Helpline Volunteers and Befriending Volunteers within the Helpline team.
This role requires working flexible hours, including 9am–5pm, 10am–6pm or 11am–7pm between Monday to Friday to meet services and volunteer needs (3 days a week).
If you’re passionate about offering high quality information and emotional support and have relevant Helpline experience, we’d love to hear from you.
You will be providing continuous support to all our volunteers at the Helpline team, directly contributing in providing information and support to our Helpline enquirers, with both proactive and reactive content and information on prevalent topics or trends affecting the MS community.
Our aim is to empower people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) to:
- Live to their full potential
- Take an active role in their treatment
- Secure the care and support they need
We recognise the significant and excellent contributions; experience; and skills our employees bring to the MS Society.
Working with external pay and reward consultants, we’re taking active steps this year to review our employees’ pay and benefits package. Ensuring we’re aligned with the most accurate and up-to-date benchmarks for the UK charity sector.
Closing date for applications: 9am on Friday 10 May 2024
Anticipated interview date: Monday 20 May 2024
PLEASE PRESS THE 'HOW TO APPLY' BUTTON FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Equal Opportunities
We particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities and or from ethnic minority backgrounds.
We’d be grateful if you downloaded and completed the equality and diversity monitoring form and submit it with your application.
Disability Confident Employer
We are a Disability Confident Employer and we’re committed to promoting equality and diversity.
You can ask for reasonable adjustments as part of both our recruitment and new starter on-boarding processes.
If you need any help or adjustments to apply for this role, please contact us to discuss.
You can also ask for the application materials to be sent to you in a different format. Such as for them to be sent to you by email or in a larger word format.
Your right to work in the UK
You must have the right to work in the UK to work in paid employment with us. You’ll need to share documents showing you’re eligible to work in the UK if we offer you employment.
You can find the UK visas and permits granting you the right to work in the UK on the UK Government website. We currently don’t have a Sponsor Licence agreement with the Home Office and aren’t able to support you with your visa applications.
More about our recruitment and selection process
- The HR team will anonymise your CV and supporting statement before forwarding to the shortlisting panel. This is done as part of our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
- The first round of our recruitment and selection process includes an interview with competency-based questions.
- Our recruitment and selection process might also include extra tasks. For example, a written or Microsoft Excel test or making a presentation.
- We’ll let you know what the selection process will include when we invite you to interview. You can ask for any more reasonable adjustments for the interview as part of the invitation.
- You might also be invited for a second interview. We’ll let you know about this during the selection process.
More about our employee benefits:
We have a wide range of employee benefits including (but not limited to):
Encouraging work life balance
- 38 days paid annual leave (including bank holidays), pro-rata for part-time
- More annual leave entitlement, based on length of employment
- Smart working options (with the opportunity to work remotely and find a smart working pattern that suits both you and us)
- Flexible working options
Caring for you and your family
- Generous sick pay entitlement
- More sick pay entitlement, based on length of employment
- Opportunity to buy and sell annual leave in each calendar year
- Free access to a GP virtually 24 hours a day/7 days a week allowing you unlimited advice, reassurance and where appropriate diagnosis
- Enhanced leave for new parents
- Free access to a confidential 24 hours a day/7 days a week helpline service for both you and your family with a specialist range of support and information
- Special leave options (such as up to 5 days paid leave for domestic or personal emergencies a year)
- 10 days paid disability leave a year, pro-rata for part-time
- 10 days paid carers’ leave a year, pro-rata for part-time
- New family-friendly benefits, including paid leave:
- in the event of miscarriage or still birth
- to support fertility treatments
- for antenatal appointments for both parents
- Cycle to work scheme
- Death in service scheme
- Health cash plans to help offset the cost of health care for you and your family
Thinking about your finances
- Enhanced salary sacrifice pension scheme
- Discounted season ticket loan and interest-free emergency loans
- Give as you earn to support other charities of your choice before tax
- New employee portal including lifestyle savings vouchers and personal wellbeing
Enriching your life at work
- Personalised development plans with a wide range of training courses and opportunities to source additional training options with your line manager
- Yearly internal apprenticeship opportunities
- New, modern offices that embrace working together both in-person and remotely Various opportunities to influence how we internally operate (including surveys, and focus and committee groups)
- Active and supportive internal employee networking groups for collaboration and peer support
- 2 days paid leave a year for volunteering for MS Society activities during normal working hours (such as fundraising events, or campaigning in the local community)
- 2 days paid leave a year for volunteering with other charities during normal working hours
Safeguarding
We’re committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of everyone who uses our services and we come into contact with.
This is regardless of:
- gender
- race
- disability
- sexual orientation
- religion or belief
- pregnancy
- gender reassignment
We recognise our particular responsibility to make sure vulnerable adults and children are protected.
We have measures in place to protect everyone we come into contact with from abuse and maltreatment of all kinds.
No agencies please.
LMK (Let Me Know) Youth Leader (Freelance Educator / Youth Worker)
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Across London boroughs
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£200 per 2hour workshop
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Sessional
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Available for a minimum of one delivery per month, pending workshop demands
About LMK
Good relationships shape our health and happiness, yet we are taught so little about them. LMK is a registered education charity on a mission to change that. We run workshops educating young people about healthy and unhealthy behaviours, so that they can avoid abuse and thrive in relationships.
Using film and guided discussions, our workshop leaders support children and young people in honest conversations about relationships and leave them better equipped to spot the early warning signs of abuse and inspire them to enjoy healthy, fulfilling relationships. We explore the 10 signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships and include practical lessons young people want to learn about (like consent) and practice scenarios in a safe, supportive and non-judgmental environment.
LMK is a learning organisation and prides itself in supporting leaders to develop their skills. We offer training and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) opportunities, as well as peer-to-peer learning and reflective practice sessions.
Job Description
LMK is looking for passionate and organised educators (LMK Leaders) to run community workshops, aimed at young people aged between 11 and 24. Through engaging, relatable, workshops you will help young people identify signs of healthy and unhealthy relationship behaviours, provide strategies for them to recognise the early warning signs of abuse and give them tools to keep themselves and their friends safe.
The minimum hours required per workshop is 3 hrs. This includes arriving 30 minutes before delivery, 1.5 to 2 hrs delivery and then remaining back 10 minutes and being accessible to young people who would like further information or a one-to-one conversation, surrounding the subject of relationships.
There is also 30 minutes admin, which is usually completed off-site, such as inputting student surveys and a Leader survey.
Responsibilities
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Always adhere to LMK and partner safeguarding practices and procedures.
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Respond to comms (emails/WhatsApp) sent out by LMK core team members, in a timely manner, to support planning and organising of sessions.
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Meet with co-facilitators to carry out pre-session planning, minimum two working days before delivery.
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Plan and deliver interactive LMK workshops in educational, sports and community settings in line with LMK delivery style and ethos.
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Use your experience and knowledge of the issues affecting young people to tailor the workshops accordingly.
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Ensure all youth participants and the adults in school/community organisations who attend a LMK workshop complete the post session feedback surveys.
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Complete reflective post session Leader surveys to support practice and programme development, after each workshop.
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Debrief with LMK’s Programme Manager and provide ongoing feedback about your sessions, through LMK’s reflective practice processes.
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Undertake relevant training associated with LMK’s work including but not restricted to child protection, safeguarding, violence against women and girls (VAWG).
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Continue to learn about and develop your skills on the issues affecting young people’s relationships including domestic violence, abuse, adverse childhood experiences, trauma informed practice, gang culture and grooming, mental health, sexual exploitation, consent, sharing of nudes /sexting, bullying in person and online, tech and online safety, pornography.
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Provide feedback and co-design training and educational resources on issues affecting young people and their relationships, including opportunities to share your knowledge and expertise at peer-to-peer learning sessions.
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Attend termly virtual Leader huddles to remain connected to peers and organisational values, mission, and purpose.
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Contribute towards and keep up to date with LMK internal/external communications platforms, such as LMK Newsletters and social media.
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Engage with LMK’s Youth Advisory Board Members, if and when invited to do so.
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Lead by example and promote healthy relationship behaviours in your own lives/communities and within LMK (team player; acknowledging and working with diversity; being receptive to new ideas and developmental feedback, etc)
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Use your own networks to recruit new schools and youth groups into the programme.
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Drive forward our evaluation programme - collecting data, as well as providing on-going feedback to LMK.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
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Extensive experience of teaching or working with young people (9 to 24 yrs old) in an educational, sports or community setting.
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Minimum 2 years’ experience co-designing, delivering and evaluating group sessions, consisting of minimum, of 12 and maximum of 30 participants.
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Experience or co-designing session plans and co-facilitating with others; able to collaborate equally with others.
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A strong commitment to young people and knowledge and understanding of issues affecting their relationships.
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Excellent communication, interpersonal skills with the ability to create a safe and non-judgmental space, that allows young people to speak freely about their relationships and experience.
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Strong emotional intelligence and the ability to deliver sensitive information whilst treating young people’s concerns with respect.
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Capable of maintaining confidentiality and professional boundaries with young people, peers, and professionals.
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Able to adapt and be flexible in workshops to get the best engagement from a range of participants.
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Skilled at facilitating virtual workshops and working with a selection of online portals.
Requirements
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Entitled to work in the UK.
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Hold a DBS certificate or be willing to let us undertake a check on your behalf.
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Have a recent safeguarding qualification from a recognised provider or be willing to undertake additional training in this area.
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Flexibility to work non-traditional, after-school and occasional weekend / holiday hours.
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Comply with policies and procedures relating to child protection, confidentiality, data protection and reporting concerns to an appropriate person.
LMK strives to create a fair and healthy environment where all our colleagues feel valued and able to be their authentic selves at work. We understand that our people have commitments and personal interests outside of work and so we create a flexible working environment, in which people can perform at their best.
LMK values the differences that a diverse workforce brings and is committed to inclusivity. We welcome all applicants from any race, ethnicity, colour, religion, gender, age, sexuality, or any other protected characteristic.
We can make reasonable adjustments throughout the application process and on the job. Please let us know, by contacting us separately if you need any adjustments or changes to be made during the recruitment process because of a disability or long-term health condition.
You can learn more about how we handle your personal data and your rights by reviewing our privacy notice LMK Privacy Policy
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.