Volunteering jobs

Description

Location: Birmingham

Contract: full time, 11 week fixed term contract, starting no later than 7 July 2025

Salary: £22,391 per annum, pro rata

Closing Date: 1st June

Interview: Interviews to be held virtually 

Are you looking for a new opportunity?

The Marine Society & Sea Cadets (MSSC) is a vibrant and growing charity delivering life changing nautical adventure for young people through the Sea Cadets to give them the best possible head start in life. We also provide personal and professional development opportunities for seafarers with the Marine Society. Working with our staff, cadets, and volunteers, we have built a vision and five-year strategy to take us forward and further improve the astounding contribution already made through our work to the lives of thousands of young people and seafarers, while fully supporting our volunteers who are vital to our success.

We are currently looking for an OTW Project Assistant who will support the delivery of the On The Water project at one of our boating stations in Birmingham. The project provides young people from outside Sea Cadets, age 9-14, the opportunity to get on the water, learn new skills and build confidence through boating activity. This is a very varied and rewarding role that requires someone who is self-motivated, inspiring, organized, creative, tenacious, positive, IT competent and with a real interest in people with a attention to detail and real enthusiasm for the project.

Project delivery takes place between 29 July 2024 and 30 August 2025 when the young people will be attending boating sessions. During this busy time the Project Assistant will be based at the boat station each day to complete registration, manage group change overs, track project targets, encourage survey completion and fill booking gaps. Prior to delivery the role will be focused on supporting the booking process and engaging in community outreach. Once delivery is complete, the Project Assistant role will then predominantly be supporting the evaluation and data collection as well as supporting participants to join their local Sea Cadet unit.

Key Responsibilities

• The welcoming and registration of participants for the On The Water project
• Collecting and uploading daily statistics and figures that show how the project is progressing
• Making new and repeat bookings
• Talking to participants and their parents/carers about the opportunities within Sea Cadets
• Managing a waiting list and reducing drop-outs
• Responsible for the safety and wellbeing of participants alongside the Boat Station staff
• Ensure that participants complete surveys to share their experience of the project and encourage adults to feedback on their young people’s experience
• Attend any meetings as required by the project
• Assist with the evaluation of the On The Water project

Requirements

• Previous experience of working with volunteers

• Experience in a customer facing role
• Experience working with young people
• Experience working with diverse community groups or working in outreach
• Experience of tracking targets and managing data
• Self-motivated and able to manage your time and workload effectively
• Flexible and enthusiastic
• Able to work as a team player with creative ideas and solutions who will empower our volunteers to make a difference to the lives of even more young people across the UK
• Satisfactory DBS

For further information, please download the Recruitment Pack.

Benefits

• Flexible Working hours and a hybrid culture
• Cycle to work scheme and Season Ticket Loan
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Life assurance (4x salary) for those that join the pension
• Private medical insurance
• Pension (employer contribution up to 10%)
• Wellbeing portal and EAP with 121 counselling
• Employee development: We are investing in our employees' development and have an annual calendar of learning and development opportunities, designed to support employees to develop into their roles and stretch them to achieve their full potential.
• National staff conference: All employees come together once a year to reflect on the past year and celebrate success at our offsite staff conference. This is a great opportunity to listen to employees' views, and for employees to network, share information and socialise.

Additional Information

MSSC positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates from all backgrounds. Equity, diversity, and inclusion really matters to us, so we can best serve our beneficiaries from every community. We work to ensure a fair and consistent recruitment process and aim to be a charity where diversity of experience, identity and skills are valued and welcomed. MSSC is an equal opportunities employer.

We recognise our responsibilities to safeguard and protect the young people and vulnerable adults with whom we work. We do all we can to promote their health, safety and wellbeing, and we expect our staff to share this commitment and work in line with safeguarding policy, the MSSC’s values and ethos of inclusivity. We adhere to safer recruitment practices and therefore employment is subject to detailed pre-employment checks for successful candidates, including references and criminal disclosure checks and the completion of a disclosure questionnaire.

All successful applicants are required to attend safeguarding training and undergo a criminal record check.

About The Role

We are looking for a passionate and dedicated individual to join the Royal British Legion as a Poppy Appeal Manager for Cheshire. This role offers a unique opportunity to coordinate all aspects of the award winning Poppy Appeal in your area, working closely with the Regional Poppy Appeal Manager to meet agreed income, expenditure, and contribution targets. You will manage relationships with local supporters, partners, and volunteers, ensuring they have the resources and support they need to maximise fundraising efforts and make a lasting impact.

Come and be part of the leading Armed Forces charity, making a difference to the lives of those who have served to keep us safe and protect our way of life.

In this role, you’ll have the exciting opportunity to build and nurture corporate partnerships, working alongside a passionate team to achieve shared goals. Your relationship-building skills will ensure a positive experience for everyone involved, from volunteers to corporate partners, while representing the Royal British Legion in your local community and engaging with key stakeholders.

You’ll also be responsible for recruiting and inducting new Poppy Appeal Organisers, helping them thrive, and coordinating the Poppy Appeal launch, including fun PR and media activities. As a local representative of the Royal British Legion, you’ll keep stakeholders updated and play a key part in our outreach efforts. While there will be some evening and weekend work, we’re dedicated to ensuring that you maintain a healthy work-life balance.
This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who loves building relationships, planning events, and is passionate about supporting the Armed Forces community. While experience in financial management is helpful, it’s not essential – we’re really looking for someone who is committed to the cause and excited to connect with others.

At the Royal British Legion, we know the importance of flexibility, so we offer options like our 9-day fortnight while also considering other flexible working arrangements to suit your needs. We want you to feel supported in balancing work with life’s other joys!

You will be expected to travel regularly in the course of your work including regularly round Cheshire.. You will be contracted to your home address, where you will be expected to work, when not travelling. Please be aware a full UK driving licence is required for this role.

Employee benefits include -

- 28 day’s paid holiday (plus bank holidays), increasing with service, with optional annual leave purchase scheme of up to 5 working days
- Very generous pension contributions, with Employer contributions ranging from 6% to 14%
- A range of flexible working options may be available, depending on your role and the needs of RBL.
- Employee Assistance Programme providing confidential counselling, financial and legal advice
- A range of courses delivered by learning specialists to support your development goals and objectives.
- Opportunities to volunteer.
- Travel loans, Cycle to Work, and more!

For more detailed information about the role, please see our Vacancy Information Pack attached to our direct advert.

RBL is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive organisation, reflecting the diversity of the armed forces community and of wider society. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and personal characteristics.

We may close this vacancy early if we believe we have enough strong applications to be able to successfully fill the role(s). Interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Our community team is expanding, and we are looking for an energetic individual to us. 

Do you love meeting people and building relationships?  Are you energetic, positive and organised? 

We are looking for a Community Fundraiser who has these key skills to help us raise vital income for our charity.  You will develop and deliver fundraising initiatives through partnerships with local groups, schools, associations and individuals.  This role will also involve delivering a number of fundraising events so being organised and creative is key and having a marketing focus to ensure maximum success.  No two days are the same and we are looking for someone who can be flexible in their approach and able to multitask effectively. 

You will be based at our purpose built children’s hospice just outside Maidenhead, which provides support to children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions and their families. We would love to hear from talented individuals who want to help us raise the money that we need to make these services available to all families who need them.

As well as a competitive salary, we offer a generous annual leave entitlement, access to a pension scheme as well as private medical insurance and life assurance. You will also have free on-site parking and will benefit from an Employee Assistance Programme.

Our core values are key to who we are.  We are looking for individuals who are committed to reflecting our core values in all that they do - Determined, Empowering, Valuing others, Integrity, Nurture, Empathy.

Want to play your part in transforming society?

You're in the right place.

In partnership with St Peter's Church Bethnal Green, you will manage the delivery of Resurgo's award-winning Spear Programme. Over the last 20 years, Spear has supported more than 10,500 young people across the UK with the work-ready skills and mindset they need to succeed in employment, no matter the challenges they face. But we don’t want to stop there.

We believe each young person has huge potential. If you do too, and you have the skills and heart to see their lives transformed – join us.

The important stuff 

Location: Bethnal Green, office-based

Salary: from £28,000

Contract: Full-Time, Permanent

Assessment Day: Thursday 8th May

Application pack: Have a look at our Lead Coach Application pack for more information about the role and Resurgo.

What you'll gain:

• 28 days annual leave (including Christmas gift days) plus bank holidays
• Two-night Christmas staff retreat
• Excellent staff development and training opportunities by Professional Certified Coaches accredited by the ICF including our 5-day Coaching Academy (valued at £3,000) 
• Progression opportunities
• A worshipping community where you can pray and worship with your colleagues
• Excellent Health Insurance plan, including gym discounts and other perks
• Opportunity to join our employee-led networks including, Parents and Carers, All-In (Global Majority Heritage), and Accessibility Network

Please feel free to let us know if you may require any reasonable adjustments to participate fully in our recruitment process. 

In this role, you’ll be responsible for:

The Lead Coach is primarily responsible for overseeing the training room and group sessions with young people. You will help shape the training environment and will confidently adapt and deliver materials and sessions to work within the group’s development towards work readiness.

Delivery of Spear Programme - Group and 1:1 coaching [60%]

• Preparing and coaching Spear Foundation sessions and 1-1s, ensuring that young people are engaged, retained and work-ready by the end of this initial phase of the programme
• Building relationships with young people on the programme and managing culture, and attitudes in the training room
• Adapting the Spear coaching material according to the needs of the Trainees and managing behaviour effectively; handling safeguarding
• Taking a lead on rating the work readiness of the trainees and making sure data is inputted and used correctly on salesforce
• Liaising with volunteers for key programme engagement events such as mock interviews and external panels. Leading on briefings and communications with these volunteers

Delivery of Spear Career [20%]

• Delivering weekly Spear Career sessions (including running workshops with past Trainees), maintaining records and reporting on statistics, and creatively developing ongoing relationships with Spear Trainees

Training the Graduate Coach [10%]

• Contributing towards the training and developing of the Graduate Coach by modelling excellent coaching and giving regular feedback

Trainee recruitment [10%]

• Developing relationships with Job Centres and local referral agencies to ensure that the maximum number of Spear Trainees are enrolled on each programme. This involves liaising with referral agencies, active face-to-face recruitment and monitoring recruitment statistics

Continuous professional development

• Continually engaging in professional development, including being part of Resurgo’s wider coaching programmes and possibly supporting on leading internal training such as Grad Coach Training

Active participation in and support for church team and mission

• As the Spear programme is run in partnership with a local church partner, you will establish a strong personal connection with the church to develop the engagement and backing of church members and help build a strong network of supporters for the Spear programme. As part of this you may be asked to speak at church/events and contribute to prayer meetings as per Resurgo’s Christian ethos and the mission of the church

This role will suit you if:

• You are an active Christian, passionate about your work being a lived expression of your faith
• You have a heart for young people and releasing their potential, no matter what challenging circumstances they are facing
• You have demonstrable experience as a coach, or a background in youth work or teaching, and are keen to develop these skills further
• You are confident in leading others effectively, giving feedback and having crucial conversations
• You are steady under pressure, and able to juggle competing priorities
• Emotional resilience and good self-leadership in this area. You have a sense of humour and want to have fun at work

A couple of things to note:

• This role requires occasional evening work, for our termly Spear Celebrations (where we celebrate our trainees as they complete the initial six weeks of the programme)
• In the event of a job offer, a DBS check will be requested

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT LEAD (OASIS ASHBURTON PARK)

FULL-TIME, 40 HOURS PER WEEK

SALARY:  £33,422 per annum

LOCATION:  CROYDON

PROJECT: 100 YEARS OF ASHBURTON PARK   

Want to make your community and local park a better place?

Will you support young people to recognise and reach their potential?

Are you passionate about how education and youth work can work alongside each other to make a positive impact on young people’s lives?

Want to be part of a supportive, dynamic, fun & quality team?

Oasis Ashburton Park are now in a position to employ an experienced Youth Development Lead to work alongside wider team in Croydon. The role will be focussed on the Ashburton Park area (surrounding Oasis Academies; Arena, Shirley Park and Ryeland’s) working closely with the academies as part of Oasis Ashburton Park and the ‘100 Years of Ashburton Park’ Project funded by The Heritage Lottery Fund.

As a Youth Development Lead you will;

• Develop and oversee a Youth Advisory Panel to ensure that youth voice is central to the design of our Youth Engagement Programme and the 360 Youth Centre.
• Develop and oversee the Youth Engagement Programme as part of the ‘100 years of Ashburton Park Project’ including a range of activities in and nearby to Ashburton Park, including after school drop-in’s, evening sessions, group work and one-one mentoring.
• Support the development and engagement of young people in a Food Growing Enterprise based at Ashburton Lodge.
• Work closely with Croydon Council and other partners to support young people to engage with a wide range of programmes and activities that are part of the ‘100 years of Ashburton Park Project’.
• Deliver open access sessions, group and one to one interventions with young people including; half term, afterschool, evenings and residentials, using a planned youth work curriculum.
• Line manage youth workers, sessional youth workers and youth volunteers to plan, deliver and evaluate youth work termly.
• Contribute to the development of youth work across the area and lead on specific areas of work on behalf of the team.

Amongst other requirements, the successful post holder must have:

· Relevant experience OR qualification in Youth & Community (JNC), Social Work (QSW) or SEND.

· Proven experience working with young people ‘at risk’.

· Reliability, with a flexible approach to changes and able to work unsociable hours.

· Experience of project and/or people management

As part of the package, Oasis offers:

• A pension scheme, currently offering 7% employer contribution.
• A generous holiday allowance and training opportunities.
• A supportive, friendly work environment, with flexible working arrangements.

If you are interested in this position, please email a CV and covering letter detailing why you feel you are suitable for this role. Please visit the Oasis Chartiy Jobs website for further information.

Completed applications should be returned by 5pm 23rd May

Round one Interviews will take place on W/C 2nd June

Round two interviews will take place on W/C 9th June

We actively encourage applications from people of all ethnic backgrounds and minority and underrepresented groups. If you require any assistance to overcome potential barriers to application, please let us know. 

Oasis is a multi-national charity supporting young people and their families in 10 countries worldwide. Our vision is for building healthy communities: places where everyone is included, making a contribution and reaching their full potential.

Oasis is committed to making a difference to the lives of the communities it works in, and as such you must show a willingness to demonstrate commitment to the values and behaviours which flow from the Oasis ethos.  We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We expect all staff to share this commitment and to undergo appropriate checks, including enhanced DBS checks. 

The successful candidates must have the right to work in the UK.  Oasis cannot assist with sponsorship or visas.

Oasis supports Equal Opportunities.  Registered Charity No. 1163889

Band 7 Counselling / Clinical Psychologist

Reports to: Clinical Lead, Dose of Nature

Job Overview:

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and innovative psychologist to join our warm and friendly team at our Dose of Nature hub in Surrey. Dose of Nature is in an exciting phase as we continue to receive funding to expand our reach, particularly increasing accessibility to our service for clients living in the Waverley area.

We are seeking a psychologist with passion for the natural world and there is great potential for the psychologist to lead on areas in which we seek to develop and expand. The post-holder would be closely supported by the psychology team, as well as the wider team, to do so.

Dose of Nature is a mental health charity whose objective is to improve the mental health and wellbeing of individuals through increased engagement with the natural world. Our work is rooted in a wealth of scientific evidence that demonstrates the physiological and psychological benefits of spending time in nature.  We deliver ‘Nature Prescriptions’ to adults (aged 18+) referred by their GP with a wide range of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, trauma, and addiction.

Our Dose of Nature Prescription is overseen by psychologists and is a genuine alternative to both medication and more traditional psychological interventions. Through a combination of education, first-hand experience, and practical and motivational support, we aim to encourage a greater connection with nature and inspire lifestyle changes that will have a significant and lasting impact on mental wellbeing.  Dose of Nature is a fun, supportive and lively organisation that encourages creativity and independence, as well as a strong sense of working together as a team.

The nature of the role requires occasional evenings and weekends to cover monthly volunteer training evenings and social events as necessitated by the needs of the charity.

Key Responsibilities 

Clinical 

• To carry out psychological assessments of clients referred to the service, to reach a psychological formulation of the client’s difficulties and understand their wider contextual needs, and to support those clients throughout their journey with Dose of Nature, offering ad-hoc support where needed.
• To subsequently pair clients with an appropriate volunteer Nature Guide who then delivers the Dose of Nature Prescription.
• To review clients at the end of their Dose of Nature Prescription and ensure that those clients who would like to and / or need to, maintain connection with Dose of Nature by attending groups, social events, and through ad-hoc support.
• To maintain relationships with GP practices and other referrers, and to inform them of client progress.
• To support the Clinical Lead to offer workshops and presentations to other agencies, professional colleagues and in the wider community.
• To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals, staff members and volunteers contributing to a client’s recovery.
• To undertake risk assessment, formulation, and management of clients and to provide advice to the Dose of Nature team on psychological aspects of risk assessment, formulation, and management.
• To actively promote client involvement in their recovery and service development.

Teaching, Training, and Supervision

• To receive and provide regular clinical supervision.
• To gain additional experience and skills relevant to the Dose of Nature model.
• To provide clinical placements for trainee counsellors and / or trainee psychologists where needed and if appropriate, ensuring that trainees acquire the necessary skills and experience to contribute effectively to client recovery, utilising the Dose of Nature model.
• To provide advice, consultation and training to staff and volunteers.

Management, Leadership, Recruitment, Policy and Service Development

• To participate in identifying and implementing the development of a high quality, responsible and accessible service.
• To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the team’s operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit
• To participate in the management of psychological resources available to the team.
• To manage the workloads of assistant and trainee applied psychologists.
• To be involved, as appropriate, in the short listing and interviewing of assistant psychologists
  and other staff.
• To provide effective leadership and management to staff which promotes high performance
  standards both individually and as a team. 

Research and Service Evaluation

• To utilise theory, evidence-based literature, and research to support practice.
• To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research
• To undertake project management, including service evaluation, with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision.

This job description sets out the main responsibilities and duties of the post, but is neither exhaustive nor exclusive and the postholder may be required to undertake such other duties and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected of an employee of this grade.

Main purpose of role: 

To provide effective support for the Events team to achieve agreed fundraising targets and objectives through the delivery of a series of high quality events.

• Providing key and intensive support to the Challenge Events Manager, concerning the planning and implementation of all aspects of our challenge and running events portfolio
• Developing relationships with participants, individuals and organisations to maximise fundraising targets and ensure long term charity involvement

About us:

Muscular Dystrophy UK is the charity bringing individuals, families and professionals together to fight muscle-wasting conditions. We bring together more than 60 rare and very rare progressive muscle-weakening and wasting conditions, affecting around 110,000 children and adults in the UK. 

We share expert advice and support to live well now; fund ground breaking research to understand the different conditions better and lead us to new treatments; work with the NHS towards universal access to specialist health; and together, campaign for people’s rights, better understanding, accessibility, and access to treatments.

Benefits:

We appreciate the range of skills and experience our staff have to offer. In return for your enthusiasm and commitment we commit to actively developing and supporting you. We also offer a range of benefits including pension, life assurance, cycle scheme, health cash plan, financial wellbeing and an employee assistance programme.

Please download the job description to see full role responsibilities.

Location: We operate a hybrid model (home and office, London SE1). 

Closing date: 27 May 2025

We are seeking a passionate, connected and well-organised leader, to manage and develop our Church Engagement team and mission with UK churches, networks, community groups and volunteers. The role requires someone who is motivated by their Christian faith and has a passion to inspire and influence the UK Church to show love, strengthen faith and bring joy to millions of people across the Middle East and North Africa.

As we look towards our 30th anniversary, we want to inspire a new generation of churches and individuals to engage with global and local mission; to raise awareness and understanding of the Church in the MENA and to increase engagement, giving and prayer.

The Church Engagement team sits within the External Engagement Department, which covers areas including communications, publications and resources, press and media, digital content and marketing, fundraising appeals, church engagement, events and volunteers. Teams work closely together on shared activities to ensure that the strategy is connected and delivers a coherent public message, maximising every potential opportunity to increase income and deepen understanding and engagement. Other office staff include those focused on operations and finance, as well as a small Development Team engaging with major donors.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

This role will allow you to make a real difference to the lives of millions of people in the Middle East and North Africa.  You will help to manage, maintain and increase income and engagement through the following key responsibilities:

·Work with the team to implement strategies for growing key areas of income and engagement with churches and individuals, maintaining prospect lists, communicating with churches to resource and increase engagement.

·To manage, motivate and support a diverse team in different geographical locations and working patterns.

·To assist with delivering the church partnership and media projects programme, inviting church leaders and churches to join, helping research, prepare and send project proposals, reports and associated resources.

·To analyse current church giving patterns and identify pathways to increase engagement, levels and forms of giving (including individual giving in conjunction with other team members).

·Support with high-level giving church relationships and work with the Engagement Officer to mobilise ambassadors and volunteers within churches to encourage prayer for the MENA and church giving.

·Oversee SAT-7’s presence at events and conferences to maximise opportunities for engagement and increased reach with existing and new supporters.

·To assist with identifying current and future engagement resources to inspire and mobilise supporter churches and wider opportunities with denominations and Christian networks.

·Lead regular one to ones and promote the process of SAT-7 UK’s personal development plans for team members throughout the year e.g. conducting appraisals and mid-year reviews.

WHAT NEXT?

If this sounds like the right role for you and you would like to find out more, please see the Application Pack and apply via the SAT-7 UK website.

We are looking for someone who can support people to take positive steps to improve the way they manage their mental wellbeing and day-to-day lives, based on what matters most to them.

Taking referrals from GP practices, you’ll work with adult mental health patients to identify what is affecting their health and wellbeing. You’ll then work with them to create a personalised support plan to improve resilience, health and wellbeing. You’ll find services and activities that offer practical, social and emotional support, working as a team with other healthcare professionals who may provide more traditional medical interventions. 

This might mean connecting people with art classes, walking groups or gardening clubs, or it could be signposting to more practical support, such as services providing advice on debt or housing issues. It’s essential that you can listen carefully, build relationships, and motivate people to make choices and changes about the things that matter to them.

The position is based in Sheppey and applicants must have experience of working with adults in a medical or social care setting, and of providing mental health support. Additional experience of providing mental health support to children and young people would be an advantage as a small number of referrals are from this group.

You should be organised, self-motivated and able to work as part of a team and on your own. Car driver essential.

Don’t wait. Apply today.

 

We offer our employees:

· Inclusive values-based environment

· Competitive remuneration package

· Workplace pension scheme

· Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays

· Opportunities for hybrid working

· Benenden Health Care

· Death in Service Benefit

· Cycle to Work Scheme

· Employee Supported Volunteering scheme

· Development opportunities

· and more

Imago is committed to Safer Recruitment practices, and the post is subject to references and an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Please either submit your CV with a short covering note or visit our website for full details.

Imago recognises that many people in our society experience discrimination or lack of opportunity for reasons that are not fair. We aim to create a culture that respects and values each other’s differences, and see these differences as an asset, as they improve our ability to meet the needs of the organisations and people we work with. We proactively seek to increase opportunities for inclusion, and celebrate diversity across our organisation and within communities.

Imago recognises its duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of the children, young people and adults at risk who access its services or with whom it comes into contact.

Community Project Lead 

• Two-year fixed term, full-time (35 hours per week) or part-time (minimum 21 hours per week considered), £28,000 – £32,000 per annum depending on experience (pro rata if part-time)  
• Remote or office-based. Occasional visits to IPSEA’s office in Takeley or a London venue required. This role will also include frequent travel to meet with community partners. 

Do you have experience working with under-served communities and leading impactful outreach projects? Are you passionate about improving access to support for families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)?

IPSEA is the leading charity in the field of SEND law in England, and we provide free and independent legal advice and support to families of children and young people with SEND. We also provide training on the SEND legal framework, and we influence policy at both a local and national level.

We are looking for an experienced and motivated Community Project Lead to join our team and lead the development of our advice services for under-served communities. This two-year, fixed-term role is a key part of our strategy to reach groups who may not traditionally engage with IPSEA’s support - including children and families with English as an additional language, cared-for children (children in care), migrant children, detained children, and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

The project builds on a detailed scoping exercise we’ve recently completed, which involved working closely with a wide range of charities and organisations that support these communities. The resulting report outlines the barriers they face, and will form the foundation for this project and directly inform the work you will lead.

What you’ll do 

• Design and develop pilot advice services that are tailored to the needs of under-served communities, using findings from IPSEA’s research 

• Build and maintain strong relationships with community groups, charities and service providers to co-produce accessible services 

• Collaborate with IPSEA’s advice, legal and policy teams to address the barriers these communities face in accessing SEND legal advice 

• Contribute to and share outreach materials, training resources and toolkits to support families of under-served communities and empower local advocates 

• Plan and lead workshops, focus groups and community events to raise awareness, gather feedback and enhance service delivery 

• Monitor and report on project outcomes and impact, providing regular updates to IPSEA staff and stakeholders 

You can work remotely or from IPSEA’s office in Takeley, with frequent travel required for essential meetings and community engagement.

If you share our commitment to protecting, promoting, and upholding the rights of children and young people with SEND, and would like to use your skills to improve access to vital advice and support, we would love to hear from you.

Visit our website to download a recruitment pack and application form.

Closing date for applications: 9am on Monday 16 June 2025 
First-round interviews: Wednesday 25 June 2025 (London) 

The People’s Empowerment Alliance for Custom House (PEACH) is dedicated to empowering its members and improving local conditions through collective action. Through building collective resident power in Newham, PEACH has secured huge wins, including 60% rent reductions for 250 temporary tenant households and a £300k rent arrears amnesty.

With over 300 members and 12 years of experience, we are poised to expand our impact and establish a lasting Community Union, sharing our wealth of knowledge with communities all over the UK. 

Our Community Organiser plays a crucial role in contributing to our ongoing Permanent, Safe Homes Now campaign, which aims to set a precedent for housing reform nationwide. Our mission is to drive meaningful change and empower communities facing social injustice across the UK.

As part of our team, you'll contribute to expanding and strengthening PEACH's membership and influence. This involves planning and executing strategic campaigns collaboratively, which aim to address key issues our members face. You'll also oversee project delivery, monitor progress and report on outcomes, and communicate successes and best practices. In this collaborative environment, you'll work with team members to shape PEACH's organising strategy, foster organisational growth, and support decision-making on future directions.

The Ideal individual will have prior community organising experience (paid or voluntary), with a deep understanding and experience of collective action's transformative potential. You will have a solid understanding of the political landscape with an underlying community organising mentality. You will be comfortable knocking on doors and moving people to act within their capacity, whilst presenting an empathetic and understanding nature.

Job Description: :

● To support the Custom House and Canning Town community to grow and develop, working with them to build their sense of belonging, community pride and spirit. 

● To listen to local people, to support them to develop power to act together for the common good and help them act on the local issues that are important to them.

● Contribute to developing PEACH's collective power as a Community Union in collaboration with members, Steering Group, Trustees/Directors, and fellow staff members. Oversee the execution of this strategy.

● Cultivate a thriving organising culture at PEACH by training members and staff in community organising methods, continually learning and reflecting on organising practices, and refining the PEACH organising model, including creating training materials.

● Build strong, transformative relationships with new and existing PEACH members through door-knocking and relational 1 to 1’s.

● Identify community leaders, nurture members' leadership skills, and foster strong teams. Challenge and support members/teams to acquire new skills, take on new tasks and take ownership of the organisation and its projects/campaigns.

● Identify organising issues with members, develop effective campaign strategies, and support members in taking collective action and in building community cohesion. 

● Lead negotiation strategies with key stakeholders.

● Organise and facilitate engaging, accessible meetings, training sessions, and events with members and the PEACH staff team, as well as meeting turnout targets.

● Cultivate productive relationships with relevant stakeholders such as workers of other organisations, journalists, councillors, council officers, and researchers.

● Stay informed about the policy framework and power landscape relevant to the campaigns /organisation and translate key information into accessible resources.

● Read reports, council documents, and press articles

● Manage and develop agreed projects within budget, ensuring progress and goals are met through effective administration, planning, and management.

● Monitor and evaluate PEACH's work, tracking organising activity and successes, integrating learnings into practices, and ensuring well-distributed resources.

● Maintain clear and concise records relating to the role.

● Scope and develop new projects that address members’ interests and community issues, working collaboratively with staff and members.

● Support fundraising efforts by contributing to funding applications and funder reports as required.

● Support strategic decision-making by providing reports about projects and key issues, both written and verbal, to PEACH’s directors, Steering Group, and Office Manager.

● Collaborate within the staff team to foster a supportive, productive, and sustainable work culture. Offer constructive feedback, share ideas, distribute workload according to capacities, maintain healthy work boundaries and be accountable.

Person Specification:

Releavnt expereince:

● GCSE English and Maths, or equivalent

● Further education: A- levels/ BTEC level 3 or equivalent 

● A successful track record of working or volunteering for organisations that have charitable aims or complete community work

● A successful track record of using community organising or trade union organising methods to win (paid or unpaid) 

Skills:

● Strong communication and listening skills with the ability to engage and build positive relationships with people from a wide range of backgrounds.

● Understanding of Community Organising as a method for bringing about change

● Ability to conduct honest and constructive working relationships, operating with integrity

● Workable knowledge of the Political Landscape

● Ability to inspire and motivate people to participate and act

● Strong work ethic with the ability to work effectively autonomously

● Knowledge of issues likely to affect the communities living in Custom House, Newham and/or London

● Ability to navigate conflict and facilitate difficult conversations in a generative, transformative way 

Personal Attributes: 

● Proactive and self-motivated with efficient workload management.

● Team player, willing to collaborate and contribute to the community vision.

● Self-awareness, sound judgement in decision-making, ability to seek advice and involve others as needed and receive feedback constructively.

● Passion for social justice and the values of PEACH

● An empathetic nature with the ability to understand complex and deeply rooted issues.

● A willingness to work flexibly during busy periods.

● Ability to work evenings/weekends.

Job Purpose

This role sits within our new forensic Women’s Nova Roots service, which is a peer led service for women who are leaving forensic services, based in West London. The service will be open 3 days a week: one weekday evening out of hours and three weekends a month (flexible weekend pattern and times can be arranged).

The aim of the service is to support women who are leaving forensic care to re-integrate into society by offering a community social hub. The focus of the service is to provide social engagement, relaxation and a touch point for out of hours forensic support. The Women’s Hub will provide face-to-face holistic group support, offer psychoeducation and health workshops tailored and coproduced to the direct needs of clients, offer peer-led groups which will be co-designed and led by the clients accessing the hub. We will also offer a range of activities onsite.

Nova Roots will be an extension of the existing support offered by the Specialist Community Forensic Team (SCFT), offering out of hours social support. All referrals into the hub will be directly from the SCFTs and local hospitals.

The Nova Roots will be staffed with 1 part time Project Coordinator and 4 Forensic/Peer Led Volunteers – with Service Manager oversight. The Project Coordinator will work directly and closely with the SCFTs.

 

The Role

The role of the Nova Roots Project Coordinator is to arrange and coordinate a range of psychoeducation, health and peer-led workshops which will be delivered 3 times a week. The Nova Roots Project Coordinator will be responsible for managing the 4 peer-led volunteers and oversight of the site 3 days a week. The Nova Roots Project Coordinator will also be required to be in regular communication with the SCFTs.

The role will require hybrid working: onsite when the hub is open and 1 day of planning/coordination which can be worked remotely on a rota basis.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing a person centred and recovery orientated approach in all aspects of the roles and responsibilities.
• Promoting people’ rights and responsibilities
• Considering each person as an individual
• Working collaboratively with clients to understand their needs and developing flexible and realistic crisis support packages/person centred plans
• Understanding of safety planning
• Experience of working within forensic services
• Understanding and experience of challenges for forensic leavers (social, health, welfare, interpersonal)
• Experience with de-escalation, recognising and mitigating risks.
• Experience of working with those in crisis and challenging behaviour
• Listening to clients and encouraging positive steps towards self-management of crisis and recovery
• Understanding safeguarding adults and children processes and legal requirements
• Understanding of social issues such as debt, housing and welfare benefits
• Promoting people’ rights and responsibilities
• Providing advice, information, practical and emotional support to clients
• Proactively recognising the indicators of deteriorating mental health and facilitate appropriate action, whilst liaising with relevant agencies e.g., CATT, Emergency Duty Teams, CAMHS, Safe Space, SCFT etc
• Engaging with clients to show empathy, inspire hope and promote recovery
• Establishing supportive, empowering and respectful relationships with clients and carers/ family
• Maintaining accurate records, detailing interventions
• Ensuring that outcomes, outputs and impact are recorded
• Providing administrative and management support to the team
• Attend reflective practice, clinical supervision, peer supervision and line management supervision
• Create and maintain good working relationships with partner agencies
• Follow workplans
• Actively participate in training and development
• Provide and manage resources for clients and staff

 

Person Specification

• Minimum of 1 year working in forensic mental health services and with clients experiencing mental health distress, crisis and forensic/criminal backgrounds
• Experience of managing challenging behaviour and dealing with clients with complex needs
• Minimum 1 year of project coordination/management
• Experience of facilitating workshops/group sessions
• Experience of managing safeguarding risks and understanding legal requirements for safeguarding adults and children
• Evidence of continual professional development
• Understanding of the principles of trauma informed care
• Understanding of suicide prevention and safety planning
• Understanding of the relationship between mental health and social issues and how these issues may impact on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing
• Understanding of relevant legislation and policies
• Awareness of issues in mental health service provision
• A good understanding of mental health conditions
• Experience of working with vulnerable individuals
• Creative and flexible approach to working with individuals
• Ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations in a calm manner and de-escalate challenging situations
• Ability to prioritise and manage workload
• Ability to involve clients and carers in all aspects of work
• Empathy and non-judgemental approaGood communication skills
• Capacity to work within an agreed shift pattern
• Experience of delivering information and advice (housing, benefits, debt etc)
• Experience of non-clinical, therapeutic interventions like psychoeducation
• Good IT skills including Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint, with proven ability to input and extract information and produce reports
• Car driver with sole ownership of a vehicle and willingness to travel to locations would be desirable.
• Ability to work out of hours, during the day and on weekends
• Staff within this role will be considered key workers, so in the event of a government lockdown, staff will be expected to continue working
• Experience of working with vulnerable individuals
• Creative and flexible approach to working with individuals
• Ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations in a calm manner and de-escalate challenging situations

We are seeking a dynamic and skilled PR & Media Officer to join our team. This role requires a creative thinker with excellent communication skills who can manage media relations and promote our initiatives through various channels.

Responsibilities

Press

• Field enquiries from stakeholders including journalists and police forces
• Write press releases and media statements and share these when appropriate via digital & social
• Support the team with the rewards process and promotion
• Draft assets for press
• Be part of the on-call rota system currently 1 week in 7 (training and support provided)
• Effectively manage Vuelio to manage the daily tagging, produce media reports demonstrating PR coverage for all campaigns in a timely way.

Digital

• Develop and update content for website news pages and social media platforms
• Spot trends and advise the team regarding innovative new ideas for PR & Media to share with the team

PR and Publications

• Produce, edit and distribute updates and materials for external and internal audiences, dealing sensitively with those whose personal experiences might be featured
• Provide communications support for regional managers along with other internal staff and teams in addition to police and business development campaigns
• Manage external freelancers and agencies as needed to agreed deadlines and budgets
• To lead on editing, co-ordinating and organising the editorial, design and production of corporate publications
• Ensure all publications are in line with brand and changing needs of the charity and to be delivered in a timely via post and digitally.

Brand

• Ensure Crimestoppers consistent branding is used along with the style and tone of voice
• Manage on a weekly basis the brand inbox queries
• Extend the network of journalists both regionally and nationally
• Plan/create multi-media communications material

Experience

• Minimum 2 years experience working in media relations and PR or related fields (Essential)
• Client, journalist and/or supplier management (Essential)
• Experience of PR & Communications software (e.g. Vuelio) (Essential)
• Digital & Social Media experience (Essential)
• Excellent written communication skills online and offline (Essential)
• Strong organisational, time management and prioritisation skills (Essential)

If you are a motivated individual looking to make an impact through effective public relations, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity as a PR & Media Officer. For full details, please see our website.

To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter.

The Head of Operations will be part of the senior leadership team and support the CEO in the leadership, management and day-to-day operations of Sound Minds. They will deputise as required and make a significant contribution to strategic planning for the organisation, with a strong focus on operational activity. They will lead on all operational, health and safety, premises, IT, systems, human resources, governance, reporting and fundraising activity, whilst maintaining key relationships with external stakeholders.

Sound Minds is a creative place and the Head of Operations will need a passion for administration and organisation.