Mental health support worker volunteer roles in west london, greater london

Role Title: 1-1 Support Buddy

Weekly Hours: Flexible; 4 hours per week minimum

Expenses: Expenses are compensated where applicable such as travel

Commitment: At least 6 months

Responsible to: Senior Mental Health Support Worker

Project overview:

The Mind in Kingston 1-1 Support Buddy service offers goal-oriented, practical, and emotional support to individuals who have accessed Information, Advice, and Guidance but continue to experience mental health challenges. Volunteers deliver support for up to 12 weeks through flexible means—face-to-face, phone, or virtual. Volunteers will typically work with individuals needing a lower level of support, while the 1-1 Support Worker handles more complex cases.

This may include supporting an individual with setting small, achievable goals, prepare for an important appointment or helping someone regain confidence to build a social network. The work will involve building a supporting and boundaried relationship with individuals over their time with the service (up to 12 weeks). The role is about empowerment, offering encouragement and reassurance while promoting self-sufficiency.

About us:

Mind in Kingston supports people with mental health issues and raises awareness within Kingston and surrounding areas. Volunteers are essential to our work, and we welcome applicants with lived experience of mental health challenges. We provide comprehensive training, supervision, and opportunities for career development.

Volunteers are extremely valued within our team and a vital part of our service delivery. We encourage and welcome people with lived experience of mental health issues to apply to volunteer with us; this could be personal experience relating to yourself, a family member or a friend, or in a professional capacity working with people with mental health issues.

We care about everyone’s wellbeing and as an integral member of our team; volunteers receive extensive support to ensure they are trained and skilled up in their roles, so that they may also progress further in their career aspirations. They receive regular supervision and development opportunities as well as be part of our volunteer awards programme to recognise and celebrate their achievement and contribution to our community. As team members, volunteers have the opportunity to engage with the board of trustees, staff and other volunteers both professionally and socially.

Main purpose of the role:

·Provide weekly person centred, 1-1 practical and emotional support.

·Help service users set and work towards personal goals.

·Offer empathic listening and promote wellbeing.

·Signpost service users to relevant services.

Tasks will include:

· Delivering regular (typically weekly) goal-focused 1-1 support sessions to individuals. These sessions may take place online, over the phone or at Mind in Kingston offices.

· Maintain knowledge of local services for signposting.

· Reporting risks & safeguarding concerns.

· Maintain regular contact with the supervisor.

· Attend meetings and supervision sessions.

What you will receive in return:

· Training in skills that will include mental health awareness and boundaries.

· Training in adult safeguarding and local procedures.

· Training for any other skills as identified by yourself and your supervisor.

· Regular check-in with your supervisor, reflective supervision, and managerial support.

· An opportunity to learn new skills and develop existing ones while being a part of a supportive team at Mind in Kingston.

· Reimbursement of reasonable expenses.

· Professional references upon completion.

What we expect from you:

·Commitment for at least six months.

·Completion of required training.

·Adherence to Mind in Kingston’s policies (e.g., confidentiality, safeguarding).

·Confidence in supporting people with mental health challenges.

·Proactive engagement with your supervisor for support.

·Safe handling and return of any equipment issued.

You may on occasion volunteer from home, so a confidential space is essential.

Application Process:

·Two references (one from a professional contact) are required.

·An enhanced DBS check is necessary.

We ask volunteers for two references, one of which must come from a professional connection such as a current or previous employer or a tutor. You will also need to undergo an enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check, as you will be working with vulnerable adults.

This role sits within our new Men’s Minds project, based in Hounslow. The aim of the service is to improve men’s mental health outcomes by developing a mental health network supported and directed by the voices of its members.

This will be achieved through three service strands: 1) Peer support network, 2) Psychoeducation workshops, addressing common needs of men’s mental health 3) Outreach support to raise awareness of men’s mental health and promote this service.

The role of the Peer Volunteer will be to support the Project Coordinator with developing and delivering various workshops and events. You will also take the lead in developing peer led support.

Staff within the service will provide person-centred, practical and emotional support, face to face in a group basis to individuals.

We are looking for someone who

• Identifies as male
• Has lived experience of mental health challenges
• Are a non-judgemental and friendly individual
• To be able to provide a welcoming, authentic, and positive experience for all, being inclusive and embracing diversity
• To feel comfortable engaging with people with mental health challenges / difficult life experiences, by validating strengths and experiences and using empowering language to overcome negative self-talk
• Are empathic and understands the stigma / social bias's surrounding mental health
• Are willing to tap into their lived experiences and use their stories to inspire hope in others when appropriate
• Are comfortable with co-producing and co-facilitating peer led workshops
• To assist the Project Coordinator with admin and planning
•  Are able to take on any ad hoc admin/support responsibilities

Time commitment and expenses:

• Flexible hours between Tues-Thurs. We are looking for someone to commit to a minimum of at least 1  or 2 days a week.
• We will provide volunteers with an induction, training, and ongoing mentoring to support them in the role
• Reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed.

What's in it for the volunteer?

Volunteering at Mind is a fantastic opportunity to get involved with a nationally recognised charity. We provide initial and ongoing training, as well as plenty of opportunities for progression within the organisation. You will also be a part of a supportive team with great awareness of wellbeing and the mental health sector.

Post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Lead the Board of Via, the charity delivering vital substance use, mental health and well-being services across the UK, and help provide high-quality, person-centred care to the people and communities affected.

Location: Flexible (Via has services across London, NW England and SW England)

Closing date: Tuesday 27th May

Who we are.

Via is an exceptional charity that puts people at the heart of everything we do. Over three decades, we’ve evolved from our origins as Westminster Drug Project, with a new now award-winning name and brand, into a dynamic, multi-service organisation delivering vital support across substance use, mental health, employment, sexual health, smoking cessation and youth services. With a turnover of £36m for 24/25 and remarkable growth of over a third in 2023/24, we’re now supporting over 12,500 service users annually across an expanding geographical footprint from London to Gloucestershire.

Our commitment to excellence and innovation is evident in our industry-leading services, which consistently perform significantly above the national average. We’re particularly proud to be pioneering the development of the UK’s first women-only detox facility, demonstrating our commitment to addressing crucial gaps in service provision.

Our Approach Makes Us Different

At Via, we believe in doing things differently. This starts with our commitment to staff well-being, including up to six months of full sick pay – a policy that exemplifies our trust in our people and our understanding that supporting our staff enables them to better support our service users. We achieved Investors in People Gold certification and were nominated for UK Employer of the Year and Third Sector Employer of the Year at the Investors in People Awards 2024, recognising our dedication to creating an outstanding workplace culture.

Our active Diversity, Equity and Inclusion group drives real organisational change, ensuring our services are accessible and effective for all communities. These aren’t just initiatives – they’re expressions of our core values: Care, Be Human, and Do the Right Thing, which guides everything we do.

The opportunity.

As we have experienced growth and are launching our new strategy, we had new Trustees join our Board as others have come to the end of their terms. As our current Chair, Yasmin Batliwala MBE comes to the end of her term later this year, we are looking to appoint a new Chair.

What Makes a Great Via Chair

• A Strategic Leader with proven experience operating at a senior level with a successful track record of achievement. You’ll have the personal gravitas to lead a significant, complex, national organisation, alongside the ability to lead a newly evolving and forming Board.
• Passionate About Our Cause: You will bring your expertise and passion for improving lives and reducing inequality. You’ll be someone who understands the complexity of our work yet can think strategically about our future. Your genuine enthusiasm will inspire others and strengthen our impact.
• Governance Experience: you will bring the experience of being on Boards and will work to lead the board to ensure sound financial health and accountability while effectively managing risk and continuing to innovate in service development and delivery.
• An Inclusive Champion committed to fostering diversity that reflects the communities we serve, promoting DEI training and growth, and holding staff and trustees accountable to these practices.
• A Relationship Builder with excellent interpersonal skills and diplomatic tact. You’ll develop a strong working relationship with the Chief Executive, maintain connections with key stakeholders, and represent Via as an effective ambassador.
• A Collaborative Leader who can bring people together, foster a team environment, and work in partnership with our board and team to drive our ambitious strategy.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

Diversity in governance isn’t just a goal for Via – it’s a necessity. Our services support people from every part of society, and we want our Board to reflect this diversity. We actively encourage applications from people with lived experience of addiction/recovery (whether personal or as family members/carers), and people from communities currently underrepresented at board level.

Time Commitment

The Board meets quarterly, usually in person. Including preparation time, representation at events, and strategic input, we estimate a commitment of the equivalent of 2-3 days per month. This includes:

• Four Board meetings per year
• Quarterly committee meetings
• Annual strategy and away day
• Ad hoc conversations with fellow board members and the Executive
• Occasional representation at events and meetings with key stakeholders, including at services.

Making a Difference Together

This is an extraordinary time to join Via. As we implement our new 2025-29 strategy and expand our geographical reach, innovate our evidence-based offer and increase access to more people. We’re not just growing – we’re evolving. You’ll help shape innovative services like our women’s detox facility while ensuring we maintain our unwavering commitment to quality, innovation, and person-centred care

Please click 'Apply via website’ to be redirected to the Peridot Partners website, where you can find full details of the candidate profile and register your interest to apply.

Applications for this role close on Tuesday 27th May. 

We are recruiting passionate and motivated volunteers looking for an opportunity to make a significant impact on the wellbeing of Young Carers’ in Wandsworth.

Outline of service 

Our new Young Carers’ Connect project is designed to support the wellbeing of Young Carers’ in Wandsworth. The aim of the service is to reduce isolation, promote wellbeing, connect young people and provide opportunities for fun and respite.

Wandsworth Carers’ Centre supports individuals who are looking after someone who has an illness or disability. By volunteering with us you can help look after the health and wellbeing of Carers and provide them with the opportunity to take a break from their responsibilities and have time out for themselves. 

Outline of Role 

As a Young Carers’ volunteer, you will have the opportunity to support in a wide range of exciting and dynamic activities such as peer support groups, workshops, events, activities and trips. 

Main Responsibilities 

• Building rapport with Young Carers and helping them to feel safe and comfortable 

• Co-facilitating workshops and groups 

• Supporting with the facilitation of trips, events and activities 

• Supporting with setting up and tidying up 

• Supporting with keeping a record of attendance 

• Actively participating in activities, games, events and trips 

• Recognising and responding appropriately to safeguarding concerns by reporting to them to the responsible member of staff 

• Upholding confidentiality 

• Maintaining good communication with responsible staff member.

Other Duties: May be agreed with the responsible staff member as per the requirements of the group. 

Skills and Experience 

Ability to communicate with Young Carers and their families in a helpful and caring manner 

• Reliable and punctual 
• Ability to work effectively in partnership with Centre staff 
• Empathetic and understanding 
• An understanding of professional boundaries and confidentiality 
• Awareness of issues affecting Young Carers 
• Commitment to the implementation of our Equality and Inclusion policy and all the Centre’s polices

Code of conduct

As a volunteer, and therefore a representative of the Carers’ Centre, you will be expected to comply with this code of conduct.

• Treat all Carers and the people they care for politely and with respect 

• Ensure that your appearance is clean, neat and tidy at all times 

• Conversations of a personal nature to you should not be had around Carers or the people they Care for 

Benefits To Volunteer 

• Obtain experience of working with a diverse group of young people 

• Reasonable out of pocket travel expenses will be covered 

• Provide support to Carers and the people they Care for in Wandsworth 

• References available upon request (after 6 months) 

• Regular support and supervision 

Additional Information: 

DBS required: Yes – Enhanced.

Responsible to: Ms. Eleanor Sandler-Clarke

Supervised by: Ms. Eleanor Sandler-Clarke 

Hours: Availability after school and/or during school holidays. For peer support groups or regular activities: A minimum commitment of one session a month. 

Expenses: Reasonable expenses (e.g. travel and parking) incurred through carrying out volunteering activities will be reimbursed, upon the production of receipts. 

Supervision: Regular sessions with the appropriate staff member to be arranged mutually 

Unfortunately, we are unable to sponsor candidates. 

We are looking for volunteer to work with residents at our refuge to maintain our beautiful and spacious garden. The women we support here have fled to refuge due to experiencing VAWG (Violence Against Women and Girls) who also have additional barriers to accessing other services such as significant mental health support needs and/or problematic alcohol and/or substance use. We believe that spending time in nature, socialising and working together on a shared project is beneficial for mental and physical health, as well as building positive connections between residents in the house. Frances House is trauma-informed service and endeavours to give the women opportunities for personal agency over their own space

About the role

You will work alongside our Wellbeing Group worker to support the delivery of these sessions. Tasks may include:

• Maintaining and improving the beauty of our outdoor garden space.
• Supporting the facilitation of gardening activities which could include planting and nurturing trees, bushes, flowers, shrubs and other greenery.
• Tasks may also include other landscaping activities such as building rockeries, shelters, etc.
• Helping to create wellbeing areas in the garden which might include herb gardens, vegetable patches or sheltered quiet spaces.
• Providing supportive encouragement, enabling residents to recognise their self-worth, gain self-confidence and improve their social skills.
• Supporting clients to learn practical skills that may lead to voluntary work or employment.
• Carrying out standard gardening maintenance including cutting the grass, managing weed control and leaf raking.
• Explore possibility of using garden materials for therapeutic craft activities.
• Providing guidance to the team on matters related to the garden.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for an enthusiastic volunteer who has a keen interest and knowledge in horticulture. The ideal volunteer will have:

• Patience, tolerance and understanding.
• The ability to relate positively and respectfully to people, with a non-judgemental attitude.
• The ability to encourage and motivate.
• The ability to share various gardening related skills.
• The ability to make the most of limited or non-existent budgets.
• Basic awareness of mental health issues and substance use.
• Self-motivated – able to carry out tasks unsupervised.
• Flexibility regarding variety of tasks associated with the role.
• An interest or understanding of working with women affected by domestic/sexual violence/mental health/substance use.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Reliable and good time management.

What can you gain from this opportunity?

As part of this role, you will have the opportunity to:

• Use gardening skills to gain experience of supporting women with multiple needs in a trauma-informed way.
• Gain a better understanding of the impact of domestic/sexual violence on women and children and how supported accommodation operates.
• Join a positive, motivated and enthusiastic team of women making a difference in people’s lives.

We also offer great volunteer induction training, where you will be fully supported to understand and carry put every aspect of the role. Training includes CPD accredited courses, and the opportunity to apply to complete the Tackling and Preventing Domestic Abuse Award (DAPA), which is recognized by the Home Office.

We will be accepting applications on a rolling basis for this role.

About you:
Are you passionate about supporting young people and families? Do you have a desire to see people flourish and empower change in your community? Have you experienced the care of a friend in difficulties or overcome some hardships and want to give back? If so, being a Family Friend could be the next adventure you embark on this year.

Volunteering activities and commitment:
Our Family Friend volunteers work directly with families by coming alongside parents and children when they need it most, making sure they feel less isolated. This can involve sharing a hot drink to hear about their day; helping a single dad or mum to get out of their home to a local park; or doing an activity with their children that would brighten up their day.

Every family support is unique to you and the family to help them achieve their goals, and always with your agreement. Practically speaking, being a Family Friend is a flexible role that can be fitted in with your other commitments and doesn't have to take up much of your time. 

You will be trained and supported by a local Engagement and Support Coordinator and Family Support Manager who will support you throughout your volunteer recruitment journey and whilst you are volunteering.

Our vision:
Safe Families believes that no one should feel alone. We work with local councils to come alongside isolated and overwhelmed families to create relationship and connection because everyone deserves to belong.

As a Christian Charity, we also believe in the power of the Church community. Does your church have a passion to support, love and welcome newcomers? If so, you can help to be a bridge between your church community and the people you volunteer with. We know this is especially needed at a time when loneliness is an endemic in the UK. 27%
of adults report feeling lonely ‘always, often, or sometimes’, and this can be as impacting on a person’s life as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.  Loneliness steals joy, destroys self-confidence, and limits potential. The cure is community and a sense of belonging. Being a Family Friend is a great way to showcase care and compassion to others.

We look forward to welcoming you as our new Family Friend and celebrating and honouring the milestones in your journey.
 

Volunteer Befriender

Octavia works with people affected by unemployment, ill health, social isolation or low income to connect them with opportunities for positive personal change. Our vision is to build stronger, happier and healthier communities in central and west London to help create an enriched life where we live. Please help us to do this by volunteering to befriend a member of the local community, who is isolated and vulnerable, in Westminster or Kensington and Chelsea.

Reasons to volunteer

Would you like to assist an isolated person in your local area? Would you like to provide them with the emotional support, social skills and confidence that will help them to feel happier in their everyday life?

 You will know that you have helped someone to move on in their life and take part in society
 Full induction, ongoing training and support. This includes training on: communication, empathy, health and safety, confidentiality and safeguarding
 Opportunity to enhance your CV and to learn new skills
 We are able to provide references to employers and/or further education establishments
 Travel costs and out of pocket expenses reimbursed on the provision of receipts*

What would I be doing?

 Meeting once a week with the person you have been matched with, in their own home or an agreed public place, at a mutually agreed time
 Encourage communication on a shared interest or topic
 Arrange activities and listen to your Befriendee with empathy and encouragement
 On occasion you may be asked by your befriendee to accompany/escort them outside on a one to one basis or do some shopping in circumstances where they are unable to

What skills are we looking for?

 Good communication skills
 Understanding of empathy and the needs of people with isolation issues
 Understanding of confidentiality
 Able to use own initiative and work unsupervised, reliable and trustworthy
 We ask that you volunteer for 1 hour per week, for a minimum of 6 months

Sounds great! How do I sign up?

When you aplply, we ask for 2 references but these do not need to be from employers. For instance, they can be character references from college tutors or support workers who know you well. We also carry out Enhanced Disclosure checks on all volunteers, but this would only happen if we both agree that Befriending is the right fit for you.

We are committed to equality and diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Please contact us should you prefer to apply over the phone or via hard copy, for accessibility reasons. If you require any adjustments due to a disability (including: physical, psychological or neurological disease or disorders) in order to get the most out of your time volunteering with us, please do let us know so that we can ideally facilitate this.

Are you passionate and committed to supporting children and women who have fled domestic abuse? We are recruiting for volunteers to support our Children and Family Workers to get creative and involved in providing daily activities and outings for the children within our refuges during the summer holidays.

What you will be doing

• To help with the day to day running of the Children & Family Service throughout the summer holidays
• To assist organising and facilitating activities and outings with the Children and Family Worker
• To use a range of skills and tools to make sessions interesting and fun for a range of ages
• To create timetables, posters, maps and instructions for residents
• To offer general admin help: typing, taking meeting minutes, filing and scanning documents
• To develop positive relationships with the children and women
• Support with administrative tasks including attendance and feedback
• To gather ideas, suggestions from families, plan, collaborate and create a timetable of activities and sessions. To involve women and children in the planning and designing of the timetable
• To support in providing or purchasing resources for activities

The skills you need

• Experience working with children/childcare/play-work experience - gained formally or informally
• Willingness to learn about domestic abuse and its impact on children and women
• Able to maintain strict confidentiality
• Ability to provide a supportive, and inclusive atmosphere that encourages learning and participation
• Good interpersonal and communication skills and ability to work with people from different backgrounds.

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards and Celebration events; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering; We hold social events and outings for our volunteers to get together and have some fun

Are you passionate and committed to supporting children and women who have fled domestic abuse? We are recruiting for volunteers to support our Children and Family Workers to get creative and involved in providing daily activities and outings for the children within our refuges during the summer holidays.

What you will be doing

• To help with the day to day running of the Children & Family Service throughout the summer holidays
• To assist organising and facilitating activities and outings with the Children and Family Worker
• To use a range of skills and tools to make sessions interesting and fun for a range of ages
• To create timetables, posters, maps and instructions for residents
• To offer general admin help: typing, taking meeting minutes, filing and scanning documents
• To develop positive relationships with the children and women
• Support with administrative tasks including attendance and feedback
• To gather ideas, suggestions from families, plan, collaborate and create a timetable of activities and sessions. To involve women and children in the planning and designing of the timetable
• To support in providing or purchasing resources for activities

The skills you need

• Experience working with children/childcare/play-work experience - gained formally or informally
• Willingness to learn about domestic abuse and its impact on children and women
• Able to maintain strict confidentiality
• Ability to provide a supportive, and inclusive atmosphere that encourages learning and participation
• Good interpersonal and communication skills and ability to work with people from different backgrounds.

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards and Celebration events; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering; We hold social events and outings for our volunteers to get together and have some fun

Our ambition is to continue to develop outstanding services that meet the needs of our community; if you want to be part of our future, we would love to meet you to discuss this further.

Becoming a trustee for Home-Start Southwark (HSS) is an exciting and fulfilling role. The role of a trustee is to ensure that HSS fulfils its duty to its beneficiaries through contributing to the strategic development, effective governance and financial management of the organisation. The board of trustees are both jointly and individually responsible for the overall governance and strategic direction of HSS, its financial health, the integrity of its activities and developing the organisation’s aims, objectives and goals.

We are particularly interested in receiving applications from people with the following skillsets:

• HR
• Legal
• Finance, accountancy, bookkeeping
• Fundraising
• Media and communications

We are recruiting for a volunteer to teach the Women at our Refuge martial arts.

The discipline and training of martial arts can lead to physical, mental, and emotional benefits that can improve the quality of your life in countless ways. Martial arts can help reduce stress and anxiety and helps train your mind to keep focused whilst remaining calm and alert.

What you will be doing

• Coordinate and set up a weekly martial arts class for women
• Inspire and motivate women to take part in the sessions and take a role in planning/designing upcoming sessions
• Create a safe space for individuals to practice and learn new techniques through martial arts
• Encourage members of the group to connect and relate to each other through practicing together

The skills you need

• Qualified to teach martial arts
• Good communication skills
• Ability to provide a supportive, and inclusive atmosphere that encourages participation
• Calm and patient approach
• Good sense of humour

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications.
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards, outings, celebration, and social events for our volunteers to get together and have some fun; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering.

Are you passionate and committed to supporting children and women who have fled domestic abuse? We are recruiting for volunteers to support our Children and Family Workers to get creative and involved in providing daily activities and outings for the children within our refuges during the summer holidays.

What you will be doing

• To help with the day to day running of the Children & Family Service throughout the summer holidays
• To assist organising and facilitating activities and outings with the Children and Family Worker
• To use a range of skills and tools to make sessions interesting and fun for a range of ages
• To create timetables, posters, maps and instructions for residents
• To offer general admin help: typing, taking meeting minutes, filing and scanning documents
• To develop positive relationships with the children and women
• Support with administrative tasks including attendance and feedback
• To gather ideas, suggestions from families, plan, collaborate and create a timetable of activities and sessions. To involve women and children in the planning and designing of the timetable
• To support in providing or purchasing resources for activities

The skills you need

• Experience working with children/childcare/play-work experience - gained formally or informally
• Willingness to learn about domestic abuse and its impact on children and women
• Able to maintain strict confidentiality
• Ability to provide a supportive, and inclusive atmosphere that encourages learning and participation
• Good interpersonal and communication skills and ability to work with people from different backgrounds.

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards and Celebration events; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering; We hold social events and outings for our volunteers to get together and have some fun

Are you passionate and committed to supporting children and women who have fled domestic abuse? We are recruiting for volunteers to support our Children and Family Workers to get creative and involved in providing daily activities and outings for the children within our refuges during the summer holidays.

What you will be doing

• To help with the day to day running of the Children & Family Service throughout the summer holidays
• To assist organising and facilitating activities and outings with the Children and Family Worker
• To use a range of skills and tools to make sessions interesting and fun for a range of ages
• To create timetables, posters, maps and instructions for residents
• To offer general admin help: typing, taking meeting minutes, filing and scanning documents
• To develop positive relationships with the children and women
• Support with administrative tasks including attendance and feedback
• To gather ideas, suggestions from families, plan, collaborate and create a timetable of activities and sessions. To involve women and children in the planning and designing of the timetable
• To support in providing or purchasing resources for activities

The skills you need

• Experience working with children/childcare/play-work experience - gained formally or informally
• Willingness to learn about domestic abuse and its impact on children and women
• Able to maintain strict confidentiality
• Ability to provide a supportive, and inclusive atmosphere that encourages learning and participation
• Good interpersonal and communication skills and ability to work with people from different backgrounds.

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards and Celebration events; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering; We hold social events and outings for our volunteers to get together and have some fun

Fine Cell Work (FCW) is a UK-based rehabilitation charity and social enterprise. We are supported by an incredible team of prison volunteers who are the link between the charity and the stitchers we work with in prison. Our volunteers run fortnightly stitching groups in the prisons we work with to facilitate our stitchers’ production of high-quality needlework.

Our prison volunteers work in small teams to teach our stitchers’ embroidery and needlepoint, organise their group sessions, and liaise with the prison and FCW office.

What you will do as a prison volunteer:

• Teach people in prison how to stitch and support the completion of our premade kits in our cell groups, which consist of around 10-15 stitchers.
• Communicate with staff at our hub in Battersea to receive kits and supplies for your group and send back completed work for your stitchers to be paid.
• Encourage and help stitchers to complete our Open College Network certifications in creative needlework.
• Develop stitchers’ skills and confidence by encouraging them to take responsibility as peer mentors.
• Act as an ambassador for the charity and sharing our vision and values throughout your volunteering.

Who we are looking for:

• Skills in embroidery and/or needlepoint or a willingness to learn to stitch is essential for this role.
• Ideally some teaching experience or experience working with socially-excluded groups.
• Someone with a non-judgemental attitude and commitment to rehabilitation.
• Someone who is an excellent team worker.
• Someone who is good at observing personal boundaries.

Commitment: our stitching groups run for 2 hours every fortnight, so with travel time and some admin work after groups we ask prison volunteers to set aside a morning or afternoon every 2 weeks.

You must be over 18 for this role with the ability to travel to the prison. Travel expenses will be reimbursed by the charity.

Please take some time to read the role description to find out more details about the role and what we offer to our prison volunteers. 

At Fine Cell Work, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented amongst FCW’s prison volunteers. This includes applicants from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+, and male identifying applicants.