Mental Health Volunteer Roles in Birmingham, West Midlands

We are a volunteer-run organisation whose aim is to ensure that everybody impacted by borderline personality disorder is supported in their recovery. 

Peer support is about sharing your lived experience of mental health struggles with other people with the hope of providing, support, encouragement, and validation that you understand what they are going through, that they are not alone in their feelings and circumstance. We believe that peer support is an important part of the recovery journey, as it provides a space for support, shared understanding, helps reduce stigma and fosters motivation and hope. 

We run several online peer support groups each month for people living with borderline personality disorder and are seeking compassionate and empathetic people to co-facilitate the groups. All groups are facilitated by two peer support workers, and follow a semi-structured pattern. Our groups include:

• Women-only
• Men-only
• 18 to 25s
• LGBTQIA+
• Mixed
• Family

As a volunteer, you will receive comprehensive training, accessible online. We also provide ongoing supervision, support to ensure that you can effectively support others while prioritizing your own recovery. The training covers various areas such as peer support, communication, safeguarding, and facilitation skills.

Role description

• to co-facilitate a support group of 10-15 people on a fortnightly/monthly basis
• to provide support in a group peer support setting
• to share own experiences without taking away from the others persons current feelings and situation
• to use active listening and personal experiences to reassure and validate group members
• to enable and encourage service users to find out resources and local services
• to encourage wellbeing and recovery

Person specification

• Lived experience of mental health 
• Able to use own experiences openly while maintaining strong boundaries
• Access to a reliable internet connection, a computer with webcam, and a confidential space.
• Commitment to our aims and mission

Availability and Committment

We ask that you have availability 2-3 hours per month for a minimum of 6 months. Our groups are held on mid-week evenings and Sunday evenings. 

How to apply

Please submit a cover letter with your application, detailing your relevant experience. Please also indicate which specific group you are interested in co-facilitating if you have a preference. 

Diversity Statement

We are committed to building a team with a variety of backgrounds, skills and views. The more inclusive we are, the more people we can support. We welcome and encourage applications from all backgrounds. 

Please note that you must be a UK resident with the right to live and work in the UK. This role is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check

Do you speak Amharic?

It’s fantastic that you would like to find out more about volunteering at St Mungo’s. Would you like to provide vital support to vulnerable adults who need help translating important documents for whom English is not their first language? As a Language Translation Microvolunteer, you will be providing an extremely valuable service to our clients and staff; helping to translate important documents to increase the accessibility of our resources, as well as providing – if you are available when asked, language translation support via the phone. You will be helping people who have experienced homelessness, who may be experiencing addiction, mental health issues, physical or mental disabilities or who may be refugees, asylum seekers or have no recourse to public funds.

Please see all locations and the time commitments we are currently recruiting for in this role:

• Remote – We will be contacting you as and when we receive translation support requests from our clients and our local services.

Do I need to have any specific skills? 

• Be fluent in a language other than English (both written and verbal communication) 

• An understanding of the causes of homelessness and its impact. 

• Genuine interest in and commitment to St Mungo’s work and client group. 

• An understanding of and commitment to diversity & equality.

Do you speak Tigrinya?

It’s fantastic that you would like to find out more about volunteering at St Mungo’s. Would you like to provide vital support to vulnerable adults who need help translating important documents for whom English is not their first language? As a Language Translation Microvolunteer, you will be providing an extremely valuable service to our clients and staff; helping to translate important documents to increase the accessibility of our resources, as well as providing – if you are available when asked, language translation support via the phone. You will be helping people who have experienced homelessness, who may be experiencing addiction, mental health issues, physical or mental disabilities or who may be refugees, asylum seekers or have no recourse to public funds.

Please see all locations and the time commitments we are currently recruiting for in this role:

• Remote – We will be contacting you as and when we receive translation support requests from our clients and our local services.

Do I need to have any specific skills? 

• Be fluent in a language other than English (both written and verbal communication) 

• An understanding of the causes of homelessness and its impact. 

• Genuine interest in and commitment to St Mungo’s work and client group. 

• An understanding of and commitment to diversity & equality.

Trustee 

Project: Mind in Somerset  

Supervisor: Geoff Pateman 

Location: Somerset 

Hours: Your availability to support our organisation is to be discussed with the Chair of Trustees 

 Would you like to be part of our future? 

After 3 years of sustained growth Mind in Somerset are seeking to recruit a further trustee to the Board.

We are a local mental health charity serving the people of Somerset. We are part of the national Mind network, and, like other local Minds, we run as an independent charity with our own strategy, funds and leadership. As a Trustee, you will be joining a charity in a strong position with a turnover of over £3 million and with an ambition to build on our successes and growth over the last few years. We will be looking to build on existing activities and also by bringing in innovative new projects.

Trustees are our most senior leaders. They set our strategic direction, make sure we’re using our resources effectively and ensure we’re having the greatest possible impact on our community. Trustees are expected to undertake duties in a manner that reflects Mind in Somerset’s values and ethos.

We are a friendly and welcoming organisation and are passionate about what we do. You’ll be joining our Board of Trustees at an exciting time with lots of opportunities to build on our success over the next few years. If you have the time and enthusiasm to be part of something amazing, please get in touch.

Scope: Mind in Somerset have the expectation that all who Volunteer for us always live our organisations Values, we ask that you be; 

Collaborative – work better together 

Respectful – treat people how we like to be treated 

Accountable – are responsible for our own actions 

Inclusive – respect everyone’s uniqueness 

Compassionate – empathise, care and support 

Person Specification 

Essential: 

We are particularly looking for a Trustee with local knowledge of the North Somerset area, possibly with experience in local government or mental health provision.

Desirable; 

-To have experience within Charity sector

Equal Opportunities:  

Mind in Somerset is fully committed to the principle of equal opportunities in employment and opposes all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination, direct or indirect. All employees and volunteers are expected to promote and work fully in line with the company’s Equal Opportunities Policy. Mind in Somerset is a Disability Confident employer and welcomes applications from disabled people. If disabled applicants meet the minimum criteria for the job, they can request and will be offered a guaranteed interview. Should applicants require reasonable adjustment support for the interview/Volunteer meeting, please contact Mind in Somerset via the Message function.

Criminal Record: 

Due to the safeguarding nature of our work, the successful candidate/volunteer may need to complete a disclosure and barring check (DBS) prior to starting with us. A criminal record will not automatically mean withdrawal of an offer, however, to safeguard our staff, volunteers and clients, further discussion or investigation may be required so that an informed decision can be made as to your suitability to work with vulnerable people to ensure that we are not putting service users at risk. For Volunteers there are occasions when a DBS will not be required, however a risk assessment will be conducted, and the form completed and placed within the Volunteer’s electronic file.

Do you speak Romanian?

It’s fantastic that you would like to find out more about volunteering at St Mungo’s. Would you like to provide vital support to vulnerable adults who need help translating important documents for whom English is not their first language? As a Language Translation Microvolunteer, you will be providing an extremely valuable service to our clients and staff; helping to translate important documents to increase the accessibility of our resources, as well as providing – if you are available when asked, language translation support via the phone. You will be helping people who have experienced homelessness, who may be experiencing addiction, mental health issues, physical or mental disabilities or who may be refugees, asylum seekers or have no recourse to public funds.

Please see all locations and the time commitments we are currently recruiting for in this role:

• Remote – We will be contacting you as and when we receive translation support requests from our clients and our local services.

Do I need to have any specific skills?

•  Be fluent in a language other than English (both written and verbal communication) 
• An understanding of the causes of homelessness and its impact. 
• Genuine interest in and commitment to St Mungo’s work and client group. 
• An understanding of and commitment to diversity & equality.

Do you speak Bulgarian?

It’s fantastic that you would like to find out more about volunteering at St Mungo’s. Would you like to provide vital support to vulnerable adults who need help translating important documents for whom English is not their first language? As a Language Translation Microvolunteer, you will be providing an extremely valuable service to our clients and staff; helping to translate important documents to increase the accessibility of our resources, as well as providing – if you are available when asked, language translation support via the phone. You will be helping people who have experienced homelessness, who may be experiencing addiction, mental health issues, physical or mental disabilities or who may be refugees, asylum seekers or have no recourse to public funds.

Please see all locations and the time commitments we are currently recruiting for in this role:

• Remote – We will be contacting you as and when we receive translation support requests from our clients and our local services.

Do I need to have any specific skills? 

• Be fluent in a language other than English (both written and verbal communication) 

• An understanding of the causes of homelessness and its impact. 

• Genuine interest in and commitment to St Mungo’s work and client group. 

• An understanding of and commitment to diversity & equality.

Lead transformative sports initiatives and wellness programs that promote both mental and physical health. As the Sports and Wellness Programme Manager at Barawak, you will champion initiatives that empower our community to achieve holistic well-being.

Role Description

Introduction to the Sports and Wellness Programme at Barawak

Energize your service to the community with purpose at the forefront of Barawak's Sports and Wellness Programme, where we embrace the transformative power of physical activity and mental resilience. In direct alignment with our objective to nurture a community in peak health, this service line is a catalyst for change, advocating for holistic wellness and mental health. Our strategic vision is to launch groundbreaking sports and wellness initiatives that do more than just engage the body; they invigorate the mind and nourish the spirit.

Our mission through this service line is to offer a sanctuary of health and well-being that resonates with our broader vision of a community where every individual thrives. By integrating innovative sports programs and mental well-being activities, we're not only enhancing personal health but also fostering communal vitality. This initiative is a pledge to our community—a commitment to a future where wellness is woven into the fabric of our everyday lives, empowering the Afro-Hebrew community to soar to new heights of achievement and fulfillment.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Plan and execute the Sports and Wellness strategy and service line: Improve physical health and mental well-being through sports and related activities by launching novel sports and wellness initiatives that prioritize agility and holistic health.

• Forward-thinking initiatives: design and launch innovative sports and wellness initiatives that promote physical agility and holistic health within the community. These should include sessions for mental and physical well-being like football, exercise, and self-defence classes.

• Make discretionary referrals to subsidised counselling.

• Offer subsidised programmes for mental and physical wellbeing: champion mental health awareness by offering subsidised programs for mental and physical well-being, including access to wellbeing workshops.

2. Measure performance: Keep accurate count of thefrequency and attendance of sports, counselling and wellness sessions; and the self-reported improvement in participants' mental and physical health after sessions. Provide this data to the Governance Team and Trustees on request.

3. Collaboration with Verticals Teams: 

• Partnership Development & Collaboration Team: Coordinate with this team to identify and establishalliances and partnerships with local, regional and global organisations, businesses, councils, and thegovernment to acquire Sports and Wellness resources, speakers or information.

• Fundraising & Financial Management Team: Collaborate with this team to conduct fundraising activities and financial planning for the Sports and Wellness service line. Identify diverse revenue streams, such as grants, donations, corporate sponsorships, fundraising events for the Sports and Wellness service.

• Volunteer Engagement Team: Work with this team to recruit, train and manage volunteers to support the Sports and Wellness service delivery.

• Marketing Outreach & Advocacy: work with this team to enhance visibility of the Sports and Wellnessservice across social media, press, and community events. 

4. Governance Team Interaction: Provide regular updates and reports to the Governance, Secretariat & Performance Reporting team. Ensure programmealignment with Barawak policies, procedures, strategy and objectives. Collaborate on monitoring and evaluation efforts to assess Sports and Wellness service impact and effectiveness.

Person Specification:

• Skills: Strong organisational and leadership skills, excellent communication abilities, and adept at working in a collaborative environment. Eagar to learn new skills.

• Attributes: Deep understanding of the challenges faced by the Afro-Hebrew community in the UK. Commitment to Barawak's values of helping out, sticking together, and staying strong. Ability to work flexibly and respond to evolving community needs.

• Commitment: Passionate about making a tangible difference in the lives of individuals and families dealing with poverty. Innovative thinker with a focus on creating sustainable, long-term solutions.

Important: This advert is for a voluntary role, which is unpaid and not subject to reimbursement of expenses. Any agreement with the successful candidate is not intended to be a legally binding contract between us and may be cancelled at any time at the discretion of either party. By applying for the role, candidates agree that neither of us intend any employment relationship to be created either now or at any time in the future.

Do you speak Polish?

It’s fantastic that you would like to find out more about volunteering at St Mungo’s. Would you like to provide vital support to vulnerable adults who need help translating important documents for whom English is not their first language? As a Language Translation Microvolunteer, you will be providing an extremely valuable service to our clients and staff; helping to translate important documents to increase the accessibility of our resources, as well as providing – if you are available when asked, language translation support via the phone. You will be helping people who have experienced homelessness, who may be experiencing addiction, mental health issues, physical or mental disabilities or who may be refugees, asylum seekers or have no recourse to public funds.

Please see all locations and the time commitments we are currently recruiting for in this role:

• Remote – We will be contacting you as and when we receive translation support requests from our clients and our local services.

Do I need to have any specific skills? 

• Be fluent in a language other than English (both written and verbal communication) 

• An understanding of the causes of homelessness and its impact. 

• Genuine interest in and commitment to St Mungo’s work and client group. 

• An understanding of and commitment to diversity & equality.

The Survivors Trust is keen to find someone with a finance background to join our active and highly motivated Trustee Board.We really welcome the insight and drive that survivors can bring to our work and are keen to promote diversity on the Board.

The Survivors Trust is a national membership organisation for specialist voluntary sector rape and sexual abuse support services in the UK and Ireland.  We have 120+ member agencies who are all independent charities providing a range of counselling, support and advocacy services for women, men, children and young people, partners and family members who have been affected by sexual violence of any kind at any time in their lives.

The impact of sexual violence of any form, whether experienced as an adult or as a child, can be devastating and can last a lifetime. Survivors may experience a wide range of physical and mental health problems as a result of being sexually violated, affecting every aspect of their health, lives, relationships, education and work.  We aim to raise awareness of the support survivors need and the work of our Member Agencies in providing this crucial help.

TST is in the unique position of having member agencies that are working with all victims and survivors of sexual violence and sexual abuse.  We are well aware of the issues facing organisations that are delivering trauma informed services and can support them and policy makers and commissioners to understand how services need to be developed and provided.  TST is an independent inspection body for our UKAS accredited service standards for specialist sexual violence organisations.

We provide an accredited Diploma for Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) and CPD accredited workshops.  We have also established a quality mark for educational establishments and corporate organisations, our Trauma Informed Educator and Trauma Informed Employer Quality Marks (TIE).

The right candidate will need to make a pesonal commitment to our work and to support our vision and values with compassion and empathy.  They will need to be willing to work with the other Trustees, the Chief Executive and staff team, acting as an ambassador for TST and helping to support our collaboration with partners and secure funds to deliver our objectives.

Do you speak Portugese?

It’s fantastic that you would like to find out more about volunteering at St Mungo’s. Would you like to provide vital support to vulnerable adults who need help translating important documents for whom English is not their first language? As a Language Translation Microvolunteer, you will be providing an extremely valuable service to our clients and staff; helping to translate important documents to increase the accessibility of our resources, as well as providing – if you are available when asked, language translation support via the phone. You will be helping people who have experienced homelessness, who may be experiencing addiction, mental health issues, physical or mental disabilities or who may be refugees, asylum seekers or have no recourse to public funds.

Please see all locations and the time commitments we are currently recruiting for in this role:

• Remote – We will be contacting you as and when we receive translation support requests from our clients and our local services.

Do I need to have any specific skills? 

• Be fluent in a language other than English (both written and verbal communication) 

• An understanding of the causes of homelessness and its impact. 

• Genuine interest in and commitment to St Mungo’s work and client group. 

• An understanding of and commitment to diversity & equality.

Do you speak Arabic? 

It’s fantastic that you would like to find out more about volunteering at St Mungo’s. Would you like to provide vital support to vulnerable adults who need help translating important documents for whom English is not their first language? As a Language Translation Microvolunteer, you will be providing an extremely valuable service to our clients and staff; helping to translate important documents to increase the accessibility of our resources, as well as providing – if you are available when asked, language translation support via the phone. You will be helping people who have experienced homelessness, who may be experiencing addiction, mental health issues, physical or mental disabilities or who may be refugees, asylum seekers or have no recourse to public funds.

Please see all locations and the time commitments we are currently recruiting for in this role:

• Remote – We will be contacting you as and when we receive translation support requests from our clients and our local services.

Do I need to have any specific skills?

• Be fluent in a language other than English (both written and verbal communication)
• An understanding of the causes of homelessness and its impact.
•  Genuine interest in and commitment to St Mungo’s work and client group.
• An understanding of and commitment to diversity & equality.

Do you speak French?

It’s fantastic that you would like to find out more about volunteering at St Mungo’s. Would you like to provide vital support to vulnerable adults who need help translating important documents for whom English is not their first language? As a Language Translation Microvolunteer, you will be providing an extremely valuable service to our clients and staff; helping to translate important documents to increase the accessibility of our resources, as well as providing – if you are available when asked, language translation support via the phone. You will be helping people who have experienced homelessness, who may be experiencing addiction, mental health issues, physical or mental disabilities or who may be refugees, asylum seekers or have no recourse to public funds.

Please see all locations and the time commitments we are currently recruiting for in this role:

• Remote – We will be contacting you as and when we receive translation support requests from our clients and our local services.

Do I need to have any specific skills? 

• Be fluent in a language other than English (both written and verbal communication) 

• An understanding of the causes of homelessness and its impact. 

• Genuine interest in and commitment to St Mungo’s work and client group. 

• An understanding of and commitment to diversity & equality.

Do you have a passion to make a difference to the lives of children and families? Spurgeons Family Charity is seeking three or four new trustees to join our current Board in bringing prayerful wisdom and strategic guidance over the coming years.

Spurgeons is one of the UK’s leading children’s charities, supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged children and their families for 150 years. Inspired by Christian faith and our founder Charles Spurgeon, we’re here for all families. Together, we create Family Hubs in communities where we’re needed most, with counselling, early years and family support. We partner with local councils and churches to care for every family, putting children and young people first in everything we do. Our services also include helping young carers, providing parenting advice and working with families affected by domestic abuse, and imprisonment.

These services are needed more than ever, particularly as local authorities with tight budgets make difficult choices on where to spend their limited resources. As we prepare for the launch of our new five-year plan in 2025, we are ambitious and hopeful about how we can use our strong financial position and robust level of assets to make a significant impact on many more children’s lives in the future.

To support Board succession planning, we are seeking to appoint new trustees with experience and skills such as:

· Lived experience: we are particularly looking to hear the voice of young people on our Board and especially those with lived experience of children and young people’s support services. We will provide the necessary training, mentoring and support to fulfil the role.

· Fundraising/marketing: this trustee will bring a clear understanding of best practice in fundraising and/or marketing.

· Children’s services: we are looking for someone with senior management or leadership experience in the children’s services sector e.g. within social services/ the care sector, health, education, local authorities or charitable contexts.

· Counselling: this trustee will have understanding and/or experience in counselling, bringing wisdom and insight at a governance level.

· Digital: we seek a leader with experience of digital transformations and entrepreneurship, to provide a strategic view of how Spurgeons can thrive in a digital, audience-focused context.

Given an occupational requirement for these roles to be filled by Christians, we are seeking candidates with a personal and active Christian faith who are comfortable and aligned with the statement of faith outlined on our website.

Spurgeons values diversity, promotes inclusion, and encourages applications from a diverse range of candidates, including those with lived experience of children’s support services. We recognise the need to increase the diversity of the Board, for example in terms of age, ethnicity, disability, gender and LGBTQ+ representation. Our goal, and a key priority in this recruitment process, is for the Board to become more closely representative of our service user community.

The time commitment required of a trustee is likely to equate to approximately 12 days per year.

This is a hybrid role: at present, Board meetings take place in London and committee meetings take place virtually via Teams.

For further information, including full details of how to apply, please see our Appointment Details Pack which can be downloaded in the Application Resources section of this advert.

Application is by submission of CV and cover letter to Laura Bagley at Macaulay Search by the closing date of Friday 24th May 2024. Please contact Laura if you have any questions about this opportunity (please see appointment details pack for contact details).

Do you speak Sudanese Arabic?

It’s fantastic that you would like to find out more about volunteering at St Mungo’s. Would you like to provide vital support to vulnerable adults who need help translating important documents for whom English is not their first language? As a Language Translation Microvolunteer, you will be providing an extremely valuable service to our clients and staff; helping to translate important documents to increase the accessibility of our resources, as well as providing – if you are available when asked, language translation support via the phone. You will be helping people who have experienced homelessness, who may be experiencing addiction, mental health issues, physical or mental disabilities or who may be refugees, asylum seekers or have no recourse to public funds.

Please see all locations and the time commitments we are currently recruiting for in this role:

• Remote – We will be contacting you as and when we receive translation support requests from our clients and our local services.

Do I need to have any specific skills? 

• Be fluent in a language other than English (both written and verbal communication) 

• An understanding of the causes of homelessness and its impact. 

• Genuine interest in and commitment to St Mungo’s work and client group. 

• An understanding of and commitment to diversity & equality.