Peer support volunteer volunteer roles in newham, greater london

Shannon Trust fulfils an unmet need around adult learning, supporting people who’ve fallen through the cracks in formal education.

We know a lot of people have had negative learning experiences in the past, so our programme is designed to be different, with no exams and no classrooms. Our unique, evidence-based Turning Pages reading manuals are used by thousands of learners in prisons and the community to improve reading skills. 

Prison volunteers live near to their local prison so that they can visit about once a month during the working week to nurture the growth of the Shannon Trust in their prison. They help unlock the power of reading by offering advice, guidance, training and support to prison staff and prisoner mentors who help other prisoners to improve their skills 1 to 1.

We are looking for volunteers who are able to work alone, able to give a regular, reliable commitment for ideally two years and able to deliver engaging training to groups of people in prisons.  Due to the nature of the role, prison security vetting will be required.

We provide training for the role via e-learning and 4 training sessions which are a mix of live, online and group training.

Organisation Overview

Clean Break provides Theatre and writing based opportunities, including workshops from our studios in Kentish Town NW5 for women who have lived experience through the Criminal Justice System or women at risk of offending with drug/alcohol and/or mental health needs. We are a trauma informed centre, we work in a safe, women-only environment, creating opportunities for women to develop personal, social, artistic and professional skills.

Directions

Buses: 46, 88, 134, 214, 393
Tube: Kentish Town (Northern Line)
Overground: Kentish Town West

Role Title

Young Company Volunteer

Responsible to

Participation Manager and Volunteering Manager 

Purpose/Summary of role

We are looking for two enthusiastic volunteers to be a part of the Young Company programme.  To support the development, confidence, and wellbeing of young women aged 18-25 through engaging group activities, acting, drama, rehearsals, theatre skills training and a safe, inclusive environment.                                                                                     This role is a one-yearplacement. October 2025- July 2026

Description of tasks

Key Responsibilities:

• · Build positive working relationships with young people
• · Assist with the lead facilitator(s) workshops, group games, or discussions
• · Provide a listening ear and positive encouragement
• · Ensure safeguarding policies are followed at all times
• · Assist fellow volunteer and lead facilitator(s) with setup and tidying of the space
•          Encourage young people’s participation and creativity

Time Commitment

Acting, drama and theatre skills training

These sessions will be delivered by our, Drama School partners and Clean Break Artists. The Young Company Support Worker will be on hand for any support needs outside of the space.

Autumn Season (October – December 2025)

Start: Wednesday 8th October 2025

Season Break (no sessions) – W/C October 27th

Resume: Wednesday 5th November 2025

End: Wednesday 16th December 2025

11.00am – 4.00pm

Spring Season (January – April 2026)

Start: Wednesday 21st January 2026

Season Break (no sessions) – W/C February 16th

Resume: Wednesday 25th February 2026

End: Wednesday 23rd March 2026

11.00am-4.00pm

Summer Season (April – July 2026)

The Company will rehearse and perform a short play by Emma Dennis Edwards, commissioned playwright for the Young Company. The play will be directed by Clean Break’s Associate Artistic Director and will be produced at a London venue, for audiences of loved ones, peers and public.

The Young Company will then enter a longer rehearsal period; these will be full and longer days of 10am-6pm:

•   Tuesday April 27th
•     Wednesday April 28th
•     Thursday April 29th
•     Tuesday May 5th
•      Wednesday May 6th
•      Thursday May 7th
•      Monday May 11th
•      Tuesday May 12th
•      Wednesday May 13th
•      Thursday May 14th
•      Monday May 18th
•      Tuesday May 19th
•      Wednesday May 20th
•     Thursday May 21st
•     Friday May 22nd

Season Break (no rehearsals) – W/C May 25th

Tech & Dress Rehearsals, these days will be longer and may run into the evening (exact timings TBC)

•   Monday June 1st
•   Tuesday June 2nd

Performance Dates, again these will be long days and late evenings to accommodate matinee and evening performances (exact performance times TBC)

• Wednesday June 3rd
•    Thursday June 4th
•   Friday June 5th
•   Saturday June 6th

After the Production is completed, Clean Break “Next Steps”, and this will include Tuesdays and Wednesdays both 11am-4pm. During “Nex Steps” we will also be visiting our Drama School partners for Tours of the schools and information sessions on making applications to their courses.

•    Tuesday 9th & Wednesday 10th June
•     Tuesday 16th & Wednesday 17th June
•   Tuesday 23rd & Wednesday 24th June
•     Tuesday 30th June & Wednesday 1st July
•     Tuesday 7th & Wednesday 8th July
•   Tuesday 14th & Wednesday 15th July

The programme will end with a Graduation Ceremony on Friday July 17th, timings and location to be confirmed.

Skills and Qualifications

•      Some experience working with vulnerable young people who have been through the Criminal Justice                System or at risk of offending
•     Desirable that candidate is locally based
•       Friendly, approachable, and good with young people
•       Reliable responsible and efficient
•       Good listening and communication skills
•     Open-minded and non-judgmental
•     Some experience in youth work
•     Able to take initiative

Disabled Access

Yes – Wheelchair accessible

Training and Induction

• · Building health and safety induction
• · Safeguarding
• · Leading with Kindness (Trauma Informed)

What you will gain

• · Valuable experience in youth work and community engagement
• · The chance to make a positive impact in young people’s lives
• · Skills in communication, teamwork, and leadership
• · Weekly briefing and debriefing
• · Opportunity to gain experience and references
•         Ongoing check-ins with Young Company Support Worker and Participation Manager 

Expenses

Yes – Travel and lunch we also provide free lunch

Recruitment Method

• CV, informal discussion, reference, trial period.
•   All volunteers must complete a DBS check / background check and attend safeguarding training.
•   We are committed to creating a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment.
•   The post is open to women only (exempt under the Equality Act 2010 Schedule 9, Part 1)

About Long Covid Support

Long Covid Support is a UK-based charity providing peer support, information, and advocacy for people living with Long Covid. We also campaign for better recognition, research, and care.

What will you be doing (role overview)?:

We’re looking for an experienced Volunteer Website Manager to maintain and develop our online presence. You’ll ensure our website is accurate, accessible, user-friendly, and aligned with our brand. The role involves regular updates to content, troubleshooting basic technical issues, and working with the team to improve user experience.

What are we looking for (about you)?

• Experience: Minimum 3–5 years’ professional experience managing websites, ideally with WordPress or a similar CMS.
• Knowledge: Strong understanding of accessibility best practices and SEO principles.
• Technical Skills: Experience with basic image editing and formatting for web.
• Personal Qualities: Ability to work independently, prioritise tasks, and meet deadlines.
• Approach: Comfortable managing updates and improvements with minimal supervision.
• Application requirement: Please include links to 2–3 websites you have managed or worked on, along with a brief description of your role in each.

What difference will you make:

• The opportunity to take ownership of the digital front door for a national health charity.
• Experience delivering high-quality online content that directly benefits our community.
• Flexible, remote volunteering alongside a collaborative and supportive team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Update and maintain website content, structure, and functionality.
• Upload new resources, blog posts, and campaign materials.
• Optimise pages for accessibility, SEO, and usability.
• Troubleshoot basic technical issues, liaising with developers when needed.
• Implement design and content improvements in collaboration with the team.

Equal ops statement:

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse environment where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. We provide equal opportunities for all, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. We actively encourage applications from all individuals of all backgrounds, particularly those with lived experience of Long Covid.

Will you share your counselling or psychotherapy skills as a counsellor or therapist to join an online counselling service for patients and families affected by a chronic pain condition (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome)?

We're looking for 5 qualified counsellors, psychotherapists or psychologists volunteers ideally with some experience of working with chronic pain patients or lived experience of chronic illness, who may want to volunteer their skills supporting our adult service users (aged 18 & over) and help us to continue developing a mental health support service. 

As a Volunteer Counsellor/Therapist you’ll be providing remote counselling/therapy support services to adults aged 18 and over many of whom are isolated and in need of mental health services. You’ll be providing one-to-one counselling/therapy sessions online via Zoom or by phone. With your recognised counselling qualifications and experience you will be an asset to our small charity and to our services users.  

Depending on your qualifications, skills and experience, our volunteer counsellors / therapists provide person centred counselling (general talking counselling) or integrative counselling, or specialist services such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), ACT, CFT and EMDR for CRPS patients, or their families & close relatives.

People will be referred both by health or legal professionals as well as having patients and carers themselves referring into to the service.

In this role you’ll be able to develop your counselling and therapy skills, organisation, communication and team working skills.

Most importantly you’ll be providing essential services that help make sure no one has to face CRPS alone. Be the hope for CRPS.

What the role involves

This role may vary depending on needs, but is likely to include:

• Undertake a client assessments, followed by person-centred counselling (via Zoom or phone) to our clients, offering up to 20 sessions for each client plus 4 psychometric assessments

• Providing one-to-one counselling sessions to clients aged 18 & over

• Update our database with the client’s information, sessional notes and session attendance

• Maintain succinct, relevant session notes and store these confidentially and securely in acccordahce with GDPR

• Attending and participating in peer supervision support

• Attend CPD training to ensure your knowledge stays current

• Participating in volunteer meetings
• Maintaining client confidentiality, upholding data protection and equal opportunities principle

• Attend monthly Supervision and peer support sessions to ensure safe working practices

We can support you to develop the skills you need for this role, including a full induction. You will have a chance to discuss your role and any additional needs with us. We can offer you a supervisor as well as expenses for annual insurance and an external supervisor if required.

What you need for this role

Essential

• Be a member (including student membership) of one of the recognised membership organisations (see below)
• Level 4 Diploma level qualifications as a minimum (unfortunately no students at this time), Degree or Masters in Counselling, Counselling/Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, Art Therapy, EMDR 
• Minimum of 100 hours supervised
• Proof of professional indemnity insurance annually - we may consider paying this as an expense but commitment to the charity is required
• A valid DBS certificate (enhanced version), which is less than three years old and renewed every three years (the charity can provide where necessary)
• Able to keep people’s personal data safe

• Willing and able to provide counselling via Zoom from a private location with a stable WiFi connection

• Able to support a minimum of 3 clients a week, being three hours of your time for therapy sessions plus time for administration. We ideally hope you to offer the charity a minimum commitment of six months.

Desirable

• Knowledge of chronic pain or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Previous experience as a chronic pain or CRPS counsellor or psychologist 
• Committed to our values
• Willing to develop skills and experience
• Enjoy working as part of a team
• Effective administration skills, planning and organisation skills
• Approachable, presentable, enthusiastic

We also welcome training counsellors and counselling/clinical psychologists who are looking for placements.

Once we’ve assessed your application, you may be invited for interview. If you are successful, we will arrange for you to have an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service DBS or Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) check.

Recognised Organisations You Must Be A Member of:

• British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP)
• British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapists (BABCP)
• EMDR Association UK
• Complimentary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC)
• British Psychological Society
• General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR)
• British Society for Clinical Hypnotherapists (BSCH)
• National Council for Hypnotherapists (NCH)
• United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
• The National Hypnotherapy Society (HS)
• National Counselling Society (NCS)
• Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• The Association for Professional Hypnosis and Psychotherapy (APHP)
• National Register of Hypnotherapists & Psychotherapists (NRHP)

Making a difference

What impact will the opportunity have?

You will join the charity during a critical and challenging period where referrals are on the rise and your expert knowledge and experience will be invaluable to our success. You will have a key role in not only developing a counselling service for our clients but also ensure we provide counselling services and mental health support to our CRPS patients & their families who are in need of our support and inclusion on a regular basis. With your help we will expand our support and mental health services to ensure our service users receive mental health support that they may not have been offered.

What's in it for you as the volunteer? 

You would be a part of our small, friendly, forward-thinking charity team, focused on reaching people affected by this rare, painful and debilitating chronic pain condition and to provide them with psychological support whether they are patients, their partner, relatives, friends or carers. As this service is rapidly expanding, you would have a key role in developing our counselling and psychotherapy programme and to complement our support services that we offer. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to make a real difference in our clients' life which is already isolated and painful, who may not have received any psychological support.

Join the Brotherhood: Your Compassion Can Build a Legacy!

Imagine a world where every man feels strong enough to be vulnerable. Where asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, but an act of profound courage. At MINDSET Charity, we're not just imagining it – we're building it, and we need you to make it real.

The silence surrounding men's struggles is a crisis that breaks hearts and costs lives. Sadly, suicide remains the biggest killer of men under 50 in the UK. Behind every statistic is a man, a son, a father, a friend, battling alone. MINDSET is here to change that. We're a brand new start-up charity, forging a brotherhood to inform, guide, and support men, empowering their mental well-being and self-improvement through vital services, events, and a powerful community.

This is your chance to be at the very beginning of something extraordinary. We're not just looking for volunteers; we're seeking pioneers with a burning desire to create a lasting impact. We need your heart, your skills, and your unwavering belief to help us get set up and launched, providing much-needed services to men in need across the UK.

Your passion, right now, can lay the foundation for a future where no man walks his journey alone.

Roll Up Your Sleeves: Shape Our Future!

We also have a crucial hands-on volunteer role available, where your skills will directly contribute to our setup and launch!

Service Support and Administrator: Volunteer Opportunity

At MINDSET you will be the crucial link, ensuring that our services are delivered efficiently, our records are impeccable, and our team has the administrative support they need to focus on what they do best: helping men.

Imagine the profound impact: Your dedication will ensure that workshop materials are ready, group communications are timely, and essential data is accurate. Every task you complete will directly contribute to a man finding the support he needs, a volunteer feeling organised, and Mindset Charity operating with the professionalism it needs to grow and serve.

Key Responsibilities:

• Administrative Coordination: Provide essential administrative support across various Mindset services, including scheduling meetings, managing calendars, and organising digital files.

• Communication Support: Assist with drafting and sending emails, newsletters, and other communications to volunteers, participants, and partners.

• Data Management: Maintain accurate and confidential records, databases, and contact lists, ensuring data integrity and compliance with privacy regulations.

• Resource Preparation: Help prepare and organise materials for peer support groups, workshops, and community events (e.g., printing handouts, collating information packs).

• Enquiry Handling: Support the triage of general enquiries, directing them to the appropriate team members and ensuring timely responses.

• System Setup & Optimisation: Assist in setting up and improving administrative processes and systems to enhance efficiency as the charity grows.

• General Support: Provide flexible support to the General Manager and other "Heads of" as needed, contributing to the smooth running of a dynamic startup environment.

Are you ready to be a part of this incredible journey? We are building a charity, and we need your help and support.

Reach out today and tell us how you want to make a difference. Email your CV and a heartfelt message about why you're drawn to Mindset Charity.

Together, we can build a stronger Mindset. Together, we can save lives.

MINDSET Charity

Empowering Men Through Mental Wellbeing and Personal Growth

Volunteer - allowance of travel expenses
Flexible hours
Kensington, Islington or Hackney

Ref: VOL-252
 
Are you a proactive, efficient and compassionate individual who is looking to make a difference?  If so, St Giles Trust is looking for a Pantry Volunteer to work at its London Pantries, where you will support the day-to-day operation of a community pantry at one of our London locations. You will work alongside the Pantry Coordinator and other volunteers to help create a welcoming, dignified, and well-managed space for local members. Tasks will include stock handling, customer service, and light-touch support such as signposting and meal planning tips.

About St Giles Trust
St Giles Trust is a Charity helping people facing severe disadvantage to find jobs, homes and the right support they need.  We help them to become positive contributors to local communities and wider society. We passionately believe everybody is capable of changing their lives. Our mission is we empower people to overcome injustices for themselves, their families and their local communities – we achieve this through offering support from someone who has been there. Our peer-led services form the backbone of our work.

About this key role
As our Pantry Volunteer, you will help with specific Pantry needs such as stock rotation, manual handling, speaking to clients, and making them feel comfortable within The Pantry.  You will carry out and comply with all health and safety procedures and policies, ensure all labelling of food items are correctly displayed and ensure any items are within the correct date for displaying. 
Positively supporting members and always maintaining confidentiality, and creating a welcoming, dignified, and well-mannered space for local members. Tasks will include stock handling, customer service, and light-touch support such as signposting and meal planning tips.

What we are looking for

• Previous experience of working within a retail and customer-facing role.
• Supporting the daily running and operation of the Pantry.
• Supporting the Pantry coordinator ensuring the shop is well-stocked, clean and presentable.
• To carry out and comply with all health and safety procedures and policies, including food safety and manual handling.
• To ensure all food items are correctly labelled and within the given use-by date.
• Positively supporting members and always maintaining confidentiality.
• To assist customers to choose their shopping items and to complete simple forms.
• On occasion, offering meal planning advice along with recipes and food shopping tips.
• Helping to unload deliveries and ensuring food is correctly stored.

Please note: this role requires that successful candidates must undergo an Enhanced DBS check, on the basis that the post involves contact with vulnerable participants and colleagues.

We are an equity and inclusion confident employer. We welcome all applications, and we particularly encourage applications from people of the global majority (black, brown, multi- heritage) and those who identify as disabled, neuroexpansive, neurodiverse, with any protected characteristics and/or social barriers or challenges. We value the empowering and informative impact that all lived experiences and diversity of thought can offer the organisation.

St Giles will guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria set out in the Job Description for the vacancy.

Interviews will take place on a rolling basis.
Closing date: 11pm on 23rd September 2025
Interviews: TBC in London Camberwell

Here at Youth4Youth, we have grown a strong, tight-knit community of individuals who are passionate about making a difference and improving the lives of young people across the UK. Our growing team of volunteers all contribute, significantly, to the impact that we have as a charity on our direct beneficiaries, regardless of the department that they work in of the level of time that they are able to commit. Our services primarily offer a peer-support network to young people right across the UK, allowing them to access a peer mentor who is of a similar age to them and somebody that they feel more comfortable speaking with.

If successful, you will be joining a growing team of diverse, but likeminded individuals, collaborating to increase the reach of the Charity and improve support provisions available to young people. All of our volunteers and employees are remote workers, but that doesn't stop us keeping in touch and maintaining a strong positive culture amongst our whole team.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Executive Leadership Team here at Youth4Youth to drive positive change in all things volunteer engagement. As an entirely volunteer run organisation, positive engagement with volunteers is absolutely fundamental in allowing Youth4Youth to achieve its mission. It is so fundamental that one of our overarching strategic goals is to ensure that all volunteers have a positive and meaningful volunteering experience when working with us. The Volunteer Experience Director will play a critical role in setting strategy and executing solutions to improve the overall volunteer experience. 

Responsibilities 

Short term objectives:

• Define the volunteering proposition for the Charity, helping new and existing volunteers to understand the impact of working with Youth4Youth
• Manage a project to understand gaps in volunteer engagement and experience, generating recommendations back to the ELT
• Develop a volunteer experience strategy that improves engagement and the overall volunteering experience of all involved with Youth4Youth

Overall objectives and responsibilities:

• Lead a team of volunteers who are involved in supporting a positive volunteering experience with the charity
• Develop and execute a volunteer experience strategy that seeks to attract, engage and retain high-quality volunteers into all teams across the charity
• Partner effectively with the broader charity leadership team to understand engagement challenges and implement solutions to close engagement gaps
• Report to the CEO and the Board of Trustees on any strategic progress made around improving volunteer engagement

Skills 

• Ability to manage complex projects, including the direct and indirect management and coordination of people resources
• Ability to understand complex problems and articulate solutions in a clear, concise and understandable manner
• Demonstrable blue-sky thinking that encourages the implementation of new solutions that may not have been considered before
• Ability to influence both with and without authority to drive positive and meaningful change at all levels and across all departments

Our mission is to continue to grow towards becoming one of the best charities in the UK. Our aim is to do this by building a diverse team, rich with different backgrounds and perspectives. Therefore, even if you feel you only are a 75% match, we would still love to hear from you. Skills can be learned, but diversity cannot.

Benefits of volunteering with Youth4Youth

We recognise that you will be joining us and giving your time as an 'in-kind' donation, but there must be benefits for you too. When joining our team, you will be open to the following benefits:

• Professional and personal development opportunities in a variety of skill areas through volunteering in real roles. This may be general development or tailored to your specific needs or ambitions
• Becoming a member of a strong network of likeminded individuals, spread across the UK, who you can connect with and collaborate with both within and outside of the Charity
• Access to bespoke discounts, specifically designed for non-profit workers and Youth4Youth volunteers
• Opportunities to truly shape the future of the Charity, having a direct influence over the impact that Youth4Youth has on its direct beneficiaries

The hiring process

Our hiring process typically has two stages 

1. Video or Written Application (when applicable) 
2. Interview with the Volunteering Coordinator for that role

Some roles will have extra stages but we’ll let you know as early as possible if so.

Please let us know if you require any accommodations for the interview process, and we’ll do our best to assist.

We appreciate any volunteering help that you can offer YBTC and want to make sure that our

volunteers have a positive experience with us. We pledge to support you as much as we can.

We want to ensure that volunteering with us does not feel too daunting, so the exact tasks might

vary depending on your circumstances. However, some typical tasks may include:

· Asking people you know who might be willing to have a collection box in their business

· Approaching local businesses to display the boxes and collect loose change from their customers

· Building and maintaining relationships with your box holders to inspire loyalty and encourage people to continue giving year after year

· Collecting the boxes in your area as and when required and taking to your YBTC contact

We are looking for people who are:

· Have a warm, friendly and confident outlook

· Willing to learn about the work of YBTC

· Able to communicate with a range of different groups

· Are creative and imaginative – spotting opportunities to boost your distribution

· Are well organised and enjoy meeting new people

· Reliable and able to commit to agreed requirements

We can offer you:

· Induction and ongoing training

· Ongoing support and supervision in your role

· The opportunity to learn new skills

· YBTC commitment to health and safety

Founded in 2003 and originally named Andrea’s Gift and later Brain Tumour Research and Support

Across Yorkshire, Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity (YBTC) is Yorkshire and Humber’s leading

brain tumour charity. Offering practical, financial and emotional support to both adult and child

brain tumour patients, together with their families.

We fund brain tumour research in Yorkshire; we hope this research, dedicated to identifying new

approaches to the discovery and treatment of brain tumours, will improve outcomes for patients.

At YBTC we are a small team who are growing to meet the needs of those affected by a brain

tumour in Yorkshire. Around 15 new cases of primary brain tumour are diagnosed in the region

every week.

Our charity values are Integrity, Compassion, Community, & Ambition.

Our Vision/Mission

To improve the lives of people impacted by a brain tumour in Yorkshire, through local support and

research.

Work and Skills in an online personal development programme aimed at providing people living with HIV who are unemployed or in unsuitable work with online peer support, online work ready workshops and online 1-2-1 employment mentoring.

The online employment mentor is an integral part of the support structure for each individual, providing space for the participant to ask questions, set goals and plan how to achieve them, explore work and volunteering ideas, reflect on their skills and gain feedback on job/volunteering applications and interview technique. 

Amazing, giving, and inspiring are a few words we would use to describe our volunteers.

Our volunteers play an integral part in the services we provide and the people we support. If you are looking for a rewarding role where you will really make a difference whilst gaining experience along the way, then join us here at Rethink Mental Illness.

About the role

We are looking for Volunteer Befrienders to support our Brent Mental Health service in the London Borough of Brent. 

As a Volunteer Befriender, you will be required to travel across Brent to meet with service users and carry out your role. Ideally, you will be able to commit a minimum of 2 hours per week to volunteering. 

You will be supported by Befriending Volunteer Coordinators who will provide regular supervision to ensure you feel confident in your role. You can read more about the benefits of volunteering on the full advert on our website.

About the service

Our Brent Mental Health service provides support to people aged 18 and above who live in the Borough of Brent, and who have a mental illness and are known to the local NHS trust, Central and North West London (CNWL).

The aim of the Befriending Service is to;

• Reduce social isolation of service users
• Increase the confidence of service users in accessing community resources independently
• Provide meaningful activities and peer support for service users 
• Help service users to live happier, healthier, independent lives
• Provide volunteering opportunities for people with mental health issues
• Reduce stigma and raise mental health awareness

What you will be doing as a Volunteer Befriender:

• Meeting with service users in locations and times which meet their needs (including evenings and weekends)
• Provide befriending support to a maximum of 2 service users at any one time
• Provide emotional support based on your own lived experience
• Support service users to access and build social and community networks and activities
• Act as a community connector to local services

What will make you a great fit for this role?

• You will have good communication skills
• You will be flexible in order to meet the needs of the service users

If you would like to express an interest in this opportunity, please complete an application as soon as possible, as the advert may close early if we receive a high level of interest.

Who are we?

We’re Rethink Mental Illness, a leading charity provider of mental health services in England. We support thousands of people through our groups, services, policy, campaigns and advice and information. Our work supports us in delivering on our mission: “A better life for everyone severely affected by mental illness.”    

It is an exciting time to join our growing charity. We are on a transformation journey, one that supports the delivery of the organisation strategy – delivering Communities that Care. Supporting employees, managers and leaders through this change is a key priority for the People function. Just like its key that we attract diverse people to come and work for us.    

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion  

Diversity is important to us and we appreciate difference through difference, inclusiveness and belonging. It gives us a deeper understanding of the world, our society and the diverse communities we’re working with. By including everyone, we are able to draw on the unique experiences and expertise of our people to help shape and enrich our workplace and improve our services. One way we are doing is through our valued staff networks which play a critical and highly valued role in keeping us focused on creating a diverse, inclusive and engaged employer.  We recognise and support staff networks for our Black, Asian and minority ethnic and our LGBTQIA+ colleagues. We are also proud to have been awarded Disability Confident Employer status and are a signatory to the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter.  

Becoming a truly anti-racist organisation  

We have an ambition of become a truly anti-racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider - and in our efforts to influence policy and wider societal factors impacting on mental health set out in our anti-racist statement . We have designed a multi-year anti-racist programme of work contained in our Race Equality Action Plan which demonstrate our intention to hold ourselves accountable and be judged on our progress on becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.  

We therefore actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including applicants with lived experience, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (or questioning), Intersex and (asexual) (LGBTQIA+), people with a disability, and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. 

We are delighted to have secured funding to deliver a 24-month befriending programme. This exciting opportunity will support the delivery of our ambitious five-year strategy by:

- Promoting Independence - ensuring more older people can stay independent for longer

- Providing Connection - enabling friendship and social connection for older People

The befriending service will be provided through 2 different strands which aim to support older people in different ways based on the needs identified via an assessment. Clients will enter the strand that is most appropriate to their needs.

- Strand A: We will offer a local face-to-face service of up to 1 hour for 26 weeks. Strand A provision would be appropriate for older people who have experienced a recent life event, such as a hospital admission, bereavement or home move and who need time limited support and guidance to connect with suitable services and activities.

- Strands B: We will offer ongoing support either face-to- face of up to 1 hour or by telephone between 30 minutes and 1 hour. Strand B provision is for older people leaving Strand A that require long term support or for those who are identified as needing ongoing face-to-face or local telephone befriending support on entry to the programme. As a befriender you will be asked to select your type of volunteering preference.

Purpose of Role 

• Provide companionship, emotional support, and a listening ear to people who may be lonely or isolated. 

• Provide monthly reports to the Volunteer Manager on your client. 

Key tasks 

• Make a regular weekly visit or phone call to a client who has been matched to you, at a time suitable to the older person.

• Provide conversation and company. 

• Spend time chatting with the client, talking with them about their current and past life experiences. 

• Report any emerging issues or concerns that the older person has agreed to be shared with us such as safeguarding issues or a change in personal circumstance or health. 

• Make the client aware of any other services across AUKEL they may benefit from. 

• Maintain records of client contact and send this to the Volunteer Manager on a monthly basis. 

• Regularly meet with your befriending peers and supervisor, to share experiences, get support and reflect. 

Skills and attributes 

• Understanding loneliness and social isolation. 

• Good communication skills with a friendly approachable manner. 

• Keen on building a strong befriending relationship. 

• A desire to learn more about an individual and their interests and their past, and life history. 

• Consistency and reliability.

• Understanding of Confidentiality. 

• Understanding of and empathy with the needs of older people. 

• Patience and Sensitivity. 

• Confidence to deal with emergencies. 

• Record keeping.

• Basic IT skills. 

Support Provided 

• You will be inducted in cohorts with other volunteers. 

• Training for the role is provided including Safeguarding, Making Every Contact Count, Sexual Harassment and Building a positive volunteering experience and other more. 

• Ongoing support including regular supervision by the Volunteer Manager. 

• Goup supervision with other befrienders. Groups supervision is a safe place where you can share experiences, challenges, and successes, process emotion and learn from each other. 

• Reimbursement of agreed expenses.

• Access to an AGE UK Discount portal provided by Aon.  

• Monthly volunteer newsletter 

We hold an annual Volunteer Award event where we celebrate and recognise the contribution of our Volunteers! 

Benefits 

• Making a Difference: Volunteering allows you to have a tangible impact on someone's life, particularly those in vulnerable situations. Helping older people can provide a strong sense of accomplishment and purpose. 

• Emotional Rewards 

• Intergenerational Connections 

• Learning and Skill Development 

• Enhancing Career Prospects 

• Building Empathy and Compassion 

• Giving Back to the Community 

• Social and celebration events 

Commitment 

• We expect a minimum of 6 months commitment but would ideally prefer more of a longer-term commitment.

• Weekly commitment is between 30 minutes to 1 hour for client plus one/two hours monthly for reporting. 

About the role

The County Lead Volunteer is a key volunteer role within local Scouting with responsibility for providing outstanding leadership and support for the Districts within the County. The primary focus for the County Lead Volunteer is to ensure that Scouting is able to reach every young person in the County; open to all regardless of faith, colour or social background, because we believe Scouting has the ability to change lives. This is achieved by leading the team of District Lead Volunteers, and other County volunteers as well as working with the Growth & Communities Teams (employed staff) to provide enough places to meet the demand for Scouting, and by ensuring that every youth member has access to a high-quality balanced programme that is challenging, relevant and rewarding.

Key tasks

• Ensure that every Squirrel Drey, Beaver Scout Colony, Cub Scout Pack, Scout Troop, Explorer Scout Unit and Scout Network within the County is able to deliver a high-quality programme which is challenging, relevant and rewarding for every young person.
• Provide proactive line management, including coaching, mentoring and guidance to District Lead Volunteers as well as other adult volunteers in the County who directly report to you including setting objectives for their work, holding regular one-to-one meetings and reviews.
• Build and maintain a sense of County team by holding regular team meetings with the District Lead Volunteers, County Chair, County team Members and other appropriate volunteers within
  your County team to collaborate and provide peer support.
• Lead a safe, open and transparent culture around keeping young people and adults safe through our Yellow Card and key policies.
  Ensure the timely recruitment and appointment of new District Lead Volunteers where required and ensuring that interim arrangements are put in place for any vacant posts.
• Together with the District Lead Volunteers, agree the priorities for the County and produce a plan to deliver these to meet The Scout Association’s vision and strategic objectives.
• Ensure that problems within the County are resolved so that an effective volunteering culture is encouraged and District Lead Volunteers and Group Lead Volunteers feel supported to deal with challenging issues, including complaints in a timely manner.
• Ensure that the County has an adequate team of supported and appropriate adults working effectively together and with others to meet the Scouting needs of the area.
• Ensure that problems within the County are resolved so that excellent Scouting is provided to young people in the County.
• Act as an ex-officio trustee as a member of the County Trustee Board, and an ex-officio member of the Council of The Scout Association.
• Play an active part within the Regional Team by joining short MS Teams calls and in person meetings led by the Regional Lead Volunteer and twice yearly by Team England for all County Lead Volunteers to contribute to the development of Scouting within England as part of the Headquarters team.

Hertfordshire’s Family Centre Service brings children’s centres, health visiting and school nursing together, to provide a more joined-up service for children, young people, and their families.

The centres deliver a range of support groups and activities for children and their families to help them be healthy, grow and develop. To make it easy for families to fit sessions and services around their busy lives, access is available from any Hertfordshire Family centre. We have locations across the entire county so please do enquire ensuring you have provided your postcode. 

Main Tasks/ Responsibilities/ Activities

To support qualified staff in creating a welcoming environment for families attending breastfeeding and infant feeding sessions.

Key Responsibilities:

· Welcome parents and carers to infant feeding sessions, making them feel at ease.

· Offer encouragement, reassurance, and a listening ear to families, providing peer support under staff guidance.

· Support with preparing and tidying away resources used during sessions.

· Model sensitivity, respect, and inclusivity when discussing feeding choices.

· Promote the benefits of breastfeeding and infant feeding best practices (Hertfordshire Family Centres are Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) accredited through UNICEF)

Skills / Abilities / Experience / Qualities

· Friendly, approachable and empathetic.

· Good listening and communication skills.

· Respectful and non-judgemental attitude towards different feeding choices

· Reliable, punctual, and able to work as part of a team.

· Experience of infant feeding (personal or professional)

Training / Support

· A full induction to the service and specific site will be provided.

· Requirement to undertake One YMCA online training courses

· To understand and implement One YMCA’s policies.

· Ongoing support and regular 1:1 meetings

· Access to organisational events throughout the year including Socials, Conferences and Training opportunities. 

Additional Information

· Undergo enhanced DBS check

· X2 References required

· Undertake additional training as and when required

· We offer to pay volunteers’ “out of pocket” expenses within agreed guidelines

If you have space in your home and heart, for a guide dog mum who will be bringing the next generation of guide dogs in the world, then this could be the role for you! A role where you can care and nurture for a guide dog mum and plenty of little puppies when they arrive. 

What you’ll be doing: 

• Providing a loving home for a guide dog mum who will be at least 12 months old, for around six years whilst they are in the breeding programme (with the option to re-home after this, once the guide dog mum retires at around 7 years-old.) 
• Giving a guide dog mum the care and support that our canine companions need, like feeding and grooming.
• Creating a safe environment for the guide dog mum when they are giving birth within your home and helping with the birth of future guide dogs, which usually happens once a year. (You don’t need any previous experience of breeding or having dogs – we have expert staff who will help you!) 
• Providing care and support for the newborn puppies for at least 6 weeks while they are still in the nest, including socialising them to the new sounds and first-time experiences in your home.

Can I care for a guide dog mum? 

If you want to care for a guide dog mum, here's what we ideally look for:

• A loving home with a secure garden.
• Access to a car, to support with any appointments needed for the guide dog mum.
• Live within an hour’s drive of the National Centre in Leamington Spa.

Guide dog mums can happily live with other dogs or children, however we wouldn’t place them with a male dog that has not been neutered. To determine whether you are suitable, we will conduct a home visit as part of the application process. 

What you’ll get:

• The opportunity to have a lovable canine companion!
• The satisfaction of knowing you’re supporting people with sight loss to live actively, independently, and well.
• The rewarding experience of bringing the next generation of guide dogs in the world and caring for their mum.
• Our volunteers have access to our bespoke training techniques to implement with their guide dog mum a great bonus for any dog owners! 
• The opportunity to be part of the Guide Dogs community, meeting like-minded people in your area.
• A dedicated volunteer manager and fellow peers who will help support you throughout your role.

Training and support

Our volunteers also receive lots of support from their volunteer managers to help them implement the training modules, as well as managing the birth of new-born puppies. If you have questions about the training requirements, we can answer these at your interview along with any other support or accessibility needs you may have.

Volunteering for Guide Dogs should never leave you out of pocket. We’ll make sure we pay any pre-agreed expenses related to the litter or your volunteering with us, including veterinary costs, food costs or any specialist breeding equipment.  All you may need to buy is a bed and grooming equipment.

Minimum age of volunteer: 18.