Volunteer volunteer roles in Cambridge, cambridgeshire

Volunteer Grant Officer

Southwark Tenants’ Federation – Grassroots Housing Advice Charity

Location: Southwark / Remote (hybrid available)
Time commitment: Flexible (approx. 4–8 hours per week)
Contract: Volunteer

About Us

We are a small grassroots charity based in Southwark and the only surviving tenants’ federation in London. For decades, we have supported tenants and residents to defend their housing rights, challenge poor conditions, and have a collective voice in decisions that affect their homes and communities.

Our social housing advice service supports people facing homelessness, disrepair, evictions, and housing management issues, with a strong focus on empowerment and tenant-led action.

The Role

We are seeking a Volunteer Grant Officer to help us secure funding to sustain and grow our vital work. This role is crucial to keeping an independent, tenant-led voice alive in London.

You will work closely with a small, committed team and help ensure our advice service remains accessible to local residents.

Key Responsibilities

• Research grant funding opportunities suitable for a grassroots, tenant-led organisation
• Draft and submit grant applications to trusts, foundations, and statutory funders
• Maintain a simple funding pipeline and track deadlines
• Work with staff and volunteers to gather service data, outcomes, and case studies
• Assist with basic funder monitoring and reporting

About You

Essential:

• Strong written communication skills
• Good organisational skills and reliability
• Commitment to social justice and housing rights

Desirable (but not essential):

• Experience of grant writing or fundraising
• Knowledge of social housing, tenant organisations, or advice services

We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of social housing.

What We Offer

• Flexible volunteering hours
• Support, supervision, and guidance
• The opportunity to contribute to a unique and historic tenant-led organisation
• Experience in grant writing within the voluntary and housing sectors
• References provided where appropriate

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with VoiceAbility,

About VoiceAbility 

VoiceAbility is an independent charity and one of the UK’s largest providers of advocacy and involvement services. We deliver a wide range of service contracts funded by local authorities, health trusts and other voluntary and private sector organisations.  

We’ve been supporting people to have their say in decisions about their health, care, and wellbeing for over 40 years. We make sure people are heard when it matters most.  For more information on what Advocacy is and the services offered then please visit our website. 

Why Volunteer with VoiceAbility 

Volunteering with VoiceAbility gives you the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in your community by helping others ensure their voices are heard and valued. The roles we offer are deeply rewarding and may challenge you in new ways. You’ll develop your communication skills, meet new people, and gain a greater understanding of others, while enjoying a sense of personal fulfilment along the way! 

We ask for a minimum commitment of just 3 hours per week, but you’re welcome to volunteer for more if you’d like. Whether you're looking to give back to your community, learn something new, or simply enjoy connecting with others, we’d love to have you on board! 

Volunteer positions currently available in Bedfordshire

Relevant Person’s Representative (RPR) Support Volunteer

People in care homes should have a voice to communicate their needs wishes and wants. Some people need support with this, but don’t have friends and family available to assist them.  This means they’re entitled to have support from an RPR and volunteer, who are there to make sure they get the care they deserve.  Your role as an RPR Support Volunteer is to collaborate with the VoiceAbility RPR to make sure a person’s views are listened to when decisions are made about their care. 

As an RPR Support Volunteer you might: 

• Visit people in their care home, to make sure they’re getting the right care and support

• Talk with them about their feelings, thoughts and wishes 

• Raise concerns

• Keep detailed notes and records 

• Make a real difference to someone’s life 

Hospital Visitor Volunteer

Hospital Visitor volunteers visit hospital settings to ensure that people detained under the Mental Health Act are aware that they have a legal right to an IMHA qualified advocate.  The volunteers are instrumental in ensuring that clients get access to an advocate and can also support the work that advocates undertake.

This role entails weekly visits to either Townsend Court and Poplar Wards (Luton) on Fridays 1-4 or Fountains Court (Bedford) on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.

As a hospital volunteer, you might: 

• hold drop-in sessions

• attend events and ward meetings at local facilities 

• share information

• assist people to request advocacy support by completing a form online or calling our contact centre 

Support Session Volunteer

You’ll be supporting people over the age of 18 with disabilities, this may include those with poor mental health, learning difficulties, autism and other disabilities.  Your role will include supporting clients to understand and undertake a task on a one-to-one basis.  The task will vary from client to client as will the needs of the individual. 

As a support session volunteer, you might: 

• help people have their say when it matters most 

• Helping individuals navigate challenges and ensuring their needs are met 

• help people to make complaints and use local services 

All volunteering will take place Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 17:00.  You will need to be over 18 years old and be living in the UK. Please note that there is no opportunity to volunteer at weekends or in the evening. 

Safeguarding Commitment Statement 

VoiceAbility are committed to safeguarding all clients who access our services. All Volunteers will be required to undertake a DBS check at the appropriate level and provide contact details for a minimum of two referees in line with our safer recruitment practice. 

ED&I Statement 

VoiceAbility believes in fostering an inclusive workplace which welcomes, values and celebrates the diversity of its staff and partners, treats all on a basis of equality and encourages all to meet their maximum potential. 

VoiceAbility are a Disability Confident employer, any applicant that identifies themselves as having a disability and can demonstrate that they meet all the essential criteria for the role will be offered an interview. If you need to apply in a different way, please contact the Volunteering team for further options. 

To find out more click “Apply Now”.

This Role Protects Our People and Our Purpose

At Tell My Truth and Shame the Devil C.I.C., our work intersects with survivors of CSA, vulnerable young people, and marginalised communities. Content, engagement, and community interaction can surface trauma, risk, or harmful behaviours. The Community Moderation & Safeguarding Officer ensures that all digital and community spaces operate safely, ethically, and responsibly, protecting members, volunteers, and the CIC itself.This is not a passive role. It is a high-responsibility, systems-driven position where vigilance and structured response are critical.

Purpose of the Role

This role is responsible for:

• Protecting members from harm
• Preventing retraumatisation
• Upholding community standards
• Supporting moderators and volunteers
• Ensuring safeguarding procedures are followed in real time

The role-holder ensures that the community does not drift into chaos, harm, or uncontained disclosure.

About the role:

To manage safeguarding and moderation protocols across all digital platforms and community touchpoints, acting as the first point of escalation for risk, abuse, or harmful content.

To uphold UK safeguarding compliance, maintain accurate records, support moderation teams, and advise leadership on risk trends, mitigation, and community safety — protecting trust and ethical engagement.

Experience Qualification and Requirements

Essential experience

• Practical experience in safeguarding, child protection, or vulnerable-adult contexts, or closely related roles involving risk assessment and duty of care.
• Background in social care, youth work, education, community services, mental health, or survivor-support environments with sensitive disclosures.
• Experience moderating online communities or managing safety in digital spaces, particularly those involving vulnerable or at-risk groups.
• Proven ability to identify risk, assess severity, and respond appropriately, including recognising when immediate escalation is required.
• Experience handling incidents and maintaining clear, factual documentation and records in line with safeguarding expectations.
• Experience contributing to or applying safeguarding policies, protocols, or guidance in real-world settings.

Essential skills

• Strong understanding of safeguarding principles, boundaries, confidentiality, and safe handling of disclosures.
• Ability to apply a trauma-informed approach, communicating calmly and respectfully while prioritising safety and dignity.
• Clear written communication skills for incident logs, escalation summaries, and internal reporting.
• Sound judgement and emotional resilience when working with distressing or sensitive material.
• Ability to support and guide volunteers, providing clear advice and reassurance on moderation decisions.
• High attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy, confidentiality, and safeguarding compliance.
• Confidence following structured protocols, checklists, and escalation routes without deviation.

Desirable (not required)

• Experience with CSA, exploitation, domestic abuse, or safeguarding-led community organisations.
• Experience delivering safeguarding or moderation training to volunteers or staff.
• Familiarity with UK safeguarding expectations and referral processes.
• Confidence using shared digital tools such as Teams, spreadsheets, forms, and incident trackers.

Formal qualifications

• Formal qualifications are not required; equivalent professional experience is essential.
• Full training will be provided on CIC-specific safeguarding and moderation protocols.

Main Responsibilities/ Key Duties

• Develop, implement, and maintain clear moderation and safeguarding frameworks that are trauma-informed, practical, and consistently applied across all CIC platforms.
• Monitor all community spaces to identify harmful or abusive behaviour, boundary violations, and high-risk disclosures involving children, survivors, or vulnerable adults.
• Take timely moderation action in line with protocols, including content removal, access restrictions, warnings, or escalation to safeguarding leads.
• Escalate safeguarding incidents promptly and accurately in accordance with CIC procedures, prioritising cases involving immediate or serious risk.
• Maintain accurate, confidential records of incidents, actions taken, outcomes, and follow-ups to ensure accountability and audit readiness.
• Support a safe and respectful community culture by reinforcing behaviour standards, tone-of-voice guidance, and survivor-centred practices.
• Train and support volunteers in trauma-informed moderation, safeguarding awareness, confidentiality, and correct escalation pathways.
• Review incident trends and recurring risks, recommending improvements to moderation systems, guidance, and preventative controls.
• Liaise closely with Social Media Engagement Officers, Campaign Managers, and Membership & Community Directors to ensure joined-up safeguarding practice.
• Contribute to continuous improvement by supporting updates to policies, protocols, response scripts, and internal safeguarding documentation.

This role is not suitable if you:

• Avoid conflict or risk
• Seek casual, low-commitment volunteer work
• Are unable to follow structured protocols
• Prefer creative or posting roles over operational responsibility
• Expect immediate paid employment

Important to Be Clear

• This is a volunteer role during the build phase
• It carries real responsibility and accountability
• Paid roles will emerge as funding and sustainability allow

Next Steps

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to:

• A values-led and ethics conversation
• A practical safeguarding scenario discussion

If you believe that safety and ethical oversight are as important as strategy and content, this role is for you.

A Final Word

Safeguarding is about people, not procedures.

If you know that:
Protection requires vigilance and structure
Documentation is a safeguarding responsibility
Ethical oversight keeps trust intact