4 Support assistant volunteer roles

Volunteer I&A Telephone Support Assistant

Make a real difference with just a friendly voice and good listening skills.

We’re looking for warm, organised volunteers to help answer calls to our Information & Advice (I&A) service. You’ll take basic enquiry details, log them onto our system, and help ensure residents who are 18+  get the support they need. We would ask for a commitment of a few hours a week.

What you’ll do

• Answer incoming calls in a calm, friendly and professional way
• Take clear messages and note down enquiry details
• Log information onto our CRM system (Salesforce)
• Keep all client information confidential
• Follow simple call‑handling guidance
• Flag urgent concerns to a member of staff
• Support small admin tasks linked to the service
• Join occasional team meetings or training sessions

What we offer you

• Full training and ongoing support from staff
• A welcoming, friendly team environment
• Out‑of‑pocket expenses covered (pre‑agreed)
• Valuable, transferable skills in communication and admin
• The joy of knowing you’re helping older people get timely support

About you

• Confident, clear telephone manner
• Basic computer skills
• Good organiser and good communicator
• Patient, empathetic and able to listen well
• Understands (or willing to learn about) confidentiality/GDPR
• Reliable, enthusiastic and comfortable speaking to a wide range of people
• Additional languages are a bonus

Two references are required for this role.

Recovery Support Volunteer - With Duty Support

Location: The role will be based in Weymouth

Timing: We are looking for someone who can offer around 8 hours per week. Exact hours can be flexible and discussed at interview.

About Waythrough

Waythrough provides specialist support across mental health, alcohol, drugs and related areas. We delivery high-quality, evidence-based services designed around the real needs of the people we serve.

Every year, we support around 125,000 people through over 250 services - and it's all made possible by our 3,500 brilliant staff and volunteers.

Make a real difference in your community 

Are you passionate about helping others live safer, healthier, more independent lives? Join our team at Waythrough and support people facing challenges around mental health, substance use, housing or domestic abuse. This is more than just a job – it’s a chance to build meaningful relationships and create lasting change. 

REACH Drug and Alcohol Service is the commissioned community drug and alcohol provision for Devon. It provides a range of support, interventions and treatments for those wanting to make positive changes to their drug and/or alcohol use, as well raising awareness and supporting family members.

Details of the role & tasks

Recovery Support Volunteers can be involved in various aspects of service delivery. It is a front line, client facing role and may involve a focus on one particular area, such as group work or Duty support, or, it may involve a combination of tasks and activities. We are looking for a team player with a willingness to learn.

Tasks may include:

• Support people engaged in support with Together to achieve their Recovery Plan goals
• Support the facilitation of structured and unstructured group work programmes, both virtually and face to face
• Support and empower individuals to engage in recovery activities, including those provided by Together and the wider community
• Conduct welfare and check-in phone calls
• Be a first point of contact for individuals, professionals, or family members, taking referrals as appropriate
• Provide Brief Interventions, including those focussed around harm reduction
• Use Halo (internal case management system) to document sessions and support the team with updates and audits
• Identify and report any concerns or risks to the Duty staff or Duty Manager
• Potential to offer 1-1 support to individuals and hold a small caseload; from point of assessment through to ongoing recovery support – once confident and competent to do so, and alongside the support and guidance of your supervisor

Personal qualities

Skills we would like you to bring to the role:

• Welcoming, friendly and an ability to put other people at ease
• Good IT skills
• Good written communication skills
• Non-judgmental towards people facing challenges in their lives, including around drug and/or alcohol use and/or mental health
• Confident to contact people by email / phone
• Good time keeping
• Able to work as part of a team, on own initiative and to instruction
• An understanding of Waythrough – information is available on our website
• A genuine interest in being part of the mission and vision of Waythrough
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries, adhere to Waythrough policies and media guidelines, engage in supervision, and complete relevant training

What We Offer

We value the people who make a difference every day. Alongside meaningful work, you’ll enjoy:

• Discounts from various schemes

• Training and personal development

• A chance to make a real difference in people’s lives

• Free induction and role-specific training

• Support from experienced staff and regular supervision

• Opportunities to meet new people and develop your confidence

• Reimbursement for travel and agreed expenses

• Valuable experience that can support your personal or career development

Inclusion and accessibility 

Waythrough is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and communities, especially those with lived experience of the issues we support. 

We have signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme  - all applicants are welcome, and adjustments can be made to enable fair participation.

Help us keep our food charity running smoothly. Are you organised, reliable and interested in gaining practical experience in the charity sector?

We're looking for a Volunteer Administrative Support Assistant to join our team for ideally a 6-month placement. This is a great opportunity to develop your administrative and organisational skills while supporting a charity working to reduce food waste, tackle food poverty and support our local community. You don't need extensive administrative experience. We're looking for someone who is enthusiastic, willing to learn and keen to contribute to a meaningful organisation. As Volunteer Administrative Support Intern, you'll provide essential support across the charity's day-to-day operations. 

The role is remote with the opportunity to come into our Brixton office. You will work closely with charity staff to collaborate with other organisations and prepare for upcoming projects in 2027. We are looking for someone to work 9 to 5 hours for 2-3 days a week.

Who we are:

Founded in 2018, Compliments of The House (CoTH) began by collecting surplus cooked food from Brixton Village and surrounding areas, and redistributing it free to people in need. From our local hubs we served our guests, and also ran our ‘Back to Work’ and ‘Care Leaver’ schemes. 

During the COVID-19 lockdown, we could not host our guests in our hub. So we launched a temporary grocery delivery scheme supported by local council school buses, which gained recognition from the Prime Minister due to its impact. 

Since then, we have found a new venture to channel our commitments to reducing the environmental impact within hospitality whilst nourishing people through food. We are so lucky to have many vibrant and diverse festivals locally and across the UK, which produce a whopping 400 tonnes in food waste every year! We’re taking on the challenge to reduce that waste and use it to nourish those in need. 

We’re looking for someone:

• Comfortable with emails and Google Drive or Microsoft programmes

• Who has an understanding of GDPR, able to maintain confidentiality in line with data protection

• Happy to pitch in on varied tasks and projects

• With excellent written communication skills, basic numeracy and computer skills

• Organised and reliable, someone who can manage their own work and time

• Passionate about sustainability, reducing food waste or supporting communities

• Eager to learn and contribute new ideas

Responsibilities:

• General administrative duties, e.g. data entry, managing emails and Google Drive documents/ records, updating spreadsheets and organisational records 

• Handling sensitive information such as personal data and charity finances (receipts, funding etc.)

• Supporting organising for our campaigns, sourcing equipment, recruiting volunteers

• Adapting, editing, drafting, updating and designing materials/literature

• Research background material for projects 

• Take part in meetings with external organisations involved in our projects and taking meeting minutes

What You'll Gain

• Experience with administration and communications for a growing charity

• Experience in events planning and recruiting/ organising volunteers

• Training, support and regular feedback

• Strong understanding of what is involved in organising and running charity operations

• A professional reference on successful completion of the placement

• The opportunity to make a genuine difference by helping reduce food waste and improve access to nutritious food

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming organisation. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and lived experiences. 

How to Apply

Please send us:

• Your CV

• A short statement (up to 300 words) explaining why you'd like to volunteer with us and what you hope to gain from the placement