Art therapist volunteer roles

About Kith & Kids
We provide activities, opportunities, information, and support for people with a learning disability or autism, their parents and siblings.
For all our projects and activities we are dependent on volunteers.

Our Summer Project
Wed 22nd – Sun 26th July 9:30am – 5:30pm in North London.

We are currently looking for energetic and enthusiastic volunteers, to join us on our fantastic fun-filled Summer Social Development Project.

Volunteers and our members who have disabilities get to know each other as they take part in fun and challenging workshops including sports & games, arts & crafts, cooking and enjoying a day out in London.

What you'll do
On the project you and a fellow volunteer will be paired with one of our members with a learning disability or autism. You'll support and encourage them to take part in a wide range of activities led by professional therapists and workshop leaders.

Our core activities are sports & games, arts & crafts, drama and music. Previous additional workshops have also included photography, football and cooking and you’ll plan your own exciting outing around London with a fellow volunteer and the Kith & Kids member you're linked with.

Not only is it a time full of fun and games for you and our members, you are a vital part in supporting them to develop their social skills in a day-to-day environment.

Come along and get involved!

Male volunteers especially welcome (we need more)!!

Requirements

What you need
You do not need experience. Full disability awareness training will be provided before you begin volunteering with us.
The only requirements we ask of you are enthusiasm, energy and to be open-minded.
Minimum age for volunteers is 18.

How much time?
The project runs for 5 days, Wed 22nd – Sun 26th July, 9:30am – 5:30pm  in North London.

Everyone gets the most out of the project if you come for the full ten days as you'll build a close relationship with the member you'll have been supporting and will create the most impact.

What we can offer you
We can reimburse your travel expenses and provide a delicious lunch each day.
We'll also provide excellent training before the project, and lots of helpful support.

By volunteering on our project, you'll also:

• Use and develop your skills.
• Learn something new, get involved in fun activities with others.
• Increase your confidence.
• Meet new people and make friends.
• Gain experience for (other) work
• Give something back to the community.
• Do something fun and satisfying in your spare time.
• Challenge yourself.
   

What about training?
Volunteers must attend training and complete a free DBS check before you begin volunteering.

This is a great opportunity to get to know everyone at Kith & Kids: your fellow volunteers, some of our members you will be working with, and also gives the opportunity to develop some new skills and expand your knowledge in our workshops.

Topics we cover include:

• Communication
• Autism
• Supporting emotions
• Safeguarding
• Creativity & Participation
• Epilepsy
   

When do I need to come?

We'll be running face-to-face training in north London starting on the 17th  May with lots of other dates to choose from.

In the meantime, we'll be meeting volunteers online from the end of April.  

Training will take place in North London – once we have met you online for a chat, we will send you confirmation of our training venue details.  

What Will You Be Doing?

As a Trustee of Autism Together, you can make a very real difference to the lives of the people we support.

The Board is looking to add to the existing Trustee team, to support Autism Together with its ideas for growth and implementation of its ongoing strategic business plan. As a new Trustee, you can play a pivotal role in driving new pathways to grow our charity and further improve support for the people in our care.

Successful applicants will be joining the board of one of the UK's leading specialist service providers, a charitable organisation which directly supports over 400 autistic adults, through a workforce of more than 900 staff.

Founded in Wirral, Merseyside, in 1968 by a group of pioneering parents, today the charity ranks among the top 1,500 charities by turnover in the UK.

Autism Together is a complex, stimulating, award-winning organisation with an annual income of over £33m and a substantial property portfolio. The charity provides Residential care, Supported Living, Day Services, specialist autism training, and offers advice and support to families across the region.

The organisation manages two farms, an expansive woodland, three cafés, and a rock band led by people the charity supports.

As a charity, our mission is to help autistic people develop to their full potential, and to educate and develop their community around them.

Our Charity Values Are:

• To promote positive communication.
• Be person-centred.
• Promote learning.
• Be respectful.
• Enhance community connection.

Autism affects everyone differently, so we work with each individual to help them overcome the difficulties the condition presents them with, helping them to lead a more active, creative, and fulfilling life.

As a Trustee, you will help us to maintain our missions, values, and ethos as we work towards our strategic goals.

What Are We Looking For?
We are seeking Trustees who will bring relevant skills and experience in at least one of the following areas:

• Community-led development and action.
• Financial management.
• Legal and HR experience in the field of commercial and charity law.
• Communications experience.
• IT and governance structures.
• Property and Estates.
• Governance and/or knowledge of quality assurance.

Beyond technical and strategic abilities, we are looking for individuals who are committed to our mission and values, with strong interpersonal skills to constructively challenge the Board and the Executives in the best interests of the people we support.

Joining the Board of a leading national provider of services to autistic people, you will work alongside the current Board of Trustees and the Executive Team to provide a sector-leading service to propel the organisation into a bright, secure and successful future, supporting autistic people and their families to live rich and fulfilling lives.

We look forward to hearing from you.

What Difference Will You Make?

This is an exciting time to be joining our organisation, as we start to see the fruits of our ongoing strategic business plan and continue to expand our portfolio of estates.

This Trustee position is key to supporting the governance of Autism Together, helping guide the organisation in the right direction, while giving our staff the tools and opportunities to provide the best possible care for the people we support.

The Board plays a key role in the running of Autism Together. It sets out the organisational strategy and is responsible for agreeing the direction and values of the charity, while overseeing the finances and managing risk.

With the recent appointment of a new interim CEO, it is an important time for our Trustees to support our existing plans for growth, while looking towards the future of our charity. We need individuals who can offer professional and practical experience, in order to bolster our Board as they undertake key governance decisions in the best interests of the organisation.

Our Trustees contribute significantly to the strategic planning and direction of Autism Together and successful candidates will need to demonstrate experience in governance and good communication, while conforming to our Trustee Code.

The Board recognises that diversity of Trustees is vital if we are to operate with excellence, and we warmly welcome applications from individuals of diverse backgrounds.

Trustees are expected to attend 8 board meetings per year, become actively involved in at least one quarterly sub-committee, and to familiarise themselves with all aspects of the charity's work.

Interested in the Position?

Please apply via this site, letting us know why you wish to become a trustee of Autism Together and what skills you believe you will bring to this position.

All applications will considered by the Board’s Nominations Committee. If you are shortlisted, you will be contacted for an informal chat with a trustee, the CEO or a member of the Executive Team and a visit to view some of our facilities to gain a better understanding of the services. Following this, a mutually convenient date for interview will be arranged.

The Baobab Centre supports young asylum seekers and refugees who have experienced severe human rights abuses and arrived in the UK as unaccompanied minors. Our work focuses on rehabilitation and justice, providing long-term, holistic support to help young people heal from trauma and rebuild their lives.

We are at an exciting time of change within the organisation and now seeking new Trustees to join our Board and help guide Baobab through its next phase of development. 

The Baobab Centre is looking for new Trustees with experience of one of more of the following - management at a senior level in the third sector; fundraising; IT & Digital, IT Security; or clinical practice in psychotherapy.

Lived experience of the asylum and social care systems in the UK and/or work experience with young asylum seekers and refugees is particularly welcome. We also actively welcome young professionals and first-time trustees who are motivated to learn, bring fresh perspectives, and contribute their skills to an impactful charity.

Will you share your counselling or psychotherapy skills as a child & young person's (CYP) counsellor or therapist to join an online counselling service for young patients with a pain condition (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome)? We’re supporting patients, relatives, partners and carers affected by a debilitating condition; Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).

We're looking for qualified paediatric/child &/or young person counsellors, psychotherapists or psychologists ideally with some experience of working with chronic pain patients, who may want to volunteer their skills supporting our young service users and help develop a psychological support service. 

As a Volunteer Child and/or young person's Counsellor/Therapist you’ll be providing remote online counselling/therapy support services to young people aged 5 to 18 who are vulnerable, many of whom are isolated and in need of mental health services. You’ll be providing one-to-one counselling sessions online or by phone. With your recognised counselling qualifications and experience you will be an asset to our small charity and to our young services users. 

Depending on your qualifications, skills and experience, volunteer child counsellors / therapists provide person centred counselling (general talking counselling), integrative, pluralistic including or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), ACT and EMDR for young CRPS patients.

We are needing to expand this service to support our young clients as it has rapidly received a high number of referrals. People can be referred both by health or legal professionals as well as having parents/guardians referring them to the service.

In this role you’ll be able to develop your paediatric counselling skills, organisation, communication and team working skills. If you have experience in younger children please do get in touch.

Most importantly, you’ll provide essential services that ensure 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 child client general assessments, followed by therapy (via Zoom or phone) to our clients, offering up to 20 one hour (or 45 mins age dependant) sessions for each client plus 4 assessments

• Providing one-to-one therapy sessions to young patients aged 5-18 (we will consider therapists who can only support primary or secondary school age)

• Update our database with the client’s basic information and session attendance

• Maintain succinct, relevant session notes and store these securely

• Attending and participating in meetings
• Project monitoring, creating, reporting and outcomes evaluation procedures

• Attend CPD training to ensure your knowledge stays current

• Participating in regular meetings with the Clinical Lead
• Maintaining client confidentiality, upholding data protection and equal opportunities principle

• Attend monthly internal group Supervision to ensure safe working practices

We can support you to develop the skills you need for this role, including an induction. You will have a chance to discuss your role and any additional needs with us.

What you need for this role

Essential

• Be a member of one of the recognised organisations (see below)
• Level 4 Diploma level qualifications as a minimum, Degree or Masters in Paediatric Counselling, Counselling/Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, Play Therapy, Dance & Movement Psychotherapy or Art Therapy 
• Minimum of 100 hours supervised
• Proof of professional indemnity insurance annually - we may consider paying this as an expense but a 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 child or young clients a week, being three hours of your time for counselling sessions plus time for administration. We ideally hope you to offer the charity a commitment of six months.

Desirable

• Personal or professional Knowledge or experience of chronic pain or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Previous experience as a chronic pain or CRPS paediatric 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 welcome trained paediatric counsellors, child therapists and counselling/clinical psychologists who are willing to give their time to support our valuable work.

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

• British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP)
• British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapists (BABCP)
• Complimentary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC)
• 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 as the service is rapidly expanding 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 younger clients but also ensure we provide counselling services and mental health support to our young child CRPS patients 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 continually developing, you would have a key role in developing a young person counselling programme and to complement our support services that we offer. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to make a real difference in a child's life which is already isolated and painful, who may not have received any psychological support.