Development communications coordinator volunteer roles

Make a real difference in one person’s week, one visit at a time.

Adult carers in Solihull often put their own lives on hold to look after a family member. Many feel isolated or find it hard to get out to local activities. We are looking for Community Befriender Volunteers who can give a small amount of time to help carers reconnect with their community and build confidence again.

As a Community Befriender, you will meet adult carers aged 25 and over, get to know what interests them, and support them to attend local groups, classes, or social opportunities. Some may want to try a hobby they stopped years ago. Others may need help getting to an appointment or a wellbeing activity. Your support helps them take the first step.

Your role will include:

• Meeting carers in person in safe community settings.
• Helping them find suitable activities, groups, or events in Solihull.
• Supporting them to attend, using your own transport or public transport.
• Giving encouragement and practical help so they feel confident.
• Working towards the goal of them attending independently.
• Staying in touch with the Befriending Coordinator for guidance.

You choose the time you can offer. The role is flexible and fits around your life. We provide training, ongoing support, and clear guidance throughout.

This role suits you if you enjoy meeting people, know your local area, and want to support adults who care for loved ones. You do not need previous experience, only patience, reliability, and a kind approach.

People search terms included for Google: community befriender volunteer Solihull, adult carer support volunteer, volunteer with unpaid carers, flexible community volunteering, befriending roles Solihull.

Overview

The Social Supermarket Initiative (SSI) is a community-led social enterprise addressing food insecurity and promoting sustainable community growth through our affordable supermarket model, outreach programmes, and ethical partnerships. 

We are seeking an organised, proactive, and digitally confident Social Media Manager to manage SSI’s social media channels, ensuring consistent, mission-led communication that connects with members, volunteers, partners, and the wider community.This role focuses on platform management, scheduling, live engagement, and audience interaction. 

You will work closely with the Graphic and Content Coordinator and the Marketing & Communications Team to ensure all activity aligns with SSI’s brand, values, and communications policies.

Key Responsibilities

• Schedule, manage, and publish posts on SSI’s social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok) in line with content provided by the Graphic and Content Coordinator.

• Go live on social media platforms as needed to promote events, campaigns, or community initiatives.

• Monitor SSI’s social media channels, including comments, messages, tags, and mentions, ensuring timely, professional, community-centred responses.

• Collaborate with the Graphic and Content Coordinator and the Marketing & Communications Team to ensure messaging aligns with campaigns, brand guidelines, and organisational priorities.

• Track basic analytics and engagement data, providing concise reports and insights to inform ongoing activity.

• Ensure all social media activity complies with SSI’s Brand Identity, Social Media Policy, and Communications Policy.

• Support the promotion of events, membership drives, and campaigns through coordinated social media activity with the team. 

About You

Essential

• Experience in social media management and channel oversight.

• Confident using social media tools, scheduling platforms, and basic analytics dashboards.

• Strong organisational skills, able to manage calendars, live sessions, and multiple priorities.

• Clear, professional written communication and a community-centred approach when engaging online.

• Comfortable working collaboratively with the Graphic and Content Coordinator and the Marketing & Communications Team.

• Genuine interest in community engagement, social enterprise, and SSI’s mission.

Desirable

• Familiarity with analytics tools (Instagram Insights, Meta Analytics, or similar) to track engagement and inform strategy.

• Interest in ethical storytelling, nonprofit marketing, or advocacy work.

• Experience coordinating with creative teams or managing workflows across multiple stakeholders.

• Ability to interpret social media metrics and make practical recommendations for improvement.

• Experience working in a small team or dynamic environment where flexibility and adaptability are key.

• Strong organisational skills for managing multiple platforms, schedules, and live events simultaneously.

What We Offer

• The opportunity to manage social media for a purpose-driven social enterprise with measurable community impact.

• Hands-on experience in social media management, live engagement, and analytics reporting.

• Close collaboration with the Marketing & Communications Team and the Graphic and Content Coordinator.

• Networking opportunities through SSI’s community events, partners, and outreach activities.

• Training and development to support your growth and impact.

• Potential for extended collaboration or future opportunities within SSI, subject to organisational need.

How to Apply

Please send your CV (max 2 pages) and a short statement (max 300 words) outlining your interest in the role.

This Role Protects People, Not Just Content
Tell My Truth and Shame the Devil C.I.C. works with survivors, vulnerable adults, young people, and lived-experience storytellers. Content is not neutral here. It carries emotional, legal, and safeguarding weight.
The Content Approval & Safeguarding Coordinator exists to ensure that nothing goes live unless it is safe, ethical, compliant, and aligned with survivor-centred practice.
This role is a gatekeeper role, not a rubber stamp.
 
Purpose of the Role
This role sits between content creation and public release.
Its purpose is to:

• Protect survivors
• Protect the organisation
• Protect the community
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding, consent, and data protection standards

This role ensures that growth never comes at the cost of safety.

Experience Qualification and Requirements

Essential Experience

• Experience in safeguarding-focused roles where risk assessment, ethical judgement, and protection of vulnerable individuals are central.
• Experience in content moderation, editorial review, compliance, or approval processes involving sensitive or high-impact material.
• Experience working within survivor-led, trauma-informed, or community-based organisations.
• Experience in social care, youth work, community work, or similar environments involving safeguarding responsibilities.
• Experience assessing risk, balancing impact versus harm, and making defensible approval decisions.

Essential Skills

• Strong operational judgement and ability to make clear, consistent decisions under safeguarding and ethical frameworks.
• Excellent attention to detail, particularly around consent, language, framing, and contextual risk.
• Strong written communication skills for documenting decisions, feedback, and escalation summaries.
• Ability to work collaboratively with content, moderation, safeguarding, and campaign teams.
• Confidence following structured protocols and escalating concerns without delay when thresholds are met

Training & Qualifications

• Formal safeguarding training is essential.
• Ongoing training and guidance will be provided to support continuous learning and alignment with CIC standards.

Note: Lived experience alone is not sufficient for this role; demonstrated operational judgement and safeguarding competence are required.

Main Responsibilities/ Key Duties

• Review all content prior to publication to identify safeguarding risks, consent clarity, trauma exposure, and inappropriate language or framing.
• Apply content approval protocols consistently, ensuring decisions are aligned with safeguarding, ethical, and organisational standards.
• Ensure survivor testimony and sensitive content comply with informed consent requirements, usage agreements, and platform-appropriate boundaries.
• Assess whether content is suitable for public release, restricted distribution, amendment, or rejection based on risk and impact.
• Liaise closely with key stakeholders to ensure joined-up decision-making, including the Content Librarian / Asset Manager, Community Moderation team, Safeguarding Officer, and campaign leads.
• Maintain clear and auditable records of content approvals, rejections, required amendments, and final outcomes.
• Flag and escalate safeguarding concerns, boundary breaches, and high-risk material promptly in line with CIC escalation pathways.
• Support the development, refinement, and documentation of content approval frameworks and trauma-informed content guidelines.
• Contribute to continuous improvement by identifying recurring risks, gaps in guidance, or training needs related to content safety.

This role is not suitable if you:

• Avoid difficult decisions
• Prefer creative freedom over boundaries
• Are uncomfortable challenging others
• Want fast visibility or public-facing credit
• Are seeking immediate paid employment

Important to Be Clear

This is:

• A volunteer role during the build phase
• A position of trust and responsibility
• Not symbolic — this role has real authority
• Paid roles will be introduced as funding and sustainability allow.

Next Steps

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to:

• A safeguarding and judgement-based discussion
• A values and boundaries conversation

If you believe that truth without safety becomes harm, and that accountability must apply internally as well as externally, this role is for you.

A Final Word

Content approval is about people, not posts.

If you know that:

• Consent is a safeguarding responsibility
• Judgement must balance impact and harm
• Trust is protected through ethical restraint

This Role Holds the Line Where Community Meets Trauma

Tell My Truth and Shame the Devil C.I.C. is building survivor-centred, community-owned digital spaces where truth-telling, learning, and healing take place. These spaces are powerful — and without strong moderation, they can also become unsafe. The Community Moderation & Safety Lead exists to ensure that our online and digital communities remain safe, boundaried, respectful, and trauma-informed, without becoming policed, silencing, or extractive.

This is not a passive moderation role. It is a systems and safety leadership role.

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 protect members from harm, prevent retraumatisation, and ensure safeguarding procedures are followed in real time.To uphold community standards and support moderators and volunteers to prevent harm, chaos, or uncontained disclosure.

Experience Qualification and Requirements

Essential experience

• Experience in community moderation or community management, online or offline, with responsibility for maintaining healthy and safe spaces.
• Experience working in safeguarding, pastoral care, support, or risk-aware roles, where sensitive conversations and boundaries matter.
• Experience in trauma-informed or survivor-led contexts, or demonstrated ability to communicate safely and respectfully around sensitive topics.
• Experience responding to harmful behaviour, conflict, harassment, or boundary violations, including knowing when to escalate.
• Experience maintaining clear records/logs (incident notes, actions taken, outcomes) with professionalism and attention to confidentiality.

Essential skills

• Strong ability to set and uphold boundaries and community standards consistently, without escalating conflict or causing harm.
• Excellent judgement in identifying risk indicators, prioritising urgent concerns, and following escalation pathways precisely.
• Calm, respectful communication style with the ability to handle challenging conversations and emotionally difficult content.
• Strong written skills for incident documentation, summaries for escalation, and clear guidance to moderators and volunteers.
• Ability to lead and support volunteers: coaching, clarifying decisions, improving consistency, and encouraging good practice.
• High attention to detail and commitment to privacy, safeguarding, and data integrity in all moderation activity.
• Confidence working with systems, checklists, and protocols, and improving them based on what is happening in practice.

Desirable (not essential)

• Experience with youth work, social care, mental health services, or safeguarding-led community organisations.
• Experience moderating forums or social platforms, including handling DMs, comment moderation, and reporting/flagging systems.
• Experience collaborating with safeguarding and content approval teams, or contributing to guidelines and policy development.

Training / qualifications

• Formal safeguarding training is desirable but not essential.
• Training and clear CIC-specific protocols will be provided.

Main Responsibilities/ Key Duties

• Design and oversee community moderation systems across platforms, ensuring consistent standards, clear workflows, and survivor-centred safety practices.
• Develop and maintain community guidelines covering acceptable conduct, boundaries, tone-of-voice, confidentiality expectations, and consequences for breaches.
• Create and manage escalation pathways so volunteers can respond quickly to risk, route concerns correctly, and avoid delays or unsafe handling of disclosures.
• Lead and support volunteer moderators and facilitators through onboarding, coaching, decision support, and ensuring consistent moderation decisions across spaces.
• Monitor community spaces for safeguarding concerns, harmful or abusive language/behaviour, boundary violations, and patterns of escalating risk.
• Act as the first escalation point for high-risk conversations and disclosures that may require safeguarding action, ensuring urgent concerns are prioritised.
• Coordinate closely with key safeguarding stakeholders including the Safeguarding Officer, Content Approval & Safeguarding Coordinator, and Membership Director to align decisions and prevent gaps.
• Take appropriate moderation action in line with protocols (e.g., warnings, content removal, access restrictions, referral/escalation), while maintaining a calm and consistent approach.
• Maintain incident logs and moderation records that are accurate, timely, confidential, and suitable for internal review and accountability.
• Review patterns of harm or risk (themes, repeat users, platform weaknesses, vulnerable moments) and recommend improvements to guidelines, systems, volunteer training, and prevention controls.

This role is not suitable if you:

• Avoid conflict or boundary-setting.
• Want purely creative or social engagement.
• Are seeking unstructured peer support roles.
• Are unable to step back emotionally when required.
• Expect immediate paid employment

Important to Be Clear

This is:

• A volunteer role during the build phase.
• A role with real authority and responsibility.
• Not symbolic — decisions made here directly affect safety

Paid roles will be introduced as funding and sustainability allow.

Next Steps

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to:

• A safeguarding and scenario-based discussion.
• A boundaries and escalation conversation.
• If you believe that community without safety becomes harm, and that moderation is an act of care, not control, this role is for you.

A Final Word

Community safety is about people, not control.

If you know that:  Boundaries are a form of care. Consistency prevents harm. Safeguarding is an active responsibility.

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!

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!

Independent Visitor Volunteer

Our Independent Visitor Volunteers provide consistent and supportive relationships to children and young people in care, offering emotional support, companionship, and guidance through shared activities and time together.  The Independent Visitor plays a vital role in helping the young people build confidence and feel secure while enhancing their personal, social, and cultural development.

As an Independent Visitor Volunteer in England, you might:

• support the child/young person to experience enriching activities that contribute to their personal and cultural development 
• engage in activities such as pursuing hobbies, meeting for meals, or socialising in a community setting 
• listen to and support the young person, fostering a sense of safety and trust 
• help the young person develop social skills and increase their involvement in their community 
• develop a positive and lasting relationship, ensuring the young person feels valued and supported

You will need to be over 18 years old and be living in the UK. Please note that the Independent Visitor Volunteers generally volunteer at evening and weekends due to the children’s and young person’s availability.

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”. 

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! 

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! 

Independent Visitor Volunteer 

Our Independent Visitor Volunteers provide consistent and supportive relationships to children ad young people in care, offering emotional support, companionship, and guidance through shared activities and time together.The Independent Visitor plays a vital role in helping the young people build confidence and feel secure while enhancing their personal, social, and cultural development. 

As an Independent Visitor Volunteer in England, you might: 

• support the child/young person to experience enriching activities that contribute to their personal and cultural development

• engage in activities such as pursuing hobbies, meeting for meals, or socialising in a community setting

• listen to and support the young person, fostering a sense of safety and trust

• help the young person develop social skills and increase their involvement in their community

• develop a positive and lasting relationship, ensuring the young person feels valued and supported 

You will need to be over 18 years old and be living in the UK. Please note that the Independent Visitor Volunteers generally volunteer at evening and weekends due to the children’s and young person’s availability. 

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”.  

We are seeking a dedicated and experienced Qualified Counselling Supervisor to provide online supervision for our counsellors.

Responsibilities:

• Group Supervision:
  • Facilitate fortnightly group supervision sessions for trainee counsellors.
  • Create a safe, supportive, and reflective learning environment.
  • Facilitate discussions around client work, ethical dilemmas, and professional development.
  • Encourage self-awareness, critical thinking, and the integration of theory and practice.
  • Provide constructive feedback and guidance to trainees.
  • Monitor trainee progress and identify areas for development.
• Ethical and Professional Practice:
  • Ensure supervision adheres to the ethical guidelines of the [Relevant Professional Body, e.g., BACP, UKCP].
  • Maintain accurate and confidential records of supervision sessions.
  • Stay up-to-date with current counselling theory, practice, and ethical guidelines.
  • Recognise and manage potential conflicts of interest.
  • Contribute to the development of the counselling service.
• Collaboration and Communication:
  • Liaise with placement coordinators and other relevant staff as required.
  • Provide timely feedback to trainees and placement coordinators.
  • Maintain professional boundaries.

Person Specification:

Essential Criteria:

• Qualified and experienced counselling supervisor with a recognised supervision qualification.
• Membership of a relevant professional body (e.g., BACP, UKCP) and adherence to their ethical framework.
• Significant experience in providing counselling supervision, particularly in a group setting.
• Demonstrable knowledge of counselling theory, practice, and ethical guidelines.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and facilitation skills.
• Ability to create a safe and supportive learning environment.
• Commitment to ongoing professional development.
• Ability to maintain clear and accurate records.

What difference will you make?

Ongoing Professional Development:

• Your support will help our counsellors stay up-to-date with the best practices 

Client Safety:

• You will help to protect clients, ensuring that counsellors are working ethically and effectively

Quality Assurance:

You will help us ensure that our counselling services are delivered to a high standard

Are you passionate about social media and can lead a small team? We're looking to recruit a Lead Volunteer for our Social Media Team. We’re looking for someone who has a passion for promoting a small charity supporting a rare condition and has the ability to support a volunteering team as well as plan and use platforms and tools for social media including Canva, Google Drive and other digital platforms.

The Social Media Team develops and promotes Burning Nights CRPS Support’s communications online, using social media platforms as widely as possible, in order to maximise our impact and to inspire actions in the public, healthcare professionals, communities and businesses. The promotion of our activities will raise awareness of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and provide support and empowerment to the CRPS community. Communications will also run in line with Burning Nights CRPS Support's campaigns strategy/plan.

This is a flexible volunteering opportunity, which means your commitment can be balanced around your lifestyle - being part of a team to ensure that communications to our community and supporters are up to date and timely.
You will provide leadership for your team and support the development of a communications plan for the charity.

Key Tasks and Objectives
You will lead and support the development and implementation of a communications strategy, direction and plans for Burning Nights CRPS Support's Social Media/online communications, create engaging content, supervise the team and encourage high standards.
Tasks may include:

• Managing the Social Media campaigns across social media, which includes overseeing and creating engaging content, writing and editorial, design and artwork from The Social Media Team.
• Scheduling and posting regular social media content.
• Help develop social media campaigns and day-to-day activities.
• Prepare graphics for sharing across channels.
• Monitor the impact of social media campaigns; Analyse, review and report on effectiveness of campaigns in an effort to maximize the charity’s reach.
• Capture and report on monthly data from across all social media platform.
• Lead on Social Media meetings or the social media section of Comms meetings.
• Work with the whole Comms & Marketing Team including the Lead Communications & Marketing Volunteer to provide relevant content for their teams to use on social media, providing training/coaching where appropriate.
• Develop, manage content and maintain social media objectives and targets.
• Supporting the Social Media Team to ensure our social media platforms are regularly updated.
• Supporting with the development, preparation and implementation of Burning Nights CRPS Support's Social Media strategy in conjunction with the overall Comms strategy.
• Encouraging others to comment on our posts and share them with others, to ensure that our communications reach a wide range of stakeholders and diverse audience.
• Increasing the numbers of followers and engagement across our social media channels - Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok and X, using appropriate tools and utilising relevant channels to reach diverse audiences.
• Monitor, analyse and report on the performance of social media channels/activities using tools like Metricool, Buffer and Google Analytics, feeding back monthly to the Lead Comms Volunteer and the trustees, using the data to inform future activities.
• Keep up to date with the charity and healthcare sectors, events and news, and suggest content to promote through our social media feeds.
• Support new volunteer Social Media Team members ensuring they understand their role or assign them their role.
• Act responsibly with data held by Burning Nights CRPS Support that you may access as part of your role, adhering to guidelines and policies and reporting any concerns or possible breaches to Burning Nights CRPS Support's Data Protection Officer/Lead.

Key Skills or Qualifications

• Experience of using social media platforms, other online tools and Communications to generate interest in a charity, business or project.
• Experience of managing a team and projects.
• The ability to inspire people to act and get involved internally and externally.
• Ability to transform small snippets of information into interesting and engaging stories suitable for social media platforms.
• Good IT skills, including Google Drive, Canva, Buffer, Word and Excel.
• Experience of managing multiple campaigns, with excellent organisational and time management skills, delivering effective targeted outcomes.
• Be proactive and show initiative, with the ability to volunteer unsupervised.
• Genuine interest in supporting a small charity and a passion for campaigning for a healthcare charity.
• Be motivated and enthusiastic with proven experience and is passionate about social media and marketing, and producing tangible results.
• Good interpersonal skills dealing with people sensitively and respectfully from a wide range of backgrounds
• Strong strategic development, project management and articulate communication skills.
• Good attention to detail and accuracy, with succinct writing and proof-reading skills
• Able to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other volunteers and staff.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills with the ability to prioritise and structure work schedules.
• Ability to be innovative and creative.
• Ability to be flexible and have a 'can do' approach.
• Friendly, approachable manner - able to build rapport with a range of partners and staff, and provide a collaborative team environment.
• Confidence in communicating on Zoom or by email.

Key Benefits

• Voluntary Experience: Gain practical real-world experience working in social media management.
• Supportive Team: Collaborate with a passionate team working on projects.
• Personal Development: Develop your skills in social media marketing, content creation, and community engagement.
• Portfolio content for future job applications.
• Opportunity to contribute to a meaningful cause.

Training and Support

• Full induction to our organisation, as well as check-ins, ongoing training, supervision and support from the Communications & Marketing Lead Volunteer, Volunteer Co-ordinators, Trustees and the Volunteer Team.
• Relevant and ongoing training for your volunteer role.
• Regular updates on charity activities.
• Support, advice and guidance from Charity team.
• After 3 months volunteering, all volunteers are eligible for additional training courses (reasonable cost).
• Out-of-pocket expenses, approved in advance will be reimbursed.

We are seeking a compassionate and reliable befriender volunteer to support an individual who is working hard to rebuild his life and reconnect with his community. Your role will involve offering encouragement, structure, and practical support to help him increase confidence, independence, and social engagement.

What you will be doing

• Provide friendly, non-judgmental support and encouragement.
• Help identify local community, cultural, or wellbeing activities.
• Support the individual in researching and attending suitable training, volunteering, or employment opportunities.
• Accompany the individual to local groups or activities where appropriate (e.g., community centres, courses, clubs).
• Assist with setting achievable personal and social goals, and celebrate progress.
• Maintain appropriate boundaries and confidentiality at all times.
• Communicate regularly with the supervising coordinator regarding progress, concerns, or safeguarding issues.

The skills you need

• Empathetic, patient, and non-judgmental approach.
• Good listening and communication skills.
• Understanding or willingness to learn about recovery from alcohol use and the challenges of mental health conditions such as anxiety and ADHD.
• Reliable, consistent, and able to maintain confidentiality.
• Comfortable supporting someone who may experience periods of low motivation or confidence.
• Knowledge of local community resources, or willingness to research them.

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards, outings, celebration, and social events for our volunteers to get together and have some fun; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering.

Chatterbox Befrienders offer one-to-one telephone support and will call a client once a week offering companionship and a listening ear for an individual who might otherwise go unheard. Chatterbox volunteers befriend a variety of people including carers, socially isolated individuals who are struggling with loneliness, people with ill health and those that 
have been bereaved. 

THIS ROLE COULD BE FOR YOU IF:

- Would like to make a real difference in someone’s life

- Want to challenge loneliness and can commit to a weekly phone call

- Are a good listener

- Are empathetic, patient and of a caring nature

- Have good verbal and inter-personal communication skills

- Recognise the importance of confidentiality and can uphold this in practice

- Are committed to inclusion and treating people with dignity and respect

REQUIREMENTS OF A BEFRIENDER INCLUDE:

- Calling your client once a week for a chat of up to 45 minutes; this is a 26 week initial commitment, at the end of which each client’s needs are reviewed

- Completing an online call log record promptly after each phone call

- Ensuring immediate contact with the Chatterbox Coordinators if you feel that the client might be a risk to themselves or others

- Liaising with the Chatterbox Coordinator on a regular basis regarding the service, as well as discussing personal learning and development needs

- Respecting service standards, appropriate boundaries and recognising the range of policies and procedures that impact on befriending vulnerable adults

BENEFITS OF THE ROLE MAY INCLUDE:

- Knowing you are making a difference to someone’s life

- Joining the Omega Team who are taking action against loneliness and isolation

- An opportunity to enhance your CV or learn new skills

- An opportunity to engage with your community

SUPPORT AND TRAINING PROVIDED:

- Omega Chatterbox induction program

- Safeguarding training

- Ongoing support from Chatterbox Coordinators for all questions, concerns, and support

- Out of pocket expenses are reimbursed and a mobile phone can be provided if appropriate

- Monthly Befriender group support meetings via the Zoom app

LOCATION OF THE ROLE:

- Home-based

WHEN ARE YOU NEEDED:

- Provided on enquiry

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is required for this role. If you have a criminal record this does not automatically prevent you from being considered as an Omega Chatterbox Befriender. We will take into account the nature of the offence, when it happened and whether it is relevant to the voluntary role. If you are shortlisted, this will be discussed with you during the recruitment process.

Havering Young People’s Mentoring Service provides support, advice and guidance to young people aged 10-18, encouraging them to make positive choices and achieve their goals.

Mentors are matched with a young person and meet with them on a weekly basis, for a period of up to 6 months. During this time, a strong relationship is built through a variety of activities and trips, including a monthly group meeting with other volunteers and young people engaged in the Service.

In order to become a mentor, potential volunteers will be required to attend a two day training programme before being accepted onto the programme. Volunteers will need to be over 18 years old and be willing to undergo an enhanced DBS check plus provide references.

This role includes:

• Attending an initial matching meeting with a young person
• Committing to 6 months of mentoring with a young person
• Meeting a young person once a week for around 2 hours
• Providing brief recording following meetings to the Volunteer Team
• Working with a young person to review their goals and plan for mentoring
• Accompanying a young person to monthly group meetings
• Acting in the best interests of a young person

Skills and experience required::

• Confident and able to communicate well with young people from a range of different backgrounds
• Can engage with staff and partners to promote the aims and quality of the Early Help Service, and comply with relevant policies and procedures
• Commitment to act in the best interests of young people and comply with jointly-agreed plans
• Experience of working with children or young people, in any capacity
• Willing to undertake training where necessary
• Enthusiasm and commitment towards child development and keeping children safe

Please note that you must be based in the UK to undertake this role.

Are you passionate about creating transformative learning experiences that empower individuals and communities? 

Tell My Truth and Shame the Devil C.I.C. is seeking a skilled Instructional Designer to join our founding volunteer team. This role is central to designing, structuring and delivering educational programmes that support survivors, young people and marginalised communities to access knowledge, develop skills and achieve personal and collective growth.

Purpose of the role:

The Volunteer Instructional Designer supports our mission by designing engaging, effective and learner-centred educational materials. In this role, you will collaborate with subject matter experts, program staff and other volunteers to transform ideas and content into structured learning experiences that are accessible, inclusive and impactful.

About the Role:

As Instructional Designer, you will work closely with the Membership Director, Book Club Coordinator, and Social & Digital Media Education Lead to develop structured learning pathways, modules, and resources for our membership programmes. Your work will ensure that all learning experiences are engaging, accessible, and aligned with our anti-capitalist, community-driven, and survivor-centred mission. This is a hands-on, impactful role combining strategy, creativity, and operational delivery.

Experience Qualification and Requirements

Essential Technical Competencies:

• Experience in instructional design, curriculum development or educational programme creation in formal or informal learning environments.
• Proven experience designing and delivering community-based education, training or learning programmes.
• Experience using content creation tools (e.g., Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Workspace, Canva).
• Basic familiarity with e-learning tools, learning management systems or content creation software is a plus.
• Ability to develop structured learning pathways with clear outcomes and assessments.
• Ability to translate complex or technical information into clear, accessible and inclusive learning materials.
• Knowledge of accessibility and inclusive design best practices.
• Hands-on experience contributing to open-source projects.
• Implementing security, accessibility or system optimisation practices in real-world projects.

Desirable / Can Be Developed:

• Experience in instructional design, learning design or educational content creation.
• Developing skills in structuring learning objectives, activities and simple assessments.
• Willingness to collaborate with facilitators, subject matter experts and community members.

Qualifications:

• Formal qualifications are not required but desirable.
• Experience in education, instructional design, learning and development or a related field is valued.

Main Responsibilities/ Key Duties

• Design and develop educational programmes, courses and learning resources for members and volunteers.
• Collaborate with subject matter experts, facilitators and leadership to ensure content is accurate, relevant and impactful.
• Structure learning experiences with clear objectives, assessments and progression pathways.
• Integrate digital platforms, multimedia resources and interactive tools to enhance accessibility and engagement.
• Evaluate learning outcomes and gather participant feedback to continuously improve programmes.
• Ensure all learning programmes comply with safeguarding, accessibility and data protection standards.
• Ensure all integrations follow best practices for security, data privacy and performance, maintaining
• compliance with GDPR and other relevant standards.
• Facilitate knowledge transfer by providing clear resources for onboarding new volunteers, team members and technical contributors.
• Maintain documentation of course materials, learning pathways and instructional guides for internal use.
• Support capacity-building by training facilitators, volunteers and community members in programme delivery.
• Collaborate with leadership, technical teams and stakeholders to define the long-term vision and goals for digital platforms and systems.
• Identify opportunities for innovation, including new features, technologies, tools or workflows that improve platform functionality, user experience and operational efficiency.
• Continuously monitor the open-source platform to ensure optimal performance, uptime and reliability, using monitoring tools, analytics, and performance metrics.
• Identify and diagnose technical issues, bugs, or system errors promptly, assessing root causes and prioritising fixes based on impact and urgency.

What This Role Offers You:

• Leadership experience in designing and delivering learning initiatives that directly impact communities.
• Personal and professional growth through hands-on instructional development and facilitation.
• The opportunity to shape transformative learning systems within a pioneering, values-led CIC.
• The satisfaction of empowering survivors, young people, and community members through education.

What This Role Is Not For:

• Individuals seeking purely administrative or content curation work without engagement.
• Those unwilling to adapt learning resources to diverse audiences and community needs.
• People expecting pre-packaged or rigid course structures—this role requires creativity, collaboration, and active problem-solving.

Next Steps

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to

• A values-led conversation.
• If you are ready to design meaningful learning experiences that empower communities and foster personal transformation, we want to hear from you. 
• Apply now and help build education systems that create lasting social impact.

A Final Word
Design learning turns knowledge into action. Shapes the path from curiosity to competence.

If you know that: Education is the bridge between knowledge and action.A bridge between knowing and doing

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! 

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”.

Summary

Can you inspire, energise and motivate young people aged 12-18 years?
Do you enjoy making a real difference to the lives of young people?

Detailed description

Mentoring within One YMCA is delivered through the youth team and volunteers. Young people aged 13-19 years can access the service which provides support and encouragement for young people to work towards their goals.

Mentors and mentees are paired based on experience, expertise and support needed.

This project will last for up to a year with each young person, with an average of 3-4 hours per month being given to the young person and their support.

Training for this role is due to commence on 22nd January 2025 (Time and Location TBC)

Pay: This is a voluntary role; however, expenses will be covered.

Key Responsibilities:

·To attend full induction training and complete all relevant child protection checks

·To arrange to meet with your mentee for 1-3 hours a month over a period of 12 months, in a public place.

·To prepare for your mentoring sessions with the purpose of progressing with their mutually agreed goals.

·To offer tailored support to your Mentee in areas such as confidence and resilience building, accessing services, careers focus and development. You may be working on a number of areas as the needs of your Mentee present themselves.

·To safeguard and promote the wellbeing of your Mentee.

·To complete feedback, monitoring and evaluation forms.

·To liaise with the mentoring coordinator for support in delivery of sessions where needed.

·To help identify the support that your Mentee requires, reporting any concerns you have to the mentoring coordinator.

·Completing regular reviews with your Mentee and mentoring coordinator.

·Any other reasonable task that is associated with the role.

Personal Specification:

Experience:

• Experience of working with young people
• Experience of working with young people from a variety of backgrounds

Skills:

• Ability to work on own initiative and a willingness to prepare for each session
• Ability to use online video platforms such as Microsoft Teams
• Ability to think creatively and problem solve
• Good communication skills
• Good organisational skills
• Ability to work as a part of a team
• A willingness to meet the young person in a public space

Personal Qualities:

• An interest in working with young people
• Ability to engage with a young person
• The willingness to have an open mind and non-judgemental approach to supporting a young person in their mentoring journey
• Ability to cope with potentially difficult conversations or situations
• Commitment to the mentoring project and to the Mentee
• Motivated by promoting the wellbeing of young people
• Commitment to and ability to work in accordance with ethos of One YMCA, their polices and boundaries

Other:

• Willing to undertake and induction and training
• Willing to provide 2 references
• Willing to undergo an enhanced Disclosure and Barring check (DBS)