Social care development volunteer roles

Would you like to support people who have served in the Armed Forces? You just need the ability to listen, strong IT skills and good written and spoken English. If you think this could be the role for you, we’d love to hear from you.

What is a Caseworker?

Caseworkers visit clients to work out what type of support they need. You will listen without judgement to assess and provide tailored support to help those serving, who have served and their families to navigate life in and beyond military service. Some examples of support are securing funding for special equipment for someone with a disability, adaptions to a property so an older client can remain at home or funds for a rental deposit. Caseworkers also sign-post clients onto specialist local services for advice on benefits, housing, mental health, debt, finding work etc.

Why do we need you?

We’ve been supporting the Armed Forces community since 1885. Our clients come from all backgrounds and age groups and may have served in WW2 or in a more recent conflict like the Falklands or Afghanistan. We’d love the general public to understand what we do and how they can help us.

There are SSAFA branches throughout the UK and overseas who support local volunteers to deliver services to veterans, serving personnel and their families. Some branches are divided into smaller divisions to ensure the best local service delivery. Each branch has a team of volunteer caseworkers, support volunteers, executive roles, and fundraisers.

Volunteer Caseworkers are the lifeblood of SSAFA, supporting a growing number of people in need of financial, practical, and emotional support. Clients come from all backgrounds and age groups and may have served in WW2 or in a more recent conflict like Iraq or Afghanistan.

When would you be needed and where would you be based?

The essential part of the role is visiting clients, so you will need access to a vehicle or another way to travel to meet clients at home or in a care home setting. As part of your local branch, you might have access to an office, but you can complete the administration part of the role from home as long as you have access to IT equipment and the internet.

What would you be doing?

• Contacting beneficiaries and arranging to meet them at a mutually convenient time.
• Meeting beneficiaries and completing a form to assess their circumstances, using good communication skills, empathy and understanding.
• Sign-posting clients onto local services providing specialist advice.
• Applying for funding on the behalf of the beneficiary through a specific process and system  
• Arranging for the purchase of goods and services
• Keeping the beneficiary informed of their case progress.
• Liaise with the branch and regional office, regarding your availability.
• Keeping up to date with training and SSAFA news so that you are best able to support clients.
• Being a positive ambassador for SSAFA remembering that anyone you meet could be a potential client, volunteer, or fundraiser.
• Volunteering within the standards and values of SSAFA
• Adhering to SSAFAs policies and procedures at all times, including safeguarding, volunteering policy, equality, diversity and inclusion, health and safety, data protection and confidentiality.  

What can you gain from this volunteering role?

• Use your skills, knowledge, and life experience to benefit others.
• Support from your local SSAFA branch and the wider SSAFA community
• Experience, training, and skills that you can highlight on your CV and in job interviews.
• Better physical and mental health – studies show that volunteers live longer and experience lower levels of stress and depression!

What training and support would you receive?

• Role specific training to prepare you for your voluntary role – confidentiality and boundaries, personal safety, caseworker training, and caseworker IT system training. The caseworker training takes 3 days and a further half a day for the other training.
• Mandatory on-line training modules to complete at home, so you are up to date on how to keep clients, their families safe and personal information safe.
• Access to a range additional e-learning courses as well as local opportunities for your personal and professional development.
• Local induction including assigning a person from the team who will be your main point of contact.
• Regular opportunities to meet and share best practice with other caseworkers.
• Range of support from central and regional volunteer operations team.
• Reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses
• Volunteers will be covered by SSAFAs Public Liability Insurance whilst carrying out the role.

What are we looking for?

• Friendly and approachable with good listening skills, patience, and a positive attitude.
• Good communication skills both written and verbally.
• Respectful and non-judgemental approach with beneficiaries, their family, other agencies and SSAFA colleagues
• Willingness and ability to use IT systems for initial and on-going training and to enter cases on the Casework Management System. Willingness and ability to send and receive emails – you will receive your own SSAFA email address which you will be required to use when exercising your role.
• Ability to make enquires on behalf of beneficiaries by phone, email, letter or by filling in forms.
• Ability to keep within boundaries of the role with regards to friendship or giving advice
• Reliable, prompt and trustworthy.
• Access to public transport or a car to travel to appointments with clients.

We welcome volunteers of all backgrounds, abilities, races, sexual orientations, socio-economic backgrounds, and of all faiths and none. SSAFA are committed to making reasonable adjustments to support volunteers with disabilities, so they have access to the same opportunities and experiences as volunteers who do not.

Minimum Age: 18

Safer Recruitment: SSAFA undertakes a systematic approach and utmost care at every step of the process of volunteer recruitment, selection, and retention to ensure that those recruited are suitable and appropriate. Measures taken at points along this journey work together to make volunteering at SSAFA a positive and safe experience.

References Required: Yes. We will ask for two character references, this can be a former employer or someone that know you well (other than a relative)

Is a criminal record check required? Yes, this is provided by SSAFA at no cost to the potential volunteer. This role requires an enhanced check (including checks against the children and adults barred list)

*A disclosure certificate that contains convictions, cautions, warnings, reprimands, or other information may not automatically mean that you are not able to volunteer. All certificates will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and, where possible, a modified or alternative role will be offered. 

PROJECT MANAGER & SET-UP LEAD (Founding Hero) - VOLUNTEER ROLE

• Location: Remote (with occasional, high-vibrancy pop-up coordination in the inner London area)
• Commitment: 3–5 hours per week (Flexible, asynchronous monthly sprints)
• Salary: Voluntary (with infinite good vibes, portfolio-building power, and a direct hand in saving lives)

The Spark: Why We Need You

London is one of the most electric, bustling cities on earth. Yet right now, underneath the noise, it is facing a quiet crisis. In boroughs like Tower Hamlets, nearly 40% of our neighbors report feeling chronically lonely and isolated. For young adults aged 16+, urban isolation is a heavy, daily reality.

We are SUNSHINE Charity, and we are here to smash that isolation with pure, unadulterated, radical positivity!

We don't do boring, clinical forms or awkward networking. Instead, we take over public parks and high streets, community spaces and unused spaces with high-vibrancy pop-ups—bringing bright neon t-shirts, upbeat music, handmade positive quote cards, and literal bubble machines directly to the pavement to turn strangers into neighbors.

Our vision is locked, our digital assets are buzzing, and our community is ready. Now, we need our operational anchor. We need an inspiring, organised, and deeply empathetic Project Manager to step into a founding leadership seat, steer our task forces, and successfully launch our very first pilots.

Your Mission: What You’ll Do

As our founding Project Manager, you will be the driving force behind the scenes, turning our big, beautiful vision into an airtight, operational reality.

You will work side-by-side with the Founder to:

• Lead the Joy Squad: Coordinate our five brilliant micro-task forces (HR, Fundraising, Finance, Operations, and Marketing)—keeping teams energized, aligned, and moving forward.
• Manage the 4-Week Sprints: Act as the guardian of our launch timeline, tracking deliverables in our shared Google Drive Hub and ensuring milestones are celebrated.
• Refine the Playbook: Help us polish our "Event in a Box" operational guide so our frontline volunteers can deploy pop-ups safely and consistently.
• Shape the Legacy: Participate in core strategic decisions as we transition from a grassroots pilot into an officially registered UK charity.

Who You Are (The Perfect Fit)

You do not need a background in the charity sector, and you don’t need to know how to fix a bubble machine. We are looking for a human who is:

• An Organisational Wizard: You love a clean timeline, a structured folder, and the satisfying feeling of ticking off a milestone.
• A Natural Energizer: You lead with warmth, empathy, and clarity. You know how to make volunteers feel valued, heard, and excited to contribute.
• A Proactive Problem Solver: You don't wait for permission to be brilliant. You see a logistical gap and instinctively bridge it with a simple, smart solution.
• Passionate About Well-being: You deeply understand the value of human connection and want to use your professional project skills to make a tangible, real-world difference in London.

Why Lead With Us?

• True Ownership: You aren't just managing a project; you are co-creating the DNA of a life-saving movement from Day One.
• Absolute Flexibility: This role fits entirely around your career, studies, or freelance life. Work asynchronously from your sofa, anytime that suits you.
• Executive Portfolio Power: Gaining founding-level project management experience in a fast-scaling London community project is an incredible, colorful asset for your CV.
• Pure Joy: You will directly see the impact of your work in the smiles, the floating bubbles, and the relieved faces of lonely Londoners stepping into a community that genuinely cares.

Ready to Paint the Town Yellow?

Let’s make something beautiful together.

To Apply: Please send a brief introductory note and a link to your LinkedIn profile or CV directly through CharityJob.

Tell us a tiny bit about your project background and why you want to bring the sunshine back to London!

SUNSHINE Charity

Shining a light on loneliness