Youth and family support coordinator volunteer roles

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 young people and ensuring everyone has equitable access to opportunities? Do you have a vibrant energy and experience to bring to our families and children? Then we could be looking for you to join our team of volunteers supportung families and young people in the North Kensington community.

As we ease out of lockdown, we are looking for volunteers to help on day trips in and around London to support families in getting back to normality again.

Trips will include anything from horse riding through to the beach, farms and Kew Gardens. This is an opportunity to help families in our community while gaining experience of working with a small, friendly and supportive charity.

Volunteers will help the group leader to accompany groups of parents/guardians and their children on a variety of cultural/fun trips, helping to make them feel welcome. 

Suitable volunteers will be reliable and sociable and enjoy working with children. Volunteers must be available for day trips during school holidays, as this is when most of the trips take place.

Volunteers receive a full induction, and support from the Children and Young People Coordinator. Travel expenses on the outings and any entrance fees are covered, and some further expenses can also be claimed.

IMPORTANT: An enhanced DBS check is required for this role, and so we are unfortunately only able to accept applications from UK-based applicants or British nationals living abroad.

Are you a parent, grandparent or have experience of caring for children?

Do you have 2-3 hours per week to spare? Use your experience to support a family facing challenging times.

Our Home-Visiting Service supports families who are experiencing difficulties or suffering stress and who have at least one child under the age of five years.

Our aims are:

To increase the confidence and independence of the family by:

Offering support, friendship and practical assistance

Visiting families in their own homes and in their community, where the dignity and identity of each adult and child can be respected and protected

Reassuring parents that difficulties in bringing up children is not unusual and encouraging them to enjoy family life.

Developing a relationship with the family in which time can be shared and understanding can be developed. This approach is flexible to take account of different needs.

Encouraging parents’ strengths and emotional wellbeing – for the ultimate benefit of their children.

Encouraging families to widen their network of relationships, and to effectively use the support and services available within the community.

We want you to help us to connect families across Scotland by managing a special closed Community Network Facebook group and a Padlet of groups and events with the support of Adoption UK Staff and current Community Network volunteers. As a Virtual Community Network Volunteer (VCNV), you would be responsible for administering a closed Facebook group for families with adopted children and young people. The purpose of the group is to share Adoption UK Scotland groups and events but also to share activities aimed at adoptive families or care experienced children in one place. 

s a Virtual Community Network Volunteer (VCNV), you would be responsible for administering a closed Facebook group for families with adopted children and young people. The purpose of the group is to share Adoption UK Scotland groups and events but also to share activities aimed at adoptive families or care experienced children in one place. It would also allow parents to post in the group to find families local to them that they can connect with outside Adoption UK Scotland activities. As VCNV you would be responsible for moderating the chat and posts within the group, creating and managing a Padlet that contains groups or events that local authorities or other 3rd sector organisations are hosting. 

The Skills and Experience you need 

• IT literate and familiar with Facebook
• Enthusiasm

• Ability to respect other people’s differences and non-judgemental 

• Confidence to work independently and the ability to recognise when to ask for support or raise concerns if required 

• Desirable but not essential: Personal experience or understanding of the issues facing adoptive parents 

What’s in it for you 

• Be part of a new way of supporting adoptive families to thrive in Scotland

• Flexibility to volunteer at a time that suits you

• Free membership to AUK and access to relevant training and development opportunities

• Use and develop your communication, organisational and people skills 

• Receive an induction, relevant training, the support you need to carry out the role and agreed out-of-pocket expenses 

The Children's Book Project is a national charity on a mission to tackle book poverty. We passionately believe that every child should have the opportunity to own a book and have, in the last year, celebrated gifting our 1 millionth book! We are looking for some wonderful volunteers to help us in managing book sorting and packing with a range of amazing corporate volunteers at our three HQs in Birmingham, Leeds and London.

We gift beautiful pre-loved and new books to schools and we gift within prison settings in order to reach children who may not otherwise have access to book ownership.

We are looking for volunteers in Birmingham, Leeds and London able to help us in the running of our book sorting days at each of our three HQs.  Ideally you will be able to commit to 2-3 days per half term.  (We work term-times only).  Our hours are 10am - 2:30pm.

We work with a range of amazing corporate volunteer teams who come to organise, sort and then pack our books in preparation for delivery. These corporate days are always full of energy and fun and we are looking for energetic and passionate people to support these events as Volunteer Coordinators - helping to make sure that there is a warm welcome, a clear plan for the day and that our one-off visitors can contribute productively.

What is required:

• On average, a commitment to 2 days per half term 
• Flexibility to travel to your local HQ for sorting and corporate volunteering days
• A can-do attitude and enjoyment of working as part of a team.

In return, you’ll get to be part of an extraordinary family of volunteers as we make a real and lasting difference to young lives – there is almost an immeasurable benefit to empowering a child to read for pleasure and we believe that no child should be denied access to a book through poverty. We would love your support!

Perinatal Support Volunteers provide one-to-one support to parents during pregnancy and up to nine months after the birth. These parents either have mental health issues or are at risk of developing them.

Perinatal Support Volunteers visit these families once a week (usually weekdays during working hours) for 2-3 hours, providing emotional support and practical help in the family’s home or local community. Support is aimed at empowering parents and building resilience beyond the support period.

The type of support Perinatal Support Volunteers provide to parents may include:

• An empathetic and non-judgemental listening ear
• Support to prepare for parenthood
• Support to build confidence in parenting skills
• Support to develop a positive relationship with their infant
• Support to establish daily and weekly routines
• Support to take time for self-care
• Support to manage the things that are causing stress
• Support to access relevant services
• Support to access local green spaces
• Support to make connections with other parents

No special qualifications are necessary to become a Perinatal Support Volunteer, but Home-Start volunteers are usually either parents or grandparents themselves, or people with experience of young children and family life. We particularly welcome volunteers with lived experience of perinatal mental health challenges.

The Refuge Admin Support Worker Volunteer supports the daily running of our Bexley Refuges by helping women and families access activities, appointments, and resources.

You’ll assist with admin tasks, run or support group activities and house meetings, make contact calls, keep records updated, and help with in-house and external activities.

The role suits someone proactive, friendly, organised, and confident with IT, with an understanding of domestic abuse. Experience with children or groups is a bonus.

Volunteers gain experience in the VAWG sector, access training and supervision, and play a key role in supporting women on their recovery journey.

As a Community Network Volunteer, you will organise and facilitate meetings and events for a group of families so that they can get to know one another and build a supportive community. This could be anything from arranging informal meetups in the local park to organising online or face to face meetings, to setting up local events. The group would be able to share knowledge and experience amongst one another and just be there for one another.

Knowledge and experience required

• Enthusiasm and some time to spare! 

• Personal experience, and understanding of the issues facing adoptive parents 

• Good listening and communication skills

• Ability to respect other people’s differences and choices 

• Some IT and administration skills  

Benefits of volunteering with Adoption UK

• Meet new people and be part of helping adoptive families to thrive 

• Flexibility to volunteer in a way that suits your family and commitments                             

• Be supported in your own family’s journey both in your group and as part of a UK wide adoption organisation 

• Access to the online family members area and the opportunity to attend relevant training and development opportunities 

• Use and develop your communication, organisational and people skills 

• Receive an induction, relevant training, the support you need to carry out the role and agreed out-of-pocket expenses 

Popham Kidney Support’s counselling service provides individual counselling to clients who are kidney patients and parents /carers who are affected by kidney disease

Working in a confidential setting counsellors provide nondirective support to clients in exploring feelings, anxieties and life events that impact on their emotional wellbeing.

Through this process clients can feel more empowered to manage their mental health and make positive life changes.

Nova New Opportunities is an educational charity based near Ladbroke Grove. As we ease out of London, we are looking for volunteers to help on day trips in and around London to support families in getting back to normality again.

Trips will include anything from horse riding through to the beach, farms and Kew Gardens. This is an opportunity to help families from marginalised communities while gaining experience of working with a small, friendly and supportive charity.

Volunteers will help the group leader to accompany groups of parents/guardians and their children on a variety of cultural/fun trips, helping to make them feel welcome. 

Suitable volunteers will be reliable and sociable and enjoy working with children. Volunteers must be available for day trips during school holidays, as this is when most of the trips take place.

Volunteers receive a full induction, and support from the Children and Young People Coordinator. Travel expenses on the outings and any entrance fees are covered, and some further expenses can also be claimed.

IMPORTANT: An enhanced DBS check is required for this role, and so we are unfortunately only able to accept applications from UK-based applicants or British nationals living abroad.

We are now at a particularly exciting moment. Following multi-year funding from Creative Scotland and the success of productions such as Small Town Boys, we are looking ahead to our next phase of growth with confidence and ambition. This is a wonderful time to step into the role of Chair and help shape what comes next.

As Chair, you will lead a committed and thoughtful board, working closely with our artistic and executive leadership to set strategic direction, champion our values, and ensure the organisation continues to flourish. You will be an advocate for dance, for Dundee and for the artists and communities we serve. Your ability to build strong relationships, communicate clearly and create a supportive, well-governed environment will be central to our continued success.

It is a role with responsibility and also with enormous reward.

We run creative programmes, workshops and performances that are inclusive and accessible. We nurture talent and provide opportunities for people to develop their creative practice and skills. We create high- quality productions that tour throughout Scotland and the UK.

Our work is inspired by stories and ideas from the people and communities we work with in Dundee and beyond.

We would be delighted to hear from you and to learn how your experience, perspective and passion could help lead Shaper/Caper into its next chapter.