Volunteer roles in Clapham town, greater london

Could you help bring moments of joy to families facing cancer?

Families supported by the Young Lives vs Cancer Service are going through some of the most challenging times of their lives. With the care, time, and compassion of our volunteers, we can help them feel supported and less alone.

As a Charity Support Coordinator, you’ll work directly with young people children and their families to help them access grants, treats, wishes, and special opportunities that can make a real difference. You’ll help open doors to practical help and meaningful moments.

What you give as a volunteer goes far beyond practical support — it’s reassurance, kindness, and hope at a time when it’s needed most. Your time and commitment can help make the cancer journey a little lighter and leave a lasting, positive impact on the families you support.

What you’ll be doing

• Helping young people and families access grants, treats, wishes, and special opportunities
• Researching and approaching charities and organisations that offer extra support
• Guiding young people and families to access the right support for them

What skills or experience you’ll need

• Lots of enthusiasm and a genuine passion for our work
• You need to be 18 or over to join us in this role.

Experience working with families with a child with a life threatening or limiting illness, or working with a family support organisation is desirable but not essential

About CARAS:

Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (CARAS) is a charity that supports refugees and people seeking asylum who live in south London. We offer a range of individual and group support to improve the holistic wellbeing of people who have a background of forced migration, providing them with tools to build lives filled with value, meaning and purpose in the UK. Our activities for young people currently include: ESOL classes (English for Speakers of Other Languages), study group, youth club, swimming lessons and football.

About Youth Club:

Youth Club is a place for young people aged 14-19 to come and play games, learn new skills, make and strengthen friendships and build a sense of belonging. Regular activities include classic youth club games such as table tennis, pool, foosball, board and card games. We also work in partnership with a range of organisations to run a rich programme of workshops within our youth club. Some of these have included creative visual arts, drama, music and workshops on rights and entitlements of young asylum seekers. We also cook a hot meal from time to time and offer a range of snacks each week. Our casework team are also on-site to support young people with a range of advice and signposting needs, usually by-appointment.

Youth club takes place at Furzedown Youth Centre. Welham Rd, London SW16 6TJ

About the role:

As a Youth Club volunteer, you would be helping young people to feel welcome, join in with activities and be a great role model.

Youth Club takes place every Wednesday at 6.00-8.30pm. We ask for a commitment of at least 2 sessions per month for a minimum of 6 months.

Tasks and responsibilities:

· To attend and contribute to volunteer de-briefs which occur 15 minutes after each session.

· To act as a positive role model and set standards of behaviour when volunteering with young people.

· To encourage and inspire young people to reach their full potential.

· To assist young people to both recognise and celebrate their achievements.

· To challenge young peoples’ negative attitudes and behaviour in an appropriate manner.

· To adhere to CARAS Child Protection procedures, Confidentiality policy, Health & Safety policy, Equal Opportunities policy and all other policies as relevant.

Requirements:

To be 18 years or older;

· To be non-judgemental and able to engage with people from diverse cultural backgrounds;

· To be reliable and punctual;

· Excellent communication skills, especially with people with varying levels of English;

· The ability to volunteer on Wednesday evenings for a minimum of six months;

· Current resident of the UK;

· Able to provide five years’ worth of addresses, and willing to undergo a DBS check;

· Able to attend compulsory volunteer induction training (online) general and safeguarding prior to the start of role

Volunteer induction training currently takes place online once a month on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evenings from 6pm - 8pm. we offer the same trainings on Tuesday and Wednesday daytimes online between 12noon - 2pm once every 3 months.

Your availability to attend 1 general and 1 safeguarding online training session at these times within 3 months of your application would be a prerequisite of being accepted as a volunteer at CARAS.

Desirable:

· Knowledge of community languages, such as (including Arabic, Tigrinya, Amharic, Pashto, Dari, Farsi, Kurdish, Somali and Spanish).

Through volunteering with us you will:

· Meet new members of your local community;

· Learn about different cultures;

· Learn about issues relating to refugees and people seeking asylum;

· Work as part of a friendly, welcoming team;

· Develop your skills and competencies;

· Be able to access relevant training;

Voice 21 – Trustee with fundraising expertise 

About Voice 21
Voice 21 is the national oracy education charity. We support schools to build speaking and listening into the curriculum, teaching, learning and wider school life so that every child can use their voice to thrive in school, work and life. Our training and development programmes for teachers and school leaders transform learning through talk, expanding access to high-quality oracy education, particularly for children who need it most.

Why join the Voice 21 Board of Trustees now?
Since its inception in 2015, Voice 21 has built a national movement to put oracy at the heart of education in the UK. In November 2025, the government responded to Professor Becky Francis’s Curriculum and Assessment Review by adopting the definition of oracy used by Voice 21 and by the independent Oracy Commission in its 2024 report,  We Need to Talk: ‘Articulating ideas, developing understanding and engaging with others through speaking, listening and communication’.

The government has also committed to publish national guidance on oracy, modelled on the Writing Framework, and to strengthening oracy teaching within subjects. The Schools White Paper published in February 2026 reinforced this direction, positioning oracy as the fourth “R” alongside reading, writing and maths.

Oracy is now firmly part of national policy, and Voice 21 continues to build evidence of its impact on young people’s attainment, wellbeing, belonging and career readiness.

This policy shift represents a major campaigning success for Voice 21 and others who campaigned  alongside us. Our new 2030 Strategy aims to seize this moment and secure high-quality, evidence-based oracy education for every child, particularly for those children in schools serving disadvantaged communities.

Investment will be critical to achieving this ambition. Fundraising currently provides 20% of our income. Our goal is to increase this to 40%, doubling fundraised income to support delivery of our 2030 strategy.

The Role: Trustee with fundraising expertise

Voice 21 is keen to strengthen its board-level knowledge and skills by adding a fundraising specialist trustee. We are looking to appoint a strategic fundraising leader who has substantial experience of successfully developing fundraising departments and growing voluntary income. As trustee, you will provide strategic oversight, constructive challenge and advice on fundraising strategy.

Ideally your career will have focused on high value and relationship fundraising (philanthropy, trusts, corporate partnerships). As a subject specialist, you will help to expand and deepen fellow trustees’ understanding of fundraising strategy and operations, providing knowledge, guidance, challenge and advocacy.

Your expertise will be invaluable at this pivotal moment for Voice 21, as the charity prepares to launch an ambitious new strategy, with a goal to double fundraised income by 2030. Your insights will be particularly appreciated by the experienced Head of Fundraising, CEO and Director of Operations – including contributing critical/analytic skills to help evaluate fundraising ideas and opportunities – though your primary focus will be advising on fundraising at governance level.

Knowledge And Experience: 

• Significant senior fundraising experience, with proven ability to secure major income.

• Personal experience working with high profile figures, senior leaders in major companies, people with high levels of personal wealth who are seeking charitable missions like ours to support.

• Understanding of charity leadership, including developing and implementing organisational strategy.

• Broad understanding of fundraising management across income streams.

Why this role matters:

This is an opportunity to make a real difference in tackling the disadvantage gap at a pivotal moment for oracy education. You will have the chance to influence a dynamic Board and staff team with great ambitions for our 2030 Strategy.

Time commitment:

• Board meetings: three per year, in person in London (9am–12pm)

• Annual strategy day (9am - 3pm)

• Finance Committee: four virtual meetings per year (approximately 2 hours per meeting) 

• Opportunities to attend Voice 21 events throughout the year.

Safeguarding:

This role is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Application details:

To apply:

• a CV and a covering letter of 1- 2 pages; 

Please include: 

• Details of your interest in joining Voice 21 as a trustee; 

• An outline of your current work / relevant experience; 

• A note of any training and development needs you think you’ll have if you are appointed. 

Valuing every voice

Voice 21 believes that every voice should be heard and valued. We are committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and trustees do not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership. Voice 21 is a diverse and inclusive workplace and we strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join us.

Penificent is a creative education and youth publishing organisation using comics and workshops to tackle complex issues affecting young people,from mental health and identity to violence reduction. Our stories are co-created with young people and delivered across schools, prisons, and community spaces.

Causes

• Youth / Children
• Mental Health
• Education
• Ethnic Minority / BAME
• Prison

Location
Remote – flexible between remote and occasional catch ups

Working Hours
3–5 hours per week (flexible around your schedule)

Expenses
Expenses are covered

Job Description
We’re looking for a passionate and proactive volunteer accountant to support Penificent with:

• Xero account reconciliation and financial reporting
• Reviewing and updating previous tax filings
• Exploring whether we overpaid corporation tax and assisting with refiling if applicable
• Supporting budgeting and forecasting processes (including for grant-funded work)
• Helping us create simple reporting structures as we grow
• Advising on sustainable financial planning for our subscriptions, school sales, and workshops

Ideal for someone who is:

• A qualified or part-qualified accountant
• Familiar with Xero
• Interested in social impact, youth development, or creative education
• Happy to collaborate with a small but driven team

Why volunteer with us?
You’ll be part of an award-nominated organisation with strong roots in community storytelling and creative education. We’re expanding fast,and your financial insight could help us scale with clarity and resilience.

Interview Approach
We’ll interview suitable applicants as they apply and are happy to start sooner with the right candidate.

Welcome!

Thank you for your interest in the voluntary position of Treasurer at Legal Action Group.

The Treasurer plays a key role in the organisation, working closely with the Chair, the CEO, the Finance Manager and fellow Trustees on the Board. We are keen to appoint an experienced senior finance professional who shares our interest in and commitment to social justice.

The Legal Action Group is the access to justice charity. We were established in 1972 as a result of well-evidenced concerns that our justice system was failing many people and communities, and that legal aid was failing to deliver access to justice for a large section of the population. The case for LAG is as strong now, fifty years later, as it was then.

We are a national charity that seeks to amplify the voice of those people and communities it exists to support; influences law and policy with the aim of improving access to justice; and works to build a fair legal system for all.

Since its inception LAG has been a well-respected and valued organisation that sits at the heart of the social justice sector. Its profile within the sector is almost exclusively as a result of the high quality of its publications and training.

Main responsibilities:

· Providing financial oversight and scrutiny at board level

· Chairing the Finance Committee and provide regular reports to the Board of Trustees

· Reviewing budgets, management accounts and financial forecasts

· Ensuring appropriate financial controls and processes are in place

· Supporting the Board in making informed financial decisions

· Working closely with the executive team on financial planning

· Introducing and sharing contacts, ideas and networks to further the mission

We are seeking a qualified accountant with experience of financial management including some experience of charity finances.

Previous charity trustee experience is welcome but not essential.

This Role Is Not Symbolic. It Is Structural.

Safeguarding is not a policy document. 

It is not a checkbox.

It is not a compliance exercise.

In this CIC, safeguarding is the infrastructure that allows the work to exist at all.

We work with:

• Survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA)
• Vulnerable adults
• Young people
• Ex-offenders
• Volunteers with lived trauma
• Communities historically failed by institutions

If safeguarding fails, everything fails.

This role exists to make sure that never happens.

Purpose of the Safeguarding Officer Role

The Safeguarding Officer is responsible for designing, implementing, and protecting the safeguarding framework that allows the CIC to operate safely, ethically, and lawfully at scale.

This role ensures:

• Survivors are protected, not re-exposed
• Volunteers are supported, not exploited
• Risks are identified early, not ignored
• Safeguarding is embedded into every system, not bolted on

About the role:

To design and uphold safeguarding systems that protect survivors, volunteers and the organisation, ensuring safety, ethics and legal compliance are built into every practice as the CIC grows. Safeguarding is the infrastructure that allows the work to "SAFELY" exist at all.

Experience Qualification and Requirements

• Experience in safeguarding within:

 Charity

 Statutory services  

 Education

 Health

 Grassroots or community settings

• Experience working with vulnerable adults and/or children.
• Strong understanding of trauma-informed practice.
• Ability to respond to disclosures calmly and appropriately.
• Experience writing and implementing safeguarding policies.
• Risk assessment and incident management experience.
• Understanding of UK safeguarding legislation and guidance.
• Confidence challenging unsafe practice at any level.
• Ability to balance care with boundaries.
• Strong judgement under pressure.
• Clear written documentation skills.
• Capacity to work unpaid and full-time during build phase.
• Emotional regulation and professional restraint.
• Integrity, steadiness and clarity.

Main Responsibilities/ Key Duties

• Design, implement, and maintain a safeguarding framework that protects survivors, volunteers, members and the organisation.
• Develop and own safeguarding policies, procedures and reporting pathways covering:

 Adults and children at risk

 Volunteers and peer supporters

 Digital spaces, storytelling, and online engagement

• Ensure safeguarding is embedded into:

 Recruitment and onboarding

 Training and supervision

 Programme design and delivery

 Digital systems and data handling

• Establish clear risk assessment processes for activities, campaigns, and content.
• Act as the safeguarding lead for concerns, disclosures, and incidents, ensuring:

 Timely, appropriate responses

 Accurate recording

 Correct escalation to statutory agencies where required

• Build systems that prevent re-exposure, re-traumatisation, or exploitation of survivors.
• Ensure volunteers are supported, supervised and not placed in unsafe or inappropriate roles.
• Advise leadership on safeguarding risks, capacity limits and ethical boundaries.
• Deliver safeguarding guidance and training proportionate to role and risk.
• Monitor safeguarding practice across teams and intervene early where drift appears.
• Work closely with Digital, Membership, Fundraising, and Social teams to manage risk in:

 Storytelling

 Online engagement

 Data use

• Maintain professional distance and emotional steadiness when handling complex situations.
• Review and update safeguarding systems as the CIC scales.
• Contribute to external accountability and transparency where appropriate.

You must:

• Be able to commit 80% dedication during the build phase
• Be comfortable working unpaid while the CIC is being built
• Be emotionally grounded and professionally boundaries
• Understand trauma without centring yourself
• Be able to hold complexity without collapsing into control or avoidance

You should have experience in some of the following:

• Safeguarding (statutory, charity, education, health, or grassroots)
• Working with vulnerable adults and/or children
• Trauma-informed practice
• Policy development and implementation
• Risk assessment and incident management

Formal qualifications are welcome but not essential.
Integrity, clarity and steadiness are.

This role is not for you if:

• You want safeguarding to be “light touch”
• You avoid difficult conversations
• You seek authority without responsibility
• You are uncomfortable challenging leadership when needed
• You are looking for a title rather than accountability

What You Gain:

• A founding leadership role in a CIC tackling real harm
• The chance to build safeguarding the right way
• Influence over how protection, care, and accountability coexist
• The opportunity to shape a future paid safeguarding role
• Deep purpose-driven work that actually protects people

As the CIC scales, this role is expected to evolve into a paid senior safeguarding position, shaped by the person who built it.

Formal qualifications are not required, but desirable.
Essential equivalent experience mandatory.

Next Steps:

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to:

• A values-led conversation
• A practical discussion about event planning, coordination, and execution

If you believe that well-organised, purposeful events can change communities, and that experiences inspire action, this role is for you.

A Final Word

Safeguarding is an act of love.
It is also an act of discipline.

If you know that:

• Survivors deserve better systems
• Vulnerable people deserve real protection
• Community work must be safe to be sustainable

Chair of Trustees role:

You will be chairing the Board of Trustees, ensuring that we have minimum representation required for decisions to be made, keeping the board aligned in decision-making, ensuring all minutes are recorded and that all decisions by trustees are made with the appropriate context provided.

This is a great opportunity to develop further governance skills and experience, and help steer an important charity in the right direction.

Trustees meetings are usually held every six weeks, plus there is an AGM, away days, and any sub-committee meetings that trustees may be involved in. Most meetings will remain virtual but there will from time to time be a need to attend key meetings and events in Nottingham. The time commitment is approximately 4hours per month, but there may be occasions when more time is required for a short period.

Who are we looking for?

• Previous chairing experience
• Relevant experience in any of the following financial management, HR, charities, fundraising, social prescribing, NHS, health inequalities (including deaf community), local authorities, marketing, business development, governance, strategy or legal
• A willingness to devote the necessary time and effort
• Good, independent judgement
• The ability to challenge and ask questions
• An understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship
• A commitment to Nolan’s seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, and leadership

NB: We are looking for both a Chair of Trustees and additional Trustees (particularly those with a finance background, but other functions are also welcome). If you are interested in a Trustee role instead of the Chair role, please mention this in your covering letter when applying. 

Both the Chair and Trustee positions are unremunerated, but reasonable expenses will be reimbursed.

About Self Help UK

Self Help UK is a leading peer support organisation with over 40 years of experience in developing and delivering peer-led services. Our mission is to empower individuals and communities by embedding peer support principles into health and wellbeing initiatives. We have created a range of innovative programmes that help people living with cancer and other long-term health conditions to navigate challenges and take control of their health and wellbeing.

We work in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support on projects that make a real difference. These include national and local initiatives for the Deaf community, volunteer-led support for anyone affected by cancer, and prehabilitation services for those facing complex treatment. In 2026, we will collaborate with our Integrated Care System to improve health literacy and increase cancer screening uptake among underserved communities in Nottingham. Looking ahead, we are exploring a new direction to position Self Help UK as a holistic, person-centred support provider, embedding peer support and volunteer-led activity at the heart of everything we do. Our vision is to challenge health inequalities and enable people to feel confident, informed, and supported in shaping their own health journey.

A selection of causes covered by Self Help UK

• Peer support
• Long-term health conditions
• Cancer diagnoses and prevention
• Voluntary sector support
• Health inequalities (including the deaf community)
• Under-served communities

We’re Mind, the leading mental health charity. We won’t give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets support and respect. We provide advice and support to empower anybody experiencing a mental health problem and we campaign to improve services, raise awareness, and promote understanding.

Our volunteers are a fundamental part of our shops. Any time which they volunteer at our shops, help us be there for more people who are experiencing a mental health problem. 

About the volunteer role

To provide our volunteers with opportunities to gain a variety of skills and experience, we offer them a range of volunteer roles to choose from, which include:

• Stock preparation volunteer
• Volunteer shop sales assistant
• Volunteer stock generation assistant
• Volunteer window dresser/Merchandiser
• Specialist knowledge volunteer (antiques and collectables)
• Specialist knowledge volunteer (books and entertainment)
• Housekeeping volunteer

Key tasks

There is a variety of tasks within the above mentioned roles that our volunteers get involved with, including:

• Welcoming and assisting customers with their purchases, providing them with great customer service and a delightful shopping experience
• Receiving donated items from members of the public
• Sorting, steaming, tagging and preparing donated items for sale
• Creating visually appealing window and in-store displays
• Keeping the shop floor well stocked, clean and coordinated
• Processing sales and serving at the till
• Signing up gift aid donors
• Stock rotation
• Identifying special or valuable items within donated stock

About you

• Passionate about customer service 
• Good communication skills 
• Friendly and helpful
• Respectful of others and their diversity

Experience & skills you will gain

• Experience of working as part of a team
• Retail experience 
• Stock organisation
• Selling skills 
• Customer service skills 

Our Commitment

We are committed to becoming actively anti-racist in everything we do. This is a critical priority for Mind. We embrace diversity and understand that being an inclusive organisation, recognising different perspectives, will enable us to provide excellent services. We are committed to ensuring all our employees are treated fairly and equitably at work and promoting equity in physical and mental health for all.

Healthwatch Islington is led by local people interested in making health and care services as good as they can be.

We speak to local residents about their experiences of accessing health and care services to understand patient experience across the borough. We use this information to influence health and care commissioning in and around Islington and to provide residents with information about local services and their rights to access them. We are part of the Healthwatch network across England.

We are looking for people with a connection to Islington who would like to join our exciting volunteer team.

The role of a volunteer Health Champion:

We are looking for people who are friendly, patient and confident talking to new people to help us hear about local people’s experiences of health and care services.

This Health Champion role can include:

• Attending information stands in the community as part of our team and talking to local residents

• Supporting health information workshops or community meetings (notetaking, participant feedback etc.)

• Providing health information about specific campaigns (e.g. cancer awareness, heart health; training will be provided)

All Healthwatch Islington volunteers must attend an induction session and appropriate training before volunteering with us.

Role Description:

Talk to residents and listen to their experiences at health Information stalls and events. These will mainly be in the daytime, Monday-Friday. These activities take place across the borough and require the ability to travel.

As we work with a wide range of residents across our diverse ethnic minority communities, we welcome applications from people with diverse language skills.

Person specification:

· Ability to work well with others

· Ability to explain things clearly and listen without judgment

· Confidence approaching and talking to new people

· Understanding of confidentiality, respecting this at all times

· Availability to participate regularly, often during 9 to 5

Benefits of the role:

· Access to Healthwatch Islington training

· Supervision and support in the role

· We can provide a reference after 6 months of volunteering if you have met the requirements listed above

· Tempo Time Credits for hours spent volunteering with us

Commitment required:

· A flexible commitment of at least one session each month

· Availability for a two-day training prior to the first session

· At least six months' commitment to the role.

Volunteers needed for the friendliest club in London!

Can you spare two hours a week to work with some of the friendliest, welcoming people

you’ll ever meet? If so, then please come and help our volunteers organise fun, engaging

activities at our ever-growing club for people with learning disabilities. No previous experience

is needed; you just need a caring attitude and sense of fun!

Our club is split into two age groups: 14-25 years and 25 years +. You have a chance to make a real

difference to either group by creating new experiences, helping our members to grow in

confidence, build friendships and learn new skills. Our specialist club leaders will support and

train you, and you’ll benefit from working in a very rewarding environment!

We are based in Camden, Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth and Westminster.

At Doorstep Library, we’re dedicated to bringing the magic of books and the joy of reading directly into the homes of children who need our support.

With 1 in 4 children in the UK leaving primary school unable to read or write properly, we recruit and train in-person and online volunteers to introduce children from under-resourced areas to the pleasure of reading.

What’s Involved?

As a Doorstep Library reading volunteer, you’ll visit the same families at their homes every week with a backpack full of books to share with the children and encourage their love of reading.

You will:

• Handpick books based on the children’s age, interests, and reading level
• Visit their homes with your volunteer partner for 20-minute reading sessions  
• Leave behind a selection of books for the children to borrow for the week

Our unique home-based approach allows our volunteers to build trusting relationships with families, helping them to connect with the community and equip them with the skills they need to succeed later in life.

When and Where?

We have volunteer opportunities in: Hammersmith, Parsons Green, Fulham Broadway, Shepherds Bush, East Acton, Latimer Road, Euston, Kings Cross, Marylebone, Edgware Road, Queens Park, Pimlico, Brixton, Tulse Hill, and World's End.

• Time commitment: One evening a week (Regular Volunteer), one evening every other week (Semi-Regular Volunteer) or once every 3 weeks (Stand-In Volunteer) during school term times
• Hours per week: 2.5
• Days: Our projects run on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays depending on where you are based from 4:30pm – 7:00pm

 Why volunteer with Doorstep Library? 

• It's incredibly fun! You get to explore your inner child and share your passion for books and reading. 
• We invest in our team of volunteers to ensure they are valued, supported and are developing. 
• You will be a part of the Doorstep Library community of families, volunteers and staff members. 
•  You can make a real difference to the lives of others. Providing you with a real sense of purpose and achievement. 
•  You give back to the community you live in or the community you visit every week. 
• You build your confidence and improve your self-esteem and mental well-being. 
• You will develop skills and enhance your C.V. 

Doorstep Library is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and all those it comes into contact with. All volunteers undergo rigorous safer recruitment processes including specified interview questions, a DBS check, and the collection of written and/or verbal references.  Safeguarding training is a mandatory part of the induction process for all volunteers, and they are expected to always adhere to our safeguarding policies and procedures.

At Doorstep Library, we’re dedicated to bringing the magic of books and the joy of reading directly into the homes of children who need our support.

With 1 in 4 children in the UK leaving primary school unable to read or write properly, we recruit and train in-person and online volunteers to introduce children from under-resourced areas to the pleasure of reading.

What’s Involved?

As a Doorstep Library reading volunteer, you’ll visit the same families via Zoom every week with eBooks to share with the children and encourage their love of reading.

You will:

• Handpick eBooks from our online portals based on the children’s age, interests, and reading level
• Join families via Zoom with your volunteer partner for 20-minute reading sessions  
• Make notes after the session to keep track of how the child/ren are progressing

Our unique home-based approach allows our volunteers to build trusting relationships with families, helping them to connect with the community and equip them with the skills they need to succeed later in life.

When and Where?

You can be based anywhere in the UK to become a Doorstep Library online volunteer.

• Time commitment: One evening a week (Regular Volunteer), one evening every other week (Semi-Regular Volunteer) or once every 3 weeks (Stand-In Volunteer) during school term times
• Hours per week: 2
• Days: Our projects run on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays from 4:30pm – 6:30pm

Why volunteer with Doorstep Library?

• It's incredibly fun! You get to explore your inner child and share your passion for books and reading.
• We invest in our team of volunteers to ensure they are valued, supported and are developing.
• You will be a part of the Doorstep Library community of families, volunteers and staff members.
• You can make a real difference to the lives of others. Providing you with a real sense of purpose and achievement.
• You give back to the community you live in or the community you visit every week.
• You build your confidence and improve your self-esteem and mental well-being.
• You will develop skills and enhance your C.V. 

Doorstep Library is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and all those it comes into contact with. All volunteers undergo rigorous safer recruitment processes including specified interview questions, a DBS check, and the collection of written and/or verbal references.  Safeguarding training is a mandatory part of the induction process for all volunteers, and they are expected to always adhere to our safeguarding policies and procedures.  

Would you like to lead an innovative health think tank - enabling it to achieve more of its potential and encouraging a more preventative approach to mental and physical ill-health in the UK?

As Chair you’ll:

• Help Health Action Research Group develop more of its potential as an independent health think tank, on a sustainable basis

• Ensure effective governance, including chairing Trustees’ meetings and leading the recruitment and induction of new Trustees

• Represent Health Action Research Group, where appropriate, at external meetings and events

We'd like to hear from you, if you have:

• Experience of being a Trustee

• Experience of helping organisations grow and develop

• At least five years relevant UK experience of health research, health policy and/or health interventions - with a focus on preventing (as opposed to treating) ill-health

• Enthusiasm for our guiding principle that prevention is better than cure and that health in the UK should be more than a postcode lottery.

• The ability to build relationships and advocate for and champion our work.

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.