Human Rights Volunteer Roles

We are currently experiencing the most significant threats to refugee protection in the UK since the UN Convention was signed in 1951.

Against this backdrop, The Asylum Reform Initiative (ARI) is an alliance of leading groups working in collaboration to secure deep-rooted change in the refugee and asylum system. It includes the British Red Cross, Citizens UK, Freedom from Torture, NACCOM, One Strong Voice, Rainbow Migration, Refugee Action, Refugee Council and Scottish Refugee Council.
 
The ARI incubated, launched and supports the public-facing Together With Refugees coalition, which now has over 600 national and local member organisations taking collective action to project widespread support for a positive alternative approach into public and political debate.

The Asylum Reform Initiative is now seeking to appoint its first independent Chair.

This is a unique opportunity for an inclusive, collaborative leader to work with a highly talented and committed team to develop and drive the ARI forward with passion and humility. The Chair will play an integral role in providing inclusive governance leadership, enabling each member to fulfil their duties and responsibilities and to maximise impact.

We are seeking someone with significant experience of leadership and governance, who is deeply committed to reshaping the UK’s approach to refugees and people seeking asylum. A strategic thinker who is willing to engage with relevant policy issues around refugee and asylum.

Furthermore, the ARI’s Chair will be committed to anti-racism and equity, diversity and inclusion, and in particular lived experience inclusion. They will display the highest personal standards regarding integrity and transparency, and be a positive, collaborative, and inclusive leader.

Recruitment Timetable 
Deadline for applications: 12th May 2024

Interviews with Prospectus: w/c 20th May 2024
 
Interviews with the Asylum Reform Initiative: From 3rd June

Refugee and Migrant Forum of Essex & London (RAMFEL) seeks a dedicated and passionate individual to hold the Board and Executive Team to account in delivering on the organisation's mission and vision, in addition to providing leadership to the Board of Trustees.  

About RAMFEL:

RAMFEL is a charity that supports vulnerable migrants to access justice as well as providing vital support in moments of individual crisis. RAMFEL provide immigration advice (OISC level 3) and generalist advice in a range of areas to support clients. This goes alongside destitution services and support to build a new life in the UK, with ESOL classes and referrals for support accessing the labour market.

 About the Chair Role:

The Chair will be taking on this pivotal role at a crucial time in RAMFEL's growth and development as an organisation. To continue being the trusted voice on refugee and migrant issues, a suitably experienced individual with the right motivation and willingness to lead from the front in an ambassadorial role will be ideal.

 You will be responsible for:

• Holding the Board and Executive Team to account for the Charity's mission and vision, providing leadership to the Board of Trustees.
• Working closely with, and support, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO); ensuring that objectives are set in line with RAMFEL strategy, as well as providing healthy challenge where needed.
• Be responsible for promoting and maintaining a collaborative and inclusive culture among the Board, ensuring that members work together as a team to achieve agreed objectives
• Act as an ambassador and the public face of the charity in partnership with the Chief Executive.  

RAMFEL is committed to operating as an equal-opportunity organisation. We warmly welcome candidates from all backgrounds to apply for this Chair role. We are looking for individuals to culturally add to this organisation, rather than fit an existing mould. We particularly encourage applications from individuals from the Global Majority and individuals who have first-hand lived experience themselves or through their parents as refugees and migrants. Your unique perspective and insights are valuable contributions to our community

Time commitment

We anticipate the chair will spend approx. 15 hours a month and this will flex depending on the requirements at the time. The Board meets 4 times a year and there will be two away/onsite days a year.

How to Apply:

Charity People Ltd is acting as a recruitment agency advisor to RAMFEL on this appointment. If you believe your values align with those of RAMFEL and you are keen to be pivotal in driving forward the organisation's values and strategic goals, then we would love to hear from you.

To receive the full recruitment pack, which has the details about this role and how to apply, please send your CV to Senior Appointments at Charity People

 Timeline:

Q&A Webinar hosted by RAMFEL, where they will share further insights and answer any additional questions you may have. Please register your interest in attending this webinar with your consultant and we will send you a link:

Webinar : Tuesday 23rd April 18:00

Closing date for applications: Fri 10th May 12pm

First round interviews: w/c 20th May

Final interviews: w/c 27th May  

We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability, and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so we can help make the application process work for you.  

Charity People actively promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion. We match charity needs with the skills and experience of candidates, irrespective of age, disability (including hidden disabilities), gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We do this because we know greater diversity will lead to even greater results for the charities with which we work.

Galop - Chair

Galop is seeking a new Chair to lead the Board and form a strong team of passionate Trustees to support the organisation in a period of change to develop and deliver Galop’s life-changing work.  

About Galop:

Galop is the UK’s LGBT+ anti-abuse charity, working with and for LGBT+ victims and survivors of abuse and violence. Run by LGBT+ people, for LGBT+ people, the needs of the community are at the centre of everything they do. 

The key responsibilities of the Chair of the Trustees include:

• To provide strategic leadership to the Board, including developing the Board as a team
• To lead on the recruitment of a permanent CEO and support with the development of a strategy for the period
• To be an advocate and champion for Galop 
• To support and, where appropriate, to challenge the CEO and other Trustees and to ensure that the Board as a whole works in partnership with the staff team 
• To lead on ensuring that all decisions are informed by Galop’s values
• To line manage the CEO on behalf of the Board as a critical friend, supporting the CEO including agreeing objectives, and undertaking an annual appraisal 

How to Apply:

This post is only available to applicants from the LGBTQ+ community as permitted under the Equality Act 2010 as a Genuine Occupational Requirement.

Charity People Ltd is acting as a recruitment agency advisor to Galop on this appointment. If you believe your values align with those of Galop and you are keen to be pivotal in driving the organisation's strategic vision, then we would love to hear from you.

To receive the full recruitment pack, which has the details about this role and how to apply, please send your CV to Senior Appointments at Charity People 

Timeline:

Q&A Webinar hosted by Galop, where they will share further insights and answer any additional questions you may have. Please register your interest in attending this webinar with your consultant and we will send you a link:

Webinar: 17th April 18:00

Closing date for applications: 9th May

First round interview: w/c 20th May

Final interview w/c 27th May

We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability, and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so we can help make the application process work for you.

Charity People actively promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion. We match charity needs with the skills and experience of candidates, irrespective of age, disability (including hidden disabilities), gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We do this because we know greater diversity will lead to even greater results for the charities with which we work.

About the Legal Education Foundation (LEF)

A Stronger Sector•Fairer Systems•Smarter Justice

LEF is an independent grant-making foundation, distributing around £6 million a year through our own grants and programmes, and partnering with other funders. We also use our expertise in the arena of social justice law to influence others. The organisation has evolved significantly over the past 12 years since it became an independent charitable foundation, with assets from the sale of the College of Law.

Power, Culture and Inclusion: LEF takes the journey to achieving justice extremely seriously. As a funder we are committed to shifting power in the systems that we are part of. We have a diverse staff team and are committed to increasing diversity and inclusion on our Board. As such we are encouraging candidates with lived experience of social welfare legal issues and where they intersect with structural racism, disability and other forms of discrimination to apply.

About the role: Trustees play an active role in strategic planning, scrutiny, questioning the impact of our work and holding the programmes to account and, where necessary, acting as a critical but supportive friend. They are also responsible for the legal, financial and compliance duties of a Board.

About the new Trustee: LEF is an interesting and rewarding organisation to be part of, and this is a key moment for someone who enjoys finance and strategic thinking to join us. Your financial expertise could come from a wide range of backgrounds and roles: you may be a senior finance person in the not-for-profit sector, or you may have a private or legal sector career in finance and have some understanding of the charity sector. You are also likely to be a qualified accountant but if not, you will need an equivalent amount of knowledge and experience of charity accounting. You’ll also need to bring passion and commitment to our mission, purposes and aims, and willingness to devote the necessary time and effort.

Previous trustee experience is not essential.

We value, welcome and respect all the differences that make us who we are, including: age, cultural background, disability and mental health, ethnicity and race, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, neurodiversity and socioeconomic background.

How to express your interest

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Allyson Davies via the info in the Trustee information pack, which also contains more information about the LEF and the requirements of the role, and how to apply. The deadline is 10am on TUESDAY 23 April.

Volunteer with Citizens Advice Staffordshire North and Stoke on Trent

What will you do?

• complete an introduction to Citizens Advice and training for your role.
• talk to clients over the phone to explore what problems they’ve come for help with. If you are able to speak or hear over the phone you can train to give advice by email or webchat.
• find information about the clients’ problems and help them to understand their options.
• support clients to take action to resolve their problems. This might include drafting or writing letters, making phone calls, or referring the client to another organisation.
• write a summary of the clients’ problems and what action you’ve taken.
• look out for problems’ that are common, or are unfair, and write a short report about the problem or a letter to an elected official like an MP, AM or local councillor.

Some examples of what you could do: 

• explore what benefits a client is entitled to and help them to complete a benefit application form.
• help a client who has problems with their landlord to understand their housing rights.

What’s in it for you?

• make a real difference to people’s lives.
• learn about a range of issues such as benefits, debt, employment, and housing.
• build on valuable skills such as communication, listening and problem solving, and increase your employability.
• work with a range of different people, independently and in a team.
• have a positive impact in your community.

And we’ll reimburse expenses too.

No prior experience is necessary in these areas as you’ll receive full training.

For individuals who are doing advice giving roles, and who are also training to be a solicitor, if you started training to be a solicitor before 1st September 2021, you may be able to get up to six months reduction in your training contract. 

If you started training to be a solicitor after 1st September 2021, you may be able to include time spent volunteering (or working) in advice giving roles as part of (or all of) your qualifying work experience. See Solicitors Regulation Authority for more information.

What do you need to have?

You don’t need specific qualifications or skills, but you’ll need to:

• be friendly and approachable.
• be non-judgmental and respect views, values and cultures that are different to your own.
• have good listening skills.
• have good verbal and written communication skills.
• have good maths and IT skills.
• be able to understand information and explain it to others.
• be willing to learn about and follow the Citizens Advice aims, principles and policies, including confidentiality and data protection.
• be willing to undertake training in your role.

How much time do you need to give?

We ask for a minimum of 3 hours per week, for at least 12 months.

Many of our volunteers give one full day or two half days per week.

Valuing inclusion

Our volunteers come from a range of backgrounds, and we particularly welcome applications from racially minoritised people/people of colour, disabled people, people with physical or mental health conditions, LGBTQ+ and non-binary people.

If you are interested in becoming an adviser and would like to discuss flexibility around location, time, ‘what you will do’ and how we can support you please contact us.

Contact details

Contact Margaret Collin for more information or to request an application pack.

Location

You can volunteer at any of our offices in North Staffordshire: Hanley, Newcastle under Lyme, Biddulph, or Leek.

You can complete e-learning at the office of your choice, but you will need to be available to attend two training days at the Hanley office.

Head Office
Advice House
13-15 Cheapside
Hanley
Stoke-on-Trent
ST1 1HL

This role is advertised as part of TPP's Free Giving Back Services. This volunteer advertisement copy has been supplied to TPP and applicants apply direct to the organisation. Please contact the organisation directly if you have any questions about this volunteer role.