Social Welfare Volunteer Roles in Co Durham

Our mission is to help and support homeless and vulnerably housed people in and around the London Borough of Merton. We operate a twice-weekly Drop-in, currently welcoming 50-60 individuals each day, while our Winter Night Shelter provides a warm, dry place to sleep every night during the coldest nights of the year – this winter from 4 December until 10 March 2024.

Our current Secretary is retiring, having completed the maximum of nine years in the role. We’re now looking for an enthusiastic and committed volunteer for the role which covers the following positions:

1. Company secretary
2. Secretary to the Trustees

The current incumbent fulfils both roles but we would consider splitting the responsibilities if two complementary applications were received.

The Company Secretary & Secretary is a volunteer with an active role in the work of the organisation. The Faith in Action Merton Homelessness Project (FIAMHP) Board of Trustees, Company Secretary & Secretary, together with senior staff, form the Management Committee of the Charity.

Company Secretary’s responsibilities:

The Company Secretary keeps the organisation legal by:

• Working with Trustees to ensure that the Charity complies with its Articles of Association, charity law, company law, employment law, and any other relevant legislation or regulations.

• Ensuring that the Trustees are aware of the requirement to comply with relevant codes such as the Code of Conduct for Charity Trustees and the Charities Governance Code, and that these are adhered to.

• Ensuring that the Articles of Association reflect the current work of the Charity, liaising with the Charity Commission and Companies House as appropriate if an update is needed.

• Liaison with Treasurer as needed.

• Filing annual Confirmation Statements and other Company Returns including the annual Trustees Report & Accounts with Companies House and the Charity Commission by the due dates.

• Advising Companies House and the Charity Commission of changes to Company and Charity details by the due dates – this includes Trustee appointments and resignations.

• Maintaining the statutory records.

• Monitoring the composition of the Trustee board, and liaising with the Chair and other Trustees to ensure that new Trustees are recruited as necessary, so that all roles needed are covered. Organising new Trustee applications and interviews, and obtaining references.

• Organising and running the Annual General Meeting, and any other General Meetings required.

• Any other duties which may reasonably arise.

Secretary’s duties

The job of the FIAMHP Secretary is to assist the Trustees in the smooth running of the organisation by:

• Organising Management Committee meetings in consultation with the Chair and other Trustees: setting meeting dates and venues; producing meeting agendas, receiving and sending out meeting notices and papers, checking that meetings are quorate, taking meeting minutes, liaising with the Chair and other Trustees as necessary; sending out draft minutes.

• Assist with liaison between Trustees, Staff and Volunteers as needed.

• Awareness of the work of the organisation and the needs of its guests and service users.

• Ensuring that decisions and actions of the Board of Trustees are accurately recorded and implemented.

• Maintaining an appropriate and secure filing system so that all Trustee papers are retained and accessible.

• Assisting with Business Plan development and the Trustees’ Annual Report as required.

• Ensuring that Policies and Risk Register are filed and accessible to all who need access.

• Tracking progress with implementation of the organisation’s Business Plan.

• Ensuring that any correspondence for Trustees is brought to the attention of the Board.

• Any other duties which may reasonably arise.

The Company Secretary and Secretary must have:

● Commitment to the Charity and its work.

● Understanding and acceptance of the legal duties and responsibilities of being a Company Secretary

● Willingness to devote the necessary time and effort to their duties as Company Secretary and Secretary

● Strategic vision

● Good independent judgement

● Ability to work effectively as a member of a team.

For more information about either post, please contact Bernie McAlister, Chair of Trustees.

Telephone Support Volunteers play a vital part at The Ealing Older People Floating Support Service as they support Floating Support Workers with well-being calls. Service Users are called on a weekly basis to ensure their welfare and safety. Telephone Volunteers exhibit exceptional listening and communication skills, with the ability to understand the needs of older people and empathise with them.

Role Description

Come join our team working to help change the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in society. Ranked 2023 Q4 by Best Companies as the 8th best charity to work for in the UK, Medaille Trust is one of the UK’s leading charities in the fight against modern slavery. Our innovative model is based on three principles: Prevent, Protect and Pursue.  We are one of the UK’s largest providers of survivor services, with ten safehouses and six outreach hubs, staffed round the clock by specialist staff, working with more than 600 men, women and dependent children each year.  We work to raise awareness in the UK and to provide preventive work in source countries. Our Pursue work helps survivors to engage with police and within the legal system to seek justice and to secure convictions against their perpetrators.

Our volunteers come from all walks of life and have a wide range of experience and motivations. Whatever your reason for deciding to volunteer, we want to make sure you enjoy your time with us and know just how much we value your support.

Many of our service users don’t use English as their first language and rely on high quality translation to understand information. Therefore, we are looking for volunteers who can accurately translate English text into any of the languages below:

Mandarin, Bengali, Arabic, Amharic, French, Albanian, Vietnamese, Romanian, Polish, Tigrinya, Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi.

Volunteers need to:

•Be at least 18 years old

•Hold a translating or interpreting qualification or to hold a degree (in any subject) and be fluent in speaking and writing in English, and one or more of the languages above

•Have excellent command of English and other language(s)

•Have grammatical accuracy

•Have excellent proof-reading skills including IT skills

•Have use of own computer

•Be willing to have a basic DBS check

•Have the willingness to learn about human trafficking issues

•Have the ability to maintain confidentiality

To apply please complete an application form on our website.

Befriending Volunteer

You can make a difference…Age UK Wandsworth is a small, local, independent charity that has been working with older people in the area since 1963. We rely on your support to keep serving the older residents with in the Wamdsworth community. We have a dedicated team of experienced staff and a large network of dedicated local volunteers. Our aim is to enable everyone to age well in Wandsworth. We would love your help to be able to continue to support older Wandsworth residents.

Our Be-a-Friend service is one of our longest running services, matching people over 65, who live alone and have limited social contact, with a friendly local volunteer with similar hobbies and interests. The volunteer and their new friend set up a suitable time for them to meet each week for a chat and a cup of tea, which could be during the day, in the evening on the way home from work or even on the weekends . If you would prefer to volunteer from home, you can also be matched with an older person for telephone befriending. For many of our matched pairs, this is the beginning of a firm friendship. 

Befriending Plus

Befriending Plus is an extended version of the Be-a-Friend programme, for individulas needing help with life admin and small tasks as well as companionship. For Befriending Plus pairs, time spent together can include helping to use a phone or tablet, helping the client to organise their file, going out for a coffee or popping to the post office together. This support can help older people to stay independent at home for longer, as well as increasing their confidence to do these tasks when the volunteer is not there.

Do you enjoy meeting new people and chatting?

Do you have an hour to spare weekly, chatting to an Older Person on the Telephone?

Are you happy to provide two referees and complete a DBS check, ( free of charge)?

If so, we would love to hear from you?

Methodist Homes (MHA) is seeking Volunteer Telephone Befrienders to support our members and residents in various locations nationwide.

Through specialist care homes, thriving retirement living and vibrant community groups and befriending, we inspire the best care and wellbeing at every stage of later life.

With 80 years experience, we put people at the heart of everything we do in all our homes, schemes and community services across Britain.

The ideal individual will have an understanding of the needs of Older People, be kind and compassionate and enjoy the company of Older People.

What training and support will be provided:

• We will provide you with a full induction for the role
• Training on safeguarding, health and safety and other training and updating of skills and knowledge relevant to the role as appropriate
• Ongoing support from a named contact
• Out of pocket expenses in accordance with MHA’s Expenses Policy
• Dementia Friends online course-(if you wish)
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (as needed)

Times and Commitment

· We ask that you make a minimum of 4-6 months commitment to this role

· We ask you to be able to commit on a regular basis, to be agreed with your named contact

We will guide you through an application which takes 2-3 weeks. You will have a dedicated Recruiter, who will meet you on a video call.

Still interested? Great, apply to me via indeed and we can arrange a meeting within a few days, to do your informal interview.

Do you enjoy meeting new people and chatting?

Do you have an hour to spare weekly, chatting to an Older Person on the Telephone?

Are you happy to provide two referees and complete a DBS check, ( free of charge)?

If so, we would love to hear from you?

Methodist Homes (MHA) is seeking Volunteer Telephone Befrienders to support our members and residents in various locations nationwide.

Through specialist care homes, thriving retirement living and vibrant community groups and befriending, we inspire the best care and wellbeing at every stage of later life.

With 80 years experience, we put people at the heart of everything we do in all our homes, schemes and community services across Britain.

The ideal individual will have an understanding of the needs of Older People, be kind and compassionate and enjoy the company of Older People.

What training and support will be provided:

• We will provide you with a full induction for the role
• Training on safeguarding, health and safety and other training and updating of skills and knowledge relevant to the role as appropriate
• Ongoing support from a named contact
• Dementia Friends online course-(if you wish)
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (as needed)

Times and Commitment

· We ask that you make a minimum of 4-6 months commitment to this role

· We ask you to be able to commit on a regular basis, to be agreed with your named contact

We will guide you through an application which takes 2-3 weeks. You will have a dedicated Recruiter, who will meet you on a video call.

About We Are Family 

We Are Family is an extraordinary peer support community for adopters and prospective adopters. We’re there for parents throughout their adoption journey. Online and in person, our parents’ groups, events, resources, podcasts and talks offer mutual support, information and inspiration to adopters and those considering adoption. We currently operate across Greater London and the Home Counties, with ambitions to scale nationally over the coming years. 

The Role

We Are Family is seeking to appoint a committed and motivated Company Secretary who will work closely with the Board of Trustees and play an active part in the governance of the organisation.

This is a voluntary opportunity with associated Trustee expenses -  such as travel / childcare -  covered by We Are Family.  The Company Secretary can be based anywhere in the UK. 

Commitment

• We Are Family typically holds four Board meetings per year

• In addition to being involved in Board meetings, the Secretary should expect to spend 8-10 hours each month on work related to the governance of the charity.

• The normal term of appointment for a Secretary is three years, after which there is the opportunity to renew for a further three-year period. 

Skills and Experience 

In this role you will:

• Work directly with the Chair and Deputy Chair to organise and plan for regular Board meetings, producing agendas and a supporting pack of Board papers

• Ensure minutes are taken at the Trustee Board meetings and circulated in a timely manner

• Take an active role in the governance of the Charity, ensuring that the company complies with its governing document, Charity Law, Charity Commission, and other relevant legislation

• Arrange for filings to be submitted to the Charity Commission in accordance with statutory deadlines

• Liaise with Committee Chairs to collect and distribute Committee meeting notes to the Board of Trustees 

• Maintain and update statutory records including annual returns, report, and accounts, and changes to the trustee membership.

This role would suit an individual with:

• Knowledge and experience of charity governance and management

• Experience in a compliance, risk or business management role

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Organisation skills, with the ability to work to deadlines

• Good IT skills, to include Zoom and Google Suite or MS Office.
   

Although many of our current Board members are adopters themselves, we are also keen to recruit suitably qualified people who are not, but who can demonstrate a commitment to the values and mission of We Are Family.

One of the great strengths of We Are Family is that we are volunteer and member driven, and we represent a diverse community of adoptive parents. We particularly welcome trustees from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds to ensure that the board can benefit from this diversity of experience. We would also welcome single adopters to the board. 

To Apply 

If the opportunity to join an exciting, rapidly growing charity appeals to you as someone able to make a valuable contribution, please send us a copy of your CV and we will contact you with our Recruitment Pack.

Please note that applications are received and reviewed on an ongoing basis, therefore an early application is advised.

About We Are Family 

We Are Family is an extraordinary peer support community for adopters and prospective adopters. We’re there for parents throughout their adoption journey. Online and in person, our parents’ groups, events, resources, podcasts and talks offer mutual support, information and inspiration to adopters and those considering adoption. We currently operate across Greater London and the Home Counties, with ambitions to scale nationally over the coming years. 

The Role

We Are Family is seeking to appoint a committed and motivated Treasurer who will work closely with the Board of Trustees and play an active part in the governance of the organisation’s finances.

This is a voluntary opportunity with associated Trustee expenses -  such as travel / childcare -  covered by We Are Family.  The Company Secretary can be based anywhere in the UK. 

Commitment

• We Are Family typically holds four Board meetings per year

• In addition to being involved in Board meetings, the Treasurer should expect to spend 8-10 hours each month on work related to the finances of the charity.

• The normal term of appointment for a Treasurer is three years, after which there is the opportunity to renew for a further three-year period. 

Skills and Experience 

In this role you will:

• Advise on the financial implications of We Are Family’s strategic plan.

• Be an active member of the We Are Family Finance, Fundraising & Resources Committee who meet once every quarter.

• Oversee presentation of budgets, internal management accounts and annual financial statements to the board of trustees.

• Lead on the board’s duty to ensure that proper accounting records are kept, financial resources are properly controlled, invested and economically spent, in line with good governance, legal and regulatory requirements.

• Lead the development and implementation of financial reserves, cost management and investment policies.

• Monitor and advise on the financial viability of the charity.

• Oversee the implementation of and monitoring specific financial controls and adherence to systems.

• Oversee the charity’s financial risk management process.

• Review and approve payments (including payroll).

• Be the main point of contact for We Are Family’s bank.

• Act as a counter signatory on important applications to funders.

• Liaise with the appropriate member of staff responsible for the financial activities of the organisation.

• Liaise with the external auditors or independent examiner on specific issues such as the auditor’s or examiner’s management letter and the related board representations. 

This role would suit an individual with:

• Knowledge of charity governance and management

• Experience in a compliance, risk or business management role

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Organisation skills, with the ability to work to deadlines

• Good IT skills, to include Zoom and Google Suite or MS Office.

Although many of our current Board members are adopters themselves, we are also keen to recruit suitably qualified people who are not, but who can demonstrate a commitment to the values and mission of We Are Family.

One of the great strengths of We Are Family is that we are volunteer and member driven, and we represent a diverse community of adoptive parents. We particularly welcome trustees from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds to ensure that the board can benefit from this diversity of experience. We would also welcome single adopters to the board. 

To Apply 

If the opportunity to join an exciting, rapidly growing charity appeals to you as someone able to make a valuable contribution, please send us a copy of your CV and we will contact you with our Recruitment Pack.

Please note that applications are received and reviewed on an ongoing basis, therefore an early application is advised.