Volunteer occupational therapist jobs

Our mission as a charity is to create brighter todays and better tomorrow for the children and families of Noah’s Ark. The wellbeing team, comprising of the Programme Manager, Senior Ward Counsellor, Sparkle Co-ordinators and Music Therapist, work collaboratively to provide emotional and practical support to children, young people and families within the hospital. 

This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled and compassionate professional to join us as a ward counsellor. Working closely with colleagues across the charity and NHS teams, the successful candidate will play a key role in delivering high-quality emotional support and will have the opportunity to see the direct impact of their work on the children and families we support. They will provide emotional and therapeutic support to children, young people and families during their time in hospital. This includes delivering counselling sessions, emotional first aid, wellbeing check-ins and Art for Wellbeing sessions on the oncology ward. The role focuses on supporting those experiencing the emotional impact of hospital admission, treatment and diagnosis, particularly children and families facing long or repeated admissions, medical trauma, complex care needs or significant emotional distress. Working closely with colleagues across the hospital and the charity the ward counsellor will help ensure children and families receive timeline, compassionate and coordinated wellbeing support throughout their hospital journey.

See the job description and person specifiation document for more details.

We are excited to be recruiting into our Wellbeing Coaches team for a young person’s Mental Health Coach. Our Mental Health coaches work 1:1 with young people to build resilience and develop coping strategies for improving mental health and wellbeing, offering a trauma-informed combination of practical and emotional support.

We believe each young person is unique, and benefits from a tailored approach to support - so you might spend a session exploring emotion language with one young person and then accompany another one to a GP appointment. You’ll also have opportunities to share your expertise with our colleagues by delivering training and coaching sessions for those working in our housing and support services. 

This is a permanent role. We are seeking either qualified* mental health workers and/or applicants with significant and relevant experience of supporting people with mental health needs. If applying for the qualified role, please provide details of your qualification and confirm the name and contact details for the professional body/bodies you are currently registered with. 

*Relevant qualification in mental health at level 5 or above, alongside significant and relevant post qualification training and experience. E.g. Mental Health Nursing Registration, Occupational Therapist or registered therapist (with post qualification experience of working and training in a CAMHS/mental health setting); Social Work qualification with approved SW status. 

Please find full details of how to apply via our website in the advert below. The deadline for application submissions is 23:59, 08 September 2026.

We aim to build a more diverse workforce that reflects the young people we support, including those from migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking communities. We therefore warmly encourage applications from individuals who are currently under-represented at 1625, including people from ethnic minority backgrounds, Muslim and male candidates, and anyone with relevant lived experience.. 

If you need an adjustment to be made to any part of the recruitment process, please let us know as soon as possible. 

Who are we?
We are a leading youth homelessness charity based in the Southwest, working with over 1,500 young people. At 1625 we are driven by Social Justice and Passion: we strive to do something that matters and take pride in seeing the results of our work in social outcomes and improving young people’s lives.

How we work
At 1625 our work is rooted in Psychologically Informed Environments (PIE) and Trauma-Informed Practice (TIP). Our Psychologically Informed Framework shapes how we build relationships, use our spaces, and support young people. This means we prioritise safety, trust, collaboration, and understanding the impact of trauma in every interaction. You don’t need prior experience in PIE or TIP to apply - we’ll support you to learn and develop these approaches in the role. 
What you will be doing:

• Co-creating tailored 1:1 support for a caseload of young people experiencing mental health challenges.
• Upskilling colleagues to respond effectively to young people’s mental health needs.
• Collecting data on needs, to inform service design and future funding opportunities.
• Designing group and drop-in sessions for our high support accommodation services to raise awareness of positive mental health.

You will be in the Transitions & Resilience Team, and your line manager will be our Transitions & Resilience Service Manager.

Our Competency Development Framework sits at the heart of how we work at 1625. It links our values with the behaviours we expect to see in everyday practice and supports colleagues to learn, reflect and develop. It also means our recruitment is grounded in behaviours, not just experience, so applications, interviews and job profiles all focus on how we work, not only what we do. 

If you have transferrable skills and you are interested in this role, but you are worried about the application process, please get in touch with us. We encourage you to have an informal chat with the recruiting manager to discuss how your personal or professional experience and skills could be transferred to this role. Details of how you can do that are further down in this advert.

Contract details 

• Hours per week: 18.75 (this represents 0.5 FTE)
• Contract type: Fixed-term until 11 June 2027
• Pay: £33,143 - £35,412 (qualified) or £30,024 - £31,537 (unqualified) (pro rata based on 0.5FTE) NOTE: This is the current salary and does not include the NJC pay award that is currently pending. Presently, the Government / National Employers have made a pay offer of a 3.3% pay increase. Once an agreement is reached, the relevant % uplift will be backdated to the employment start date.
• The location: Central Bristol, with daily travel across Bristol and South Gloucestershire

Important dates

• Application deadline closes: 23:59, Tuesday 08 September 2026.
• If you have not heard from us by the end of the day on Monday 14 September 2026, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.
• Interviews are on Monday 21 September 2026. 

Application information
Ready to see yourself in this rewarding role? We can’t wait to hear from you.

• To access the Job Pack and submit an application, please visit our website.
• You will be asked to answer 4 questions at the top of the Word application form. These are required to ensure your application can be shortlisted.
• Please note the online e-application form cannot be saved so we recommend you prepare your Word application form before you start filling in the e-form.
• Please get in touch with us if a hard copy of the application form would be preferred. We will organise a time for you to collect it from and return it to our main office in Old Market. An online application will then be created for you. 

Contact us

• Please see our website for more information.

A few benefits at 1625:
In return for your dedication, we offer:

• Regular clinical supervision
• A generous annual leave entitlement of 30 days per annum plus all Bank Holidays.
• Employee Health Cash Plan with HSF.
• A supportive and approachable team with an emphasis on colleague wellbeing.
• “Colleagues are valued and supported, people like working at 1625ip and you can tell that by the culture and atmosphere in the offices.”, Colleague Wellbeing Survey 2025.
• “I feel genuinely so proud to and really feel that the values and motivation behind the work we do aligns with who I am and who I want to be.” See what other colleagues have said about their career development with us, on the vacancy page of our website.
• 1625ip is a Disability Confident Employer.

Equitable opportunities for everyone
We believe those with a criminal record should have an equal chance to become employees or volunteers and encourage applications. 

As an organisation who safeguard and promote the safety and welfare of children, young people and adults at risk, any job offer will depend on a satisfactory DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check. Successful candidates will need to provide our organisation with sufficient documentation to prove ID. We comply fully with the DBS code of practice and undertake to treat all applications for positions fairly. For successful candidates with a criminal record, a risk assessment process will take place with the recruiting manager.

We also pride ourselves on being an equitable opportunities employer for everyone regardless of age, disability, gender identity, race, religion and beliefs, sex and sexual orientation. We have committed to being a Disability Confident Employer, and have made the Menopause Workplace, Mental Health at Work, and Bristol Equality Charter pledges.

Please see our Policies section on the website, for further information.

START are recruiting for an Operations Manager.

Job Title: Operations Manager
Location: Salford
Employer: START
Hours: 4 Days per week (28 hours) worked across Monday to Friday, specific work pattern to be agreed, with flexibility required)
Salary Band: £33,860 - £40,000 FTE (£27,088 - £32,000 per annum actual for 28 hours per week)
Contract Type: Permanent
Pension: 5% employer contribution
Annual Leave: 30 days plus statutory holidays (pro rata for part-time staff)

About Us

START is a Salford based mental health charity, of over 30 years, that uses creativity, connection and recovery interventions to help improve people's lives.

Job Overview

We are looking for an experienced, proactive and highly organised Operations Manager to join our Senior Leadership Team. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of START by ensuring the organisation operates safely, efficiently and in line with best practice.

Core Responsibilities

As Operations Manager, you will oversee the day-to-day operational management of the charity, leading on health and safety, facilities management, information governance, H.R, organisational policies and procedures, and the continuous improvement of our operational systems. You will also manage operational staff, lead key organisational projects and work collaboratively with colleagues, trustees, partners and external contractors to support the delivery of our strategic objectives.

This varied and rewarding role requires a confident leader with excellent organisational, communication and problem-solving skills, who can manage multiple priorities while maintaining high standards of compliance and service delivery. You will be passionate about creating efficient systems, fostering a positive working environment and ensuring the organisation remains compliant with relevant legislation and best practice.

Additional Information

If you are an experienced operational leader who thrives on driving improvement, building strong relationships and supporting an organisation that makes a real difference in people's lives, we'd love to hear from you.

Closing date for receiving applications will be Thurssday 3rd September 2026 at 12 noon.

Interested?

If you believe you have the right skills and experience to join our exemplar charity, please apply in writing with an up to date CV and a supporting statement which outlines your suitability for the role in line with the attached person specification. It will be sent automatically to us. 

START are committed to equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. With this in mind, we welcome applications irrespective of age, disability, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex or sexual orientation

No agencies please.