Youth Support Worker Volunteer Roles in Belfast

Our Refugee Youth Caseworkers work to uphold the rights of young refugees in the UK. This is a fantastic opportunity to build knowledge of the UK asylum system, gain hands-on case work experience and provide direct support to young refugees.

You will be part of the Access Team, a team that started by supporting asylum seekers to navigate the UK asylum process and support through the asylum process. Over the course of this work, we became aware of young people whose age had been disputed by the Home Office when they arrived in the UK. These individuals are treated as adults by the Home Office. We have a dedicated team that helps young people to challenge the Home Office’s decision and work to ensure their safety.

As a member of this team, you will have a diverse role helping young people to access social services care and legal support. You’ll have the chance to gain broad experience of working in a fast paced, small but experienced team while meeting the ever-changing needs of those we support. So, if you thrive in a collaborative environment and are looking for a role where you can make a real difference, we want to hear from you! 

The Role  

As a Refugee Youth Caseworker you’ll focus on providing outstanding support to your clients throughout the complex and often traumatic age dispute process. You’ll gain a deep understanding of the functioning of the UK asylum and social care systems.

Young refugees who are documented as adults by the Home Office will be living in adult accommodation. This can be very stressful, and it is important to support each client throughout the age dispute process, from the moment they contact us to when they are taken into care.

Once an individual is taken into care, they will undergo an age assessment by social workers. This is a rigorous assessment that aims to determine a child’s age. This process, alongside the asylum process, can be very difficult for young refugees.

Your main responsibility will be to communicate directly with young refugees, assess their needs and refer to necessary authorities, such as social services.

Person Specification:

• A genuine passion for refugee rights and protection
• An understanding of the traumatic experiences that our clients have been through and the emotional resilience they need to cope with this
• Experience communicating professionally with various authorities, such as solicitors, social services, and the Home Office
• Ability to manage own caseload effectively
• Ability to use spreadsheets, Google Workspace, messaging platforms and secure databases
• Organised and accurate with information, with an eye for detail
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to communicate with people who do not have English as their first language, working alongside interpreters to ensure clients’ understand the process
• Professional and dedicated, ensuring that the best interests of the clients and Care4Calais are always represented
• Able to work independently and remotely and manage your time effectively, sometimes working to tight deadlines
• A DBS check and completion of safeguarding training will be required

Due to the nature of the role, we ask that volunteers can commit 8-10 hours per week on a long term basis.

Responsibilities:

• Communicate and provide direct support to young refugees

• Liaising with other professionals including lawyers and social services

• Assess and determine the level of support required for each client
• Provide professional and compassionate support to distressed clients
• Arrange phone and video calls with interpreters and clients

• Attend induction, ongoing training and keep up to date with resources and procedure to ensure you can carry out the role effectively and efficiently
• Take on new cases each week, whilst also providing ongoing support to clients
• Maintaining and updating client records
• Sorting and organising client’s paperwork
• Attend regular team meetings and contribute effectively
• Following safeguarding procedures and reporting safeguarding incidents appropriately
• Keeping the management team updated of any issues that may impact your ability to carry out the role effectively.

We do not offer legal advice. 

If you would like to apply for this role, please include a cover letter outlining your skills and why you think you would be suitable for this role. 

We look forward to hearing from you!

You will be an integral part in supporting young LGBTQ+ people of Muslim faith or from Muslim faith backgrounds with issues related to their lived experience. elop is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and expects all volunteers to share this commitment.

In order to do this you will need to undertake an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check and provide two references.

Our Mentoring Volunteers provide support and are role models to the young people we work with, and must be responsible, reliable and committed to the mentoring relationship. You will need to be good at communicating, enthusiastic and have a desire to help LGBTQ+ young people.

Previous experience of working with young people would be beneficial but is not essential.  No formal qualifications are required.

You will need to commit to meeting with at least one young person on a one-to-one basis for an hour a week for 6 months. This could be online or face to face in a designated location.

Selection for interview will be based only on the information contained in the

application form.  When completing the application form please ensure that  
you include information about yourself that is relevant to these requirements

Duties and skills 

• Have relevant experience and training to support young people aged 12 - 24 in a 1:1 capacity. 

• Understand the issues and lived experience of young LGBTQ+ people of Muslim faith or from a Muslim faith background. 

• Have the ability to be non-judgemental, listen and support, and create a safe space for young LGBTQ+ people of faith or from faith backgrounds to achieve positive outcomes from mentoring.

• Have the ability to plan and deliver mentoring sessions to support a young person with individual needs related to their identity. 

• Have the ability to set professional boundaries with young LGBTQ+ people in 1:1 settings and adhere to elop policies particularly safeguarding and confidentiality. 

• Have the ability to accurately record written notes for mentoring sessions and admin for the role as necessary.

• You must be LGBT+ and identify/have previously identified as a person of faith to apply for this role. 

In addition, all volunteers need to meet the minimal essential requirements for the volunteering at elop.   

1.   Applicants should have lived experience of the issues faced by LGBT+

      people and communities

2.   Understand the issues faced by different members of LGBT

      communities.

3.   Be able to work in a way that values and respects individuals and

      cultural diversity

4.   Understand the need to work within organisational policies and procedures

5.   Understand the need for boundaries and be able to maintain them

      within all aspects of your work

6.   Be able to offer support to other volunteers. 

7.   Be able to work as part of a team

8.   Understand that volunteering is commitment and that services may be

      dependent on your involvement. 

 Induction and support

elop will provide an induction programme which will include induction to the organisation, induction to the role of mentoring which will include, elop mentoring programme, safeguarding induction training, use of materials, trauma informed approaches, support available. 

Volunteer mentors will receive line management support and supervision from an elop worker once a month and group reflective practice 1.5 hours every other month.

We are looking for social workers to join our social worker and safeguarding team to give background help and advice to members who are in need of this.

Someone who can work as part of a team but also on their own when needed, we will take on trainees as we have a supervisor in this team

British Exploring Society is a world class youth development charity with a unique heritage, founded on the belief that challenging experiences can transform lives, empowering and equipping young people with the courage, skills, resilience and determination to make the most of their future.

We prepare and take young people on expeditions to remote locations where they face challenges, gain skills and learn about themselves - as well as acquiring knowledge relevant to their lives and to the fragile environments that they explore.

The results are transformative – not just in terms of practical skills and resilience, but in a new-found confidence and self-belief which they carry forward to their future life.

More than this, through their adventure together, our young people forge friendships for life and become part of a unique supportive and continuing community of explorers with shared experiences, values and perspectives on the world.

We are committed to building an executive and volunteer team that together represent a diverse variety of backgrounds, skills, and perspectives on the world. The more inclusive we are, the better we think we’ll be at delivering our charitable aims.

We are an equal opportunities employer and do not discriminate on the grounds of gender identity, sexual orientation, marital or civil partner status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, disability, or age.

If you are interested in applying and require any accessibility adjustments to the interview process, please do let us know when you apply. Thank you.

Upcoming opportunities for Social Leaders

The implementation of personal development plays an integral role on expedition, as such British Exploring Society recruits passionate, skilled volunteer Social Leaders. These Leaders bring with them experience working with young people in remote settings and can inspire and facilitate the development of young people by leading on delivering youth development activities, as well as providing pastoral care and behavioural support to young people on expedition.

Working in partnership with other expedition Leaders, they will be responsible for safety, wellbeing and development of 10 - 12 young people. They will help the team carry out the planned adventurous and knoweldge activities, whilst also providing expertise specifically pertaining to their role, this includes taking lead responsibility of provison of pastoral care for particpants in your group and providing tailored support to young people with additional support needs. For more information about the Social Leader role, please refer to the Leader Role Description attached.

Expeditions are between 2 and 6 weeks long and take place during academic holiday periods. We are currently recruiting volunteer Leaders for all our expeditions for Summer 2024.

We are also recruiting for Knowledge Leaders, Adventure Leaders, and Medical Leaders and are keen to hear from those with relevant or transferable senior leadership experience to fulfil our Basecamp Manager, Chief and Deputy Chief Leader roles. For more information about the Leader roles on expediotion, please visit our website.

Benefits of being a volunteer Leader with us:

Community - Our Volunteer Leader community come from a variety of backgrounds, ages and professions bring a diverse range of skills and experiences. Not only will you become a Member of British Exploring Society after leading with us but will leave with strong bonds and shared memories.

Courage - Set in wild, remote and sometimes harsh environments that young people aren’t used to. Working in this environment and supporting young people requires Leaders to show courage and be adaptable and dynamic, allowing for a unique and new experience - 100% of Leaders said they had acquired new skills.

Challenge – Our expeditions can be challenging. To prepare Leaders we provide high quality training and personal development. This offers Leaders the opportunity to develop & stretch their skills, such as youth work, technical, leadership and facilitation - 74% of Leaders said that volunteering with us had furthered their career.

Self-belief - From beginning to the end, you will be supported whilst developing their confidence. - 90% of our Leaders said they were more confident after expedition.

We are looking for applicants who are:

• Able and passionate about leading, inspiring, and teaching young people.
• Comfortable spending extended periods in remote and sometimes harsh environments.
• Able to commit to all pre- expedition training events. Dates are still being confirmed for the 2024 season though they will be similar to the 2023 pre-expedition training events. Please keep checking the link attached for the 2024 dates.
• Available for expedition for 2 to 6 weeks from mid July

As a charity, all Leader positions are undertaken on a voluntary basis and Leaders join for the intrinsic value of adventure, education, and personal development of young people. You do not have to fundraise to lead on our expeditions.

Prior to expedition all volunteer Leaders will receive training and support. We ask that first time Leaders cover the cost of their flights as part of the group booking booked by British Exploring Society, who will then reclaim the cost from Leaders. Flight costs will be covered for all returning Leaders. Leaders will need to provide their own personal kit as well as vaccinations and visas (if applicable). Leaders may claim expenses for UK training events. All other expedition costs are covered, including insurance, specialist equipment, expedition food and accommodation.

Leader Recruitment Pack

For more information about what volunteering with us looks like, please refer to our Leader Recruitment Pack attached below.

I have a voice (IHAV) is a not-for-profit set-up to tackle political inequality and increase democratic participation.

Our vision is:

A future where young people, from all backgrounds, engage with politics and go on to become active citizens.

A future where our leaders are representative of the UK's population, with proportionate representation from all segments of the population.

A future where there is space for all voices to be heard and debated with compassion and respect.

We are on a mission to find three new Board members to help us grow whilst staying true to our mission.

Board members usually join us for 2-3 years and play a pivotal role in everything we do. We’re looking for people who can dedicate 2-3 hours per month to IHAV.

We want people who can bring innovative ideas and fresh perspectives to the table. The ideal candidate will have a passion for our mission and a willingness to collaborate with us to tackle political inequality. You do not need to have previous Board experience.

This is a great opportunity for someone who wants to make a difference and gain valuable experience in governance and leadership. We value diversity and encourages applications from candidates of all backgrounds.

Skills & voices we need on our Board

The people that we work with are typically under 23, from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, outside of London and from an ethnic minority, but our board does not represent these communities. This needs to change. We need to ensure that the voices around our table better reflect and understand the community we exist to serve.

We are also looking for people with experience in governance and accounting, the education sector, fundraising and grants.

Why we're looking for new Board members

IHAV has been active for three years. Our business model has evolved and we've thoroughly tested our proof of concept. We're entering an exciting phase of thinking about how we scale IHAV and secure its long-term future.

As the tenure of a number of Board members has been reached we've had the opportunity to consider what skill sets we need to support the next phase of our journey.

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 or student paediatric/child & 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/Young Person's Counsellor you’ll be providing remote online/telephone 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. We will also consider therapists who are in need of a placement.

Depending on your qualifications, skills and experience, volunteer child counsellors / therapists provide person centred counselling (general talking counselling) or specialist services such as 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 be providing essential services that help make sure 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 a child client assessments, followed by person-centred counselling (via Zoom or phone) to our clients, offering up to 20 one hour (or 45 mins ate dependant) sessions for each client plus 4 assessments

• Providing one-to-one counselling 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 Chair
• Maintaining client confidentiality, upholding data protection and equal opportunities principle

• Attend monthly 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. We can offer you a supervisor.

What you need for this role

Essential

• Be a member (including student membership) of one of the recognised organisations (see below)
• Level 4 Diploma level qualifications as a minimum (or be studying towards one), Degree or Masters in Paediatric Counselling, Counselling/Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, Play Therapy or Art Therapy 
• Minimum of 100 hours supervised
• Proof of professional indemnity insurance annually - we may consider paying this as an expense but 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 2 child or young clients a week, being two 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 also welcome trained (or those seeking placements) 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.

Independent Visitors - Shropshire

Voluntary – a few hours per month

Information to candidates

We are seeking candidates who are committed to our objectives for children and young people and equally committed to the organisation and the development of our services. We recognise we are a predominantly white workforce and are genuinely committed to encouraging candidates from diverse communities in order to improve the services to the children and young people we help.

Our Core Purpose

Coram Voice exists to enable and equip children and young people* to hold the system to account, to challenge and support it to do its job properly and to uphold the rights of children and young people to actively participate in shaping their own lives.

Our vision

Coram Voice strives for a society which recognises and willingly accepts its responsibilities to children and young people, where the inequalities and discrimination they currently face have been eradicated. Where those children and young people are fully engaged in all decisions that are made about their lives. Where the views, needs and feelings that they express are at the core of those decisions.

Our Values

• We are child driven, always asking what children would want us to do. By engaging them at all levels of our work, their views and experiences are central to shaping all our plans. We are tenacious and passionate champions of children’s rights and we will not be distracted in our determination to do the right thing for children and young people.

• Second only to our dedication to children is our dedication to each other. Our work is defined and inspired by meaningful, supportive, mutually empowering relationships with and between children and young people, colleagues and partners. These relationships are powerful because they are authentic and human, where every contribution is equally valued and respected.

• We create a friendly and supportive working environment where work can and should be fun. We recognise that happy people perform at their best, and that people performing at their best are happier in their work. We celebrate our successes together and are open about our concerns and mistakes, supporting each other to grow and learn from them. We work flexibly, supporting each other in times of high workload or when life gets difficult.

• We accept personal responsibility for our work and we are accountable for delivering results against those responsibilities. Managers empower their people to take ownership of and make decisions on their areas of responsibility, ensuring that workload is manageable, that people are treated fairly, that they are supported and challenged to succeed. Everyone at Coram Voice is committed to modelling and championing these values, and managers have a particular responsibility for bringing them to life.

*We work with and for a range of children and young people who are potentially vulnerable to harm or exclusion from society, and who have a particular reliance on the state or its agencies for their rights and wellbeing, including children and young people who are looked after by the state, in need or who have severe and complex mental health problems, care leavers and young offenders. This is not an exclusive list.

Our work

Coram Voice is a national independent children’s charity which was established in 1975 and has grown to become one of the leading agencies for children and young people in the UK. Around 60 employed staff, 100 freelance workers and 200 volunteers deliver services to children and agencies through our London headquarters and regional offices. Together they provide Coram Voice with a high degree of specialist expertise in the fields of advocacy, children’s rights, mental health, complaints, secure accommodation and experience of working with children in care, in custody, in need and those who have recently left care.

We provide:

• Advocacy services direct to children and young people in care, in need, in custody and to care leavers and children and young people with severe and complex mental health problems. Advocates around the country support children and young people to get their voice heard in decisions about their lives. This may be through the telephone helpline or through an advocate working directly with a child, for instance, to support them at a review meeting or to help them make a complaint about their care. Coram Voice provides visiting advocacy services to most of the secure units nationally, to Secure Training Centres, Juvenile Young Offender Institutions, psychiatric hospitals, residential special schools and children’s homes.
• A National Helpline to provide access for children and young people to advocacy and advice, with access to legal advice and links with other national helplines such as ChildLine.
• Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) to advocate for young people as qualifying patients under the Mental Health Act, in order to fully support them to get their views heard in matters relating to their mental health.
• Independent visitors services providing volunteer befrienders to children and young people in care.
• Independent services: Coram Voice is a major national provider of independent person services for complaints by children and for reviewing whether children should be locked up in secure units on welfare grounds.
• Policy and campaigning to create a better system for all children and young people looked after by the state, for their care to be more child-centred and to give young people a greater say in decisions about their lives.
  • Participation services to ensure children and young people have a voice in the development and delivery of services and campaigns, and through the process, provide the opportunity to develop relevant skills which will be of benefit to them in their future lives.
  • Training, development and information for young people, advocates and child care workers, offering courses in advocacy, children’s rights and child-centred practice across a range of areas including the new National Advocacy Qualification.

About the Independent Visitor Service

What is an Independent Visitor?

An Independent Visitor (also known as an IV) is a responsible adult volunteer who befriends and supports a child or young person looked after by a local authority and has little or no contact with his/her parents. The children or young people may need additional support particularly as they are likely to be living in children’s homes, foster homes or independently.

What does an IV do?

An IV will be expected to visit the child/young person they are matched with regularly to demonstrate commitment to them. This could include visiting them at their home, trips out for example to football, sharing the young person’s interests or hobbies or specific activity. During term time most visits will be in the evening or at weekends. An IV can encourage a child/young person to participate in the meetings held to review his/her care plan and therefore be part of the decision making process about his/her life. The IV may also be asked by the child/ young person to speak at the meeting on his/her behalf in order to make his/her wishes, views and feelings known.

General considerations

· Please note that people employed by a local authority cannot work for Coram Voice in the same authority unless the LA gives agreement and the employee does not work in Children’s Services.

· All posts are subjected to an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check and successful candidates will not be able to work unsupervised with children or young people until the completion of this process.

· All Coram Voice workers are required to comply with Coram Voice Codes of Practice and Code of Ethics

General consideration for applications:

• DBS checks All volunteers are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring check.
• Training All successful candidates are required to complete our compulsory training programme which includes induction training and E learning courses on Safeguarding and Diversity, GDPR etc
  • Conflict of interest The independence of the service is important to Coram Voice. Prospective applicants need to raise any other potential conflicts of interest when initially contacting Coram Voice about this post.

The recruitment process:

• Shortlisting will be undertaken by the IV Coordinators.
• You will have a face to face or virtual home visit.
• The interview process comprises of a panel interview. Successful candidates will have a further one to one interview in accordance within Warner recommendations.
• Returning your application: We cannot accept general CVs.
• Applications must be fully completed.

Please return your application to: Human Resources via Blue Octopus.

If you have the necessary experience, attitudes and skills and a commitment to protecting the rights of young people we would like to hear from you.

Coram Voice is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We actively encourage applicants from Asian, African, Caribbean and other minority ethnic backgrounds to join our teams. Whilst we have a diverse team we recognise we are a predominantly white workforce and are genuinely committed to encouraging candidates from diverse communities in order to improve the services to the children and families we help.

We are committed to the safeguarding of children and where appropriate will require the successful applicant to undertake a check from the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Registered Charity No. 312278

At Action for Children, our vision is that every child and young person in this country has a safe and happy childhood. Dorset Nightstop promotes this by preventing homelessness.  

We provide children and young people with a safe, private room for the night in the house of a trained volunteer across BCP and Dorset. Although Dorset Nightstop has been running since 2009, we have just had our busiest year, working with a total of 99 young people and providing 292 safe bed nights. The increase in young people who’ve found themselves homeless is the reason we are looking to recruit new volunteers who can occasionally provide a spare room for young people at a difficult time. 

Young people are referred through local agencies and councils, and we run a police check and a thorough risk assessment to ensure they are suitable for the service. Guests stay on a night by night basis, and will receive ongoing support from a Nightstop worker to find long-term, stable accommodation. 

A recent young person we helped told us that Dorset Nightstop saved his life, adding “There’s not a chance I would be where I am now without Nightstop’s support.” So by joining us, you could be making a huge difference to a vulnerable young person’s life.   

What are we looking for in hosts?

· You're living in either the Dorset or BCP area

· You have a spare, private room that you are able to offer up occasionally at short notice

· You understand the importance of working to Nightstop’s policies and procedures, particularly around Child Protection and Confidentiality

· You're able to set suitable and appropriate boundaries

· You're non-judgmental and understanding of people’s different circumstances

· You're willing to listen

· You have a good sense of humour and an approachable nature

What do hosts do?

·       Provide guests with a clean, safe and private room

·       Provide guests with an evening meal and breakfast, and a packed lunch if needed

·       Liaise with Nightstop staff regarding availability and to provide regular feedback after each placement

·       Maintain professional boundaries with Nightstop guests and prioritise their safety and wellbeing

·       Participate in training and supervision

What are our benefits?

• You’ll be a part of a collaborative, like-minded and supportive community who’s passionate about supporting young people and children. 

• You’ll get ongoing feedback and supervision.

• You’ll  also get initial, as well as ongoing, training to make sure you’re supported in your role. This includes extensive safeguarding training, guest speakers from professional agencies, and access to a learning portal. We use volunteer feedback to create our sessions. 

• All expenses are paid. We pay a rate of £17.50 per night to make sure expenses for food, washing the bed, use of washing facilities etc are covered. Any additional costs will also be paid back. 

• There is no minimum requirement of nights that we expect hosts to do. Hosts upload their availability to a portal and will only be contacted if they are available.

• There is a 24/7 on-call system to make sure hosts are supported consistently. You will also get daily check-in calls while hosting.

• You’ll have the opportunity to complete first aid training and get an official first aid certificate. The cost is paid for by Dorset Nightstop.

• You have access to the Action for Children careers portal to apply for paid roles.

• You have access to a discount and rewards portal which includes hundreds of brands, like National Trust, Costa, Tesco, Marks and Spencer, Airbnb and many more. 

• You’ll be invited to appreciation events to recognise the important work of volunteers, such as our Stephenson Awards 

At Action for Children, we’re dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic, and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within Action for Children. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups in society and for Action for Children. 

Although we will need you to complete a DBS check, we are committed to providing opportunities to people with a range of backgrounds, and will consider each candidate on a case by case basis.

Family Futures is seeking a dedicated Grants and Corporate Fundraising Volunteer to join our team.

Family Futures is a not for profit, independent adoption and fostering agency and a therapy centre in London, rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in 2022 for the fourth consecutive time. We have a reputation for innovation and providing a gold standard service to children and families. It is an exciting time for Family Futures as we celebrate our 25th anniversary of helping families heal this year and develop our new strategy to drive forward our pioneering work into the future.

Family Futures provides an integrated interdisciplinary, assessment, treatment and family-finding service for children who are traumatised or have attachment difficulties. Our groundbreaking Neuro-physiological Psychotherapy (NPP) model takes a body-based and neuro-sequential approach to healing developmentally traumatised children and supporting their families and network. Our services extend to adoptive, foster, special guardian, and at risk families.

What you will be doing.

This volunteer role is within our Marketing and Communications team, working closely with the Marketing and Communications Manager and other roles across Family Futures, to achieve our fundraising targets, objectives and values. Our therapy, adoption and fostering services for children and families depend on our financial resilience.

By volunteering as a Funding and Grants Volunteer you will be helping us develop our fundraising strategy to ensure we have funds for projects which will improve our therapy space and better serve the community through enhanced services.

This is a rewarding opportunity to get involved in the ongoing development of Family Futures and to play an important role in helping generate income and build a pipeline of new funding opportunities to improve the mental health and outcomes of developmentally traumatised children.

Who is right for the role.

We are particularly looking for those who have some or all of the following qualities and experience:

• has a proven track record of successful trusts and foundations fundraising and knowledge of fundraising regulations.
• has effective communication and collaboration skills
• can build effective working relationships with others.
• is willing to keep proactively up to date with the external fundraising environment, identifying trends and opportunities.
• can understand the financial set up, budgets challenges and opportunities.

Please request an application pack to view full list of experience and skills desired for this role.

Duration commitment.

• Ideally committing to at least a year to provide consistency to the role and establish key relationships with funders and the local community.
• Commitment to being involved in a grant application/project from start to finish preferred.

What you will get out of it.

You'll get the opportunity to:

• spend time with like-minded people and make new friends.
• develop skills in fundraising, networking, and business engagement.
• raise money to help us improve the mental health and outcomes of developmentally traumatised children.

Family Futures will provide.

• Full induction to Family Futures and the role.
• Monthly supervision and support.
• Out of pocket expenses agreed in advance.
• Reference at the end of the volunteer placement.

We believe that embracing different perspectives enriches our agency’s culture and strengthens our ability to serve the children and families we work with. Therefore, we welcome applications from candidates from a wide range of lived experience and are actively recruiting people from the global majority, i.e. Black, Asian, dual heritage and minority ethnic groups as they are currently under-represented at our organisation.

Family Futures is a highly nurturing environment. We are an equal opportunities employer and committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workforce. We encourage applications from suitably qualified applicants regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

Family Futures is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment. The organisation follows safer recruitment practices to protect children and adults at risk of harm and will require the successful applicant to undertake an enhanced DBS disclosure.

Volunteer Befriender (Independent Visitor): 

VOLUNTEER WITH CHILDREN: Become an Independent Visitor in Norfolk / Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole / Manchester / Stockport / London / Worcestershire / Shropshire.

Looking for a fun volunteering opportunity that fits around other commitments? Want to help some of our most vulnerable children and inspire them towards brighter things? Please consider becoming an Independent Visitor, a volunteer befriender who visits a child monthly.

Many children who grow up in the care system face a chaotic and challenging time. Their Social Workers may change, foster care placements can break down and they can be moved from school to school. This would be difficult for any child to handle, but for children who have already been seriously failed and harmed by adults, it creates a downward spiral which progressively erodes their trust in adults, their confidence in the world around them - and their future life chances.

Children in care today are still more likely to be disadvantaged than those who grow up in stable family units and generally speaking have poorer outcomes across education and health. They can sadly be very vulnerable to exploitation.

Studies have shown that having just one consistent, trustworthy, supportive adult in their life can change that trajectory completely. Someone the child can look up to, rely on, depend on and turn to for advice, for comfort, and even to share a joke or celebrate an achievement. Someone who knows them well, and remains in their life unflinchingly through good times and bad.

That single, stable presence in their life is an Independent Visitor. Could it be you? Do you like having fun? Would you be able to commit long-term: like a godparent?

If so, please consider becoming an Independent Visitor. You might transform someone's life chances - one outing at a time!

The Independent Visitor scheme is nationwide. Every child in care is legally entitled to an IV. Sadly, in practice, less than 3% of children in care have one. More volunteers are urgently needed for this truly special chance to change a child's life for the better. All volunteers receive regular training and development / support, plus reimbursement of reasonable expenses.