Community Manager Volunteer Roles in Belfast

Would you like to support people who have served in the Armed Forces? You just need the ability to listen, strong IT skills and good written and spoken English. If you think this could be the role for you, we’d love to hear form you.

What is a caseworker?

Caseworkers visit clients to work out what type of support they need. You will listen without judgement to assess and provide tailored support to help those serving, who have served and their families to navigate life in and beyond military service. Some examples of support are securing funding for special equipment for someone with a disability, adaptions to a property so an older client can remain at home or funds for a rental deposit. Caseworkers also sign-post clients onto specialist local services for advice on benefits, housing, mental health, debt, finding work etc.

Why do we need you?

We’ve been supporting the Armed Forces community since 1885. Our clients come from all backgrounds and age groups and may have served in WW2 or in a more recent conflict like the Falklands or Afghanistan. We’d love the general public to understand what we do and how they can help us.

There are SSAFA branches throughout the UK and overseas who support local volunteers to deliver services to veterans, serving personnel and their families. Some branches are divided into smaller divisions to ensure the best local service delivery. Each branch has a team of volunteer caseworkers, support volunteers, executive roles, and fundraisers.

Volunteer Caseworkers are the lifeblood of SSAFA, supporting a growing number of people in need of financial, practical, and emotional support. Clients come from all backgrounds and age groups and may have served in WW2 or in a more recent conflict like Iraq or Afghanistan.

When would you be needed and where would you be based?

The essential part of the role is visiting clients, so you will need access to a vehicle or another way to travel to meet clients at home or in a care home setting. As part of your local branch, you might have access to an office, but you can complete the administration part of the role from home as long as you have access to IT equipment and the internet.

What would you be doing?

• Contacting beneficiaries and arranging to meet them at a mutually convenient time.
• Meeting beneficiaries and completing a form to assess their circumstances, using good communication skills, empathy and understanding.
• Sign-posting clients onto local services providing specialist advice.
• Applying for funding on the behalf of the beneficiary through a specific process and system  
• Arranging for the purchase of goods and services
• Keeping the beneficiary informed of their case progress.
• Liaise with the branch and regional office, regarding your availability.
• Keeping up to date with training and SSAFA news so that you are best able to support clients.
• Being a positive ambassador for SSAFA remembering that anyone you meet could be a potential client, volunteer, or fundraiser.
• Volunteering within the standards and values of SSAFA
• Adhering to SSAFAs policies and procedures at all times, including safeguarding, volunteering policy, equality, diversity and inclusion, health and safety, data protection and confidentiality.  

What can you gain from this volunteering role?

• Use your skills, knowledge, and life experience to benefit others.
• Support from your local SSAFA branch and the wider SSAFA community
• Experience, training, and skills that you can highlight on your CV and in job interviews.
• Better physical and mental health – studies show that volunteers live longer and experience lower levels of stress and depression!

What training and support would you receive?

• Role specific training to prepare you for your voluntary role – confidentiality and boundaries, personal safety, caseworker training, and caseworker IT system training. The caseworker training takes 3 days and a further half a day for the other training.
• Mandatory on-line training modules to complete at home, so you are up to date on how to keep clients, their families safe and personal information safe.
• Access to a range additional e-learning courses as well as local opportunities for your personal and professional development.
• Local induction including assigning a person from the team who will be your main point of contact.
• Regular opportunities to meet and share best practice with other caseworkers.
• Range of support from central and regional volunteer operations team.
• Reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses
• Volunteers will be covered by SSAFAs Public Liability Insurance whilst carrying out the role.

What are we looking for?

• Friendly and approachable with good listening skills, patience, and a positive attitude.
• Good communication skills both written and verbally.
• Respectful and non-judgemental approach with beneficiaries, their family, other agencies and SSAFA colleagues
• Willingness and ability to use IT systems for initial and on-going training and to enter cases on the Casework Management System. Willingness and ability to send and receive emails – you will receive your own SSAFA email address which you will be required to use when exercising your role.
• Ability to make enquires on behalf of beneficiaries by phone, email, letter or by filling in forms.
• Ability to keep within boundaries of the role with regards to friendship or giving advice
• Reliable, prompt and trustworthy.
• Access to public transport or a car to travel to appointments with clients.

We welcome volunteers of all backgrounds, abilities, races, sexual orientations, socio-economic backgrounds, and of all faiths and none. SSAFA are committed to making reasonable adjustments to support volunteers with disabilities, so they have access to the same opportunities and experiences as volunteers who do not.

Minimum Age: 18

Safer Recruitment: SSAFA undertakes a systematic approach and utmost care at every step of the process of volunteer recruitment, selection, and retention to ensure that those recruited are suitable and appropriate. Measures taken at points along this journey work together to make volunteering at SSAFA a positive and safe experience.

References Required: Yes. We will ask for two character references, this can be a former employer or someone that know you well (other than a relative)

Is a criminal record check required? Yes, this is provided by SSAFA at no cost to the potential volunteer. This role requires an enhanced check (including checks against the children and adults barred list)

*A disclosure certificate that contains convictions, cautions, warnings, reprimands, or other information may not automatically mean that you are not able to volunteer. All certificates will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and, where possible, a modified or alternative role will be offered. 

Volunteer Role Description

Light Touch Volunteer

Responsible to: Volunteer Coordinator

Time commitment: Minimum 3 hour’s a week

Location: Home

About the service

North East Wales Mind is a progressive mental health organisation that supports people experiencing mental health difficulties to flourish. The aim of our work is to help people build on their strengths, overcome obstacles, and become more in control of their lives. We have faith and optimism in our clients and so the services we deliver are built around their needs. We support the people of Flintshire and Wrexham to discover their own resources to ‘recover’ from periods of poor mental health, and to live life independently with their mental health condition.

Purpose of role:

To provide phone support to service users from home/ office. This role is flexible (you can make calls anytime between 5-7pm and requires you to call a client for up to half an hour a week for a period of up to 3 months.

Must have access to the internet and a phone that can switch to private setting or NEWMIND can provide them with a phone, or use of office equipment.

Main tasks:

· Providing emotional support via phone

· Assessing surrounding support

· Advising them with available provisions and services locally

· Providing practical support such as learning activities, wellbeing practises and links available to service user from home

· Writing records of dates and times and phone discussions

· Reporting back to the Volunteer Coordinator via email and phone for any extra available support

· Report any safeguarding concerns immediately to a member of staff.

What we are looking for:

· Confident and effective communication

· Understanding of professional boundaries

· Caring nature

· Knowledge of local services is desired.

· Lived experience of mental health difficulty desirable

· Understanding of, or experience of caring for someone with mental health difficulty, can be helpful but is not essential.

· Good listening skills, non-judgemental attitude, and empathy

· Ability to motivate.

· Ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations in a calm manner.

· Commitment for a minimum of 6 months

· Volunteers must be aged 18 and over.

What we can offer you:

· All volunteers will receive training in mental health awareness, confidentiality, boundaries, risk management, plus on-going training relevant to the role.

· Regular supervision with the Volunteer Coordinator

· Volunteer expenses

Join our Board - Help us Save Lives

About MedicAlert

MedicAlert has been providing life-saving support for 60 years. As the only UK-registered charity offering personalised medical IDs and a 24/7 emergency helpline, we empower individuals with medical conditions to live confidently. Our records are nurse-verified, ensuring accuracy and trust.

About the role

Following a period of successful transformation, we are expanding our Board with individuals who bring diverse skills, experiences and perspectives. If you are passionate about making an impact, we want to hear from you!

We welcome all applicants, regardless of background. We are especially keen to hear from individuals with expertise in:

• Human Resources
• Charity fundraising

Additional skills that would be valuable:

• Strategic leadership and organisational growth experience
• Senior external representation, advocacy, and partnership-building
• Strong teamwork and motivation skills
• Willingness to leverage personal networks for awareness-raising
• Board experience (beneficial but not essential)
• Healthcare sector knowledge (especially urgent/emergency care) welcomed but not required

Trustees are expected to uphold and adhere to the Seven Principles of Public Life (the Nolan Principles): ensuring they act in the best interests of the organisation and its beneficiaries at all times.

Why Join Us?

• Make an impact – Help protect thousands with medical conditions.
• Strategic influence – Play a key role in shaping MedicAlert’s future.
• Join a trusted organisation – The UK’s only charity providing medical ID services.
• Collaborate with experienced leaders – Work alongside a dedicated Board.

We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion, fostering an inclusive environment where all Trustees feel valued and respected. We are committed to an accessible and equitable recruitment process and are happy to provide reasonable adjustments as needed.

Closing date: 28th March
Interviews: Starting from w/c 28th April

To Apply

If you are excited about this opportunity and believe you can contribute, we would love to hear from you!
Please click the apply button to head to our website for an information pack and details of how to apply.

No agencies please.