Mental Health Volunteer Roles in West Kensington, Greater London

Service: Perinatal Support for Partners Service

This is a service that offers fathers and non-birthing parents, who’s partner is being supported by the West London perinatal mental health service, an evidence-based 1:1 assessment to support their mental health and wellbeing. The service signpost partners to relevant services (including a PSFP peer support group).

Role Description:

To support our PSFP Service with a variety of tasks such as conducting a 1:1 assessment, (which includes onboarding to the service), co-facilitating monthly peer support groups, signposting and helping partners to access other organisations, taking care of our inbox emails and other administrative duties.

You can download a PDF of the full role description below. 

Main responsibilities: 

To work closely with our PSFP caseworker supporting referral enquires & service-users in accessing this service. Co-facilitating a monthly peer support group.

Tasks:

• To answer emails and enquiries for the service within our service level agreements
• Triage clients for the service through an onboarding process.
• Co-facilitate a monthly peer support group
• Provide support to our PSFP caseworkers, as and when needed

The type of person we are looking for is:

We welcome applications from those completing studies in Psychology, Counselling/Psychotherapy, or any Allied Health Profession with a focus on supporting those with mental health needs.  However, your attitude, motivation, and commitment are just as important as your training/qualifications, or any previous experience. We will review all applications individually and assess them on their unique merits, so do not be discouraged from applying if you do not meet all the criteria listed below. We encourage applications from those with lived experience of mental health problems, as well as those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

Essential:

• An interest in supporting those with mental health needs to access PSFP
• An appreciation of the complex factors that can precipitate, maintain, and exacerbate mental health problems
• Good oral and written communication skills (including listening skills); the ability to communicate in a patient, considered, and empathetic manner
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to follow administrative procedures
• A team player who is willing to chip in and work reflexively, responding to the challenges that arise from working in a dynamic environment
• IT skills – able to update spreadsheets, use web-based applications, video-conferencing software, and Microsoft Office applications.

Desirable:

• Customer Service experience, including with friends and family
• Experience of supporting people with mental health needs, in a voluntary, paid, or personal capacity, (i.e., friends and family)
• Previous involvement with local community groups/networks
• Awareness of the cultural barriers that may exist to seeking mental health support

Time commitment and expenses:

• 6 hours per week, during our core hours of 10am - 4pm.
  • Please indicate your preferred volunteering day(s)/time(s) on your application
• We request a minimum commitment of 3 months of volunteering after the completion of your induction
• We will provide volunteers with an induction, training, and ongoing mentoring to support them in the role 
• Reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed

Why Volunteer at Hammersmith, Fulham, Ealing, and Hounslow (HFEH) Mind?

Volunteering at HFEH Mind is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to the work of a leading national mental health charity. We provide initial and ongoing training, as well as plenty of opportunities for progression within the organisation. You will be treated as a core member of the team from day one and be surrounded by supportive and knowledgeable colleagues fighting for mental health.

What’s in it for the volunteer?

Volunteering opportunities have been a route into paid employment within our organisation for many of our previous volunteers. However, the skills and experiences you will gain are likely to support applications for paid employment within the sector more broadly, as well as further training and education opportunities (e.g., Business courses, social work, mental health qualifications).

We are keen to foster the individual strengths and interests of volunteers. With the support of the PSFP Team, we will work with you to ensure that your volunteering experience is meaningful and valuable, whilst balancing the requirements of delivering the service.  

Shynne is hosting a Community Gaming event for people living with Autism and ADHD. There will be console games and board games available to play as well as gaming competitions.

The aim of this event is for people with autism and ADHD to connect and socialise with people just like themselves.

This add is for someone who has a story about themselves living with Autism or someone who cares for someone with this condition. We would like you to be a speaker at this event and talk about your experiences living with Autism or ADHD. The idea of this is to raise awareness to anyone who is attending as in unfamiliar with the condition.

This will be recorded and used on our socials, and you will get a copy of this also.

The event starts from 12-3pm on Saturday 19th of October. There will be tea/coffee soft drinks and snacks available. Your travel cost will also be paid for.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Purpose of the role

This service supports partners of women being cared for by the West London Perinatal Mental Health team. It includes wellbeing support, a 1:1 mental health assessment and provides relevant resources and referrals to further services.

Key responsibilities

• To answer emails and enquiries for the service within our service level agreements
• Triage clients for the service through an onboarding process.
• Co-facilitate a monthly peer support group
• Provide support to our caseworker when necessary

You can download a PDF of the full role description below. 

The type of person we are looking for

We welcome applications from fathers or non-birthing parents who may have experienced the challenges of parenthood and want to support others going through similar. By offering your support you will help other fathers and non-birthing parents feel less isolated, understand the importance of their role to both their partner and baby and support their access to relevant support services and resources.

Time commitment and expenses:

• 6 hours per week, during our core hours of 10am - 4pm.
  • Please indicate your preferred volunteering day(s)/time(s) on your application
• We request a minimum commitment of 3 months of volunteering after the completion of your induction
• We will provide volunteers with an induction, training, and ongoing mentoring to support them in the role 
• Reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed

Why Volunteer at Hammersmith, Fulham, Ealing, and Hounslow (HFEH) Mind?

Volunteering at HFEH Mind is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to the work of a leading national mental health charity. We provide initial and ongoing training, as well as plenty of opportunities for progression within the organisation. You will be treated as a core member of the team from day one and be surrounded by supportive and knowledgeable colleagues fighting for mental health.

What’s in it for the volunteer?

Volunteering opportunities have been a route into paid employment within our organisation for many of our previous volunteers. However, the skills and experiences you will gain are likely to support applications for paid employment within the sector more broadly, as well as further training and education opportunities (e.g., Business courses, social work, mental health qualifications).

We are keen to foster the individual strengths and interests of volunteers. With the support of the PSFP Team, we will work with you to ensure that your volunteering experience is meaningful and valuable, whilst balancing the requirements of delivering the service.  

Are you looking to get involved in the local community or perhaps have an interest in mental health? Volunteering in our mental health services is a rewarding and varied opportunity for someone who is interested in working in this field. You will support by offering a listening ear and will offer individuals tailored mental health support, alongside our team of trained workers. We are looking for a volunteer to facilitate a Men’s group. The group provides a safe, welcoming place for people to meet, share experiences and support each other’s growth.

What you will be doing

• Facilitate discussions
• Create a supportive environment for men to connect, share experiences, and empower each other
• Prepare hot drinks and snacks
• To negotiate/facilitate conflicts or disagreements that may arise during group meetings.

The skills you need

• Ability to create and maintain a safe environment where participants’ thoughts and feelings are valued, and group members are treated with fairness, equity and respect
• Experience of facilitating groups.
• Strong listening and communication skills

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards and Celebration events; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering; We hold social events and outings for our volunteers to get together and have some fun

Are you a good listener? Are you able to manage group conversations and ensure people feel comfortable together and that groups run smoothly? We need you to facilitate our Talk and Support weekly telephone groups that offer blind and partially sighted people the opportunity to socialise with others when the regular group facilitator is unavailable. This is a telephone-based role that you can do from home. You will need access to a landline or mobile phone We ask you to commit to covering up to 3 groups per week, although this will vary on a week by week basis. Each group you cover will last for one hour.

Home based

• This role is home based

Additional location information

• Home Based: over the telephone (this role requires you to have a landline or mobile telephone)

Who this opportunity will suit

Minimum age

• You must be at least 18 years old to apply

What skills and experience are needed?

• Effective listening skills;
• Good verbal communication skills;
• Work with wide range of people

The Integrated Community Support (ICS) service provides day service opportunities for people with low and medium Preventative Care Needs.

We are currently looking to offer volunteering placements with our Mental Health Recovery Pathway (MHRP) – a mental health provision based across three sites in Islington responding to the mental health needs of Islington residents.

You will be assisting service users who experience mental distress in group settings.

We ask for a commitment of at least 1 day a week 10:15am – 4:00pm for a full year (+ about 2-3 months for DBS check and induction), though there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer more than one day a week.

If this sounds interesting and suitable to you, please complete the ICS volunteer application form and return with your CV, indicating why are you interested in volunteering for Islington Mind, if there is anything specific that you would like to do in your volunteering placement – e.g. facilitate activities, support our open access drop-in sessions, support service users with completing forms, accompany service users to appointments etc, and your availability – e.g. one or more days a week and which days of the week you are available.

Are you looking to get involved in the local community or perhaps have an interest in mental health? Volunteering in our mental health services is a rewarding and varied opportunity for someone who is interested in working in this field. You will support by offering a listening ear and will offer individuals tailored mental health support, alongside our team of trained workers. We are looking for a volunteer to facilitate a Women’s group. The group provides a safe, welcoming place for people to meet, share experiences and support each other’s growth.

What you will be doing

• Facilitate discussions
• Create a supportive environment for women to connect, share experiences, and empower each other
• Prepare hot drinks and snacks
• To negotiate/facilitate conflicts or disagreements that may arise during group meetings.

The skills you need

• Ability to create and maintain a safe environment where participants’ thoughts and feelings are valued, and group members are treated with fairness, equity and respect
• Experience of facilitating groups.
• Strong listening and communication skills

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards and Celebration events; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering; We hold social events and outings for our volunteers to get together and have some fun

The Safe Space is a local hub for anyone who feels they are nearing crisis point. We are here to listen to what you need and work with you to help. This might be strategies to help you cope in the moment, a range of activities we provide free of charge, resources to take away or connecting you with practical local services. We offer face to face, telephone and video-conference support. As a part of this, we are looking for volunteers to offer peer led support to individuals who may access our service. This includes a variety of tasks, such as devising and facilitating peer led workshops with clients, supporting with 1:1 sessions, and completing administrative tasks.

We are looking for someone who:

• Has lived experience of mental health/social crisis
• Preferably have had experience working with people who experience poor mental health
• Are comfortable with co-producing and facilitating peer led workshops
• Might be willing to take over running the workshops by themselves over time
• Are willing to actively participate with clients 1:1 and in group settings
• Are able to take on any ad hoc admin/support responsibilities within the Safe Space Team

Time commitment and expenses:

• 5 hours per week, during our opening hours of 12–5pm.  Please indicate your preferred volunteering day(s) on your application.
• We will provide volunteers with an induction, training, and ongoing mentoring to support them in the role 
• Reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed.

What's in it for the volunteer?

Volunteering at Mind is a fantastic opportunity to get involved with a nationally recognised charity, and volunteering in Safe Space is an opportunity to experience and get involved in crisis support. We provide initial and ongoing training, as well as plenty of opportunities for progression within the organisation. You will also be a part of a supportive team with great awareness of wellbeing and the mental health sector.

We are looking for a Fundraising Trustee that can take our fundraising to the next level. The limb reconstruction process can be long, painful and challenging for patients' mental health. Rebuild has exciting plans to expand our psychological support for these patients but we need the help of an experienced fundraiser to do this.  

Main responsibilities: 

• Oversee fundraising and to make sure it is carried out in legal, honest and accountable ways.
• To identify funding opportunities. 
• Contribute knowledge of fundraising techniques and strategies.
• To guide and advise the Trustees in the approval of the fundraising strategy and targets.
• To keep the Trustees informed about its duties and legal responsibilities in relation to fundraising and the Fundraising Regulator.
• To assess risks in new fundraising directions and alert the Board of any concerns.
• Be an active champion of the charity.

Background: 

We are looking for a Trustee who has experience in any of the following areas: charity fund raising, marketing, finance, public relations, sales. 

Qualities of a Fundraising Trustee 

Essential: 

• Fundraising/income generation knowledge or business development background.  
• A good understanding of fundraising and the UK charity sector, Charity Commission, Companies House requirements, relevant legislation and statutory requirements.
• Excellent networking and communication skills.
• Sound, independent judgement and ability to think creatively.
• An ability to work effectively as a member of a team.
• Experience in the health sector.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of digital or social media.  
• Experience of diverse fundraising practices, including statutory funds, corporate and philanthropic giving.  
• An understanding of the challenges facing small UK charities in maximising income streams & donor cultivation.  
• Experience in the charitable or voluntary sector.

Time commitment/location:

• The Trustee Board meets 4 times a year.
• Board meeings are usually held virtually.
• Anticipated time commitment: 8 hours per month
• To work with the Trustees outside of the Board Meeting in developing a new fundraising strategy.
• Appointment term 3 – 4 years 

Men Who Talk is a UK registered charity, running twice weekly online peer-to-peer support groups for men aged 18+ across the UK. The groups take place between 7:00pm - 8:30pm every Wednesday evening, and 11:00am - 12:30pm every Saturday morning. 

Our groups are supportive spaces for men aged 18+ to come and talk openly about what's on their mind. All groups are free to attend and follow the evidence based model of peer support. 

Volunteers are required to be online from 6:45pm to 8:45pm on a Wednesday evening, and from 10:45am - 12:45pm on a Saturday, and are required to facilitate around 1 group per month. Volunteers are asked to commit to an a minimum of 6 months of volunteering in the initial stage. 

All groups are facilitated by 2 facilitators, and follow a semi-structured pattern.

We are looking for passionate men with some experience of groups facilitating or working in mental health settings to come join us as facilitators. Experience in using online platforms such as zoom is essential. 

A degree in psychology is preferred but not an essential requirement.

Why Join MWT? 

Men Who Talk is an exciting, fast growing charity, creating new spaces for men to talk openly about what's on their mind. 

We have a diverse team full of talented and passionate individuals who are committed to changing the face of mens mental health across the UK. 

As well as the opportunity to join the organisation at an exciting stage of it's development, volunteers also have the opportunity to develop their own skills and have regular chances to feed into the creative and strategic development of the organisation. We also provide enhanced safeguarding adults training, and the opportunity to develop key skills to enhance a career in mental health. 

PLEASE NOTE: We are only able to accept applications from individuals who already have the right to live and work in the UK. 

Are you an enthusiastic and skilled funding grant writer? Be a part of our small but committed team as a pro-active grant writer volunteer for a small national charity supporting people affected by a debilitating pain condition.

We are looking for 2 skilled grant writer volunteers who can take the lead in researching appropriate funds and writing grant bids to help us continue offering our support services and resources and helping us create new programmes and services to support patients and their families who have been affected by a poorly understood chronic condition; Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).

As our Grant Writer you will be responsible for identifying appropriate grant opportunities, and managing the grant development and proposal process from research to submitting grant applications with any supporting documents.

As our grant writer, you will:

• Identify appropriate sources of funding where we fit their criteria 
• Write appropriately tailored grant/funding bids that meet funders’ interests and requirements and to write any additional documents in support of funding bids
• Help develop a Trusts and Foundations strategy to help create and maintain strong and diverse income that meets Burning Nights CRPS Support’s funding needs
• Create a calendar of grant deadlines and track submitted funding proposals
• Help us develop a case for support 
• Report on grant usage and impact
• Review all grant/bid feedback and ensure knowledge is shared, so that learning informs us for future approaches to grants

If you are an experienced grant writer or you just enjoy researching and persuasive writing then we would love to hear from you.

We are looking for a volunteer who has:

• Experience of being a grant writer, project proposal writer and editing skills
• Excellent writing, analytical, and research skills are essential
• Creative and persuasive written and spoken communication skills 
• Self-motivated and highly-organised
• Ability to work remotely
• Ability to search online databases and other sources to identify appropriate funds
• Ability to understand and appeal to funders’ differing needs
• Ability to organise your own work, track and report back regularly 
• Experience setting up funding email templates (desirable)
• Ability to quickly understand the needs of our organisation  and our service users
• Understands the resource constraints of a small charity and can work with these
• Open to feedback
• Ideally have good network with people, organisations and charities which can help us to support our projects
• Determination to get the job done

Skills

• Project proposal writing
• Grant writing and knowledge of charity grant giving culture
• Good networking skills and contacts with grant giving organisation
• Marketing and communications
• Content writing and story-telling
• Good online fundraising skills
• Good editing and proof reading skills and attention to detail
• Team player who is comfortable working with various volunteers within Burning Nights CRPS Support to collate information required to write funding applications

If you don't have the exact experience, but are interested to volunteer with us, please apply! We would be thrilled to find out about how your interests and experience match with our needs or what we are doing.

Other Information

This role is done remotely using Zoom, Slack and email. You would be working closely with the charity’s Chair and with other trustees. However we would have regular updates and remote meetings as needed so we know you are getting the support you need.

We have an induction process that will help successful applicant to understand how our Charity operates and full support of all our volunteers.

Minimum of 3-6 hours per week for this role

Ideal commitment of 3 months or more (but not specific)

The Board is seeking to expand its current membership to support the ongoing growth and development of the Charity (in line with the board of Trustees vision) and the organisations values, mission, and vision.

This is an exciting time to join Guidepost.  We are seeking to complement the existing skills and knowledge and grow our Board, in line with our strategic ambitions.  We wish to appoint new Trustees with high-level experience and expertise in the following areas:

1. Learning and Disability Trustee

We are looking for a Trustee with skills in developing frameworks, material and support and advise  the local leadership Teams.

2. Clinical Trustee (Dementia and Mental Health)

We are looking for a Trustee with skills in developing frameworks, material and support and advise  the local leadership Teams.

3. Legal / Governance Trustee

We are seeking an expert with a legal or a governance experience, supporting the Board of Trustees meet Its statutory obligations.  The role involves oversight of major policies and processes in place to support the Charity.

4. Business Development Trustee

We are seeking an individual who can support the Board of Trustees with its mission to grow and sustain Guidepost Trust UK.  This is a critical role, responsibility will include developing long term partnerships and networking. 

5. Marketing Trustee

We are seeking a communication expert to advise the board and the Operational Leadership Team how we can further enhance our engagement and awareness to deliver its aims.  Our new Trustee will have strong background in a related field such as, brand development, marketing, advertising or PR.

6. Finance Trustee

We are seeking a finance expert to monitor the financial administration of the charity and report to the board of trustees at regular intervals on its state of financial health, in line with best practice, and in compliance with the governing document and legal requirements to provide the board with the confidence and knowledge to better make strategic decisions.

For the full Job Description and how to apply please visit our website.

Application Process

To apply for this post please send in your covering letter detailing why you are interested in the role and how you meet the Person Specification also complete the volunteer application form and forward it to Trustee Mariam Ahmed and cc careers.

The closing date for applications is the 25th October 2024, with interviews likely to be held week commencing 4th November 2024.

We would encourage you to submit your application at the earliest opportunity as the closing date may be brought forward at any time.

Please indicate in your covering letter if you are unable to attend the interview on the 8th.

If you have any questions or would like an informal chat or further information please contact our Trustee Mariam Ahmed

Are you a parent, grandparent or have experience of caring for children?

Do you have 2-3 hours per week to spare? Use your experience to support a family facing challenging times.

Our Home-Visiting Service supports families who are experiencing difficulties or suffering stress and who have at least one child under the age of five years.

Our aims are:

To increase the confidence and independence of the family by:

Offering support, friendship and practical assistance

Visiting families in their own homes and in their community, where the dignity and identity of each adult and child can be respected and protected

Reassuring parents that difficulties in bringing up children is not unusual and encouraging them to enjoy family life.

Developing a relationship with the family in which time can be shared and understanding can be developed. This approach is flexible to take account of different needs.

Encouraging parents’ strengths and emotional wellbeing – for the ultimate benefit of their children.

Encouraging families to widen their network of relationships, and to effectively use the support and services available within the community.

Could you use your digital marketing and social media skills to help a local London-based recovery service to increase their social media presence and reach?

Lewisham Primary Care Recovery Service (PCRS) provides a drug and alcohol treatment recovery-orientated service, offering medication assisted treatment alongside psychosocial interventions for people living in Lewisham.

Humankind has national social media accounts, but we would love to involve a volunteer to help increase PCRS’s local social media presence and engagement, generate content and also to help promote existing activities.  We can provide insight and experience in the field of social media marketing for a charity, and support you in your own goals.

Please note:  This role is designed so that is can be undertaken remotely, but the volunteer would still need to be based in the UK.  Humankind is unfortunately not able to offer visa sponsorships.

Details of the role:

Engage with staff, service users and volunteers to gather content, quotes and stories to be shared on social media.  This could involve attending online group sessions or meetings, following nationwide Humankind accounts to share relevant content on local platforms, and researching relevant local organisations / networks / initiatives.

• Support with the design of this content, using templates and brand guidelines.
• Help to promote the activities of the service
• Help create a social media plan with support from staff
• Adhere to data protection, safeguarding, social media policies, media consent and brand guidelines
• Have regular catch-ups with a supervising member of staff to evaluate progress

Practical Considerations:

This role can be undertaken remotely and with flexible timings, but it would be ideal if you were able to attend an online meeting fortnightly during 9-5 hours to discuss and plan with the supervisor for this role.
Please note, we'd need to check with you that you can access the internet /have enough mobile data if Volunteering remotely, as we want to ensure no one is out of pocket from volunteering.  We will have a Humankind laptop available for this role.

Personal qualities / Experience:

• Experience using social media platforms to increase engagement, and generating content
• An interest in / willingness to learn about recovery and substance misuse services
• Excellent verbal/written communication skills
• An understanding of the importance of guidelines and procedures relating to key areas such as safeguarding and information governance.
• Respectful and non-judgemental towards service users and team
• Able to commit to volunteering regularly (though flexible when that would be)

What Volunteers Can Expect From Us:

• Regular supervision and support
• Induction and access to online and face to face training (when face-to-face training can resume)
• To gain experience of the charity sector and an opportunity to practice your skills 
• To feel part of a team and the wider Humankind organisation
• Reasonable travel expenses reimbursed with proof of journey (there may not be a need to travel for this role)

Our workplace values are:

• Honest: we are open and realistic, building trusted relationships in which we challenge, collaborate and change.
• Committed: we are passionate about being the best that we can be, and we do this by keeping people at the heart of everything that we do.
• Inventive: we are ambitious, drawing together skills and resources to innovate and adapt in determined pursuit of our mission.