Volunteer Roles in West Midlands

Missing People is recruiting volunteers with expertise in Safeguarding to sit on our charity Safeguarding Panel. The Panel meets four times a year and assists the charity’s work by acting as critical friends - providing scrutiny, challenge and support to staff around safeguarding best practice.

The Panel is chaired by a Missing People Trustee and meetings are attended by Missing People’s Director of Services and Senior Managers, who present current projects, challenges and work for discussion. 

Description

Someone is reported missing every 90 seconds in the UK. Missing People is the only UK charity dedicated to reconnecting missing people and their loved ones. Our services include:

•  A free and confidential helpline, available 7 days a week, for missing people and their loved ones,
• A specialist family support and counselling service,
• Case publicity to support loved ones with sharing appeals,
• Specialist services for children and young people, and their loved ones, experiencing exploitation,
• Commissioned Return Home Interview services for young people at particular risk,
• Research, consultancy and training for professionals working around the issue of missing.

Our vision is that every missing person is found safe, and it is through the services above that we aim to safeguard and protect children and adults. True to our charity values, we offer confidentiality in order to build a relationship of trust, and we aim to empower our service users, respecting a person’s right to be missing and working with them to keep them safe.

Due to the complexity of the missing experience, we are always looking to improve our systems, processes and practice in relation to safeguarding. We cannot do this effectively without ‘critical friends’ who support the team to evaluate current work by asking the right questions and sharing external expertise.

We are currently recruiting new Safeguarding Panel members. Panel members are asked to:

• Attend and actively participate in Panel meetings - the Panel meets four times a year, usually for one hour. Meetings takes place via video call, and currently, meetings take place on Monday afternoons from 3-4pm.
• Read papers in advance of meetings - these are sent out in advance of the Panel meetings. Preparation for each meeting varies but is never more than 1-2 hours.
• If Panel members are interested, there are also additional opportunities to get further involved with the charity’s work. This is entirely optional.

What impact will you have?

Your input will support Missing People to recognise risk and protect children and adults effectively, safely and within a culture that is always acting on any opportunities for learning. This is vital to our work of providing a lifeline and meaningful support to all individuals and communities impacted by missing.

About the volunteer

We are looking for volunteers with:

• A strong understanding of safeguarding principles and practice, especially within the voluntary and/or statutory sectors.
• Experience of working with children and/or adults in areas such as exploitation, homelessness, mental health, modern slavery, refugee and migrant justice, social care, suicide prevention and victim support.
• Alignment with the ethos of Missing People’s services: to respect the agency of individuals, protect confidentiality and anonymity, and work alongside individuals, wherever possible.
• The ability to ask key questions and provide scrutiny and support to Missing People staff and volunteers (Trustee Panel Members and other Panel Members).
• Commitment to attend quarterly Panel meetings for a period of 3 years (a three-year term).

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

We are looking for someone who knows the CSA / CMS system to either do some on-line advice sessions or to be on the board readily available to answer CSA questions. This is an on-line role so needs access to facebook and an email address will be provided

We are increasing our councillors that we have for our main group and sub groups and we now need someone to supervise them. You need to be trained in this.

 Home-Visiting volunteers are an essential part of the Home-Start in Suffolk service – providing emotional and practical support to a family, in the family’s own home, once a week.

As a volunteer, you will be carefully matched with a family, then introduced by one of our experienced staff team.  A unique support package will be devised based on the needs of the family and a day and time for each weekly visit will be agreed to suit both you and the family.

You will build a trusting professional friendship with the family, offering emotional support, guidance and practical help during your visits, sharing your own experiences, with the ultimate goal to empower families with the confidence and skills to cope alone once support ends, creating a legacy of a long term difference.

No experience is needed as full training is provided.

You will make weekly contact via telephone or video call for up to 1-hour, providing emotional support and a listening ear for our families based in Suffolk.  Perhaps sharing your own experiences, to help families navigate through a challenging time.

 Telephone support is a great way to give back even when your time is limited. Telephone and virtual support can suit full time work as well as company volunteering opportunities. It is flexible and can fit in around your other regular commitments allowing you the chance to get involved and give back to your community in Suffolk at a time that suits you and the family you are supporting.

No experience is needed as full training is provided.

We host a range of groups across Suffolk from Stay & Play, infant massage and Special Education Needs,  to groups for Military families, cooking workshops and pre- and post-natal support. Group volunteers play a key role in the running of these sessions, providing additional support to the attending families and helping with group-based activities. 

No experience is needed as full training is provided.

Join The Sandwell Colleges – the largest College and provider of 16-19 study programmes in the West Midlands – as Chair of the Board or as a Governor, as they continue to develop and nurture their positive reputation whilst improving life chances and driving the economic prosperity of learners, communities and businesses.

Applications close at: 9 a.m. Tuesday 4th March 2025
Location: Sandwell, West Midlands
Time commitment: Chair (up to 14 hours per month), Governors – up to 10 hours per month)

About Sandwell Colleges

As the largest provider of 16-19 study programmes in the West Midlands, The Sandwell Colleges are committed to empowering every learner to achieve their full potential. Our outcomes for learners both young people and adults are above national rates, and we provide a high level of pastoral and wrap-around enrichment and support, rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in 2022.

Offering an inclusive and dynamic learning environment, the Colleges create opportunities for academic, personal, and social development, preparing learners for higher education, apprenticeships or employment.

The Sandwell Colleges is a single entity made up of three colleges and a number of skills hubs – Cadbury Sixth Form, Central St Michael Sixth Form, and the Sandwell FE College – as well as our STEM and Engineering Hub in West Bromwich, a City Centre training hub called Tomorrow’s People, and two new developments at Midland Metropolitan Hospital site and in Cradley Heath.

About the roles

With our board currently being led by John Tew until July 2025, we are looking to appoint a new Chair to support our new CEO & Principal and her senior leadership team in the years ahead. Alongside this, we have also identified other key areas of expertise that would add additional strength, diversity, and expertise to our board.

Who we are looking for

Chair

As our new Chair, you will bring prior board experience – perhaps as a Chair or Committee Chair or member of a Board in a similar size or complex setting – and, therefore, an understanding of the processes, procedures and expectations related to good governance.

You may also bring experience as a senior executive who has previously reported to a strategic non-executive board.

Governors

You will need to understand the importance of community cohesion and knowledge of the issues and landscape of the areas or similar to the areas we are working in. Furthermore, you will bring an understanding of the impacts that our sector has on individuals, employers and the local communities we serve across the Sandwell Council borough, and Oldbury, Rowley Regis, Smethwick, Tipton, Wednesbury, and West Bromwich and across Greater Birmingham and the West Midlands, or similar demographic areas.

Candidates for these roles will need to have a professional background and demonstrable expertise in one of the following areas:

• Qualified finance professional
• Leadership experience gained from a large local employer
• Curriculum & quality of education

Please note that the candidate appointed with expertise in curriculum & quality will have an additional responsibility as a Link Governor for safeguarding, so it is important that candidates with this expertise are willing to take on this additional duty.

We very much welcome applicants from ethnic minority communities, a range of backgrounds and/or a commitment to inclusion.

If you are excited by the opportunity to apply your strategic expertise to a highly rewarding role in an organisation with a clear social mission, we would love to hear from you.

Please click 'Apply via website’ to be redirected to the Peridot Partners website, where you can find full details of the candidate profile and register your interest to apply.

Applications for these roles close at 9 a.m. Tuesday 4th March 2025.

Citizens Advice is a charity dedicated to providing free, confidential, and impartial advice to help people overcome their problems. We empower individuals to take control of their lives, offering support on a wide range of issues such as debt, housing, employment, and more. Citizens Advice Wyre Forest is a registered charity operated as a company limited by guarantee.

The Role: The Board of Directors of the Citizens Advice Wyre Forest are also trustees of the charity. To help us grow we need experienced members of the public to join our Board. We are particularly keen to recruit people with a connection, commitment and interest in the Wyre Forest community who have the following skills:

• Knowledge of legal processes

· Strong local networks and connection that could open doors and opportunities for the charity

Board meetings are held 4 - 6 times a year at local venues in Wyre Forest with the potential for further meetings, as decided by the Board.

The Board is responsible for guiding and overseeing the strategy and policies of Citizens Advice Wyre Forest and guides and supports the Chief Officer and their staff.

Are you passionate about protecting the public from unsafe, unethical practise and misinformation? If so this may be the role for you.

We are currently recruiting two Independent (Lay) Members to our Fitness to Practise (FtP) Referral Panel, to support the upholding of the high standards of practise expected of UKVRN registrants (Registered Nutritionists and Registered Associate Nutritionists).

The Panel will assess cases regarding FtP concerns to determine whether these should or should not be escalated to an FtP Investigation Panel.

The FtP Referral Panel members shall review referred complaint/concern cases and complete a report with outcome recommendation. When a unanimous decision has not been reached on the outcome recommendation, an online meeting will be held.

Members will attend one annual (online) meeting to audit cases and outcome decisions in order to produce annual reports. The meeting will be held online for 2 – 3 hours and the Panel will normally require about half a day’s preparation/reading time. Additional time may be required to follow-up/ feedback.

The number of referrals a year vary, but a review will normally require 2-4hrs for reading and report submission. A consensus meeting, if required, will normally take place online for 1-2hrs.

Please read the Terms of Reference document for the eligibility criteria, role, responsibilities and person specification ahead of applying.

We would be particularly interested to receive applications from those with experience in one or more of the following areas:

· Legal

· HR

· Regulation

· Public Communications

Trailblazers’ mission is to reduce re-offending and inspire new futures and the charity has been providing mentoring services to people in prison since 1998. We provide support to men between the ages of 18 - 35 in custody who have 6 months left of their prison sentence, and then 'through the gate' into their community for up to 12 months.

In the West Midlands, services are delivered near Wolverhampton at HMP Featherstone and HMPYOI Brinsford. We are looking for volunteer mentors who can spare half a day per week to support young men to change their life by acting as an inspirational role model and helping with goal setting. Mentoring sessions usually last 1 hour per week; allowing enough time for travel and liaising with Trailblazers staff will take about half a day.

Your support will help a young man to reconnect with his own community, friends and loved ones, go into education, training and employment, and to give a person a sense of hope for the future. As a charity we are reliant on volunteers; with your help we can continue to support people in prison to make and change to their lives, their family and wider society. We welcome all skill sets within Trailblazers as we work with a diverse group of men, all we ask if you have a genuine passion for social change and that you can commit to at least 1 young man for up to 12 months, so they have a consistent person in their life - something that some of our mentees have never had. The national average re-offending rate for a person leaving prison is up to 55%, the rate for those who have a Trailblazers mentor is lowered to 9%. 

We are actively looking for people to join our mentoring community with lived experience of the criminal justice system, underrepresented groups from BAME community, creative arts, business skills, wellbeing - whatever your skills and background we are open to hear from you to support our diverse group of men.Out of pocket expenses are covered as well as training to equip you for your role. More information and the application form can be found on the website. 

Role activities:

• To provide a positive role model for people in prison and in their own community, to be empathic and to have a desire and commitment to support people to fulfil their potential.

• To attend and participate fully in the initial and ongoing mentor training.

• To attend group support/supervision meetings and review performance within mentoring relationships.

• To complete mentoring session notes relevant to the mentoring service for monitoring purposes.

• To take part in introductory meetings with mentees and set ground rules and boundaries.

• To report safeguarding concerns immediately.

• To follow relevant policies and procedures. 

• To perform your role in line with the aims of the organisation.

• To meet with and actively develop a supportive relationship with mentees.

• Be prepared to travel and undertake visits for mentoring sessions. 

• To make the necessary practical arrangements to meet the mentee on a weekly or fortnightly basis.

• Assist the mentee to celebrate their achievements.

• Support the mentee to meet identified goals.

• Develop an understanding of the role, responsibilities and boundaries of a volunteer mentor.

• Be committed to the project for a minimum of 12 months.

• Regular communication with Trailblazers staff in support of your mentee. 

Skills/behaviours/knowledge required:

• Knowledge of the criminal justice system and challenges faced by mentees (Desirable) full training will be given. 

• Awareness of own professional boundaries and the ability to report any concerns within the mentoring relationship that could be pertinent to risk to the mentee, or to others. 

• To be an advocate for a mentee and to actively seek opportunities for mentees for resettlement back into their own community in conjunction with Trailblazers staff. 

• To be non-judgmental, focus on the person rather than the offense. 

• Professional but relatable with strong communication skills. 

• Awareness of adversity and how to overcome barriers to build a supportive network around the mentee. 

• Basic IT skills. 

• Be able to take advice and guidance from Trailblazers staff. 

Criteria: 

• Over 21. 

• We encourage applications from those with lived experience of the Criminal Justice System but you must be off licence for a minimum of 12 months, and not in crisis yourself. 

• You cannot apply to a project if you have been a resident in the same prison yourself. 

• A good level of fitness to able to move around a prison at fast past that does include stairs 

• Due to security checks at the prison you must be a British citizen.     

• Not committed an offense where you are barred from working with vulnerable adults or children. 

• Live within a 30-mile radius from the prison at which you would like to volunteer.

Why we want you

We are the RSPCA and it's our vision to live in a world where all animals are respected and treated with compassion. Our volunteers are incredible, they play an essential role in helping us carry out our important animal welfare work every day.

Our fosterers play a vital role by providing a temporary home for animals that are in the care of the RSPCA, either during rehabilitation or whilst they are waiting for a suitable permanent home to be found.

You could be fostering an animal for just a few weeks, or it could be a longer-term placement for several months or more.

What you will be doing

• Providing care and suitable housing in a safe environment for dog/s while they are in foster care in accordance with Society policies and guidelines
• Feeding, watering, exercising, providing enrichment and grooming dog/s (as appropriate)
• Keeping accurate records of expenditure on fostered animals, via receipts and completed expense forms
• Completing records/daily observations in relation to behaviour and health and liaising with your Foster Coordinator when needed
• For dogs ready for rehoming: raising awareness about animals in your care with the hope of rehoming them (including sharing images and videos with your local contact/team)
• For dogs' subject to an RSPCA case: using discretion (where needed) if the animal has specific needs or reasons for being in your care
• Transporting your foster dog for appointments, vet consultations, behaviour training etc

The skills you need

• Volunteers must be aged 18 or over
• Experience of caring for dogs is desirable
• Previous experience of fostering would be beneficial
• You will need a secure garden and plenty of time to spend with the dog/s
• Your family/household must be fully supportive
• If in rented accommodation, permission from the landlord must be obtained
• If you have existing dogs it is preferred that they be spayed/neutered (unless there are medical reasons why they can’t be), but this can be discussed on a case by case basis
• If you have existing dogs, multiple greets/bonding sessions between the dogs must take place

What's in it for you

• Meet like-minded people and get to know more about the work of the RSPCA
• Add an important animal welfare role to your CV
• A great induction and training relevant to your role
• Support from our local and national teams
• You’ll be making a huge difference to the welfare of animals

Disclaimer

Our voluntary roles are subject to an informal interview and introductory period. Before you can start volunteering you’ll need to complete our suite of eLearn training including a simple online Health & Safety assessment. 

Trailblazers’ mission is to reduce re-offending and inspire new futures. Your support will help a young man to reconnect with his community, friends and loved ones, go into education, training and employment, and give a person a sense of hope for the future.

Trailblazers has been providing mentoring services to people in prison since 1998 with ultimate aim to reduce re-offending. We provide support to men between the age of 18 - 35 in custody who have 6 months left of their prison sentence, and then 'through the gate' into their own community for up to 12 months. The Education, Training & Employment (ETE) team supports our mentees in custody to break down barriers to employability. Post-release, this continues by supporting mentees to gain meaningful and career changing roles in sector specific industries such as Construction, Engineering, Catering & Hospitality or the Self-Employment route. 

The ETE team are looking to build a team of volunteers to work with mentees in the community and to shape the existing ETE service in the Thames Valley area. We are looking for volunteer mentors who can commit for up to 12 months and give a few hours a week to support men to change their life by being inspirational role models, helping with goal setting and supporting their mentee to access ETE opportunities and ultimately gain meaningful employment. Mentoring sessions will be 1:1, take place weekly and can be done remotely by telephone or online. These sessions will last approximately one hour, but some time should also be given to liaising with Trailblazers staff and researching relevant opportunities. 

Induction training is provided, out of pocket expenses covered, a mobile phone is provided to protect your identity, a Trailblazers T-shirt and lanyard are provided, DBS costs are covered, as well as regular reflective practice sessions to support you within your role. 

We are actively looking for people to join our mentoring community with lived experience of the criminal justice system, under represented groups from BAME community, creative arts, business skills, wellbeing - whatever your skills and background we are open to hear from you to support our diverse group of men. 

Trailblazers are looking for Volunteer Mentors who are:

• Empathetic with a positive outlook and manner.
• Able to help others without judgement or discrimination.
• Excellent communicators with a sense of humour.
• Well organised, can prioritise and multi-task.
• Reliable and able to commit to the role for up to 12 months providing weekly ETE sessions remotely either by telephone or via Zoom / MS Team digital platforms.
• Have skills and experience in supporting those who are disadvantaged into education, training and employment (ETE).
• Able to work independently with the ability to prioritise and manage your own workload with minimal supervision taking a flexible and creative approach to the demands of the post.
• Able to demonstrate sensitivity to other cultures, working with people from other backgrounds and demonstrate a commitment to equal opportunities.

Relif

Relif is a modular platform designed to improve the coordination and management of humanitarian responses during crises and disasters. It focuses on key functionalities such as enabling real-time information sharing and enhanced coordination among local organizations.

Local organizations often face significant challenges in responding to emergencies and disasters due to a lack of proper tools and coordination. This gap leads to inefficient resource allocation, duplication of efforts, and delayed assistance, ultimately putting more lives at risk.

Relif provides a modular platform designed to empower local organizations in emergency management. The platform enhances information management, enabling real-time data sharing and coordination among organizations during crises. This helps reduce inefficiencies, such as duplicated efforts and delayed responses, ultimately allowing these organizations to respond faster, allocate resources more effectively, and save more lives in disaster situations. Through Relif, we aim to build a more resilient future by addressing the entire emergency management cycle, with a focus on preparedness, capacity building, and public policy influence.

Are you ready to make a real impact?

We’re thrilled you’re considering joining the Relif team! As a part of our volunteer community, you’ll be directly contributing to a platform designed to change lives by supporting local organizations in crisis and disaster response. This is more than just volunteering; it’s an opportunity to be part of something meaningful.

At Relif, we believe that every action counts, and with your skills and dedication, we can build a stronger, more resilient future for communities around the world. Whether you’re coding, designing, or brainstorming new ideas, your work will have a lasting effect.

Let’s create something amazing together!

Fundraising Specialist

Volunteer Role Description (remote, unpaid)

Relif is seeking a passionate Volunteer Fundraising Specialist to help us expand our impact. We're building free digital tools that help communities better respond to emergencies, and we need your expertise to sustain and grow this mission.

What You'll Do:

• Develop and execute fundraising strategies
• Build relationships with potential donors
• Help create compelling campaign materials
• Support our online donation campaigns
• Contribute to donor communications

Perfect For Someone Who:

• Has experience in fundraising or development
• Is passionate about humanitarian technology
• Can commit 5-10 hours per week
• Is comfortable with remote work
• Has strong communication skills
• Loves to be part of a fun team :)
• Speaks English (Spanish and Portuguese are a plus)

Why Join Us:

• Make a real impact on emergency response
• Join an innovative humanitarian tech organization
• Gain valuable nonprofit experience
• Work with a global, passionate team
• Flexible, remote working arrangements

About us:

We're building free digital tools that help local organizations better manage emergencies. Our platform enables communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from crises more effectively.

Weekly Time Commitment

7-9 hours per week

Duration of Volunteer Role (remote)

6+ months