Volunteer Children & Young Person's Wellbeing Group Facilitator

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If you’d like to use your people and listening skills to support others to better wellbeing, then this role could be for you! Volunteers will support children and young people (aged 5-17) in an activity group setting (activities will be led by service providers). Volunteers will help coordinate and facilitate the group and will be a friendly face and consistent point of contact for the children and young people that attend. They’ll provide opportunities for the children and young people to continue to build their resilience and confidence to improve their mental health and wellbeing through peer support.

The Children & Young Person’s Wellbeing Group Facilitator Volunteer Role

At SWW Mind, we know that the importance of maintaining and improving children and young people’s health is so important. Healthy children are more likely to become healthy adults.

In the Children & Young People’s Wellbeing Group Facilitator role, volunteers will facilitate peer support group activity sessions within community venues in Warwickshire, with guidance from a Mental Health Practitioner.

Sessions are anticipated to run weekly, in blocks of four different activities per group. Activities focusing on the '5 Ways to Wellbeing’ will be delivered by external providers; volunteers will support and coordinate session delivery.

The aim of the groups is to facilitate peer support for children and young people, increasing their confidence and providing them with coping strategies and mechanisms for self-help.

Volunteers will coordinate the activity groups and support with their delivery. Specifically, they will:

• Help with the setting up of group sessions
• Support the delivery of activities and smooth running of the group, being on hand to listen to the people who use our services and offer signposting where appropriate
• Support in ensuring the group is delivered within a safe, welcoming environment
• Oversee practical elements of the session such as making refreshments, completing the register and collating group feedback
• Help to tidy up afterwards

Skills and Experience

This volunteering role does not require any specific skills or experience. We are looking for people who are:

• Keen to help make a difference in the local community
• Able to demonstrate empathy and a friendly and welcoming attitude
• Good communicators who are able to actively listen
• Willing to learn
• Able to demonstrate good organisation and planning skills and reliability
• Able to support and empower others to identify and make beneficial changes to support their wellbeing

We welcome volunteers from all backgrounds, including those with lived experience of mental health challenges or with an academic interest in the issues that affect mental health.

What we can offer you

• A chance to develop knowledge and experience of supporting people with mental health needs and grow practical skills such as relationship-building and communication skills
• A quality training programme, including a recognised Mental Health First Aid qualification once you have been volunteering with us for a few months
• Reimbursement of reasonable expenses
• A reference at the end of your commitment
• An opportunity to make a real difference

Screening

South Warwickshire and Worcestershire Mind follows a volunteer recruitment process that requires all volunteers to undertake an interview and provide references. Volunteers who have contact with the people who use our services will also need to complete an Enhanced DBS check (at no extra cost to volunteers). This is to protect the vulnerable groups who use our services.

Training

Full induction and training will be provided for this volunteering position, including essential eLearning and taught training.