Volunteer Befriender (Brent) at Rethink… · London

At Rethink Mental Illness, we believe everyone deserves understanding, connection, and the chance to live a fulfilling life. Our volunteers play a vital role in supporting people affected by mental illness and helping create communities where no one feels alone.

About the role Location: Brent Hours: Minimum of 2 hours per week

We are looking for Volunteer Befrienders to support our Brent Mental Health service in the London Borough of Brent. 

As a Volunteer Befriender, you will be required to travel across Brent to meet with service users and carry out your volunteering role. You will ideally be able to commit a minimum of 2 hours per week, with flexibility to meet the needs of the people we support.

Full training and regular supervision will be provided, so you’ll feel confident and supported in your role.

This role requires an enhanced DBS check, which will be arranged and paid for by Rethink Mental Illness.

As a Volunteer Befriender, you will:

Meet with service users in locations and at times which meet their needs (including evenings and weekends) Provide befriending support to a maximum of 2 service users at any one time Provide emotional support based on your own lived experience Support service users to access and build social and community networks and activities Act as a community connector to local services

About the service

Our Brent Mental Health service provides support to people aged 18 and above, who live in the Borough of Brent, and who have a mental illness and are known to the local NHS trust Central and North West London (CNWL).

The aim of the Befriending Service is to;

Reduce social isolation of service users Increase the confidence of service users in accessing community resources independently Provide meaningful activities and peer support for service users  Help service users to live happier, healthier, independent lives Provide volunteering opportunities for people with mental health issues Reduce stigma and raise mental health awareness

What will make you a great fit for this role?

Good communication skills Flexible in order to meet the needs of the service users Lived experience of mental illness, either as a carer or as a person who has experienced your own mental health need You will live in the London Borough of Brent

How to apply

To apply, please click the “apply now” button and complete a short interest form. You will have the opportunity to upload a CV and/or cover letter however, this is not mandatory. A member of the team will review your application and be in touch to update you on the next steps. If your application is successful, you will be invited to take part in an informal volunteer discussion.

If you have any questions about the role or would like to find out more before applying, please contact one of our Befriending & Volunteer Coordinators:

Melrose Richards – melrose.richards@rethink.org

Seena Cuffley – seena.cuffley@rethink.org

Heena Jivani – heena.jivani@rethink.org

Who are we?

We’re Rethink Mental Illness, a leading charity provider of mental health services in England. We support thousands of people through our groups, services, policy, campaigns and advice and information. Our work supports us in delivering on our mission: “A better life for everyone severely affected by mental illness.”    

It is an exciting time to join our growing charity. We are on a transformation journey, one that supports the delivery of the organisation strategy – delivering Communities that Care. Supporting employees, managers and leaders through this change is a key priority for the People function. Just like its key that we attract diverse people to come and work for us.    

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion  

Diversity is important to us and we appreciate difference through difference, inclusiveness and belonging. It gives us a deeper understanding of the world, our society and the diverse communities we’re working with. By including everyone, we are able to draw on the unique experiences and expertise of our people to help shape and enrich our workplace and improve our services. One way we are doing is through our valued staff networks which play a critical and highly valued role in keeping us focused on creating a diverse, inclusive and engaged employer.  We recognise and support staff networks for our Black, Asian and minority ethnic and our LGBTQIA+ colleagues. We are also proud to have been awarded Disability Confident Employer status and are a signatory to the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter.  

Becoming a truly anti-racist organisation  

We have an ambition of become a truly anti-racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider - and in our efforts to influence policy and wider societal factors impacting on mental health set out in our anti-racist statement . We have designed a multi-year anti-racist programme of work contained in our Race Equality Action Plan which demonstrate our intention to hold ourselves accountable and be judged on our progress on becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.