Volunteer Telford

Purpose of the role:

To provide compassionate, practical, and empowering support to families, children, and young people across Telford & Wrekin through a variety of services offered by Family Hubs.

Whether you're helping a parent build confidence, supporting a child through play, or guiding a young person toward their goals, this role is about being a trusted presence during pivotal moments in people’s lives.

Family Hubs Support Volunteers can choose to support one or more of the following pathways:

Family Group Conference (FGC) Ambassador

Family Hubs Support

Advice Drop-in

Play Together Group

Volunteer Responsibilities:

Family Group Conference (FGC) Ambassador Role:

Prepare children or vulnerable adults for their Family Group Conference by exploring their views and feelings.

Meet with the child or vulnerable adult before the FGC to understand their perspective and help them articulate their thoughts.

Attend the FGC to support or represent them, ensuring their voice is heard during the conference.

Follow up after the meeting to explain outcomes, provide reassurance, and maintain engagement.

Work closely with the FGC team to ensure the child's or vulnerable adult's needs are met.

Maintain accurate records of interactions and support provided.

Family Hubs Support role:

Attend an initial meeting with the family and their allocated practitioner to agree on the support plan.

Meet regularly with the family (typically 2–4 hours per week) to build trust and offer practical and emotional support.

Help families develop skills and confidence to achieve their goals, such as parenting skills, household management, and accessing community resources.

Provide guidance on navigating services and systems, including education, healthcare, and social services.

Maintain regular contact with the family’s practitioner and Volunteer Coordinator to ensure coordinated support.

Complete contact records and attend supervision and training sessions.

Offer a listening ear and empathetic support during challenging times.

Encourage and empower families to take positive steps toward their goals.

Advice Drop-in role:

Provide a welcoming presence at weekly drop-in sessions (e.g. Wednesdays, 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM).

Greet and assist visitors, ensuring they feel comfortable and supported.

Offer signposting and support to families seeking guidance on various issues, such as housing, benefits, and childcare.

Work alongside staff to ensure a supportive and informative environment.

Maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information with care.

Keep up to date with available services and resources to provide accurate information.

Assist with setting up and tidying the drop-in venue.

Play Together Group role:

Facilitate play sessions for children aged 0–5 and their parents/carers.

Encourage active participation in play and learning activities that promote child development.

Help set up and tidy the venue, ensuring a safe and welcoming environment.

Welcome families and build positive relationships with parents/carers and children.

Provide guidance and support to parents/carers on engaging with their children through play.

Observe and report any concerns about a child's development or wellbeing to the appropriate staff.

Promote inclusive and respectful interactions among all participants.

Time Commitment:

Flexible depending on the role and your availability.

Family Support: 2–4 hours per week

Play Together Group: 2 hours per week

Advice Drop-in: Wednesdays, 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM

FGC Ambassador: Up to 10 hours per case, spread over several weeks.

Location:

Community-based across Telford & Wrekin. Volunteers are matched with families or service users in their preferred area where possible. Some roles are based at specific venues (e.g. Southwater Library for Advice Drop-in).

Benefits:

Make a meaningful difference in your community.

Gain valuable experience and develop new skills.

Enhance your CV and open up career opportunities.

Help with the transition from work to retirement.

Enjoy a sense of purpose and personal achievement.

Be part of a supportive and diverse volunteer community.

Support children and families to achieve better outcomes across the borough.

Training:

All volunteers receive safeguarding and role-specific training. Additional shadowing and ongoing development opportunities are provided. Volunteers are matched with families or service users based on shared interests and needs, ensuring a meaningful and impactful relationship.

Wrekin View Primary School in Wellington is already host to a hugely successful Community Fridge, which supports up to 30 families a week by providing food and living essentials. They have now announced they are expanding their efforts to help end holiday hunger in Shropshire by opening a Community Café in the school hall over half term. Read on to find out more!

During the lockdown, school caretaker Russell Garner established Wrekin View Community Fridge. The motto of the food centre is ‘take what you want, donate if you can’, an inclusive message inviting the whole community to engage. No referral or documentation is required to use the fridge/HLC Food hub, and many families in the local community have benefitted from the scheme. A year on and the community fridge is still going strong, now supporting up to 30 families a week.  

Russell has now decided to expand by creating Wrekin View Community Café which will open in the Wrekin View Primary School Hall during school holidays. The café will open In the summer holidays from Monday 26^th July for two weeks every day from 10am-2:30pm. A wide variety of free food and drink will be available, from breakfast items including toast, cereal and bacon or egg baps, to tea, coffee and cakes in the afternoon. There will also be a lunch menu that will change on a daily basis, with both meat and vegetable options. 

Whilst the aim of the café is to provide hot food and drinks to families struggling to eat over the holiday period, the facility is open to all. Everything on offer is free, however if patrons feel that they can donate there will be a donation box to do this. 

Russell is extremely excited to re-open the café and is looking forward to welcoming the local community: ‘It will be a lovely place to be where people can relax and have good hot healthy food.

To support the cafe they are looking for Community Café Volunteers

Tasks include:

Setting up Café

Taking Orders from the table

Understanding /learning the menu

Understanding allergens

Time:

School holidays

The café is open 5 days a week (Mon – Fri)

Each shift is 6 hours, but will be flexible to your availability.

Training:

Induction and mandatory training will be provided

Location:

Wrekin View Primary School

North Rd,

Wellington,

Telford

TF1 3ES

Why we need your help:

RABC ’s local community appeals and campaigns require local volunteers to ensure their success.  As an FVDO, you will support your Community Engagement team with the development of engagement/donor recruitment volunteering.  This will include the recruitment and development of the voluntary services, supporting your Community Engagement Manager with the ongoing development of our volunteers to ensure our donor initiatives have the appropriate number and skill mix of volunteers to meet the Business Strategy. 

What we need you to do:

- To manage the smooth day to day running of the Volunteer Recruitment Programme

- Ensuring the effective recruitment and retention of volunteers,  which includes recruitment campaigns to increase volunteer numbers, advertising, interviewing, induction programmes, matching them to the appropriate Community Engagement Manager, organising training from both inside and outside the organisation and encouraging their development whist with us.

- Develop and maintain partnerships with like minded organisations to further our volunteering aims.

- Provide an advisory service on volunteer management. Develop a network of ‘volunteer’ Volunteer Co-ordinators to support Community Engagement Managers.

- Manage projects involving volunteers. Responsible for the organisation of the Volunteer Consultation Group.

- To be responsible for the accurate recording and security of personnel records and computer databases for all volunteers in line with data protection legislation and confidentiality requirements.

- In Create and review annually role descriptions for each volunteer role within the Community Engagement team.

- Support the management of volunteer expenses, reimburse, maintain records of expenses and deal with any anomalies.

- Develop strong links and partnerships with external parties and other volunteer groups and represent the organisation at external volunteering functions and events.

- Develop productive relationships with volunteers, colleagues and stakeholders, dealing with conflicts if they arise and provide support and guidance when appropriate.

- To attend any appropriate meetings.

- Deliver talks to outside organisations promoting the benefits of Volunteering.

- Ensure compliance with relevant legislation and regulation in relation to volunteers.

- Responsible for keeping the volunteer handbook up to date and ensuring each volunteer receives a copy.