UnitingCare Volunteering Portal

This volunteer opportunity will help to support people as they grieve by facilitating grief and loss groups.

In our Grief and Bereavement Groups, we serve members of the community who are grieving due to the loss of a significant person in their lives.  In our Grief, Loss and Dementia Program we serve members of the community who are experiencing grief and loss as they support a loved one who is living with dementia.  Our ideal volunteer would be someone who has an ability to empathise with people, is respectful, has good reflective listening skills, a good understanding of role boundaries, is trustworthy, has an approachable disposition and is willing to be self-reflective.  Having some understanding of group dynamics is also an important attribute however volunteers are provided with training prior to commencing in the role of a Group Facilitator.

📍 Location: Various locations across the state of QLD 

👉🏼 About Us: Volunteering as a Grief and Loss Group Facilitator is challenging but very rewarding.  It is a really wonderful feeling to know that the work you have done to support someone as they grieve has made a real difference to them.  We work in a diverse range of locations spread across the state. Our groups are held in BlueCare halls, and community or church halls as well as other places from time to time.  The workload varies according to the team and location but people could expect to be involved in facilitating 2-3 groups a year depending on their availability and local community needs.  The Group Facilitators are involved in letting people know that a group is going to be held, advertising, taking participant registrations and various other administrative tasks prior to, during and after each group concludes.  Group Facilitators also have the opportunity to participate in an hour long, online practice community meeting with other Group Facilitators once per month.  The team is made up of a diverse, empathic and inclusive group of people seeking to provide support to other people as they grieve

✅ What you'll be doing:

▪️ Group facilitation 

▪️ Local advertising

▪️ Managing participant registrations

▪️ Venue booking and set-up

▪️ Planning and debriefing

🎁 What you'll get out of it:

▪ Build, maintain or contribute specialised skill sets

▪ Do something new and different

▪ Experience the joy of making a meaningful difference 

📅 Times: Grief and Bereavement Groups run for two hours over an eight week period.  Grief, Loss and Dementia Groups run for 2.5  hours a week for 5 weeks.  In between groups being held, there are some opportunities to network and promote the groups to relevant stakeholders and participants.  The number of groups run per year varies according to the availability of volunteers and the requirements of the local community. 

Weekdays (Morning, Afternoon, Evening) 

💍Commitment: Get started from as little as 3-4 hours monthly 

☑️ Skills & Exerience important to this role:

▪️ A passion to support people by walking alongside them

▪️ Respectful

▪️ Approachable disposition

▪️ Ability to empathise with others

▪️ Good reflective listening skills

▪️ Trustworthiness 

▪️ Willingness to be self-reflective 

▪️ Good understanding of role boundaries and confidentiality

☑️ Background checks required for this role:

▪️ Reference Checks

▪ NDIS Workers Screening check

▪ National Police check

♿ This role is accessible for people using:

▪ a wheelchair or mobility device

▪ accessible toilets

▪ an assistance animal

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Child safe, Child friendly

UnitingCare is committed to being a Child Safe, Child Friendly organisation and will:

▪ Provide welcoming, safe and nurturing services for children

▪ Implement measures to prevent child abuse and neglect within our services

▪ Appropriately and immediately address child abuse and neglect if it does occur

▪ Abide by the Child Safe Standards and adhere to the Reportable Conduct Scheme

Commitment to Safeguarding

We are committed in creating services and workplaces that are welcoming and safe for every person. We work together to protect children, young people, adults and the elderly from harm within our services and the communities we support. We speak up for their safety to ensure their voices are heard. Our recruitment and workplace practices reflect our dedication in preventing abuse, harm and exploitation across UnitingCare.

️❤️ UnitingCare’s Diversity, Inclusion, and Child Safety Statement ️❤️

UnitingCare is committed to child-safe practices and to building a volunteer workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We value cultural knowledge and lived experience, and we strongly encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to apply. To ensure our team mirrors the diversity of the children in our care, We actively invite volunteers from all backgrounds, including young people (15–24 years), people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds, people with disability, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and older people seeking purpose and connection.

UnitingCare is committed to equitable access and will provide reasonable adjustments to support all applicants. Please advise us of any accessibility requirements at the time of your interview.