Applications - Current Volunteer Opportunities

Who are we?

Play is important. It is deemed so vital to children’s health, happiness and development that the right to play is enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

But play in London is under attack:

Space for play is threatened by encroaching development and traffic.

Freedom to play is stifled by distorted perceptions of risk, and fear.

Time for play is eaten up by homework, organised activities & screen-based entertainment.

Funding for play workers and play spaces is increasingly scarce.

London Play works to ensure children have the space, time and freedom to play.  We want every child in London to have high quality, free play opportunities, near to where they live.

Let’s Play Barking: Pop up play crew

Wednesday afternoons have recently seen Barking Town Square transformed into a joyful temporary playground with the help of just a few simple games and props. Can you be part of a volunteer crew to keep the fun going?  Hopscotch, spacehoppers, skipping and giant volleyball plus lots of balls, bats, buckets and beanbags to get children making up their own games. Volunteers are needed to work together to set up and pack away the play equipment; and to encourage children and families to join in and play together. All equipment is provided and stored in Barking Learning Centre.  Note that parents and carers attending remain responsible for their children, London Play do not offer childcare support!

Sessions will be held at the Barking Town Square every Wednesday from 3pm to 5pm. Setup will be required from 2/2:30pm.

To express your volunteer interest, please email fiona.sutherland@londonplay.org.uk

Become a Healthwatch Champion

Enjoy meeting people and getting involved in your community?
We’re looking for friendly volunteers to help promote Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham and gather local views on health and social care services.

As a Healthwatch Champion, you’ll:

✔️Represent your local area or community group

✔️Share information about Healthwatch events and projects

✔️Help collect feedback from residents through surveys and conversations

✔️Support Healthwatch at local events and stands

✔️Attend volunteer training and team sessions

What you’ll need:

❤️Good communication and listening skills

❤️Reliability, empathy, and professionalism

❤️Ability to follow guidance and work well with others

Time commitment:
Flexible – you can choose how much time you give.
Training and reasonable expenses are provided.

Please get in touch with info@healthwatchbarkinganddagenham.co.uk to express your interest and request an application form.

Join Our Board as a Volunteer Member!

Healthwatch Barking & Dagenham is seeking passionate local individuals to help shape the future of local health and care.

What you’ll do:
✔️ Take part in board meetings
✔️ Guide strategy and governance
✔️ Champion community voices

What we’re looking for:
❤️Experience in governance or community health
❤️Strong teamwork & problem-solving skills
❤️ Commitment to improving local services

What you’ll gain:
 ✔️Influence change in health & care
✔️Training & support
✔️Networking opportunities

Please get in touch with info@healthwatchbarkinganddagenham.co.uk to express your interest and request an application form.

Become an Enter & View Volunteer

Do you want to help improve local health and social care services?
We’re looking for volunteers who can take a fresh, solution-focused approach to assessing how services are run.

As an Enter & View Volunteer, you’ll:

✔️Receive full training from Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham

✔️Visit health and social care settings to gather feedback from patients and residents

✔️Help identify what’s working well and where improvements are needed

What you’ll need:

❤️Good communication and listening skills

❤️Professionalism, reliability, and empathy

❤️Ability to follow guidance and work as part of a team

Time commitment:
Flexible – you can choose when and how often you volunteer.
All reasonable expenses are reimbursed.

Please get in touch with info@healthwatchbarkinganddagenham.co.uk to express your interest and request an application form.

Could you help a child learn to read?

Schoolreaders are looking to support children in local primary schools with reading. Just one hour a week during term time can make a huge difference to a child’s confidence, literacy and love of books.

No teaching experience is needed, just a good level of English and a desire to help. Volunteers must be over the age of 18 and will receive full support, including an Enhanced DBS check arranged by the school.

Our volunteers must be able to commit to a minimum of one hour each week for a full year during term time (although holidays can of course be taken.

If you would like to find out more about Schoolreaders, please visit their website  www.schoolreaders.org

The next step for you would be to fill in the online application form: https://www.schoolreaders.org/volunteer-application-form.

If completing this application on a mobile device or tablet, please click https://schoolreaders.formstack.com/forms/srprapp_county  for the optimised version.

If you prefer, Schoolreaders can also send a paper version to you in the post, just contact us on admin@schoolreaders.org

Care leavers Support Volunteer

 Join Barking and Dagenham Children Care and Support and become a Volunteer for Care Leavers 16- 25 years

 The purpose of this role:

To provide a quick response service carrying out tailored support to young people who are currently in care or care experienced, particularly in areas where additional help is needed. This role focuses on empowering young individuals by offering practical assistance, encouraging independence, and building their confidence.

Some of the duties and responsibilities will include:

• Able to provide support at short notice when required
• Support with placement moves – including transporting young people to and from placement viewings and assisting with moving their belongings. This may involve supporting them with travelling in a taxi or removal vans, or using your own vehicle when moving smaller items
• Assisting with assembling flat-pack furniture when young people move into new accommodation
• Helping young people complete application forms, such as housing benefit applications, Beam referrals, or Universal Credit enquiries
• Supporting attendance at appointments with services, either in person or virtually (e.g., via Microsoft Teams)
• Accompanying young people to interviews or appointments related to employment, education, or training – including college enrolments and induction sessions
• Supporting participation in events organised by Corporate Parenting or the Virtual School, such as theatre trips, workshops, or annual celebrations.
• Providing updates to the social worker or leaving care advisor via email after contact with a young person, outlining the support provided
• Raising any concerns related to risk or safeguarding with the social worker or leaving care advisor as soon as possible.

Who will you be supporting?

• 16- to 25-year-old individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, such as care leavers, those currently in care. The role involves working with diverse groups who may face unique challenges, ensuring that support is inclusive, culturally sensitive, and responsive to their individual needs and circumstances.

Requirements:

• Be over 21 years of age
• Flexible and able to volunteer on weekends if required
• DBS checked (this will be carried out by LBBD)
• Has driving licences and use of car – not required but preferred
• Confident in using email, Microsoft packages

Additionally, we need volunteers who are:

• Patient and have listening skills
• Have a friendly & enthusiastic approach
• Be non-judgemental and empathetic
• Be reliable & committed
• Be responsible for always safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people/adults
• Have respect for different ethnic, cultural and social backgrounds

Benefits of the role:

• You will have the opportunity to learn and develop various skills.
• In house training with this role will be provided
• You will have access to mandatory training via council’s i-learning portal.
• Engage with young people/adults especially those leaving care.
• Learn skills that can support your career in social care

Travel expenses:

Travel expenses will be reimbursed.

Please click here to apply.

Would you like to help others in a meaningful way?

Are you free for a few hours at least one Friday per month?

ShowerBox Barking is the UK’s first permanent facility offering hot showers, underwear, respite and refreshments for people experiencing homelessness. It is located behind Barking Learning Centre and delivered in partnership between LBBD, Barking Churches Unite and ShowerBox.

Volunteers play a vital role in making sure things run smoothly for guests of ShowerBox Barking. If you’re personable, willing get stuck in and available across 11am - 2pm at least one Friday per month, you would be a welcome addition to the ShowerBox crew. Training is provided.

Please click here to apply.

Referral Order Panel Member Role Description

Are you concerned with Youth Crime in YOUR local community?

Do you have the skills to talk with young people who commit crime and victims of crime?

Why not Join Barking and Dagenham Referral Order Panel and become a

‘Referral Order Panel Member’

The general aim of a Referral Order Panel Members is to chair meetings or assist the chair in co-producing a contract with a young person who has offended.  The contract will include an agreed programme of work and activities to address re-offending & reparation to the victim or the wider community to repair the harm caused. 

Who can apply - it makes no difference where you come from or what work you do, as long as you are over 18 years old and are willing to make a difference within the community.

We need volunteers to:

• Volunteers are expected to attend daytime or evening panels held minimum twice every month, taking place in the office.
• Occasionally, additional panels may be scheduled on an ad hoc basis. Volunteers should remain available for these sessions, although they may not always go ahead as planned. We will provide as much notice as possible.
•  During school half-term periods, panels will continue to run during the day. We will share specific dates with volunteers closer to the time to help with planning.
• Frequency and Timing: Volunteers may be asked to attend one or two daytime panels per month, typically scheduled between 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM or evening panel between 4.30pm – 6.30pm
• Be responsible for always safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

You must:

• Have an ability to understand documents, to identify and grasp relevant facts.
• Have an ability to be fair and think logically, to weigh arguments and reach conclusions with realistic expectations.
• Attend group supervision monthly
• Be reliable and consistent.
• Have respect for different ethnic, cultural and social backgrounds.
• Commitment to serve for at least a year.
• Have access to computer (or similar device) and the internet

 Panel Members will learn how to:

• Engage with young people and their families.
• Become a Referral Order Panel Member
• Participate in a Referral Order Panel Meeting

 Benefits of the role:

Volunteers will have the opportunity to learn and develop various skills. We will provide training on Restorative Panel Matters and additional mandatory training via council’s i-learning portal.

Travel expenses:

Travel expenses will be reimbursed.

Volunteering certificate of recognition:

We are happy to provide a volunteering certificate of recognition after you have volunteered with us for 6 months, if within this time you have been an active panel member.

 Please click here to apply.

Mentoring with One Million Mentors

Can you understand the challenges a young person is facing and see things from their point of view?
Can you offer advice or even just encouragement?
If so, then you have what it takes to be a mentor.

Mentor a student from Barking & Dagenham College, this is a hybrid programme where you would support a mentee for one hour a month on Tuesday from 3-4pm, help guide and inspire the next generation! 

1MM mentoring empowers young people to become the best version of themselves. We build relationships - free of assumption and judgement - where people benefit from one another's experience and perspective. Mentoring helps people to think bigger, find their own answers and take the next meaningful step into their future.

We recruit, train and deploy volunteer mentors, matching them with mentees and providing high quality support to both so that they are well prepared and can have an effective and impactful mentoring relationship.

Our mentoring is one to one, for young people aged 14-25 years old, for 1 hour, once a month, for up to a year.

If you are interested, click here to sign up! ✨

What will I do?
We are looking for Mentors in Barking and Dagenham to take part in our

 October programme launch at Barking and Dagenham College.

We would particularly love to hear from mentors with experience and knowledge that would help them to support a young person with an interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) although being currently employed in one of these industries is not a requirement.

What skills do I develop?

• Listening - You will develop your patience and awareness for a mentee's goals and targets they want to achieve.
• Problem Solving - You well develop your reflective skills and communication with your mentee by solving any problems that your mentee may face.
• Speaking - You will become more attentive, practice on relevant and helpful conversations and how to guide a mentee.
• Teamwork - By working with your mentee in developing themselves and gaining perspective from your experience, you will work together on each other's confidence in relationship building and gaining networks.

What do I need to do?

• We welcome applications from people with at least 5 years industry experience or 2 years postgraduate experience. If you are retired or on a career break, we would also love to hear from you.
• To commit to a one to one, 1 hour a month over the academic year (October - July) for our programme at Barking and Dagenham college.
• Gain quality support and training by completing our online course. You can also attend a 2 hour mentoring workshop to connect with other mentors and receive a certificate in mentoring.
• To create goals and targets for your mentee with the help of your training. It's all mentee led!

Please click here to apply.

Reading Volunteer - Bookmark Reading Charity

Bookmark Reading Volunteers directly support children who are at risk of leaving primary school unable to read well. Struggling to read can contribute to poor educational attainment, lower literacy in adulthood and has even been linked to a lower life expectancy. You can help ignite the joy of reading and change a child’s story.

In this volunteer role, you’ll have 30-minute one-to-one reading sessions on 2 days per week with a child aged between 5 and 11 years old. Each session will involve reading stories and playing literacy games on our secure online platform or face-to-face. You’ll book your reading programme through Bookmark’s Volunteer Hub and select sessions on days and times that work with your commitments.   

To become a Bookmark Reading Volunteer, you should be: 

• 18 and over, and currently living in the UK.
• able to provide enthusiasm, encouragement, empathy and patience.
• free to commit to 30-minute one-to-one reading sessions on 2 days per week, across 6 weeks.
• able to provide two references for your application (for safeguarding reasons).prepared with access to a PC, laptop, Chromebook or iPad with a webcam and internet connection, and feel relatively comfortable using technology (for online reading programmes).

Volunteers tell us they find the role flexible, impactful and rewarding. More than 60% also say their own well being has improved because of volunteering with Bookmark!

Bookmark pays for your DBS checks, provides online training and offers volunteers ongoing support so that you can deliver fantastic and fun reading sessions, enabling all children to discover the joy of reading. 

Bookmark are proud to offer inclusive volunteering and work to deliver a greatly accessible volunteering role. Many of our reading programmes take place online, so there’s no need to travel or access a physical location to volunteer with Bookmark. Our application process and training are all completed online, and we have a helpful team at hand to offer support with technical or access requirements. 

Bookmark is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community. We aim to create an environment in which all individuals can make best use of their skills, free from discrimination or harassment, and in which all decisions are based on merit.

 Please click here to apply.