Volunteering
Volunteers play a vital role in the Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service. They perform essential, supportive tasks complementary to those undertaken by our paid staff. Their role is an enriching one, which benefits everybody: service users; staff; and the volunteers themselves. We simply couldn’t reach as many children, young people and their families without volunteers.
Why volunteer with us?
Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service delivers services across Colchester, Tendring, Maldon, Chelmsford, Harlow, Loughton, Billericay and Basildon – to name a few.
Services are delivered from purpose built Family Hubs, as well as Delivery Sites, community buildings, family homes and other convenient locations.
Our volunteers support our vision across the service, guiding people to learn new skills, develop their existing experience and knowledge, improving their confidence and self-esteem while giving something back to the local community.
We encourage our volunteers to have fun by doing something rewarding and enabling children and young people to have a better start in life.
A volunteer role is an enriching one, which benefits everybody: users of our services, staff, donors and the volunteers themselves. We simply couldn’t reach as many children, young people and their families without volunteers.
How to become a volunteer?
You can make an enquiry by emailing or phoning one of the volunteer coordinators using the contact details below, speaking to a member of staff or contacting one of the Family Hubs.
We will ask you to complete a short application form.
Once the application form has been completed, one of our Volunteer Coordinators will contact you to arrange an informal interview. If successful, we will need to run a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) and carry out reference checks (minimum of two).
Once you have DBS clearance and satisfactory references have been returned, we will invite you to complete volunteer induction training where you will cover the necessary modules needed to volunteer within our service.
Please be advised this process can take up to 4 – 12 weeks.
Volunteer roles available
There are a variety of roles available to volunteers across our Essex services. If you think you have a particular skill or interest that could be used to benefit the families we support and the work we do, please get in touch.
Some examples of roles available:
- Assist in busy sessions focusing on child development and play, for example, music and movement, messy play, or arts and crafts
- Self-weigh sessions: sign-in families, show new families around the centre and provide information on Family Hub services and support available, support new mums and their babies through the early stages of parenthood.
- Admin support: Assist admin staff with photocopying timetables and leaflets, laminating resources and scanning information
- Meet and greet: Welcome families, sign in and register families, provide information about activities and services, answer the telephone
- Other support: Other roles include gardening, supporting one-off events or a Family Hub Champion
The volunteering opportunities which Barnardo’s currently have available, can be found here
There are many benefits to becoming a volunteer
- Gain valuable life experience and skills
- Build confidence and self-esteem
- Gain new skills and support learning, training or studying opportunities
- Develop knowledge and experience to support a return to paid employment
- Access to Barnardo’s staff benefits
- Opportunity to set up and run your own group / session
- Be rewarded and recognised through Barnardo’s Reward and Recognition scheme
- Satisfaction in helping others
- Meet new people
- All volunteers are offered full training and support, and an opportunity to develop new skills in a friendly environment.
Adoption and fostering
We offer opportunities for people to volunteer within the service, to help them on their journey towards becoming adoptive parents or taking on a foster carer role.
Barnardo’s – Information on fostering – https://www.barnardos.org.uk/foster
Barnardo’s – Information on adoption – Adopt a child | Barnardo’s (barnardos.org.uk)