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Do you have just a few hours to volunteer with us? Or could you make a major contribution to a local community group? If so, you’ll find a wealth of opportunities with Bede. Volunteering is a great way to add a new dimension to your life while helping other people. To discover more about all we have to offer, simply contact the projects below or look out for special, one-off volunteering opportunities.
Learning Disabilities Service
Could you help someone to make the most of their abilities, develop new friendships and join in neighbourhood activities? We are looking for volunteers to help with our lively allotment, wildlife and art groups. Expand your horizons while helping them to do the same. Mondays – Fridays between 9.30 and 3.30pm.
You can choose your day(s) and whether you do a morning or afternoon session. We can offer support and the opportunity to attend training courses. Are you able to volunteer for a full day? If so we will reimburse your fares and offer you a delicious free lunch.
Contact: Carole Brady – 020 7237 8930 – carolebrady@bedehouse.org
Volunteering opportunity: Bede Wildlife Garden Co-ordinator
We are the Learning Disabilities project of Bede House Association, a long-established charity based in Bermondsey, Southwark. We work with adults with mild to moderate learning disabilities and are a day centre facility providing a wide range of exciting activities for our clients.
We have an opportunity for someone with experience of wildlife conservation to lead our clients in maintaining and developing our small wildlife area. This might suit someone with knowledge and/or qualifications who wants work experience, a student or a retired person who has worked in conservation. You would be supported by our staff to develop ideas and lead small work groups and workshops with our clients around nature conservation.
The Wildlife Garden is an area the size of a smallish house and garden (it is a Second World War bomb site) and has trees, bushes, smaller flora and a pond.
Essential skills: Experience of working within a wildlife conservation project, voluntary or paid.
Desirable skills : Experience of working with adults with learning disabilities
The role start date and interview date are flexible. We would like a few months commitment, if possible; but less could work too.
Contact: Theresa Jones – 020 7237 8930 – theresajones@bedehouse.org for further information and discussion about the project.
Starfish, Domestic Abuse Project
We help those who experience domestic violence to find safety and rebuild their lives. Our Bede Starfish project is especially important for the large number of our clients who have children. Young people deserve to grow up in secure environments – the focus of all we do. If you work or are training to work in the area of domestic abuse we would love to hear from you.
Contact: Ahlam Laabori – bedereferrals@bedehouse.org
Volunteering opportunity: Student/Volunteer Adult Counsellor & Art Therapist Placements
We are currently offering counselling and art therapist placements within our Bede Starfish Domestic Abuse Project for counselling/psychotherapy and art therapy trainees wanting to specialise in domestic abuse. You must have a qualification or be working towards a qualification in counselling/psychotherapy with some supervised client face to face hours within the BACP/ UKCP framework, or frontline experience.
The role requires a good understanding of domestic abuse and its effects, and a working knowledge of integrative/person-centred therapy models. Excellent communication skills are also essential. Ideally, we would want the candidate to commit to a placement of at least 6 months to a year and hold four client hours a week.
What we provide
Supervision will be provided by our Specialist Domestic Abuse Counsellor and professional supervision will be provided by your college/university. Bede will provide domestic abuse and safeguarding training. The counsellor/therapist will also be expected to participate in monthly team meetings.
About the Bede Starfish Domestic Abuse Project
A local Southwark charity, established for over 80 years, Bede provides a variety of services to support local young people, community and local neighbourhoods, which are among the most deprived in Britain. Bede runs several specialist services, and has provided client-centred domestic abuse support for over 20 years.
Our aim is to help build communities where everyone can be free from fear of violence, no matter who they are or where they come from. Using a trauma-informed approach, we offer advice and support to help clients rebuild their lives.
How to apply
A person specification is available here and if you are interested in applying, please email: counselling@bedehouse.org with answers to the following questions:
1. What is your experience of working in a trauma-informed way, and what does this mean to you?
2. Which modality and assessment process would you use to inform your practice working with domestic abuse clients?
3. What is your understanding of domestic abuse and how this affects mental health?
No closing date: We are accepting applications on a rolling basis, so please apply early.
Interview date: To be agreed with applicant.
If you are successful in getting through this first stage, we will ask you to fill out an application form with your full employment history, and to provide ID documents to show you are eligible to work in the UK. We will then invite you to an interview.
Bede works with children and adults at risk of harm, and we have Safer Recruitment policies and procedures in place to ensure that they are protected from abuse. These roles are subject to an enhanced DBS with a possible barred list check.
Community Volunteering
Bede hosts regular and one-off events throughout the year, from fairs to fun runs. We also need assistance for projects such as coordinating our fascinating photography archive and supporting runners in the Virgin London Marathon. In fact there’s always something, somewhere that could benefit from your help. Just give us a call to find out what’s happening.
Contact: Gwen Green on 020 7237 3881 – gwengreen@bedehouse.org
