Online Support Volunteer; Dad’s Group

• Location:
  
  Southampton
• Closing date:
  31 January 2027
• Interview dates:
  As soon as possible
• Salary:
  We will reimburse reasonable out-of-pocket travel expenses

We are looking for compassionate and reliable volunteers to support

Men Behaving Dadly, our monthly online group where fathers with a seriously ill child can connect, share experiences, and support one another.

As an Online Group Support Volunteer, you’ll help facilitate conversations, encourage participation, and contribute to a positive and respectful environment for all members.

• Alongside Rainbow Trust staff, supporting the facilitation of online group sessions
• Welcoming new members and helping them feel comfortable
• Encouraging respectful, inclusive conversation
• Sharing relevant experiences where appropriate
• Helping to maintain group guidelines and boundaries

We’re looking for volunteers who are:

• Empathetic, non-judgemental, and good listeners
• Comfortable engaging in group conversations online
• Reliable and able to commit to agreed sessions
• Able to maintain appropriate boundaries
• Experienced parents or carers
• Experience of serious childhood illness, as a parent, carer, sibling or extended family member is not essential but would be preferred.

• The sessions run for one hour on the last Thursday of each month. You would need to be available from 7.15 – 8.45pm.
• To attend relevant training/induction session and to undergo an enhanced Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check.
• To adhere to Rainbow Trust’s Volunteers’ Code of Conduct, which Includes compliance with safeguarding, boundaries, confidentiality and data protection guidelines.

• A full induction to Rainbow Trust
• Ongoing support from the Family Support Manager
• Training relevant to your role (including safeguarding, data protection)

• Join a friendly and committed team making a real difference for families.
• Gain valuable experience in charity public affairs and policy work.
• Build or maintain your skills in fundraising
• Invitations to volunteer social events and access to training.

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive volunteer team and welcome applications from all backgrounds.

For this particular role, we are seeking volunteers with lived experience of being a father. This is because the group is specifically designed to support fathers, and shared lived experience has been shown to support engagement and trust within peer groups.

This requirement is considered to be a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim in line with the provisions of the Equality Act 2010.

Enrolment form, informal interview, references, a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

Please note that we will only process applications from volunteers who are resident in the UK and who have already obtained the relevant immigration permits. We are unable to sponsor Charity Worker Visas.