ROLE PROFILE

Role Title: Peer Mentor

Location: Croydon

About Thames Reach

Thames Reach is a charity based in London, specialising in helping people with complex and multiple needs, including those associated with poor mental health and substance misuse. We manage a range of services, including street outreach, frontline hostels, day services, specialist supported housing and employment and skills schemes. Last year we helped more than 10,000 people.

Purpose of the role

Croydon Housing First helps people with a history of sleeping rough to settle into their own accommodation, offering immediate, specialist support to make sure people don’t return to the streets, and instead move effectively towards recovery and independent living.

The project provides 20 people with their own flat, all supported by a Thames Reach key worker who helps the tenant to access the right services to meet their needs, be it related to health, skills, benefits or employment.

Thames Reach staff also help tenants to source furniture, organise bills, and create a home environment in which they feel secure and comfortable.

What you will be doing

In this role, you will be supporting us with the following tasks:

• To provide information, support and encouragement to a mentee, leading and guiding by example in a one-to-one or group environment
• Adopt a person-centered holistic approach to enable your mentee to express their needs and aspirations and support them formulate a suitable action plan to enable them to achieve those
• Develop and maintain an up to date knowledge of local services to enable you to advise and signpost mentees
• Assist the mentee in their educational and employment aspirations and acquiring new skills
• Update mentee records including new action agreed and achievements
• Provide some feedback on your observations on progresses made (provide affirmation) and areas they may need to develop further to their achieve goals.
• Review and celebrate all achievements throughout relationship

When would you be needed and where would you be based

We expect volunteers to commit for at least six months with the requirement of 1-2 days a week. Once we have received your application, we will meet with you informally and give you more information on the location and time you will need to commit to the role.

What you can gain from this volunteering role

• Be able to use your skills, knowledge, and life experience to benefit others
• Experience, training, and skills that you can highlight on your CV and in job interviews
• Professional references after 3 months volunteering
• Mentoring and support from our Employment and Skills team
• Better physical and mental health – studies show that volunteers live longer and experience lower levels of stress and depression.

Training and support offered

• A role specific induction so that you understand the role well
• Regular support and supervision from the team to discuss how your volunteering is going and what other opportunities and training may be available to you
• Online or face-to-face instructor led training and e-learning modules to prepare you for your voluntary role
• Access to a range of additional e-learning courses as well as local opportunities for your personal and professional development
• Support from staff and peer support from fellow volunteers
• Reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses.

What we are looking for

• Good interpersonal skills, enthusiasm, and motivation
• Ability to listen and be empathetic to build rapport with clients
• Good verbal and written communication skills
• Willingness to learn and develop within the role
• Motivation to support disadvantaged and vulnerable people
• The physical ability to work on the streets (there can be a lot of walking involved)
• Awareness and understanding of the need for professional boundaries and confidentiality
• To have the ability to follow Health and Safety regulations, Equal Opportunities and Diversity policy.
• We specifically need people with lived experience of homelessness.

Minimum age: 18

Safer recruitment

Thames Reach undertakes a systematic approach and utmost care at every step of the process of volunteer recruitment, selection, and retention to ensure that those recruited are suitable and appropriate. We take measures to make volunteering at Thames Reach a positive and safe experience.

Are references required: Yes. We will ask for two references, this can be former employers or people that know you well (other than relatives).

Is there criminal record check required: Yes

How can I apply? Complete our online application form or contact us at volunteer@thamesreach.org.uk.

Apply today

If you are interested in becoming a Thames Reach board member, contact us at boardmembership@thamesreach.org.uk to find out more.

Thames Reach is a leading London-based charity with a particular focus on rough sleeping, and helping people who are, have been, or are at risk of rough sleeping to find decent homes, build supportive relationships and lead fulfilling lives. The charity provides innovative services aimed at preventing rough sleeping, intervening where people are sleeping rough, and helping people to recover from the impact of life on the streets. As well as street outreach work, our services include tenancy support, emergency shelters, day services, hostels and accommodation, and help with health and employment. We work across London and in Surrey.

Thames Reach is a strong organisation that is growing in response to need. Our services are rooted in our understanding of the issues surrounding street homelessness, and we use this understanding to influence decision making at a local, regional, and national level. We have an excellent reputation for effective service delivery, working with people who may have very high levels of need, and using our experience of delivering services to develop and improve our approach. The majority of our services are delivered to local and regional authorities on a contract basis and we understand that our continued effectiveness requires us to sustain and develop our financial viability; and to retain and grow our excellent employees and volunteers.

We have just over 400 employees and around 200 volunteers, and our organisational turnover is around £25 million per annum.

We have an effective and long-standing non-executive Board with a wealth of relevant experience in both the public and commercial sectors. They provide valuable support to the Executive team, as well as attending around five Board meetings every year, sitting on one of the three Board sub-committees (Finance, Audit and Fundraising; Services; Governance and People) that meet around four times a year. Board members are also asked to participate in an annual away day, usually in the autumn, with separate preparatory visits to our services.

We are now looking for up to two new members. As well as an interest in and commitment to ending street homelessness as a Board member and the ability and interest in providing strategic oversight for the organisation, we are hoping to recruit members with specific skills in the following areas:

Legal knowledge

We are looking for candidates with up to date knowledge of the law and its application in our context.  As well as the delivery of our services, this could include knowledge of property or employment law, or charity and contract law as it applies to our commitments.

Governance/Company Secretary knowledge

We are also looking for board members with an interest in and knowledge of charity governance, to support the board to understand and comply with our regulatory commitments.

Thames Reach is committed to achieving a diversity that reflects the communities we serve. We value, respect, and celebrate diversity. We welcome and encourage applicants from all sections of the community regardless of their history of homelessness, sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, or religious belief. We particularly welcome applicants who may have experience of homelessness and/or of using services that support people with complex support needs.

If you are interested in becoming a Thames Reach Board member and think that you might have the skills that we need, contact us at boardmembership@thamesreach.org.uk to find out more.

Closing date: Sunday 15 October 2023