Family Wellbeing and Befriending Volunteer

Children 1st
VO64393

Would you like to help to support children, young people and families in Midlothian? Are you able to offer a few hours of your time each week? If so, please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.

Children 1st works to keep children and young people safe, well, and loved within their families and communities. This volunteering opportunity will be based within the Children 1st Midlothian Family Wellbeing Service which supports children and young people across Midlothian.

Volunteering with the Midlothian team will complement the support families receive from the wider team to help build confidence and stronger family relationships, reduce isolation, build stability in their recovery, and promote a sense of belonging with their wider community. It is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of children and families across Midlothian and develop valuable skills, knowledge and experience.

“I love my role as a Family Wellbeing and Befriending Volunteer. I get to see young people flourish and thrive throughout my time with them, I get to help build their confidence and see them come into their own. It’s a privilege to be a part of their journey.” (Children 1st Volunteer)

What will I be doing?
We know that safe, supportive and trusting relationships are an essential part of building families’ confidence, resilience and wellbeing. Our volunteers build relationships with families in the following ways:

• Befriending – building a positive 1 to 1 relationship with a child or young person and supporting them to take part in a range of activities within their community and to build their confidence and self esteem. What you do together will depend on the interests of the child and could include taking them to a local park, art and craft activities, attending events in the community and much more.

• Parent Mentoring - develop a trusting 1 to 1 relationship with a parent/carer with the aim of helping them to increase their confidence and promote good mental-health and well-being. What you do together will be based on individual needs and interests and could include support to attend activities in the local community and help with attending appointments.

• Group Work – working alongside Children 1st staff to create a warm and welcoming environment for parents/carers and/or children and young people attending group sessions, trips, and activities run by the service.

We will explore further what families need and the skills and qualities you could bring to one of these roles at interview and during training and induction. Please see the role description below for more information about the role.

Training and support
We provide a comprehensive introductory training course that will equip you with the skills and knowledge that you need. We plan to start our next training course in November 2025 (exact dates TBC) which will run from our Midlothian base in Eskbank.

We provide all of our volunteers with ongoing support and opportunities to develop in the role. We also reimburse reasonable out-of-pocket expenses for travel and costs incurred as part of the volunteering role.

Further information
You don’t need to have any specific previous experience or formal qualifications although some understanding of issues affecting children, young people and families and good communication skills will be helpful.

We are seeking to further enhance our diversity from the perspective of ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender and disability. We also have an interest in hearing from people with lived experience of substance use (whether their own or as a loved one), poor mental health and those who are care-experienced.

We ask volunteers to commit to giving a few hours a week for at least a year.

If you would like to find out more about the role or have any questions please get in touch via volunteer@children1st.org.uk - we’d love to hear from you.

To apply please follow the link below.

Experience required

No qualifications necessary as training will be provided. Some experience with families and/or children, knowledge/understanding of issues affecting children, young people and families and good communication skills are desirable