Volunteer Mentor - Young People aged 0-25 with autism and/or a learning disability

REF: 677fce542e415

Role

We are looking for volunteers, with a passion for making a difference in people’s lives, with a friendly and approachable attitude and an ability to engage young people and adults, empowering them to take steps towards improving their situation and achieving their goals.

The Greater Manchester Keyworker Team works across all Greater Manchester, supporting young people (aged 0-25) with autism and/or a learning disability. These young people are or have been at risk of going into an inpatient setting due to their mental health. The service provides each family with a Keyworker, who creates a crucial care package to support the individual away from high risk and moving towards stability. As a volunteer, you will be introduced as a young person begins the work of re-integrating themselves into their community, education, and preferred activities.

Activities that you may be required to do can vary from support with travel, attending social events/clubs/activities, accessing a young persons special interest, and emotional support and guidance.

We would request that you are available for a minimum of 4-6 hours a month, over a minimum period of 12 months – the specifics of this will vary from family to family and can be discussed at interview. Plus, additional time for training and supervision.

All our young people have a diagnosis of autism, and/or a learning disability. As a service, we champion the diverse range of communication styles, behaviour presentations and sensory needs that diagnosis brings. Therefore, as a volunteer you will be provided with training to prepare you to recognize and adapt your support style to meet these needs. This is a great opportunity to learn a lot about neurodiversity, through robust training and direct experience. You will need to join us with an open heart and mind.

A DBS is required, but we will apply for it on your behalf and cover the cost.
A driving license is preferred but not essential.

When:

Where:

Various SK locations

Other:

We always want the interview process to be as inclusive and accessible as possible, we know this enables you to be at your best and supports us to determine if you are ready to volunteer with the children and families we support. We are striving for a diverse workforce representative of the children and families we have the privilege of supporting, to support our development of this we are working towards the Cultural Cohesion Quality Mark iccqm.org . If you have any personal considerations relating to any protected characteristics or individual needs, please do share and we will do our best to respond accordingly. Examples of adjustments we can make; • We can send you photos of the environment and/or the people who will be interviewing you • We can send you an itinerary of what to expect when you arrive. • You can have ten minutes before the interview starts to read the questions and prepare • Twiddle toys are provided as standard, and you are welcome to bring other items to support you • Eye contact is not expected if this is not comfortable for you • We can arrange the interview times around prayer/fasting/celebrations that are important to you • We introduce ourselves and our pronouns. You do not have to tell us your pronouns

Closing date for applications:

31 January 2026

Who to contact:

Rhiannon Booth

Barnardos

Organisation description:

As one of the UK's leading children's charities, Barnardo's works directly with over 100,000 children, young people and their families every year. We run 415 vital projects across the UK, including counselling for children who have been abused, fostering and adoption services, vocational training and disability inclusion groups. Every Barnardo's project is different but each believes in the potential in every child and young person, no matter who they are, what they have done or what they have been through.

Organisation type:

Registered Charity

Company location:

Gregorys Place 69 Ardwick Green , m12 m12

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