Grandmentors Volunteer Co-ordinator

Permanent Contract
Job Ref: V383
Hours/Days per week: 35 hours per week

**Salary**: £25,000
Start date: ASAP
Location: Hybrid (Milton Keynes)
Closing date: 26th November 2023
Interview date and Location: W/C 4th December 2023, in person

***Volunteering Matters**

At Volunteering Matters we use volunteering’s unique power to bring people together and build stronger, more resilient communities across the UK.

We bring people together to resolve some of society’s most complex issues. From social isolation and loneliness; improving health and wellbeing; building skills, confidence, and opportunity; to ensuring young people can become change makers in their community, the impact that we make is great. And we won’t stop until everyone in the UK has the opportunity to thrive.

People-led and impact driven, we are a national charity that is deeply embedded in local areas across the UK. We operate in five regions: London and the South East; Wales and the West of England; East of England; the Midlands and North West England; and Scotland and North East England. We also have an Employee Volunteering Team with over 25 years’ experience, acting as a broker to provide tailor-made solutions to employers. We turn local knowledge and energy into action and progress, building stronger communities and a better future for all.

This is an exciting time to be joining the team. We’re changing the way we work to meet new ambitions and make sure our impact continues to grow alongside out business.

***Grandmentors MK JD 2023**

**Role Purpose**

Grandmentors is an innovative volunteering project where more mature volunteers use their lifetime of skills and experience to support and mentor under supported young people (aged 15-25) with experience of the care system. These young people often need a guiding hand and role model to support them to find work, continue their education or begin training - giving them the skills and self-belief to lead successful and independent lives.

Volunteers meet with a young person regularly to boost their confidence and work towards goals, which are unique to each young person. In Milton Keynes, we meet increasing numbers of young people who have additional languages and are new to the community through refugee and asylum routes.

The postholder will be leading on the already established Grandmentors project within Milton Keynes, working closely Milton Keynes Council and other Grandmentors projects nationally. Young people are referred directly to Volunteering Matters through the Leaving Care team at Milton Keynes Council. Volunteers are recruited locally from the community, and within surrounding areas where the referred young people live.

The postholder will be expected to support established relationships whilst developing new ones. They will be working to achieve match and referral targets whilst ensuring young people are getting the support they need from their mentors within appropriate boundaries. The postholder will be a link between the local authority Leaving Care Team, and the volunteer mentor in support of the young person. They will be required to engage young people with a variety of complex challenges, which may include poor mental health, additional learning needs or experience of the asylum or resettlement process in the UK. A flexible and adaptable approach is important, along with the ability to build connection.

The postholder will form part of a wider team, who deliver other place based projects within Milton Keynes, including the Milton Keynes Volunteer Driver Service and the MK Internationalez Football Team. Collaboration and community led working is important for this postholder, which will include attending community events and networking opportunities, including some evening and weekend work when required. This will be managed in line with our flexible working policy and culture.

***Key Duties Responsibilities**
- To work with staff teams at Milton Keynes Council to promote Grandmentors and to maintain referrals of young people who may benefit from the service.
- To support young people to match with a volunteer mentor, and ensure the young person leads this process.
- To promote and support the MK Internationalez Football Team within the young people of Grandmentors.
- To effectively deliver the service to ensure the project meets its agreed match targets and milestones.
- Maintain effective relationships with funders and local authority staff.
- To attend community and networking events in the local area, with a view to promoting Volunteering Matters and Grandmentors.
- To maintain accurate records on all aspects of the project and submit data onto the CRM database.
- To manage and maintain effective monitoring and evaluation records to capture impact and outcomes for reporting purposes.
- To implement and maintain appropriate risk assessment management processes.
- Understanding and commitment to Volunteering Matters Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and An