Project To Support Women In Refuge,The Homeless,Wellbeing&Community Reconnection

Project To Support Black Minority Ethnic Community&individuals to thrive

This volunteer role focuses on helping black minority ethnic communities and individuals, including holistic empowerment and transformation for abuse survivors.

At Come Up Higher To Greater Levels (CUH2GL) we aim to ensure every volunteer is well equipped, supported, and confident in their role-and that every woman we serve is treated with dignity, safety, and compassion. Please indicate your area of interest and then send your expression of interest.

Wellness & Self-Care Sessions

Purpose: Support the delivery of flexible Wellness and Self-Care Sessions for women post-refuge experience or recovering from domestic abuse, helping create a calm, safe, and empowering environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Welcome participants and create a warm, trauma informed, non judgmental atmosphere.
• Assist in preparing self care materials, mindfulness tools, journals, refreshments, etc.
• Support group facilitators during activities focused on confidence, stress management, and emotional recovery.
• Provide one to one listening support (non therapeutic).
• Help monitor attendance and wellbeing outcomes.
• Signpost participants to wellbeing, mental health or refuge support in line with safeguarding guidelines.

Skills/Qualities Needed:

• Understanding of trauma, domestic abuse dynamics (training provided).
• Good boundaries and confidentiality awareness.
• DBS required (CIC provides this).

Employability Sessions

Purpose: Assist with employability sessions fortnightly to support CV writing, interview skills, digital confidence, and budgeting.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assist participants with CVs, job applications and basic digital skills.
• Support budgeting and financial resilience workshops.
• Help those with English as a second language understand key materials.
• Liaise with Jobcentre Plus contacts when needed.

Skills/Qualities Needed:

• Experience in administration, employability coaching, HR recruitment, or adult education (desirable).
• Good communication, patience and cultural sensitivity.

Role Model & Encouragement

Purpose: Provide encouragement, share lived experience and act as a positive role model for women on their recovery journey.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support participants during group sessions, sharing lived experience safely (optional).
• Co facilitate activities once trained.
• Assist new members to settle into groups.
• Build peer led wellbeing groups by Month 10.
• Participate in the monthly steering group meeting.

Skills/Qualities Needed:

• Ideally lived experience of domestic abuse, chronic hardship or homelessness (supported, optional).
• Warm, empathetic, non judgmental approach.
• Ability to maintain boundaries and confidentiality.
• Training and DBS provided.

Children & Family Support Volunteer

Purpose: Support safe, engaging childcare or family activities during wellness or employment workshops to enable mothers to participate fully.

Key Responsibilities:

• Help set up supervised play areas and age appropriate activities.
• Support children emotionally and safely while mothers attend sessions.
• Work alongside DBS checked staff to maintain safe ratios.
• Help families feel welcome at quarterly community gatherings and celebration events.

Skills/Qualities Needed:

• Experience working with children desirable but not essential.
• Patience, safeguarding awareness, ability to engage with diverse families.
• Mandatory DBS check and safeguarding training.

Events & Community Connection Volunteer

Purpose: Support the delivery of quarterly community events aimed at reducing isolation and building reconnection.

Key Responsibilities:

• Help plan, set up, pack away and host community events in Watford, Stevenage or St Albans.
• Coordinate refreshments, games, wellbeing stations, creative activities.
• Support translation, accessibility or mobility needs.
• Assist with gathering feedback, photos (consent only), and evaluation data.
• Work with partner organisations such as Herts Mind Network and Safer Hertfordshire Partnership.

Skills/Qualities Needed:

• Organised, friendly, able to work in busy environments.
• Enjoy working with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
• DBS required (CIC covers the cost).

Practical Support & Essentials Packs Volunteer

Purpose: Support monthly distribution of food, toiletries, clothing and essential items to women in refuges or temporary accommodation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Organise donated items and prepare essential relief packs.
• Deliver or coordinate drop off points in partnership with local refuges.
• Maintain accurate records of items distributed.
• Support women with dignity and respect during collection.

Skills/Qualities Needed:

• Organised, discreet, friendly.
• Able to maintain confidentiality.
• DBS check required (provided by CIC).

Data Entry & Administration

Purpose: Ensure that the programme meets required national standard and Hertfordshire Domestic Abuse Strategy goals.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support data entry (attendance, progress tracking, wellbeing scales).
• Assist with anonymised quarterly reports, surveys, and outcome reporting.
• Help manage WhatsApp groups and communication channels (within safeguarding rules).
• Support monthly steering group admin.

Skills/Qualities Needed:

• Strong admin or IT skills.
• Attention to detail and understanding confidentiality.
• DBS required.

Interpretation & Cultural Support

Purpose: Help break communication barriers for ethnically diverse women, ensuring inclusive access to services.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide interpretation (verbal) during sessions.
• Translate short written messages or session materials where required.
• Support women who may be new to the UK system, helping them feel safe and understood.

Skills/Qualities Needed:

• Respect for confidentiality and cultural sensitivity.
• DBS required.

Safeguarding & Support Volunteer (Training Provided)

Purpose: Act as an extra safeguarding presence during sessions, ensuring emotional and physical safety.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support signposting to domestic abuse services, Herts Mind Network, housing, or GP services.
• Monitor emotional wellbeing of participants and elevate concerns to staff.
• Help maintain trauma informed, calm, predictable session environments.

Skills/Qualities Needed:

• Training in safeguarding, trauma awareness and disclosure handling (CIC provides this).
• DBS required.

Bonus: Leadership Development Role

Purpose: Co design programme activities, give structured feedback, help review outcomes, and shape community led decisions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Attend monthly steering group meetings.
• Review session plans, outreach strategies, wellbeing tools, and peer mentor model.
• Bring ideas from community members into planning.
• Help ensure the project remains survivor led and relevant.

Skills/Qualities:

• Strong desire to contribute to change in Hertfordshire.
• Good communication and collaboration skills.
• DBS required.

Mandatory Training for All Volunteers

• Domestic abuse awareness
• Trauma informed care
• Safeguarding adults and children
• Confidentiality and boundaries
• Data protection (GDPR)

About Come Up Higher To Greater Levels

Come Up Higher To Greater Levels is a CIC created with a heart for community people, from school age children to adults aged 18 and over, to move beyond dormant potential and stand out at the greater level they are called to be. Founder Olanike Bejide, a specialist health professional and empowerment coach who survived multiple challenges, leads the mission to help the community rebuild confidence, manage stress, and engage in self care and emotional wellbeing.

The programme offers group discussions, journalling activities, testimonies, encouragement circles, and regular sessions delivered in a trauma sensitive approach, aiming to support learning, financial planning, and independent living.