Carer Support Volunteer

Do you enjoy chatting with people, making them feel welcome, and offering a supportive ear? We\’re looking for friendly volunteers to give around 2 hours a week to help us run our carers\’ groups and activities in Bristol.

Responsibilities

• Co‑facilitate monthly drop‑in sessions and activity groups
• Welcome carers and help create a safe, supportive space
• Assist with events (e.g., setting up, registering attendees, making refreshments)
• Share information about upcoming groups and activities

Full training and regular supervision will be provided, so you\’ll feel confident and supported in your role.

About the service

The Bristol Carers Service supports adult family members, partners, and friends of adults living with mental health conditions. We provide one‑to‑one and group support through phone calls, online sessions, and in‑person activities. These include monthly support groups, education sessions, social events, and walks. The service is delivered by a Service Coordinator and a Hospital Liaison Worker, as part of the wider Rethink Bristol Community team.

What will make you a great fit for this role?

• Being empathetic and non‑judgmental
• Understanding the importance of confidentiality
• Being flexible, punctual, and reliable

At Rethink Mental Illness, volunteers are at the heart of what we do. They play a vital role in supporting our services and making a real difference in people\’s lives. If you\’re looking for a rewarding role where you can have a positive impact while developing your own skills and experience, we\’d love you to join us.

We are Rethink Mental Illness, a leading charity provider of mental health services in England. We support thousands of people through our groups, services, policy, campaigns and advice and information. Our work supports us in delivering on our mission: \”A better life for everyone severely affected by mental illness.\”

It is an exciting time to join our growing charity. We are on a transformation journey, one that supports the delivery of the organisation strategy – delivering Communities that Care. Supporting employees, managers and leaders through this change is a key priority for the People function. Just like its key that we attract diverse people to come and work for us.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion

Diversity is important to us and we appreciate difference through difference, inclusiveness and belonging. It gives us a deeper understanding of the world, our society and the diverse communities we\’re working with. By including everyone, we are able to draw on the unique experiences and expertise of our people to help shape and enrich our workplace and improve our services. One way we are doing is through our valued staff networks which play a critical and highly valued role in keeping us focused on creating a diverse, inclusive and engaged employer. We recognise and support staff networks for our Black, Asian and minority ethnic and our LGBTQIA+ colleagues. We are also proud to have been awarded Disability Confident Employer status and are a signatory to the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter.

Becoming a truly anti‑racist organisation: We have an ambition of become a truly anti‑racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider – and in our efforts to influence policy and wider societal factors impacting on mental health set out in our anti‑racist statement . We have designed a multi‑year anti‑racist programme of work contained in our Race Equality Action Plan which demonstrate our intention to hold ourselves accountable and be judged on our progress on becoming a truly anti‑racist organisation.

We therefore actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including applicants with lived experience, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (or questioning), Intersex and (asexual) (LGBTQIA+), people with a disability, and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.