Children's Activity Support - Group Helper (Saturday Short Breaks club supporting children and young people with special educational needs)

Barnardo’s is committed to providing ‘Better Outcomes for More Children’. Our children’s services volunteers help the charity to deliver essential services in local communities, providing support to over 300,000 children, young people and their families. This role provides a great opportunity to join our fantastic children’s services and help make a real difference.

Children’s Activity Support volunteers work across a range of groups, from Children’s Centre’s with pre-school children and Short Breaks services for children with disabilities, to Mental Health Support Groups and Young Carers Groups.

Do you enjoy working with children and young people? Are you free on a Saturday and looking for a rewarding way to spend your weekend? If you’re approachable and enthusiastic to help others, why not join a great team of play workers by getting involved in our Wiltshire Short Breaks service? An opportunity to support Wiltshire Short Breaks service for young people with additional needs. The service runs on a rolling programme of one Saturday per month in various locations across Wiltshire: Trowbridge, Chippenham, Bradford-on-Avon and Devizes. Children and young people are with us from 10am-4pm. Volunteers are asked to support from 9am-5pm, if possible, as this includes setting up, planning and tidying up and end of the day evaluation/feedback. The Short Breaks service offer an environment where young people with learning difficulties or special educational needs can make new friends, socialise, and have fun. These Saturday activity clubs serve as a safe space for children to interact with others with similar educational needs and to learn and have fun by working with supportive adults. Children can start attending the Saturday clubs from 6 years old and young people may continue attending up to their 19th birthday. The groups’ activities are worked around the young people’s interests and hobbies wherever possible. This involves a range of activities such as cooking, video games, sports and crafts plus we encourage everyday life skills with support from a team of play workers and volunteers. If you have skills or interests in particular areas, these can be used to teach attendees and encourage group learning. Where possible, we ask volunteers to support multiple club locations. Volunteers traveling between club venues, will be eligible to receive travel expenses reimbursements. Further information about Wiltshire Short Breaks services can be found here: Short breaks - WPCC (wiltshireparentcarercouncil.co.uk)

We are looking for volunteers, with a passion for making a difference in children’s lives, a fun and approachable attitude and an ability to engage young people in worthwhile and enjoyable activities. This role may involve a level of personal care.