Parent Peer Support Worker - Volunteer

A lifeline for families. Provide 1-2-1 support to parents and carers of children struggling with their mental health.

While conversations relate to their child's mental health, you'll help parents and carers directly in supporting their child confidently through tough times.

The average wait for a child to be referred for mental health support by CAMHS is 2-3 years in East Sussex. But when parents ask for help in the meantime, they're told to go on a parenting course.

Parents and carers often feel alone, lost, unheard, and feel like they've failed their child.

Our Parent Peer Support work gives parents and carers the tools to confidently navigate their child’s mental health. We create a space for parents and carers to feel heard, less alone, and validated in their experiences.

Our Parent Peer Support Workers are integral to our services for this very reason, helping parents and carers across the county through their lived experience and compassion.

We've helped over 900 families since 2019, but we need your help to continue.

While Parent Peer Support is a niche service, there is no prior experience required to volunteer.

• Excellent telephone manner
• Excellent written communication skills
• Good organisation skills
• Ability to prioritise and efficiently manage a diary
• Experience
• Working collaboratively in a team

• Passion for supporting the mental health of parents and carers
• Personable with the ability to create genuine connections through trust
• Integrity, commitment, and reliability
• Some awareness of mental health services and related stakeholders within Eastbourne community
• A collaborative and positive attitude, with a willingness to get involved and make a difference.
• Desirable
• Skills
• Microsoft proficient
• CRM (Customer Relationship Management) proficient, e.g. Salesforce

• Working or volunteering in the mental health industry
• Extensive knowledge of the local mental health services and other stakeholders in the community
• Peer support
• Customer service
• Counselling
• Coaching
• Qualities
• Connections in the community

Lived experience as a parent is desirable.

Your work will involve answering and making phone calls to parents and carers who have been referred to our services. The nature of these calls are to support, signpost, and listen. Each parent and carer's needs will vary and so a targeted support plan will be agreed on how you can best help.

You will also provide scheduled face to face 1 on 1 support from our offices in Eastbourne.

You may also provide support via our coffee mornings at our offices and in schools. You may also facilitate events and/or workshops for parents.