Placement Team Support

Placement Volunteers at the British Red Cross are highly valued for the skills and energy they bring. We aim to provide our placement volunteers with an insight into the daily workings of the world’s largest humanitarian organisation. They will have access to relevant in-house training and development opportunities during their placement with possible ad hoc opportunities to get involved in other areas of activity. Our volunteers will help make a great contribution to the work of the British Red Cross and will be responsible for achieving specific agreed objectives within one of our various departments.

The expected start date for the placement is 23 February 2026 and the placement will run for 12 weeks; Mondays 3:30pm to 7pm and Tuesdays or Thursdays 9am to 5pm. The placement location will be the British Red Cross office in Sheffield (S9 2RX) with some occasional volunteering in the local community.

About the role:

Are you passionate about supporting people in crisis? We are looking for an empathetic and confident placement volunteer to facilitate our programme of weekly group activities with young refugees aged 16-25. Our Youth Group for young refugees aged 16-25 yrs runs once a week, with some extra activities through half term holidays. As the Young Refugees Placement Volunteer you will lead on facilitating the weekly group sessions, with support from the Project Coordinator and Youth Group volunteer. Most sessions are based at our office whilst some run in community spaces we use in collaboration with the programme’s partners, all of which are Sheffield-based. The rest of the time, you will be assisting with planning and logistics of the programme, whilst enjoying being part of a supportive wider team based in our Sheffield office.

Due to the sensitivity of our services and vulnerability of our client group, it is essential that our placement volunteers work to the highest standards so that we can provide a safe, high quality and inclusive service. The Placement Volunteer will be working face-to-face with refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants, so it is vital that the candidate is prepared to deal with participants sharing difficult and distressing information. The successful candidate will be given relevant in-house training and development opportunities during their placement, to help build their resilience and ability to work with empathy. There may be some ad hoc opportunities to get involved in other areas of activity, such as with our casework team, offering the chance to develop new workplace skills. While we don’t offer voluntary internships, we are happy for you to describe yourself as an intern on your CV.

Typical tasks may include:

• Familiarising yourself with the Youth Group programme of activities, helping to adapt and strengthen the programme throughout your placement.
• Assisting with planning and logistics of Youth Group activities.
• Administrative function - confirming and organising group participants, responding to queries, liaising with partner organisations where needed.
• Developing skills to work with interpreters in group settings.
• Facilitating weekly group activities (2 hour session plus 1 hour for set up and clear up).
• The placement volunteer will be supervised whilst working with young people.

We would like you to be/have:

• Confidence in groupwork facilitation.
• Strong communication skills.
• A fast learner.
• Reliable and organised.

Bursary Scheme

The British Red Cross offers a bursary scheme to those placement volunteers from low-income households. Eligibility will be determined through a separate application process open to all short-listed candidates. All British Red Cross volunteers are entitled to out-of-pocket reasonable expenses. For this scheme we are defining low-income households as:

• Inside London: Living with family or partner £25,000 or under. Living independently £22,500 or under
• Outside London: Living with family or partner £18,500 or under. Living independently £16,500 or under

Young People and this role

Our placement volunteer opportunities are open to people at different stages of their career, aged 15 or above. Whether you’re a student, a recent graduate or someone with more experience looking for a career change, we would be happy to hear from you. Anyone can volunteer with the Red Cross from the age of 15. An individual risk assessment, parental consent and safeguarding considerations will be required for those aged 15 – 17. The nature of the activities specific to your intern opportunity may mean that you need to be 18 years or older.

What is in it for you:

• A full induction, with ongoing support and supervision throughout your placement.
• Access to relevant in-house training and development opportunities, including British Red Cross intranet site, e-learning facility and one-to-one career sessions or career development workshops.
• Valuable exposure to the work of the Red Cross in the UK and around the world.
• A great opportunity to develop your existing skills and to gain new ones.

Why we want you: We need volunteers to help us ‘behind the scenes’. It’s up to you how you choose to help. You could be undertaking some admin tasks, offering your specialist knowledge or supporting in another way. Whatever you do, you will be getting involved in a great cause.

Tasks:

• General admin tasks.
• Other tasks as required by the team.
• See advert for further tasks.

Skills:

• Good communication.
• Flexible and willing to help the team with a range of tasks.
• Reliable, organised and able to work independently.
• Good IT skills.

Benefits:

• Meet new people and be part of a supportive and inclusive team.
• A great opportunity to develop your existing skills and gain new ones.
• All training and induction for the role (there is no charge for training).
• Reasonable pre-agreed travel expenses for the role including for attending training.
• An opportunity to be part of the world’s largest humanitarian organisation and the knowledge that you are making a difference to people’s lives.