Volunteer for TCF

Our volunteers are the heart and soul of our charity - without the help of our dedicated team we would not be able to support, befriend and comfort bereaved parents and adult siblings in the way that we do.

People volunteer for many different reasons, but at TCF most bereaved parents siblings  tell us they want to volunteer because they want to ‘give something back’; they remember the support they received when they needed it. Or perhaps you wish to volunteer because there was no peer support available to you and so you feel you would like to be there for others who may be struggling to find support.

At TCF, support is often a two-way street. Whilst you are volunteering and helping others, you usually find that you are also helping yourself.

We ask that our volunteers:

• Are at least 4 years or more - we may require you to be longer bereaved for certain roles
• Have been supported by TCF in some way. If you have not already had support from TCF, we ask that you are willing to attend any of our local or national support to see how our peer support is offered
• Attend a Group Facilitation Information and Training Day or other training and make every effort to attend any Volunteer information, support or training events
• Read and abide by TCF’s aims and objectives, policies, procedures and code of conduct

How to apply to be a volunteer:

If you have any queries or would like an informal discussion regarding volunteering with The Compassionate Friends, please feel free to contact our Volunteer Manager, email ruth@tcf.org.uk. We are currently seeking volunteers for all roles - to join our helpline team, to set up local support groups for bereaved parents, facilitate online sharing sessions for loss in specific circumstances, be a local one to one supporter for bereaved parents in your area, arrange and facilitate walks for bereaved parents, grandparents and adult siblings in your area, offer one to one support to grandparents who have lost a grandchild or become a grief companion offering one to one phone support to a parent in their first or second year of bereavement where their loss is similar to your own.

In the first instance, could we please ask you to complete our Volunteer Application Form. We will respond as soon as we can to arrange an initial telephone conversation or Zoom meeting. If you are considering setting up a support group for bereaved parents in your area or joining our facilitation team offering online support groups to parents who have lost a child in specific circumstances or to adult bereaved siblings or supporting at one of our retreats, we ask that you attend our Online Group Facilitation Training and Information Day.  The next training date is Saturday 11 January 2025,  9 - 4.30pm.  If you wish to attend, please email ruth@tcf.org.uk

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