Mental Health Support Volunteer jobs

Looking for work that fits around your life? Our sessional opportunities offer maximum flexibility, with day, evening, waking night, weekend and bank holiday shifts available throughout the year. Shifts are offered both in advance and at short notice, and you decide which ones you'd like to accept.

Whether you're seeking additional income, varied experience or a route into a permanent role, working as a Sessional Support Worker is a great way to get started.

YMCA DownsLink Group is the leading charity for children and young people across Sussex and Surrey. We offer safe homes, mental health support and trusted advice.

We believe that every child and young person has the right to be safe, heard and to shape their own future. We work alongside them to make that happen.

We are here for children and young people, many of whom face multiple challenges and need our support.

Our Values - we do what’s right, we work with heart, and we build real connections – guide us in all our actions.

We are seeking Sessional Supported Housing Support Workers to join our OLYP services.

Our 16+ Older Looked After Young People (OLYP), Care Leavers and Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) services delivers specialist 24-hour supported accommodation where young people are supported to acquire the necessary skills in preparation for living independently, safely explore their increased freedom of choice and develop responsibilities associated with adulthood, whilst still having the appropriate level of support from an experienced team.

We adopt a trauma informed and psychologically informed approach to supporting our residents to help them build essential life skills, identify their goals and support residents into independent accommodation. We have a dedicated team of Support Workers, Night Workers and additional Sessional Workers who provide support, guidance, and signposting around areas such as housing, budgeting, living skills, jobs and relationship building.

About the Role

As a Sessional Support Worker, you will work alongside our experienced team of Support Workers and Night Workers to provide practical and emotional support to residents. You will build positive relationships with young people, helping them navigate challenges and access opportunities that support their personal development and future aspirations.

Your responsibilities will include providing support, guidance and signposting around areas such as:

• Housing and tenancy management
• Budgeting and financial wellbeing
• Independent living skills
• Education, training and employment opportunities
• Health and wellbeing
• Building positive relationships and community connections

You will also contribute to the safe and effective day-to-day running of the service, providing consistency, reliability and encouragement to the young people we support.

About You

As an important member of our wider team, you'll play a key role in creating a stable, safe and supportive environment for the young people we work with. While this role offers flexibility, we rely on our Sessional Support Workers to provide dependable support and honour the shifts they have agreed to work. Your contribution is vital in ensuring the service remains well-staffed, secure and consistent, enabling young people to receive the reliable support they need to thrive.

You will ideally have experience of working with young people or within a supported housing, care, education or community setting. You will have an understanding of the challenges, risks and opportunities facing young people, together with a genuine passion for helping them achieve positive outcomes.

Most importantly, you will be approachable, compassionate and resilient, with a commitment to empowering young people to develop the skills, confidence and independence needed to build positive and fulfilling futures.

If you're excited by this opportunity but don't meet every requirement, we would still love to hear from you. We recognise that valuable skills and experience can come from a variety of backgrounds, and you may be exactly the person we're looking for.

If you would like any further information or an informal discussion about this post, please contact Kathy.Linford@ymcadlg.org. Should you require any assistance with our application process, please email us at Recruitment@ymcadlg.org.

CLOSING DATE: Wednesday 11 November 2026 at midnight. Please note, we will be interviewing candidates on a rolling basis, early applications are encouraged.

PLEASE NOTE: We are unable to provide work permits or visa sponsorship for this role, so applicants must already have the right to live and work in the UK independently.

An inclusive workplace We are committed to policies and practices of equity, diversity, and inclusion and to supporting our people to make sure our culture is consistent with this commitment.

Accessibility If you require assistance or have questions regarding the application process, please do contact us.

YMCA DLG requires all staff and volunteers to be committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and to respond proactively to safeguarding concerns.

Successful applicants will undergo a thorough background screening process, conducted by an accredited third-party provider. This includes an Enhanced DBS check (with Children’s and Adults’ Barred Lists) as well as comprehensive reference and activity checks.