Vacancies
We are recruiting more volunteer receptionists in Leeds (3hrs)
We would love to have some reception and administration support at our Solace office in Leeds.
Ideal sessions would be 9.00 – 12.00 (ish) on a weekday. If you could offer 1 or more of these sessions then we would love to hear from you.
As this role involves communicating clearly with people who have English as a second language, we ask that you have a good level of English yourself, although it does not need to be your first language. (In fact other languages are a benefit!)
A key skill is to be able to offer a warm welcome to visitors.
We are keen for you to have some experience of computing – we use Microsoft Office programmes. Whilst some training can be provided, we do need you to have a basic level of skill in this area so that you will be able to support the administration staff.
It is not essential for volunteers to have experience of the asylum system, but we welcome interest from those who do.
If you are interested, please read the role description and complete the application form.
Volunteer Therapists Required (Leeds) – Half a day per week
Solace is a therapeutic service exclusively for refugees and asylum seekers. While based in Leeds for more than 13 years, it offers a range of services throughout Yorkshire, with many in partnership with others including the NHS, as well as various refugee sector organisations such as Refugee Action and Refugee Council.
We have a small team of clinicians and organisational staff who work together with volunteer counsellors and specialist therapists to offer individual, complementary, family and group therapy. All our clients have fled from their own country to seek safety in the UK, thus the therapeutic work is cross cultural and involves the use of interpreters. As all have suffered many losses and many have experienced or witnessed violence, we are currently seeking to recruit more therapists who are experienced in working with traumatised people. Many of our clients live with much uncertainty and stress as they navigate the complex UK asylum process while trying to adapt to their new cultural context, so knowledge of the asylum system is helpful.
We are looking for therapists who are qualified to Diploma level or above with a minimum of 2 years post qualification experience including working with traumatised people. We offer an initial induction program with regular individual and group supervision and opportunities for further training and development.
Please contact Solace an application pack. For informal conversation, please speak to Clinical Director Anne Burghgraef.
Telephone: 07483320405 Email: anne[at]solace-uk.org.uk
Solace is looking for trustees with lived experience of the asylum process or being a refugee or people who would like to help shape and develop our services.
Do you have lived experience as an asylum seeker of refugee? Would you like to support Solace fulfil their mission to improve the lives of our beneficiaries/clients through the provision of therapies to alleviate suffering and improve emotional wellbeing?
We are looking for people who would like to be on the trustee board to support the development of our work.
Solace provides a range of therapies to refugees and asylum seekers across Yorkshire and the Humber area. Across the region we work with individuals, families and children who have faced persecution, and many of whom have witnessed or experienced violence or torture.
[When I] Suffered from depression the therapist stood by me and supported me as a human being. I was always keen and could not wait to attend my sessions with the therapist to talk about what’s inside me. Solace is where you can be listened to, supported. Solace changed my attitude towards my life. Asmaa 2020*
As well as talking therapy, we provide group stress management sessions and a programme of pain management. In recent years, we have provided over 3,000 hours of therapy to more than 250 people year on year.
We are looking to recruit 2 volunteer trustees with either lived experience of the asylum system, or experience of being a refugee or migrant to become part of our trustee board. Over the next few years we want to transform the way we work by inviting people with lived experience to inform how we develop our service and organisation. We are committed to this improvement in how we work, and to supporting our new trustees to become part of Solace.
Time commitment:
As a minimum you would be expected to attend and participate in four meetings per year. There will be some preparation needed beforehand so you are able to share your views and actively participate in discussions. There would also be opportunities to contribute to other pieces of work in between the Trustees meetings if you would like to get involved.
We are committed to supporting you, and offering you a warm welcome. We would spend time with you to understand your skills and aspirations, and would be very happy to talk about any support that would be helpful for you. We will provide a full induction, and offering ongoing mentoring and support if this would be useful.
If you are interested in becoming a trustee and would like to talk to someone about it – please email elaine@goodwin.org.uk