Group Assistant

Keywords

18+ Families Support Training Given

Description

Role: Family Hub Volunteer – Group Assistant
Reporting to: Community Development Workers
Location: Opportunities are available at Family Hub locations across all 12 districts of Kent

Purpose
Group Assistants use their shared experiences to offer guidance and reduce the isolation
of parents or carers of children aged up to 19 (or up to 25 if they have SEND). With this
role, there will be a focus on supporting groups using your lived experience and training.

Main responsibilities

• Creating and supporting a friendly atmosphere at the Family Hub for children, young
  people and families.
• Facilitating group activities, ensuring active participation and engagement.
• Support the planning, facilitating and evaluation of group activities.
• Setting up and clearing away of the group activities.
• Offering support and signposting for parents/expectant parents to access other services
  to meet their needs, and raising awareness of locality-based Family Hub services.
• Providing assistance to parents and carers of children aged 0-19 drawing from your own
  lived experiences and offering support, advice and guidance to help them navigate the
  challenges of parenting.
• Connecting with families and children, providing encouragement and support.
• Encouraging families to give continuous feedback and being part of improving the whole
  Family Hub service.
• Acting as a parent representative at district Speak Out Parents sessions.
• Ensuring KCC values are followed at the Family Hub

What rewards come with volunteering, and how does it create meaningful change?

Due to the nature of the role, the  following training is mandatory and the volunteer has scope to access further training that may interest them and support their personal and professional development:

• Comprehensive safeguarding training
• Prevent training
• Data protection and information governance training
• Equality and Diversity
• Personal Safety and Lone Working
• Other opportunities for training and volunteer support will be identified in the Volunteer
  Development Plan.

Volunteers play a vital role in strengthening Kent Family Hub services by bringing added
capacity, energy, and community insight to the support offered to families. Their
involvement helps create warm, welcoming spaces where parents, carers, children, and
young people feel listened to and valued. Volunteers enhance services by offering practical
help, sharing lived experience, and contributing local knowledge that helps hubs stay
connected to the communities they serve. Their support enables Family Hub teams to reach
more families, deliver a wider range of activities, and provide more personalised time and
attention to those who need it. Overall, volunteers enrich the Family Hub offer, helping to
build stronger relationships, increase community resilience, and create more opportunities
for families to thrive

Requirements

Skills and knowledge

• Able to share personal experience to support families with variety of needs.
• Able to offer empathetic and non-judgemental support to families.
• Excellent at listening.
• Good communication skills.
• An understanding of the needs of families with young children.
• Understanding the need for professional confidentiality.
• The ability to establish and maintain effective relationship with a wide variety of people
• Willing to undertake relevant training and follow KCC safeguarding procedures.
• Flexible to the varying needs of families and services provided by the Family Hub.

Required commitment:
Time commitment: We welcome discussion around your availability and the time you are
able to commit.

Days of the week and hours: this role accommodates the needs of the families and the
Family Hub’s operational activities so hours are variable, and we welcome discussion
about this.

An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be required for volunteers
undertaking this role.