Family Mentor (Southend-on-Sea)

Supporting families with children at risk of neglect or harm in Southend.

For volunteers aged 18+ in Southend-on-Sea or surrounding areas

As a Family Mentor volunteer, you’ll support families in Southend-on Sea who are facing challenges and may be at risk of family breakdown. By offering consistent, practical and emotional support, you’ll help parents build confidence, strengthen relationships, and create more positive outcomes for their children.​

You’ll be matched with a family and provide one-to-one support tailored to their needs. ​

This may include:​

  • Visiting families in their home (usually once a week)​
  • Offering practical and emotional support​
  • Listening without judgement and building trusting relationships​
  • Helping families identify goals and work towards positive change​
  • Encouraging families to access local services and community support​
  • Keeping in touch with your Volunteer Project team for guidance and support​
  • Visits usually last around 1–2 hours per week, at a time agreed between you and the family.​

This is a rewarding role where your time, encouragement and listening ear can make a real and lasting difference.

Register your interest

Three people standing with their arms around each other inside

Stepping into my role as a Family Mentor, I’m reminded of one simple truth: your voice matters. Every story, every worry, every hope deserves to be heard

— Dione, Family Mentor Volunteer

Volunteers Supporting Families in Southend has been making a positive difference to local families since 2009, with support from Southend Borough Council.​

The project recruits, trains and carefully matches volunteers to support families where children may be at risk of neglect or harm. This includes families involved with child protection services, as well as those facing complex challenges such as alcohol or substance misuse, mental or emotional ill health, or domestic abuse. By offering early, trusted support, volunteers help families navigate difficult periods and move towards greater stability.​

Our experienced project staff match each volunteer with a family and provide ongoing guidance throughout the journey. Volunteers typically visit families weekly, offering practical advice, encouragement, or simply a listening ear when it’s needed most. Through these consistent relationships, volunteers help  parents build confidence, reduce isolation, and strengthen family life —supporting families to stay together and reducing reliance on statutory social care services.​

Put simply, our volunteers are people who care about supporting others. No previous experience is required — full training and ongoing support are provided. Many volunteers find that their own life experience helps them connect with families in a meaningful way, making this a rewarding role where small actions can lead to lasting change.

You don’t need formal qualifications – what matters most is your attitude and commitment. ​

We’re looking for people who are:​

  • Friendly, reliable, resilient and compassionate​
  • Good listeners with a non-judgemental approach​
  • Able to build positive relationships with families and an interest in helping people.​
  • Willing to commit to supporting a family once a week for at least six months​
  • Willing to provide references and complete a DBS (Criminal Records Check) paid for by us.​
  • Aged 18 or over​
  • Resides in the South Essex community​

We particularly welcome volunteers who reflect the diversity of the families we support.​

Volunteering as a Family Mentor is deeply rewarding and offers the chance to:​

  • Make a meaningful difference to families’ lives​
  • Gain valuable experience in mentoring and family support​
  • Build confidence, communication and problem-solving skills​
  • Be part of a supportive and passionate volunteering community​
  • Receive ongoing support and training from our dedicated Volunteer Project Team​
  • Future References​
  • Reasonable out of pocket expenses, including travel costs

We’ll make sure you feel confident and supported in your role. You’ll receive:​

  • Full induction and role-specific training​
  • Regular supervision and ongoing ​
  • Access to additional learning and development opportunities​

“The training offers meaningful learning, strong guidance, and practical tools.” –Carrie, Family Mentor Project Coordinator

The Family Mentors project in Southend-on-Sea provides early, preventative support to families who are facing challenges and may be at risk of family breakdown. Delivered by Volunteering Matters, the project matches trained volunteers with families to offer consistent, practical and emotional support at a critical time.​

Family Mentors work alongside parents and carers to build confidence,
strengthen relationships, and help families access appropriate local services.

The focus is on early help — supporting families before difficulties escalate and reducing the need for statutory intervention or children entering care.

Family Mentors is a proven and effective program, shown to reduce the number of children at risk of going into care by preventing and de-escalating issues early and helping families turn things around.

Find out more

What volunteers think

of volunteers report increased confidence following training

say the training is relevant and practical

would recommend it to others

How the project works

Families are referred to the project through local services and are carefully matched with a trained volunteer Family Mentor. Each mentor provides one-to-one support over a sustained period (typically six months), offering a reliable and trusted presence in the family home.​

Volunteers are recruited from the local community and reflect the diversity of the families they support. They receive extensive training and ongoing supervision from experienced Volunteer Coordinators, ensuring support is safe, effective and meaningful.​​

Volunteers often support families experiencing complex challenges, including mental health and emotional wellbeing issues, alcohol or substance misuse, and situations where children may be at risk of harm through neglect. Through regular visits and consistent encouragement, mentors help families feel heard, supported and empowered.

  • Visit families in their homes on a regular (usually weekly) basis​
  • Listen without judgement and build strong, trusting relationships​
  • Provide practical and emotional support tailored to each family’s needs​
  • Help parents identify goals and make positive, lasting changes​
  • Build on strengths and promote resilience​
  • Encourage confidence and independence​
  • Work alongside professional services where appropriate

The Family Mentors project in Southend-on-Sea is funded by Southend Borough Council and delivered by Volunteering Matters in partnership with local services. Our professional Volunteer Managers are embedded within the local authority’s children’s services team, ensuring interventions are well-coordinated, flexible and add value to professionally delivered support.

Working closely with council social care teams, volunteers support families most in need through weekly home visits over a six-month period. By offering consistent emotional and practical support tailored to each family, Family Mentors help improve parenting confidence, reduce isolation, strengthen family life, and reduce reliance on statutory services — helping keep families together and improving outcomes for children.

I’m a warm person, and I want the families I support to feel that warmth too

— Nicola, Family Mentor volunteer

This opportunity is kindly funded by

Southend on Sea

Register your interest

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with us. Please note, we cannot currently support visas or volunteers from outside of the UK at this time across our projects.
You are about to register for this opportunity. Volunteering Matters will only use the information you've given us here for your volunteering record. It will be treated as confidential and stored in line with data protection legislation. I confirm that by registering my interest, I agree to the Volunteering Matters terms and conditions.

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