Volunteering creates bridges and brings communities together. By joining our passionate team, you can make a powerful and lasting impact on the families we work with and the community in which you live. You can also develop skills that you will find useful in life, both at home and in the workplace.

Interested in volunteering with us?

We understand that volunteers come to us for all sorts of reasons, so we will always be as flexible as we can in helping you to get involved. We recruit volunteers from all walks of life and particularly look for the following in our volunteers:

  • Reliability and a positive attitude
  • Respectful of others and able to get on with people
  • Aged 18 and over

How to get involved

We’d love to hear from you. Simply fill in our online enquiry form.

Current volunteer vacancies

Here are our current volunteering vacancies. If you are interested in any, simply fill out the online form and send to the email address provided. We’ll be in touch very soon!

We’re always open to creating roles around your own ideas and skillsets too. So, if there is a way you’d like to help that does not match current roles available, please email volunteering@ormistonfamilies.org.uk

Volunteer Support Administrator– The Sensory Toy Library, based in March Cambridgeshire. We are looking for someone to offer administrative support to our Sensory Toy Library. Time commitment of 4-6 hours per week.

Trusts Fundraiser Volunteer- Our Income Generation Team is looking for a Trust Fundraiser Volunteer, based in Ipswich. The role involves research, database entry and general admin tasks. Time Commitment up to 1 day per week.

Volunteer Administrator– Our Business Development Team is looking for a Volunteer Administrator. Based in Ipswich this role will involve research, data entry and general admin tasks. Time commitment, 3-4 hours per week.

Volunteer Finance Assistant– support the Finance function within the organisation. The role of the Volunteer Finance Assistant will be to undertake day to day finance processes such as recording income, banking, petty cash, processing expense forms and supplier invoices. They will accurately process financial transactions and prepare financial information for inclusion in the monthly management reports. They will be an effective and fully participating member of the finance team in the day to day processes and procedures.

Stronger Together Group Volunteer Supporter (March, Cambridgeshire)- Stronger Together is a volunteer parent led support group, which offers parent to parent support. The group offers a platform where parents share their experiences of living with and dealing with additional needs in a safe and comfortable environment.

The group can provide information on subjects such as how to find the right childcare or educational settings, managing the day-to-day stresses of bringing up a SEND child and how this can affect other people in the family.

Professionals can also be invited to the group to give advice and support, this group is linked to the Ormiston Families Sensory Library, which is for families who have children with additional needs or disabilities and is free of charge.

We are looking for someone who has experience of either working with or living with a child/children with additional needs, who can support the facilitation of the group and offer appropriate levels of support to members and parents.

 HMP Norwich, Visitor Centre various roles available

Ormiston Families run the Visitors Centre at HMP Norwich to support families with a loved one in custody.

We are looking for volunteers to enhance our service to visitors. Visiting a prison for the first time can be a daunting experience. An important role for volunteers at the Visitors Centre is to provide a friendly welcome to everyone that arrives at the prison to check in for their visit and to answer any questions they may have.

We are looking for enthusiastic and reliable people to join our team of volunteers, particularly on Saturday afternoons (12:45pm – 3pm) and Sunday mornings (8:45 – 11am).

The Reception Desk- The role of volunteer on The Reception Desk is to provide a warm welcome to everyone entering The Visitors Centre. We open The Visitors Centre one hour before every visiting session to provide facilities, support and information to visitors. The volunteer role on the Reception Desk at The Visitors Centre involves:

  • Greeting all visitors as they enter The Visitors Centre
  • Checking visitors in for their visit using the Visits List, providing them with a number card, giving them a slip for the snack bar, taking a vehicle registration number and identifying if they are visiting for the first time/need some extra support
  • Referring first-time visitors to a member of staff to provide extra support
  • Providing visitors with what they need to take essential items in for their visit
  • Answering questions about the visiting process
  • Liaising with the Visits Hall to ensure the smooth beginning of the visit

Days and Times: Tuesday mornings (9:15 – 11am), Thursday mornings (9:15 – 11am), Saturday afternoons (12:45 – 2:30pm) and Sunday mornings (8:45 – 10:30am).

Snack Bar- On Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings, volunteers provide extra support to help us deliver refreshments for visitors. Refreshments consist of cold drinks, crisps, chocolates and sweets. We serve these refreshments from the Snack Bar at the Visitors Centre. The volunteer role on the Snack Bar at The Visitors Centre involves:

  • Taking orders from visitors for their refreshments for their visit
  • Adding up the cost of items up to £15
  • Cash handling and using a till
  • Bagging up items
  • Taking a trolley of items to the Visits Hall with a member of staff and distributing to the tables
  • Cashing up the till at the end of the session

Days and Times: Saturday afternoons (12:45 – 2:30pm) and Sunday mornings (8:45am – 10:30am).

Children’s Visits- We run Children’s Visits on alternate Tuesday mornings (A and E Wings), Thursdays mornings (B Wing and C3 Landing), Wednesday afternoons (C1 and C2 Landings) and Thursday afternoons (Cat C Side). These are special visits for families to spend time together in a special play room separate from the main Visits Hall. The role of volunteer is to assist members of staff to facilitate the visit and involves the following:

  • Welcome visitors to the Visitors Centre;
  • Accompany the visitors from the Visitors Centre to the Children’s Visits Room;
  • Help set up some play activities and toys in the room;
  • Serve teas and coffees to adult visitors in the visit;
  • Take photos of the families together;
  • Complete sessional observation paperwork;
  • Help tidy up and accompany the visitors back to the Visitors Centre following their visit.

This role requires going into the prison on a regular basis and so will require prison vetting.

Days and Times: Alternate Tuesday mornings (9:15am – 12) and Thursday mornings (9:15am – 12), on a rota.

StoryBook Dads- We run StoryBook Dads on alternate Tuesday and Thursday mornings. This is an opportunity for dad’s in custody to record a video of them reading a story to their children and takes place with a member of staff and a volunteer in the Children’s Visit Room.

The role of volunteer is to assist the member of staff to make the recordings and involves the following:

  • Carry equipment from the Visitors Centre to the Children’s Visit Room;
  • Help set up the equipment and room for recordings;
  • Welcome dads to the room and help put them at ease to make their recordings;
  • Help tidy up and return back to the Visitors Centre.

This role requires going into the prison on a regular basis and so will require prison vetting.

Days and Times: Alternate Tuesday mornings (8am – 10:30am) and Thursday mornings (8am – 10:30am), on a rota.

Sale Table- We have a Sale Table at the Visitors Centre and are always grateful for extra support volunteers can offer to help make it a success. This involves sorting donations, pricing items, tidying the table and ensuring items are current. Days and Times: as and when, around other volunteering activities.

Updating Noticeboards- We have various noticeboards around the Visitors Centre and within the prison which always need regularly updating as information and services change and evolve. It takes two people to go into the prison to update our noticeboards and so having a volunteer to help with this is extremely helpful.

Days and Times: as and when, to be arranged with staff in advance.