Why volunteer with us?

Touchstone is committed to supporting people in our local communities to thrive and volunteering is core to this ethos.

Touchstone supports a diverse range of individuals across South and West Yorkshire and, as volunteers, you will have the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience in many different settings. We provide training and volunteering opportunities to support you to gain new skills and experiences and build in confidence.

People volunteer for lots of different reasons – many of our volunteers have lived experience and some may have accessed services as a service user and now want to volunteer to give back and help others. Whatever your reason, we’d love to hear from you.

In 2021, Touchstone was accredited with the Investors in Volunteers award which demonstrates a national level of good practices with regard to the involvement and management of volunteers. We are really proud of this achievement, as it is important that volunteers know how valued they are. We hope this gives you confidence in our ability to provide an outstanding volunteer experience.

What opportunities are available?

From supporting at walking and craft groups, to volunteering with the Sikh Elders, to engaging in 1-to-1 befriending and peer support, Touchstone offers many opportunities!

A key part of our work is peer support and there are lots of volunteering opportunities in services where lived experience is vital. These roles allow volunteers to share their stories and support others going through similar challenges. However, there are also plenty of roles where lived experience in that area isn’t necessary, as long as you are open, committed and empathetic towards everyone in the service.

See below to find out more about our existing opportunities.

How do I apply?

Once you have taken a look at our opportunities, please use the application forms below to apply. You can apply for specific opportunities or apply more generally to be a volunteer and we will then work with you to find the right position for you.

You can use the online volunteer form and your response will be automatically emailed to us.

Or you can download our Volunteer Application form and then send it to us via email to volunteers@touchstonesupport.org.uk or via post to 2-4 Middleton Crescent, Leeds, LS11 6JU.

You can download our Advice on Completing the Volunteer Application Form here.

Feedback from previous volunteers:

“I think this has given me a platform to pursue my goals in mental health and housing”

“This has kept me busy and on track, providing me with direction and options”

Our Team

Katie
KatieCentral Volunteer Coordinator
I’m Katie, the Central Volunteer Coordinator. As a former volunteer, I am passionate about the joys and opportunities that volunteering with an organisation like Touchstone brings. I will work to help you find suitable volunteering roles for you within Touchstone and will provide training to help you feel confident and equipped to take on the role. I also work with the Volunteer Coordinators in each service to support them to give you the best support and ensure there is consistency across Touchstone.

Photographs of our brilliant volunteers!

Frequently Asked Questions

From its foundation as a weekend club to combat loneliness in South Leeds, Touchstone has grown into an organisation where it is committed to supporting and empowering people and communities. It now has over 50 services which support the wellbeing of diverse local communities across Yorkshire. We are continuing to grow and expand, and volunteers are essential in supporting Touchstone to deliver the best and most inclusive services it can.

We are committed to supporting people to thrive. Volunteering is one way in which we support people to do this, including by providing training and opportunities to support people to gain new skills and experiences and enable them to progress as they wish. This could include having access to job opportunities within Touchstone as your time as a volunteer progresses.

We are dedicated to being a safe, welcoming and inclusive organisation focused on transforming lives and inspiring communities.

Most people can volunteer with Touchstone and we’d really appreciate your help. We have many volunteers who have lived experience, which supports Touchstone to provide better and more inclusive services.

We have a range of volunteering opportunities and continuing to find more ways for volunteers to be involved, so keep checking our opportunities page if there isn’t anything that might work for you right now. You can also volunteer for multiple services if you have the time!

Having a criminal history is not a barrier to volunteering or working for Touchstone. All potential volunteers will be asked to do a basic DBS (for admin roles) or an enhanced DBS (for direct roles with service users), following application and an informal interview/chat to assess suitability and what you would like to do. We ask for this personal information in this way as we work with vulnerable people and we use this information to ensure we carry out our statutory, legal and safeguarding duties.

We consider each case on its own merits and work collaboratively to manage risk and ensure you are supported throughout the process, which may include doing a risk assessment in line with the role requirements and safeguarding. We ask that you disclose your spent convictions (and unspent convictions depending on the role) on the volunteer application form. Please be assured your data will be stored in line with GDPR regulations. We have put in place security measures to prevent your personal information from being accidentally lost, used, altered, disclosed or accessed in an unauthorised way. In addition, we limit access to your personal information to those employees who have a business need to know.

If you have any questions about this process or would like to discuss it confidentially, please contact our Central Volunteer Coordinator, Katie, on 07760 893904, or via Touchstone House Reception on 0113 271 8277.

Please click here to visit our webpage for all our volunteering opportunities! Each page has all the relevant information you’ll need to know before applying. If you still have a query after reading them then please email it to volunteers@touchstonesupport.org.uk or phone our Central Volunteer Coordinator, Katie, on 07760 893904, or our Touchstone House Reception on 0113 271 8277.

You can apply for a specific role or apply to be a volunteer more generally and then choose a role. There are several ways you can apply and they all require you to complete the Volunteer Application Form with your details and send them to us.

You can do this either by completing the online form here or downloading a digital copy of the form and emailing them to volunteers@touchstonesupport.org.uk. You can also print the forms off and post them to our office at Touchstone House, 2-4 Middleton Crescent, LS11 6JU.

Please send us your forms when you have completed them, as described in the question above. When we receive them, they will be sent to the relevant volunteer coordinator(s) for the opportunity you’ve applied for. They will then review your application. The coordinator(s) will be in contact with you to have an informal chat about getting you started with the volunteer process.

For updates: Depending on the stage of your application form, either speak to the volunteer lead of your specific service or contact Katie at volunteers@touchstonesupport.org.uk / 07760 893904 for an update.

The relevant coordinator will be in touch with you to discuss what volunteer experience/position you would like, their volunteering opportunities and how they support their volunteers. Once you’ve discussed this with them they will send out your reference requests and we’ll start a DBS check for you. You can then book on to the next available volunteer training, which the coordinator will tell you more about.

We offer both in-person and online central training for volunteers. Depending on the service you are volunteering for, you may need to complete more service-specific or additional training. Typically, the training programme is approx. 15 hours in total which will be delivered across 3-4 days. Central training will run several times a year and has limited capacity, so please book a place as soon as you can! You can do this by talking to your volunteer coordinator. You will receive a certificate on completion of training.

We require you to have fully completed our volunteer training program, have the necessary DBS check for your role, and for us to have received satisfactory references for you. Once all these are achieved, then your coordinator will speak to you about getting you started in your new role.

We do not provide internships or placements as part of our volunteering program. If you are a student, you can still volunteer with us. Please have a look through our available volunteering opportunities here.

Becoming a volunteer at Touchstone will give you access to any of the many internal job opportunities shared at Touchstone. Over the last 2 years, 16 volunteers have been successful in getting a job with Touchstone.