Make a difference with Help4Homeless

About the Role

Help4Homeless is a small, youth-led charity based in Peterborough. After a quieter few months, we're entering an exciting new chapter, rebuilding our activity, growing our team and preparing to launch our Winter 2026 campaign.

As part of this next stage, we're looking for new Trustees to join Help4Homeless and help us build a stronger, sustainable organisation for the future.

As a Trustee, you'll be part of the team responsible for the governance and strategic direction of Help4Homeless. You'll work alongside our founder and help make important decisions about the charity, ensure we're working towards our charitable purposes and help shape what Help4Homeless becomes over the coming years.

This isn't intended to be a role where you simply attend the occasional meeting. We're a small organisation and want trustees who are interested in getting involved, sharing ideas and helping us move forward.

Responsibilities

• Contributing to the overall strategy and direction of Help4Homeless
• Participating in trustee meetings and important organisational decisions
• Helping ensure the charity is properly governed and managed
• Making sure Help4Homeless remains focused on its charitable purposes
• Reviewing policies, plans, finances and organisational risks
• Supporting appropriate safeguarding, financial oversight and risk management
• Helping ensure resources are used responsibly
• Supporting the development of future projects and campaigns
• Providing constructive challenge, ideas and advice to the leadership team
• Helping us develop partnerships and opportunities where appropriate
• Acting in the best interests of Help4Homeless and the people and communities we exist to support
• Sharing responsibility with the other trustees for fulfilling the legal duties associated with being a charity trustee

Who We're Looking For

You don't need to have been a trustee before. We're particularly interested in people who can bring experience, knowledge or enthusiasm in areas such as:

• Charity governance
• Finance or accounting
• Fundraising and grants
• Homelessness or housing
• Safeguarding
• Community engagement
• Marketing, communications or social media
• Partnerships and business development
• Volunteer management
• Legal or compliance
• Strategy and organisational development

We're also interested in hearing from people without professional experience in these areas who care about our mission and are willing to learn. We're looking for people who are reliable, willing to contribute, comfortable sharing their views and genuinely interested in helping Help4Homeless grow.

Time Commitment

We expect the role to require approximately 2 to 4 hours per month, although there may occasionally be additional time required around campaigns, meetings or significant projects.

Most trustee activity can take place remotely, although there may be opportunities to attend activities and events in Peterborough.

This is an unpaid voluntary role. Reasonable pre-agreed expenses can be reimbursed.

Recruitment Process

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an online group interview on Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 7:00pm. The session will be an informal opportunity to meet members of Help4Homeless.

About the Role

Help4Homeless is looking for a volunteer Safeguarding Lead to help us make sure our volunteers, activities and the people we support are protected by strong, practical safeguarding procedures.

As we relaunch Help4Homeless and prepare for our Winter 2026 campaign in Peterborough, we are strengthening the policies and systems behind our work. We are looking for someone with safeguarding knowledge or experience who can take the lead on this important area.

Help4Homeless is a small organisation supporting people experiencing homelessness and hardship. Our work can involve volunteers interacting directly with people who may be vulnerable, so we want safeguarding to be taken seriously and properly embedded into everything we do.

What You'll Be Doing

As our Safeguarding Lead, you will:

• Act as the main point of contact for safeguarding within Help4Homeless
• Help review and improve our safeguarding policy and procedures
• Provide guidance to volunteers and the wider team on safeguarding matters
• Receive and appropriately respond to safeguarding concerns
• Ensure concerns and decisions are recorded appropriately and confidentially
• Help determine when concerns need to be referred or escalated to external safeguarding services
• Support safeguarding risk assessments for campaigns, events and outreach activities
• Help establish clear boundaries and safe working practices for volunteers
• Help us make sure volunteers understand how to recognise and report safeguarding concerns
• Advise the organisation's leadership on safeguarding risks and improvements
• Help review safeguarding arrangements following incidents or concerns
• Support the development of simple safeguarding briefings or training for volunteers
• Work with trustees and senior volunteers where safeguarding issues require governance oversight

You will not be expected to investigate allegations yourself or act as an emergency service. The role is about making sure concerns are recognised, recorded, responded to and escalated appropriately.

Who We're Looking For

We'd particularly like to hear from people with experience or knowledge in areas such as:

• Safeguarding adults or children
• Social care
• Housing or homelessness services
• Health or mental health services
• Youth work
• Education
• Community services
• Domestic abuse or exploitation services
• Charity or voluntary-sector safeguarding

Previous experience as a Designated Safeguarding Lead would be particularly useful, but we are open to applicants with other strong and relevant safeguarding experience.

We're looking for somebody who is calm, approachable and able to handle sensitive information appropriately. You should be comfortable making decisions about when concerns need to be escalated and understand the importance of confidentiality, professional boundaries and accurate record keeping.

About the Role

This is an unpaid volunteer position.

The role is primarily remote, although there may occasionally be opportunities or reasons to attend activities in Peterborough.

We estimate the normal commitment at around 2-4 hours per month, although safeguarding issues can arise unexpectedly, so some flexibility would be helpful.

Reasonable, pre-agreed expenses incurred while carrying out the role can be reimbursed.

Because this is a safeguarding position, we may carry out appropriate checks before appointment depending on the activities the successful applicant will undertake. Any DBS eligibility would be assessed against the actual duties of the role rather than assumed automatically.

Why Join Us?

Help4Homeless is currently entering a new stage of its development.

Our Winter 2026 campaign aims to provide at least 100 Winter Wellbeing Packs to people experiencing homelessness and hardship across Peterborough, while we also rebuild our volunteer team, develop new community partnerships and strengthen the way the organisation operates.

This is an opportunity to have a genuine influence on how safeguarding is built into a small organisation as it grows, rather than simply stepping into an already established system.

You'll work directly with the Founder and wider Help4Homeless team to help us make sure that growth happens safely and responsibly.