Supporting young people in crisis

Do you want to make a positive impact on the mental wellbeing of young people in crisis and support the families and medical teams with them?

east to west are an established Christian-based charity in Runnymede with a focus on bringing hope to young lives across North Surrey facing difficult and damaging issues. They are working together with Emerge Advocacy to offer immediate pastoral care and support to young people aged 10-25 in the hospital context. They view faith among their volunteers as essential to the role and applicants will be asked to provide a reference from a church minister to support their application. 

They have a team of Christian volunteers based at St. Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey, available on selected evenings for any young person admitted as a result of self-harm or attempted suicide. Working alongside the hospital’s clinical team, they are on hand to help the young person understand what's happening within the Emergency Department, being with them as they begin to reflect on what’s happened and to help them explore the issues that prompted their actions and look at alternative ways of responding in the future. They are also able to support the families during this difficult time.

With a growing number of young people reaching crisis point, they are keen to expand their work and offer support over a greater number of days.

Alongside the volunteers at St Peter’s, there are also opportunities to support on the phone.

What skills do I need?

• Volunteers must be available to work in the evenings (typically between 7pm and 11pm) and typically willing to commit on a fortnightly basis.
• Full training is provided that takes approximately 2 days to complete but the team work to structure this around your availability
• Excellent support and guidance is provided to all volunteers on an ongoing basis
• Volunteers should be sympathetic to the Christian faith
• Volunteers will be interviewed by the team to ensure suitability and will be asked to undergo a DBS check