Volunteer Service Co-Designer

We are seeking individuals with current or previous lived experience of smoking and mental health challenges. They will join our team to help us understand the experiences of those in Cambridgeshire with mental health problems who might connect with smoking cessation (quitting) services. This project seeks to gain insight into how mental health challenges affect how one accesses smoking cessation services, and to create a CPSL Mind smoking cessation service which is accessible and supportive for everyone. 

Local mental health charity, CPSL Mind, is working alongside local community partners to ensure that individuals with mental health problems are able to access a smoking cessation service that works for them.

This project seeks to gain insight into how mental health challenges affect how one accesses smoking cessation (quitting) services, and to create a CPSL Mind smoking cessation service which is accessible and supportive for everyone.

We plan to do this by:

• Working with the local communities and networks based in Cambridgeshire
• Actively listening to people with lived experience
• Working together on community research and development to test and adapt new ideas

Why is this work so important?

We understand that stopping smoking is hard, and that people with mental health problems may face extra barriers when trying to quit. This work is important because everyone should have access to a person centred smoking cessation service which supports them.

Although we are focussing our work in Cambridgeshire, our ambition is that this work will inform the approach for anyone delivering a smoking cessation service in the UK.

What does the Co-Designer role involve?

A Co-Designer is someone with relevant valuable skills and experience who contributes to and influences the design of new projects.

You will be part of an informal group of Co-Designers who will work alongside our project team to develop this project.

Our Co-Designers will all play a crucial role in informing the design process; ensuring that our insight report truly demonstrates the needs of individuals with mental health problems.

This volunteer role will involve approximately 15 hours of your time, between August 2025 and November 2025. Expenses incurred will be compensated up to a value of £300.

·        To attend one 3.5-hour training session in Cambridgeshire to help shape the conversations.

·        Confidential conversations with three individuals with mental health problems and their experiences of smoking. You will be expected to identify and contact these individuals yourself.

·        To provide written notes, ideally in English, that reflect these conversations. Training will be provided.

·        To attend one 2-hour questionnaire building session in Cambridgeshire.

·        To attend one stakeholder ideas session based on the conversations you have had. You will collaborate with others to propose solutions and adaptations to the current smoking cessation service.

What skills are we looking for?

To fulfil this role, you will need the following skills and experience:

·        To have current or previous lived experience of smoking and mental health problems

·        Good communication and listening skills – able to share and discuss ideas in a group setting, willing to give space for and explore opinions different from your own

·        Openness and flexibility

·        Basic IT skills (email, internet and word processing etc)

·        Ability to maintain and respect confidentiality

What you can expect from us:

·        A confidential, safe and respectful space to share your thoughts and experiences

·        Training and support

·        A point of contact at CPSL Mind