About us
OUR STORY
Kairos began some 30 years ago with the vision and commitment of Father John Kitchen and Tony Walsh and one semi-derelict property. Today, Kairos Community Trust is a registered charity with 47 staff, 16 volunteers and more than 200 residents and clients – a thriving community of men and women recovering from lives of addiction and homelessness in 30 houses across six London boroughs (Brent, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark and Wandsworth).
This steady and sustainable growth continues to be achieved through the dedication of our staff, volunteers and supporters. And through the support of everyone we work with daily: our clients and their families, and all the care managers, doctors, community psychiatric nurses, probation officers and social workers.
Illustration: The Queue by Robert Ewan from The Gift of Time: Kairos Community Trust Celebrating 25 Years 1991-2016.
Governance and our Trustees
Our governing body is a trust and Kairos is managed and monitored by the Trustees, who are independent volunteers from a wide range of professions in the community. They are: Paul Carter (Chair), Serina Aboim, Duncan Aitkins, Gerald Barry, Carlo D’Agostino, Shawn McCarthy, Hanora Morrin, Dr Jasper Mordhorst and Sarah Potter.
STAFF
Head Office
Admin & Finance
Linden Grove Abstinence-Support Hostel
Vincent Mahe (Manager), Danny Cruse (Assistant Manager), Tim Ash (part-time), Hester Bell (part-time), Mark Cullen, Reggie El Moudden (part-time), Shalomi Gilpin, Sandra Ginnelly, Angelina Graham (part-time), Rachel Johnson, Angela McCulloch (Lead Counsellor), Mick McCulloch, Bruce Morris (part-time), Ian West (part-time).
Volunteers: Peter Harris, David Lewis
Bethwin Road Residential Rehab
Lee Slater (Manager), Dominic O’Gorman (Deputy Manager), Estelle Carroll, Chris Farnell, James Hopkins, Hafida Soltani, Simon Woods
Garden Day Programme
Tim Penrice (Manager), Gillie Sliz (Assistant Manager), Luisa Cicuttin, Will Pugh
Aftercare Programme
Jessica Rood (Manager), David Yates (Deputy Manager), Cydney Dunbavin-Hands, Airen Koopmans
Supported Housing Move-On Team
Matt Dear (Manager), Lee Vines (Deputy Manager), Martina Cooley, Louise Fitzgerald, Liz Frampton, Angelina Graham, Frank McDonald, Giampiero Mozzi, Jason O’Reilly, Steven Polatajko, Jaime Soto
Volunteers: Louise Brady, Robert Doherty
Maintenance
Julian King, Scott Murray
Volunteering
Alongside our staff, volunteers play an important role in the life and work of Kairos. Most are men and women who have gone through the Kairos rehab process themselves, are actively pursuing recovery through 12-Step fellowships, are one year or more abstinent and want to help Kairos.
Volunteers provide help with many vital jobs, such as night cover, accompanying residents to appointments, gardening, shopping, driving, cleaning, carpentry, office work and catering.
Support work training
After volunteering for a period of time, some people express an interest in training to become support workers. Kairos has supported individuals in their studies for the Diploma in Health and Social Care (level 3), which is monitored by external examiners and supervised by Kairos management.
For more information about volunteering, contact Head Office.
Student placements
Kairos takes part in the professional training of new counsellors. We are able to offer a small number of placements to counselling students who are on diploma/degree courses and for whom a placement forms part of their accreditation requirement. Students are normally in therapy themselves and typically spend two days a week working with qualified Kairos staff across different services.
Kairos Counselling
Kairos Community Trust offers student placements within our one-to-one counselling programme, Kairos Counselling. Placements last a minimum of one year, across three settings, with support staff available at each. Students work with up to four clients on a set weekly day, with supervision provided.
Eligibility
Students must provide evidence of having completed their first year in their relevant programme, have membership with BACP or a similar professional body, and have an understanding of the 12 Step model and the nature of addiction.
Successful applicants will be expected to complete an enhanced DBS check, provide references and college agreements, and complete essential online training modules. They should also have a working knowledge of confidentiality and record keeping.
How to apply
To apply, complete the application form below and return to kairosoffice@kairoscommunity.org.uk
BEE KAIROS
The bee hives in the gardens of head office and some Move-on houses are part of our policy to promote good environmental practices across the organisation, including recycling at all houses, composters in all gardens, water butts to collect rainwater, and solar paneling in one house.
In 2010, honey produced by Kairos bees was declared the best honey produced in London in a blind tasting for the Evening Standard by beekeeper and BBC correspondent Martha Kearney. She scored it 5/5, saying, it had “a wonderful creamy flavour, almost like Scottish tablet/toffee, with subtle underlying scents of different flowers”.
The Kairos bees and their minders also merit a chapter in Bees in the City: The Urban Beekeeper’s Handbook by Brian McCallum and Alison Benjamin.
Beekeepers: Mick Coen (our volunteer expert) and Grace Madden.
And why are we called Kairos? Kairos is one of the Greek words for time and we understand it as the right time for change.