Volunteer befriender

Merton Befriending Service: Befriending Volunteer

Our Volunteer Befrienders offer friendship and a listening ear to people in Merton who feel socially isolated. We hear from both Volunteer Befrienders and service-users about what a huge difference they make to each other's lives. In general, Volunteer Befrienders visit or meet with their clients once a week.   As part of an exciting new pilot project called Connect & Befriend, we are supporting Volunteers to: Provide companionship and support to people who have a diagnosed mental health condition which is contributing to their social isolation and Connect these individuals with the local community and foster a sense of independence.

Purpose of role:

To make regular visits to an older person in their home for approximately one hour a week based in London borough of Merton

• Helping to alleviate loneliness and isolation by providing social companionship
• Enabling independence; empowering them by increasing their confidence and self esteem
• Increasing access to support networks, information and services

Key Tasks:

• Maintaining records of client contact and sending this to the Befriending Coordinator at Age UK Merton on a monthly basis
• Maintaining client confidentiality
• Attending induction and ongoing training
• Attending volunteer meetings
• Keeping in regular contact with the Befriending Coordinator;
• Attending supervision and reviews
• Working within policies and procedures of the partner organisations of Merton Befriending Service

Skills we look for:

• Good listening skills
• Understanding and empathy with the needs of older people
• Ability to empower and promote independence
• Ability to adhere to boundaries
• Ability to be open minded and non-judgemental
• Ability to be friendly and patient
• Reliability,  punctuality and trustworthiness
• Ability to read between the lines and, with appropriate training, identify instances where the client needs to be referred back to the organisation (either Age UK Merton or Carers Support  Merton) for assistance with specific issues
• Good communication skills especially in English
• Ability to maintain written records
• Agreement and ability to work within organisational policies and procedures
• Availability of 6 months and over preferred

How to apply:

Follow the link here to find the volunteer application form. One of the members of the volunteer team will pick up your enquiry and get back to you as soon as possible.

In partnership with: