Befriender
Make a new friend through our one-to-one befriending programme. You will visit a lovely customer in their own home to have a cuppa and a chat on a weekly basis.
Outline of duties:
- To support our customers to help alleviate isolation and loneliness, by visiting them regularly at mutually agreed times, to build up and maintain a trusting close relationship over time.
- To empower our customers to rediscover social skills and confidence, by encouraging them to be an active partner in the relationship, rather than a recipient of help.
- To assist our customers with new opportunities if they choose them, by seeking new solutions and possibly engaging in new activities. New activities and hobbies may be something you can learn and enjoy together within their home or encouraging them to go out and do independently with friends, family or carers.
- To enable our customers to make choices about how they connect to our wider community if they want to, by providing information in partnership with Age UK North Tyneside.
- To have fun. It can be easy to underestimate the importance of just having a laugh and a good time.
We work with older people therefore it is essential that all our volunteers hold the following qualities:
- A non-judgemental approach.
- Good listener.
- Good sense of humour.
- Flexible, able to deal with changes in schedule and changes in the relationship with the person you will be talking to.
- Reliable, trustworthy and respectful of confidentiality.
- Ability to build effective relationships with customers and to interact with them in a non-patronising and respectful way.
- Ability to build an open and honest relationship with the Befriending Coordinator and ask for help or advice in the case of issues or safeguarding incidents.
- Ability to operate within the remit of Age UK North Tyneside’s Policies and Procedures.
- Ability to stick to guidelines and participate in ongoing one to ones and training sessions with the Befriending Coordinator.
- Enthusiasm and commitment to Age UK North Tyneside's’ values and objectives.
Time Commitment: Varies, usually one hour per week plus travel time to and from the customer’s home.
Location: Across North Tyneside, at the customer’s home.
Age UK North Tyneside will provide you with:
- A full training and induction programme.
- A DBS check to enable you to interact 1:1 with our customers
- On-going support from the Befriending Coordinator, including regular check-ins.
- Access to a network of other volunteers for advice and guidance.
- A volunteer reward and recognition program, to celebrate your achievements!
To apply, please call 0191 287 7011 or email HRTeam1@ageuknorthtyneside.org.uk.
Prefer to volunteer over the phone?
Check out our Telephone Befriender vacancy.