Volunteer Telephone Befriender

To provide telephone befriending to one or two beneficiaries per week for approximately 30 minutes per call. Through your conversations, you will be providing a connection to somebody who might be quite socially isolated and checking in on their wellbeing, acting as a link to accessing further support if necessary.

This role began as a response to the COVID-19 outbreak, in recognition of the increased levels of difficulty faced by many older people needing to shield and lacking additional support to help meet basic everyday needs.

Responsibilities:

• Agreeing a mutually convenient time with your befriendee and consistently sticking to it.
• Developing a rapport with your befriendee and managing the conversation, while remaining conscious of the need for excellent listening skills.
• Paying close attention to any signs that your befriendee might be struggling to look after themselves or be lacking essentials that they need to manage daily life.

Skills

Volunteer Requirements

• Interest in working with older people
• A friendly and approachable personality and a warm telephone manner
• Good levels of self-organisation and reliability.

Benefits

• We will provide you with an induction and full training for the role
• Opportunities to meet and socialise with other volunteers
• The opportunity to use your skills and experience to improve the lives of others.

Practical Considerations

• Able to give at least half an hour of time per week
• Able to commit to volunteering for a period of at least 3 months
• You must have a phone with a call plan which includes both local landlines and mobile numbers
• Two professional references.

When do I need to be available?

Details	Phone calls to take place between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Friday

	Morning	Afternoon	Evening
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Register your Interest