Role Overview

Role Telephone Befriender Volunteer
Hours Flexible, usually weekly for 0.5-1 hour
Supported by Volunteer Coordinator, Project Managers
Location Remote, From Home
Commitment Flexible

Befriending services can come in a range of delivery methods. Commonly, there are:

  • Face-to-face befriending
  • Telephone befriending
  • Video-call befriending
  • Letter/e-mail befriending
  • Group befriending

There can be a mixture of delivery methods within one project, but it is quite common that a befriending project has just one delivery method (for Centre 404 this is usually face-to-face and group befriending). Occasionally, there is a requirement to transform a project to a different delivery method. There are many reasons why a service may do this. For example, services currently cancelling their face-to-face delivery after Government recommendations on how to proceed safely during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This role has been created to support befrienders who have been recruited and inducted to volunteer in face-to-face or group befriending but have now been asked to do telephone befriending, or for those who have been specifically redelegated or recruited for this role.

Personal Attributes Required:

  • Kind, warm, friendly and intuitive
  • Excellent communication skills and are ‘people’ persons
  • The ability to adapt to new situations and willing to try new things
  • Discretion and ability to keep information confidential
  • Ability to adhere to Centre 404’s mission statement and values, and use a person centred based approach when working with others

Required Training:

  • Induction to Centre 404
  • Provided with Telephone Befriending Role Guide
  • Safeguard Training
  • Service User Specific Information (provided by the project manager)

Responsibilities

  • Never swap personal contact details directly with service user, or add on any kind of social media.
  • Best practise is to call from a landline rather than personal mobile (you can also choose to withhold your number if you prefer using 141). Consent will have been obtained by the befriendee to share their contact number with you.
  • Communicate with Volunteer Coordinator and Project Manager every week to report how things are going. Keep a rough record of significant conversations, activities, and events with service user.
  • Report any incident – e.g. accidents, unusual behaviour to Project Manager. Write down all details the day of in order to preserve the best information.