Telephone Befriending - Bromley

Volunteer role: Telephone Befriender

Responsible to: Befriending Coordinator

Time commitment: Up to one-hour weekly telephone call to a client. Attendance at volunteer support meetings. All our volunteer roles are from Monday to Friday, between 9am to 5pm. We are closed at weekends, public holidays and over the Christmas period.

Location: At home

Bromley Well: Age UK Bromley and Greenwich working in partnership with Bromley Well, supporting health, wellbeing, and independence. Bromley Well is an integrated service that provides support for Bromley residents to improve their general health, wellbeing, independence and to help prevent them from falling into crisis.

Befriending Service: The Community Befriending service helps you get out and about, meet others, socialise, and make new friends whether it's in your own home or out in the local area. Our service offers a vital lifeline to older people who are experiencing social isolation and or loneliness.

Role Summary: Providing a listening ear to our clients, making a difference to support older people’s wellbeing and to reduce isolation and loneliness.

What will I be involved in?

• Successfully complete online training courses for Age UK Bromley and Greenwich volunteers.
• A weekly telephone call made from your home to provide social contact with your client.
• Encourage your client to engage and take part in friendly conversation by listening carefully and asking open-ended questions.
• Be observant to your client’s needs and do actively keep in regular contact with the befriending team, reporting any concerns, pass on requests for help or referral needs.
• Ensure that the required call logs are returned promptly to the befriending team by the 28^th of each month. The call logs are read by the befriending team and uploaded to our client records providing vital communication on how each client/volunteer match is progressing. The information provided helps us to highlight the work we do and may be used for case studies and reporting.
• Report any concerns re the client’s mental and physical health to the befriending team.
• Participate in support meetings with the befriending team and any training on safeguarding adults and appropriate boundaries.
• At all times volunteer in accordance with the organisation’s policies regarding Health & Safety, Equality & Diversity, Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults and Confidentiality & Data Protection. Lone Working.
• Represent the professional standards of Age UK Bromley and Greenwich and ensure that you wear your volunteer id badge whilst volunteering.

What skills and qualities will I need to have?

• Enjoys spending time with and talking with older people aged 65+ from a wide range of backgrounds.
• Be a good listener and have empathy with older people, being approachable and welcoming.
• Interested in learning and developing new skills required of the role. Demonstrate that you are interested in what the client has to say by communicating respect and warmth. Encourage the person to say more and think more deeply about their thoughts and feelings.
• Listens to the person’s tone of voice and expression as well as their words.
• Develop a non-judgmental approach. The listener may personally disagree with the client’s opinions or actions but attempts to understand the client’s point of view and shows that they still value the client.
• Being able to maintain client confidentiality, understand the importance of keeping within the parameters of the befriending role and have a good understanding of GDPR and Data Protection

Benefits of getting involved:

• Being part of a team who are passionate about helping Bromley residents 65 years+, to develop interests, form friendships and connect better with their local community.
• Committed to supporting the befriending service to deliver a difference to their clients.
• Ongoing support and role training with feedback given.
• Opportunities for networking with other volunteers and being part of a wider volunteer team.
• Awareness of Age UK Bromley and Greenwich social events, services, and projects

Other information: Prospective volunteers will complete a recruitment process and be required to provide details of two references and agree to submit details for and undertake an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) check. All our volunteer roles are 18+, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Age UK Bromley & Greenwich will reimburse all expenditure reasonably incurred. Receipts to be provided with expenditure claims.