Pendle - Community Support Befriending

 Children and Families Community Support (Befriending)

Overview

Are you someone that cares about others and who has  the time and commitment to be able to help someone on a regular basis?

Do you need to build up your customer care and work experience and improve your skills of motivation and inspiration to others?

Engaging and supporting a young person, their parent/guardian, or the whole family, will be the pivotal requirements of this volunteering opportunity.

We understand that a range of issues affecting one person will equally be felt by the family of the person being supported, that is why we are looking for volunteers able to recognise what things can be done and how they can help with the family to implement them. For example, you may be supporting a young person to join a club or activity in order to focus on something positive, or assisiting a single parent to access local parenting groups to meet new people and regain their independence.

How you can help

Taking considerable care to ensure a good match, we will introduce you to someone from your local area that we are supporting. Our Community Support Befrienders do not work with people who are family or close friends.Your role will be to help to tackle the social isolation of this new contact by using your interpersonal skills and establishing a mutually beneficial mentoring relationship. You will use your local knowledge of community services and groups to benefit them. With your help, having regular outings will increase the persons confidence, resilience and independence. Befrienders actively support, encourage, and empower their person to achieve specified and agreed goals and objectives.

Tasks

• To regularly visit the parent/family/child/guardian either in their own home or a

community setting.

• To regularly support the individual(s) to achieve agreed, positive goals.
• To provide regular feedback on the progress of the individual.
• To log volunteering hours monthly and submit expenses where applicable via an on-line computer system.
• To complete minimum level training e.g. Safeguarding and commit to further training relevant to the role.

Criteria

• Must be over 18 years of age
• Commitment of 1-2 hours minimum per week / flexible
• Minimum commitment of 6 months is required
• Understanding of vulnerability
• Understanding and awareness of key issues that can affect lives i.e. mental health issues, misuse of substances -alcohol, drug abuse, etc.

Personal Qualities

• Ability to use basic ICT systems
• Be able to deal with difficult situations in a professional manner
• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to use own initiative
• Respect for equality and diversity

Training

Training will be provided in the form of peer support, distance learning or trainer led.  Volunteers must have completed the required training before any activity can be undertaken and may be asked to regularly refresh training where required.