Befriending

 

 

 

 

General Befriender

(face-to-face)

 

 

 

 

 

Role Summary: Are you a caring and friendly face who can engage in conversation and enjoy talking to and bonding with people? Jewish Care are looking for friendly befrienders to meet with some of our clients to befriend them and offer a friendly face to talk to, either in their own homes, a chosen meeting place, or at one of our centres.

 

Your coordinator will make the match between befriender and client and will meet with both parties prior to your introduction and will be there at your first meeting.

Following each visit to your new friend, an update of their wellbeing is required to be fed back to your coordinator in the form of an email or telephone call.

 

Time Commitment:  Flexible, as agreed with line manager

How this role makes a difference:
Providing stimulation to our clients, and a friendly face to engage in light conversation with.

What you’ll be doing in this role:

• General conversation and befriending with matched clients
• Providing a familiar friendly face for people to engage and converse with
• Provide an opportunity for regular contact with a familiar face
• Visiting or calling a selected client on a regular basis (frequency as agreed with line manager)
• Keeping an eye on individuals welfare and reporting any concerns back to the line manager

 

Skills & experience you required:

• Confidently engage with a diverse range of people and enjoy helping and bonding with others.
• A strong understanding and of issues that affect people in later life.
• Reliability, consistency and dependability
• Good conversational and listening skills with a clear speaking voice.
• Patience, empathy and a non-judgemental attitude.
• The ability to work independently but also stay within the role’s boundaries – recognising what should and shouldn’t be done and when to seek advice or report concerns.

 

Induction, Learning & Development:
Training is available so volunteers can carry out their roles to the highest professional standards, develop new skills, build confidence, make new friends and take on new and increasingly responsible tasks. 

Jewish Care will provide the following training, essential for this role:

• Provide you with access to a Volunteer Handbook and all Policies and Procedures.
• Provide Induction Training:  Getting to know Jewish Care, Communication & Disability Awareness, Boundaries & Confidentiality, Safeguarding, Health & Safety, GDPR.
• Role specific Befriending training
• Provide on the job induction.

 

Benefits of Volunteering with Jewish Care:

Without our volunteers, we simply couldn’t function.  We absolutely depend on you.  Whatever your age, disability, whether you are working, unemployed or retired, there are opportunities to help at Jewish Care.

 

As well as helping others you’ll get the chance to develop skills, build confidence and make new friends.

 

• Enhance the lives of older people, making a real difference to the Jewish Community we support.
• Be part of a great team and make new friends.
• Build your confidence and develop transferable skills.
• Access to a comprehensive training programme designed for the social care environment.
• Gain valuable experience and enhance your CV
  
  

Our aim is to enable people to enjoy a first-class experience as volunteers, making the most of their skills to make an impact on the communities that Jewish Care serve.

 

Why get involved with Jewish Care?
The work of Jewish Care and the services we provide to our community are vital.  We touch the lives of 10,000 people each week, with everything we do being underpinned by our Jewish values and ethics.  We provide services to:

• Older people
• People with Mental Health needs
• Holocaust Survivors
• People who are living with Dementia
• People with physical and sensory disabilities
• People who care for others

 

We can only do this thanks to our amazing professional staff of 1,400 and the 3,000 dedicated volunteers who help make our work possible.

Next Steps to becoming a volunteer at Jewish Care:

Step 1:
Please complete an expression of interest form for this role, which will automatically create a profile on our volunteer management system.  After you have applied, we will be in touch to discuss this role in more detail.

If you would prefer to speak with someone from the Volunteers Team to find out more, please do not hesitate to contact us:  020 8922 2405.

Step 2:
Following a successful conversation, with a member of the Volunteers Team or Hiring Manager you will be invited for an interview (and asked to bring identification with you).

Step 3:
Following a successful interview, you will be offered the volunteering role and asked to add further information into your volunteer profile, providing two references and completing a DBS (previously CRB) application form online.  Additional paperwork may need to be completed for some roles e.g. volunteer driver.

This is a voluntary position that supports the work or our services and is not replacing the work of a paid member of staff.  This role does not form any part of any contract of employment.

Step 4: 
You will be invited to attend mandatory Volunteer Induction Training. Training is to enable volunteers to carry out roles to the highest professional standards, develop skills, build confidence and meet other new volunteers

Step 5:  Mazel-tov/Congratulations!
Once we have received and recorded a suitable DBS, satisfactory references and training has been completed, you are officially part of the Jewish Care Volunteer network!

If you have any questions at all about volunteering with Jewish Care, please contact volunteers@jcare.org or telephone 020 8922 2405.