Venue Address
Room 211-212, Aidan House
401 Sunderland Road
Gateshead
NE8 3HU
United Kingdom
Why Befriending Matters
For many caregivers and their looked after person loneliness, isolation and being tied to home by their caring responsibilities are real struggles. Missing out on social activities can lead to feeling lonely, down, and even less healthy. Even things most people take for granted like people popping to the shops or going to an appointment can be impossible if you have caring responsibilities. Caregivers Connected Gateshead’s Befriending program is here to help by matching volunteers with caregivers the the person they care for.
Outline of Duties
- To support our service users and their cared for person to help alleviate isolation and loneliness by visiting them regularly at mutually agreed times, to build up and maintain a trusting, close relationship over time.
- To support our service users cared by sitting in with their cared for person to allow them to attend appointments or go to the shops.
- To empower our service users and their cared for person to rediscover social skills and build confidence, by encouraging them to be an active partner in the relationship, rather than a recipient of help.
- To support our service users and their cared for person to try new activities and hobbies. This could be something that you can learn and enjoy together within their home or encouraging them to go out to local community venues.
- To support our service users and their cared for person to make choices about how they connect to our wider community.
- To have fun. It can be easy to underestimate the importance of just having a laugh and a good time.
Time Commitment
Varies, usually up to two hours per week. Plus travel time to and from the service user’s home.
Location
Across the Borough of Gateshead, at the caregiver’s home.
Probation Period
Building a new relationship can be tricky. This means that we will start off with a 6 week probation period. This gives both you and our service users a chance to work out if the pairing is a good match. If you or our service users don’t think it’s a good fit, we’ll support you with a different opportunity.
Skills needed
We really hope our volunteers have the following qualities;
• A non-judgemental approach.
• Good listener.
• Good sense of humour.
• Flexible, able to deal with changes in schedule and in the relationship with the person you will be talking to.
• Reliable, trustworthy and respectful of confidentiality.
• Ability to build an open and honest relationship with our Volunteer Coordinator and ask for help or advice in the case of issues or safeguarding incidents.
• Ability to operate within the remit of Caregivers Connected Gateshead Policies and Procedures.
• Ability to stick to guidelines and participate in ongoing 1-to1s and training sessions with our Volunteer Coordinator.
• Enthusiasm and commitment to Caregivers Connected Gateshead values and objectives.
Benefits for the Volunteer
Caregivers Connected Gateshead will provide you with
• A full training and induction programme.
• A DBS check to enable you to interact 1-to-1 with our service users.
• Ongoing support from the Volunteer Coordinator, including regular check-ins.
• Access to a network of other volunteers for advice and guidance.
• A volunteer reward and recognition program, to celebrate your achievements!
