Telephone Befriending

What you’ll be doing in this role:

• Speaking to the client on an agreed day once a week for between 10-35mins
• Agree how many clients you will be happy to help with your coordinator
• Matched on interests and background a common connection for you to talk about
• Treating what you hear as confidential and sensitive.
• Keeping us up to date with how calls are going and reporting anything of concern.
• Keeping your skills and knowledge up to date by taking part in relevant training.
• Reading and following our policies and procedures - designed to keep you and the client we support safe and happy. We’ve got guidance around safeguarding, lone working, confidentiality and role boundaries to help with this. We’ll ask you to sign-in to say you understand them.
• Representing the charity well to the wider public.

Skills & experience required:

• Confidently engage with a diverse range of people and enjoy helping 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 Telephone Befriending Handbook and all Policies and Procedures.
• Provide Induction Training via Zoom Getting to know Jewish Care, Communication & Disability Awareness, Boundaries & Confidentiality, Safeguarding, Health & Safety, GDPR.
• Provide Befriending 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
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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.

Step 3:

Following a successful interview over the phone 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.  

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 via Zoom mandatory Befriending 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!