This rewarding and varied role involves helping disabled children and young people on a weekly or fortnightly basis by providing 1:1 Befriending support. The unsupervised role helps young people reduce feelings of isolation, improves self esteem and confidence and helps them to access community based activities, while families get a well earned break from caring. You get to have fun, develop communication skills, empathy and resilience and gain valuable care or support work experience.
What are we looking for? You don't need to have had experience of working with disabled children or young people, but we would like you to be responsible; have the confidence to carry out a role without direct supervision; good listening skills; a friendly, non-judgemental approach; commitment and reliability and the ability to offer a caring and understanding presence. A sense of fun and a willingness to try out new things would also be great.
What will you receive? We offer training and support from our friendly team of staff and volunteers; you will be joining an organisation with a good track record and over 40 years experience of delivering services to disabled children and young people; expenses; social activities; celebrations and awards; valuable and meaningful experience and the knowledge that your support has helped to change the life of a family.
We ask that you are able to commit to the role for a year and that you are willing to undertake our safer recruitment procedures which include an Enhanced DBS check, training and an informal interview. If you have lived overseas in the last 5 years, we will also require criminal records checks from the countries you have lived in.
Recent feedback from some of our Volunteer Befrienders:
'I have always felt very well supported in this role. Training opportunities are good and there are social activities too which is great for those who enjoy them! I’ve felt well looked after and that I am part of a team.’
'It is valuable work which is important to me. It fits in with my skill set and with my interests in working with young people. I find it very rewarding to work 1:1 with young people in this way. I really feel I have made a difference to A and her family.’