Befriender: 5s to 13s Befriending Service

We are looking for caring, friendly volunteers to befriend and offer support to vulnerable families and their children aged 5 to 13.

Training will be provided for volunteers to befriend a child on a 1:1 basis, both indoors and outside of the family home for two hours a week. Our next training course will take place on 7 and 9 March.

Due to the child's age, the two hour volunteering period is likely to be after school or at the weekend and during the school holidays.

Our main aim is to help families to help themselves by giving them friendly support for as long as they need it and so make a difference to these young children's lives. We hope that our volunteers will use their own life experiences and skills to encourage families to discover their own strengths, build their confidence and encourage them to find their own solutions to difficulties. We hope that volunteers will commit to the role for a minimum of a year so that positive relationships built on trust and confidentiality can be developed.

In return volunteers will be given initial training, receive regular, professional, supervision and be provided with ongoing training opportunities. Own transport is required but travel expenses will be reimbursed.

Skills

A volunteer befriender will:

• be aged 23 or over
• be kind, caring and non-judgmental
• enjoy being with children
• be a positive role model
• have patience to support a child through a difficult period in their life
• maintain confidentiality
• be able to commit to spending two hours a week with a child for a minimum period of one year
• preferably be able to drive and have access to a car that could be used in their voluntary role

A volunteer befriender will have experience of:

• supporting/ working/volunteering with children aged 5 to 13 years
• or have children or grandchildren of their own