Our Telephone Befrienders provide low-key social telephone support service to older people & take the outside world into a client to relieve isolation and loneliness.
They provide regular telephone contact to our clients, having a friendly chat for up to 20 minutes and are positive and encouraging throughout. Volunteers keep a record of their calls to help the charity provide the right support to them.
We ask that volunteers can/have:
- Commit to working with at least 7 of our clients – this equates to a minimum of approximately 4 hours of voluntary work a week, there is no set duration that a telephone call should last for, some calls may last 20 minutes, other clients will require longer. Calls are made at a time that is convenient to both the client and yourself
- Access to the internet – this enables you to update your clients' reports on our database (therefore, some technological knowledge is needed)
- A phone package allowing free calls for up to an hour – Age UK Wiltshire are unable to refund the cost occurred in making calls to clients
- Time for training to become an Age UK Wiltshire volunteer – this consists of 3 online group sessions lasting 40 mins per session (incorporating an introduction to Age Uk Wiltshire, Telephone Befriending and Safeguarding) between 10:30am and 3:30pm, during a week day, followed by a simple remote learning homework task.
- Mental Health Awareness Training – this will be a separate 2 hour session delivered in an online group sitting.
- A quiet and undisturbed place to make your telephone calls from
- A good telephone manner, the ability to actively listen and to be encouraging