AGE UK ESSEX
BEFRIENDING SERVICE
CO-ORDINATOR
JOB DESCRIPTION
JOB TITLE:​
Befriending Service Co-ordinator
HOURS:​
30 hours per week (6 hours 5 days per week)
RESPONSIBLE TO:​
Head of Service, Voluntary Activities
TO POSTHOLDER:
Volunteer telephone befrienders
SERVICE & ROLE SUMMARY
The Telephone Befriending Service ​is for people who are lonely and/or socially isolated and
who may have difficulty getting out and about alone. The service aims to alleviate the effects of
loneliness and social isolation, support people to continue to live independently in their own
home and enhance quality of life.
The Telephone Befriending Service provides vital monitoring of the general well-being of all
clients on a weekly basis, through a telephone call.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
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Receive referrals for service
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Assign clients to an appropriate telephone befriending volunteer.
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Monitor service provision outcomes
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Recruit, support, train and motivate volunteers.
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Organise team meetings with volunteers
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Collate, analyse and present feedback from clients and volunteers
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Prepare case studies to support future funding applications
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Deal with service enquiries in the appropriate manner.
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Co-ordinate the day-to-day administration of the service
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Maintain and update client files and regularly monitor their progress
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Engage with statutory services and other partnerships within the area who promote client
enablement
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Promote the service to CHP residents ensuring base quality standards is fully achieved
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Assist in the training and development of new staff within the service, and in supporting
them in their roles
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Help to ensure the service is maintained to the highest standard and support further
developments in the service
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Attend regular team meetings organised by Head of Service, Voluntary Activities.
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Carry out any other duties consistent with the responsibilities of this post as requested
from time to time by the Head of Service, Voluntary Activities.
Notes:
All staff, directors and volunteers are required to work within Age UK Essex policies and
procedures, ensuring that they are carried out in relation to the job and their responsibilities.
The post may involve occasional evening or weekend work for which time off in lieu will be
given.
This job description reflects the requirements of the post at the time of writing. These
requirements may change over time, and the job description may need to be reviewed.
AGE UK ESSEX
BEFRIENDING SERVICE TELEPHONE BEFRIENDING CO-ORDINATOR
PERSON SPECIFICATION
E*
KNOWLEDGE &
EXPERIENCE
SKILLS &
ABILITIES
QUALITIES &
ATTITUDES
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Understanding of the needs of lonely & isolated people in
the community.
Understanding of the support needs of volunteers.
Basic knowledge of statutory and voluntary sector
services
Ability to listen to, understand and respond to the needs of
people and identify unmet needs.
Ability to promote the service and to maintain profiles.
Excellent organisational and office skills.
Computer literate and experience of using databases.
Good level of communication skills both written and
spoken.
Ability to work on own initiative and to prioritise workload.
Ability to work calmly under pressure.
Ability to work alone and as part of a team.
Ability to maintain and store confidential information/data
protection.
Clear and confident telephone skills.
Practices listening skills.
Ability to manage time, prioritise work and work alone.
Ability to meet targets.
Ability to use critical thinking skills, to plan proactively and
to monitor outcomes.
Ability to drive and have access to a motorcar.
Ability and willingness to travel around Essex as required.
Approachability
Empathy with volunteers and clients.
Ability to work with others in a supportive and
non-judgmental way.
Willingness to learn new skills and knowledge appropriate
to the tasks outlined in the job description.
E – Essential​ *​D - Desirable
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Appendix D – Befriending Volunteer Role Description
Telephone Befriending outline for volunteers
Our mission is to improve the lives of older people. Volunteers, in their diversity of age, experience,
cultural background and their involvement within communities, bring to our work a value which adds
to our understanding of and response to older people's needs. By involving volunteers in our work we
can offer opportunities for genuine involvement, learning and development of individuals.
This outline has been drawn up to help you understand what will be expected of you in your role as a
befriender.
Service overview
The Befriending is a service was originally set up in Thurrock in 2002 to support people over 60 years old
who may be suffering from the debilitating effects of loneliness and/or social isolation. The main aim of
the Telephone Befriending service is to provide support to clients using the service through a weekly
telephone call. Telephone befrienders usually call the same person each week to provide a listening ear,
links to other services and monitor general well being. All telephone befrienders receive training and
ongoing support through the service co-ordinator
Volunteer Outline
Main Duties:
● Working from the local area office with the befriending service team
● To telephone between 10 - 15 clients using the service each week as agreed with the
co-ordinator
Responsibilities / Tasks:
● Provide telephone support to alleviate loneliness and social isolation and help to build
confidence.
● Report any concerns or problems to the service co-ordinator ​immediately
● Read and understand the information provided as part of the induction training
● Understand and work to the Telephone Befriending Service guidelines, boundaries and
expectations
● Adhere to Age UK Essex confidentiality policy
● Record and claim out-of-pocket travel expenses on a monthly basis
● To take care of own Health & Safety and that of others affected by your volunteering activities
● Adhere to Age UK Essex IT acceptable use policy
● To record data on computer system
Person Specification:
● Work as part of a team
● Good listening and communication skills
● Understanding of confidentiality
● Understanding of the needs of older people in the community
● Patience and sensitivity
● Reliability
●
●
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Flexibility
Willingness to undertake induction training and work within the
organisations guidelines and policies
Time Commitment:
● Minimum of 3 hours per week
● There is no time limit on the length of service, but befrienders are required to make a
commitment for a minimum of 12 months.
Responsible to:
The Service Co-ordinator
Appendix E - Induction Checklist
Checklist for Befriending Coordinator
General
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New employees details form
Work plan (every Friday or Monday morning to Ann Sparks)
Expenses/mileage (40p per mile)
Statistics (keep all lists up to date and in order)
Email
Mobile phone
Dress code - smart casual - (no jeans)
ID card - photo/DBS check
Regular 1 -1 meetings
Annual leave to be requested and authorised by Ann
Office details
Office keys
Clients
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Referrals/source of referrals/visits (social worker, family, friend, neighbour, etc)
Recording information
Matching to a suitable volunteer and introduction
Monitoring match and general and well-being/signposting to other services
Monitoring and evaluating service
Volunteers
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Appeals/leaflets/local volunteer centres (still need to promote volunteers)
Recruitment process (Jackie Mee)
DBS Checks
Induction training (Sarah Dalton)
ID cards (Jacqui Mee and Suzanne Selby)
Matching to a suitable client and introduction
Client information card for volunteer
Monitoring match and supporting volunteers through regular telephone
contact/further training opportunities
Contacts to be identified
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Re-ablement Services (Contact and make aware you are new service coordinator)
Social services
Age-appropriate social activities