Amber Valley CVS Befriending Service
Successful Befriending Match
Since 1998, we have
been providing a FREE Befriending service for lonely, isolated people in Amber
Valley.
What
does a Befriender do?
A Befriender is a volunteer who
visits an isolated person, once a week in their own home to provide
companionship.
Befrienders beat Loneliness
What
support do we offer the Befriender?
We provide free
training, which takes place in our office in Ripley, Derbyshire. We reimburse
any travel expenses you incur from travelling to and from the training, and once
you are an established Befriender, from your house to the home of the person you
are visiting, and the return journey. Our dedicated Befriending Project Worker,
Clare Salmons will give you regular telephone calls for quick catch-ups in
regards to how things are going with the person you visit.
No special qualifications are required
to volunteer as a Befriender, just the ability to listen and to show an interest
in someone else’s life.
We recognise that social
isolation can occur for a variety of reasons and accept referrals for people who
are elderly, have learning difficulties or a mental health problem.
Referrals are made to the scheme by:
A professional involved in the care of the
person, e.g, a social worker, care worker, doctor or family member or a
representative of a voluntary organisation.
Successful befriending match
What
happens next?
If you are
considering becoming a volunteer Befriender, we would love to have you! You
would need to attend a group training course which takes place at our office on
Ripley Market Place. The course is informal, tutor led with discussions and very
little writing We will discuss areas such as: the role of Amber Valley CVS,
communication, the role of a Befriender, boundaries, relationship guidelines,
overview of mental health and dementia, safeguarding and confidentiality, health
and safety, monitoring and support, endings and beginnings and how to claim your
expenses back.
You would also need to have a DBS
Police check carried out, which we will do for you and you will need to provide
two references.
If you would like more information about
becoming a Befriender or to refer someone to our free service, please contact
Clare Salmons, Befriending Project Worker on 01773 512076 / claresalmons@avcvs.org