Face to face Community Befriender (Spalding area, Lincolnshire)

The RAF Fund’s mission is to provide support to all members of the RAF Family during their hour of need. A volunteer in this role will have a direct impact on the lives of members of the RAF Family who are socially isolated by befriending them at their home. Volunteers in this role will provide face to face befriending support to beneficaries in their homes. These beneficiaries will be those who our Community Engagement Team have identified as unable to attend organised group activities, and where telephone befriending would not be appropriate. The one-to-one social interactions with volunteer befrienders can have a tremendous impact on our beneficairies mood, boosting their wellbeing, reducing loneliness and overall making a huge difference to their quality of life. Our Community Engagement Team will identify individuals that they know well from their caseload who may be appropriate for one-to-one befriending. Volunteers will initially meet these beneficiaries with their local Community Engagement Worker and a decision will be made by both the volunteer and the beneficiary whether to begin regular befriending visits. Once paired, volunteers can organise to meet with beneficiaries at the beneficiary’s home. Befriending visits are expected to be approximately an hour long but will differ depending on the situation. They should not last longer than 3 hours. They must always take place Monday-Friday between the hours of 9am and 5pm so that volunteers can get staff support should they need it. During befriending visits, volunteers are expected to engage beneficiaries in conversation and listen empathetically to any concerns the beneficiary may raise and signpost further support where needed.