Reach Beyond/ Millside Centre are hiring!

BEFRIENDING COORDINATOR JOB DESCRIPTION

Organisation: Reach Beyond/ Millside Centre

Job Title: Befriending Coordinator

Responsible to: Centre Manager

Hours of work: 5 Hours per week

Salary: £15 per hour

Areas covered: Bradford District Area

Main purpose of job

To deliver a safe and reliable befriending service for vulnerable adults accessing Millside Centre and other members of our community who are experiencing loneliness and isolation. To promote and support the recruitment and management of volunteers who take part in the project.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

Befriending Project Delivery:

· Develop and deliver a high-quality befriending service.

· Recruit and select befrienders for the project, ensuring there is a thorough and robust selection process in place for potential befrienders.

· Prepare and train befrienders for their role so that they can offer effective support to service users.

· Ensure there is a clear process for the identification and referral of service users.

· Visit, assess and prepare service users for their involvement in the service.

· Match service users with befrienders according to clear guidelines.

· Ensure that participants in the project are adequately safeguarded.

· Support and supervise befrienders and help them develop in their role.

Befriending Project Coordination:

· Work with Volunteering team to set up and maintain systems necessary to record information regarding the service.

· Monitor the befriending relationships to ensure they are operating successfully and that outcomes for the individuals involved are being met.

· Evaluate the overall effectiveness of the service and the outcomes achievable. Prepare a report accordingly including the number of users, outcomes for service users and the service as a whole, recommendations for improvements and future developments for the service.

Volunteer Recruitment, Promotion & Monitoring

· To recruit, train and support volunteers from a diverse range of communities to provide appropriate support to socially isolated people including asylum seekers and refugees, domestic abuse victims, single parents, those currently unemployment or struggling with homelessness and other vulnerable groups struggling with their mental health.

· To develop volunteer recruitment campaigns and where appropriate, work in collaboration with other agencies including volunteer recruitment agencies.

· To ensure that prospective volunteers are provided with relevant information about the project and are fully supported throughout their involvement.

· To provide induction and agree initial and ongoing training needs and source suitable training opportunities.

· To support each volunteer throughout their placement.

· Maintain records of volunteers, service user and relevant contacts.

· Maintain records as per contractual requirements in accordance with the ‘Data Protection Act’.

· Work within organisational quality management and externally accredited policies and procedures.

Communication

· Work closely with staff and volunteers in order to develop an effective working partnership.

· To work alongside the Centre Manager and Admin Assistant to promote the befriending service to key partners as well as other community organisations in order to identify others who may benefit from the service.

· Liaise with Adult Social Care, Health and other agencies to promote the service, identify potential service users and to foster good working relationships.

· Organise online and socially distanced events and training to members of the community, raising awareness about the befriending scheme but mostly to educate people around the reality of loneliness and isolation in society, encourage service users to share their stories about the difference befriending has made in their lives so others can seek help.

· As and when required, communicate in a clear and logical way with stakeholders.

· Maintain the highest levels of professionalism in handling confidential data, information and disclosure from individuals, organisations and services

· Actively promote the befriending service and volunteering in general.

Equal opportunities

We are committed to achieving equal opportunities in the way we deliver services to the community and in our employment arrangements. We expect all employees and volunteer befrienders to understand and promote this policy in their work.

Health and safety

All employees have a responsibility for their own health and safety and that of others when carrying out their duties and must help us to apply our health and safety policy.

Confidentiality clause

All information about service users, staff and volunteers to which an employee has access must be treated with the strictest confidence. Failure to comply will result in disciplinary action being taken.

Sustainability

All roles are subject to funding and reviewed. Although this is a 9 month funded project, the continuation of the project will also be subject to funding.

Special requirements

The post holder must be prepared to undertake an appropriate Disclosure and barring service check and provide references in accordance with the agreed recruitment procedure.

You can apply for this role here

Please send your finished application form to furaha@millsidecentre.org