Welcome to the beginning of your role as a volunteer befriender with The Link Visiting Scheme! On behalf of the person you are going to contact – your Telephone Buddy or Link Friend - thank you for giving up your time to be with someone who feels lonely and in need of companionship. We hope you both enjoy getting to know each other.
Scroll down to find everything you need to know about your new role.
Loneliness and isolation among older people in the UK is a significant issue affecting millions of individuals with research indicating that in a given week, 3.1 million individuals over the age of 65 have no contact with friends, neighbours, or family members, and 1.8 million do not interact with anyone they know in a month. These figures are concerning, given that isolation poses a higher risk to health than smoking or obesity. To address this problem, it is crucial to meet new people and engage in activities with individuals outside of one's family or caregivers. Doing so can foster self-confidence, promote independence, and boost self-esteem.
Your time within the Scheme could help change someone’s life.
“The Link has been a life-saver, thank you.”
Volunteering as a befriender is a fulfilling yet important responsibility. Through face-to-face visits, befriending requires meeting with your Link Friend regularly, typically once a week or fortnight, and engaging in activities that you both find enjoyable. This could include taking them out for a drink a trip to the garden centre, or simply staying in and having a conversation over a cup of tea. Our Telephone Buddy project is another fantastic way to make a difference by regularly connecting with your buddy and building a genuine friendship through meaningful conversations.
You might have common interests or just a similar sense of humour! There is always something to chat about. You do not need any special qualifications, but a responsible attitude and a patient, caring nature are essential.
To relieve the feelings of loneliness and isolation by being a regular friendly voice on the end of the phone or visitor to their home.
To ensure that each Link Friend is signposted in a timely way to appropriate sources of support as their needs change.
To be a non-judgemental and compassionate listening ear for the Link Friend. Someone they can share good news with and feel supported through the tough times.
To check on the Link Friend’s general physical and mental well-being.
To report any safeguarding concerns to The Link Visiting Scheme or WBC Safeguarding Hub immediately to help protect adults at risk.
We will match you with a person, and provide their contact details, to call on a regular basis who we have identified as experiencing loneliness and has requested a volunteer caller.
Some Telephone Buddies might like a call twice per week, once per week or fortnightly, depending on their wishes and current level of social support. We will ensure we only give you as many calls as you have agreed to.
We will protect your personal data and only give your full name to the people you are calling. You are in control of your personal information.
We will be available to you for advice, to provide support and be a listening ear for your concerns Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm. If you need to stop phoning your Telephone Buddy for any reason, we will support you with this.
If we are not available, we have given you important information about your Telephone Buddy to help you access the right help, such as their emergency contact details.
We will match you with a Link Friend who we think you will get on well with, and who matches any requirements you have told us about.
Your introduction to your Link Friend will be well supported and we will give you all the relevant information you will need about your Link Friend in a profile form.
We will review the introduction with both you and your Link Friend to ensure you are both happy with the visits. If you are not happy, we will sensitively help you discontinue the visits.
We will protect your personal data and only give your full name to the person you are visiting. You are in control of your personal information.
We will be available to you for advice, Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm and to provide support and be a listening ear for your concerns. If you need to stop visiting your Link Friend for any reason, we will support you with this.
We will provide regular training opportunities throughout the year relevant to your befriending role.
If you have a complaint about The Link Visiting Scheme you can contact the Scheme Manager who will endeavour to speedily resolve any issues.
If we have a complaint about you, we will endeavour to discuss this with you as soon as possible. If issues remain unresolved, we will act in line with our formal complaints’ procedure. To view this, please call the Link office.
If you wish to leave the Scheme, we will help you to finish in a planned way.
To not benefit in any financial way from their Link Friend at any time either during or after their official link up ends
To listen with compassion and empathy and be a positive encourager.
To report any safeguarding concerns immediately.
To commit to phoning or visiting regularly and, if specified, on the days and times agreed. If you are unable to visit or call at the time arranged, you will make every effort to let your Link Friend know as soon as possible.
To treat your Link Friend, their family and loved ones, Link staff and other service providers with respect, politeness, kindness and honesty. To respect the opinions and beliefs of your Link Friend and not impose your own faith or views on them. To not obstruct the delivery of any paid for services that your Link Friend might be receiving e.g. home help.
To protect your own data by not revealing your phone number or exact address to the person until you feel comfortable doing so.
To respect your Link Friends’ right to confidentiality by keeping their personal details, details of your conversations and any Link paperwork confidential from anyone outside of The Link Visiting Scheme.
To be aware that the level of support/ frequency of calls or visits your Link Friend could change over time.
To monitor your Link Friend’s health and well-being and contact a Link member of staff or your support volunteer if you have concerns as soon as possible (we have a resource of organisations that can help with any practical needs)
To remember that we are not a counselling service and if you feel your Link Friend needs professional support with their mental health needs to let the Link office know.
To inform us immediately if you need to stop calling your Telephone Buddy or visiting your Link Friend for any reason so we can reallocate them.
To complete an online form every 6 months to feedback to us how your visits or calls are going, helping us monitor our service and ensuring you are enjoying your role.
To attend volunteer training provided by the Link in person, by video call or via the volunteer section of the Link website.
To let a loved one know where you are when you are visiting your Link Friend.
To adhere to these volunteer guidelines so you and the person you are visiting or calling have a safe and positive experience.
The Link Visiting Scheme now has 400+ volunteers! We want every one of you to feel supported and able to reach out for help as soon as you need it.
As a new volunteer, after attending our Induction training, we'll invite you to a social evening where you can meet your allocated Support Volunteer. These are experienced volunteers who will give you their contact number, should you need any advice or guidance while you're volunteering. You can always give them a call!
We also run a monthly Volunteer Drop-In at our office, The Charity and Community Hub which is a great chance to connect with other volunteers on a social level and chat with our team if you have any questions or concerns.
If you need to get in touch with us, you can reach us by phone or email, Monday to Friday between 8:30am and 4:30pm. We're always happy to hear from our volunteers and help out in any way we can.
We'll also keep you in the loop with regular email updates about what's going on at the charity. Plus twice a year, we hold Volunteer Information Evenings where you can meet other volunteers and get updates on our latest charity news. And, of course, we love throwing volunteer socials and fundraisers, so we hope you can join us for some of those too!
Our staff team are here to support you too! We are eager for you to contact us if you have any concerns. You can call our Volunteer Co-ordinator, the Assessor who talked to you about your Link Friend, or the Link office anytime, but especially for these reasons:
If you have a concern or are anxious about any aspect of your role.
If you suspect your Telephone Buddy or Link Friend is at risk of harm.
If you contact a family member because your Telephone Buddy or Link Friend is unwell.
If your Telephone Buddy or Link Friend is admitted to hospital.
If you feel that your Telephone Buddy or Link Friend needs more practical support such as help with personal care or home help.
If you are unable to call or visit for a period of time (longer than 3 weeks).
If you are not enjoying your calls or visits, or you suspect your Telephone Buddy or Link Friend is unhappy with them.
Throughout the year we run free training events to support you with your befriending role. We have two mandatory volunteer training sessions – Induction Training and Safeguarding Adults at Risk. For all the latest volunteer guidance and pre-recorded training webinars, please visit the volunteer section of our website. The password for this is: timefortea
If your Link Friend can answer the phone, call them on the morning of your visit day to check it is still ok for you to come.
When you arrive at their home, please turn off your phone, or if you are expecting an important call, tell your Link Friend this straight away. This will ensure they are not disappointed if you need to answer your phone while you are with them.
Ensure you can hear and see each other properly during your conversation. This might involve you moving your chair slightly or asking your Link Friend to turn off the TV. Always ask permission before making changes to the Link Friends home, e.g. moving a chair, and reassure them that you will put it back how you found it before you go, e.g. turn the TV back on and find the correct channel for them if needed.
Please remember that under NO circumstances should a volunteer administer medication to their Link Friend, not even painkillers or over the counter substances. This includes opening bottles and popping pills out of their blister packs.
We encourage you to do fun activities with your Link Friend! This might include things like baking together, going out for coffee, pottering in the garden, playing a card game or Scrabble. The emphasis is on doing the activity together in order to maintain independence and promote friendship. It is important you do not start doing things FOR your Link Friend instead, such as doing their weekly shop, as this will take time away from befriending and also create a dependence on you that we can not support.
You can follow the guidance for conversation topics in the Telephone Buddy FAQ section. You could also bring tools with you to aid your conversation e.g. a newspaper or a book you could read together and discuss.
Please make a date and time for your next visit with your Link Friend. It is helpful for you both to know when you will see each other again. It might be useful to help your Link Friend put your visit in their calendar or diary. This will ensure it doesn’t clash with anything else
