Volunteer Scotland

Find opportunities

Volunteer Call Companion

  • VO96484
  • Home-based volunteering

Description

As a call companion, you will make regular telephone calls to an older person experiencing loneliness and isolation. These calls provide a lifeline of friendship for our older people and the regular, warm, friendly chats and companionship provide a vital link with the outside world from which they have become isolated.

Over time, you and the older person you have been matched with will get to know each other well and together you will spend many hours full of fun, laughter and stories.

You will need two references and to complete an ID check for this role.

Tasks include:

  • Calling the older person you have been matched with two to four times per month at an agreed time
  • Following the guidance in your call companion training modules to ensure that your calls are enjoyable, appropriate and in line with our charitable aims
  • Keeping in regular contact with your call companion co-ordinator and letting them know how everything is going
  • Completing monthly online reports about your call companion calls

This is a flexible, homebased voluntary role that can easily be fitted in around your own lifestyle and availability.

Call companions call the older person they are matched with between two and four times per month, and each call lasts around 30 minutes. During your first call with the older person, you will decide together how often the calls will take place and at what time.

This is a long-term voluntary role, so we are ideally looking for individuals who are able to commit to volunteering with us for at least 12 months.

Please note that you must be at least 18 years old to volunteer as a call companion.

Organisation aims and objectives

Re-engage exists to support older people who live alone and find it hard to get out in normal times. The Covid-19 crisis is particularly devastating for these people and many are feeling incredibly vulnerable, especially those with few family members or friends to talk to. In response to the crisis we’ve suspended our regular social gatherings and, with the help of our dedicated volunteers, have set up a UK-wide call companions service. Older people who are feeling alone can receive a regular friendly phone call throughout the crisis and beyond, for as long as they want it. No one should have to face this crisis alone. We won’t leave anyone behind.

Restrictions

Travel details: This is a home based opportunity.
Minimum age: 18

Support

Support: Named Contact For Volunteer

Report this opportunity
Find out more about Re-engage
Volunteer I want to volunteer
Favourite
Similar opportunities

Volunteer Rainbow Call Companion Co-ordinator

As a rainbow call companion, you will be someone who identifies as LGBT+ who wants to support lonely older LGBT+ people. You will be the main point of contact for the rainbow call companions and older people in your group. Our rainbow call companion co-ordinators are a vital part of the Re-engage team, ensuring that their group of rainbow call companions have all the support and information they need to make regular friendship calls to older people. This is a challenging and rewarding role which might be a bit busy to begin with but will take up less of your time once your group is fully up and running. You’ll be checking in with your group members once a month and you’ll conduct a short wellbeing questionnaire with the older people in the group every six months. You will need one reference and to complete an ID check for this role. Tasks include: * Setting up the first rainbow call companion calls for your group by getting in touch with the rainbow call companions and older people * Checking in with the older people in your group once they have had their first rainbow call companion call * Keeping in regular contact with your team of rainbow call companions and sharing any updates from Re-engage that are relevant to them * Responding to any issues and queries from the rainbow call companions and older people in your group
Find out more
Volunteer I want to volunteer
Favourite

Support Session Volunteer

Could you support unpaid carers or people with disabilities to access benefits? Could you help someone find local services? Could you help someone understand the information they have been given about their care and support? Could you support or lead a group of people on a topic of interest? You could help improve the quality of someone’s life. This role is ideal for social work students, an interest in the care sector or retired professionals. Support Session Volunteers help our clients with general advocacy, supporting people with a variety of challenges. This helps us to reduce waitlists and support more individuals by: • Helping clients understand about advocacy • Supporting clients to self-advocate with our tool kits • Signposting clients to other services where required • Supporting the service to deliver “collective” advocacy sessions • Light Touch Advocacy • Supporting advocates with casework • Promotion of services and the organisation • Logging activity onto our systems Volunteer, Ben’s priorities changed after a serious illness. “I wanted to give something back. It’s really rewarding as you get to use your knowledge and skills for a really good purpose.” You’ll develop skills in communication and confidentiality, add experience and knowledge to your CV, and know you’re making a genuine difference to people’s lives.
Find out more
Volunteer I want to volunteer
Favourite

Volunteer Check in and Chat

For those affected by a terminal illness, it can be hard to get support and they might feel lonely. By volunteering as a Check in and Chat volunteer, you'll be matched with an individual who needs emotional support and a chance to chat freely about how they're feeling.
Find out more
Volunteer I want to volunteer
Favourite

Volunteer Independent Advocate

The role with Dumfries and Galloway Advocacy Service is to provide Independent Advocacy to vulnerable people across Dumfries and Galloway. To both empower and enable clients to be heard and to take as much control of their situation as is possible. Being an Independent Advocate involves listening and making sure the client’s thoughts and wishes are understood and that the clients' voice is heard. It is about the client being in control of their situation. As well as having face-to-face and virtual meetings with your client there will be a requirement for all meetings and communications on the progression of the client’s case to be kept electronically. For this reason, you must have access to a laptop / computer, the internet and a landline or mobile phone. You must be able to keep confidences (organisational exceptions) and boundaries, express yourself clearly in verbal / written form, work as part of a team and on one’s own, be able to use email, word etc and carry out work electronically. You will also be required to attend meetings with the client and source information to allow the person to make informed choices. You will make a difference to other people’s lives; develop new skills and meet new people and you will work alongside a small friendly team.
Find out more
Volunteer I want to volunteer
Favourite