Volunteer Befrienders

A befriender is an adult volunteer who, after a period of training and assessment, will provide a one to one supportive friendship for a socially isolated young person aged between 8 and 18 who lives in South Ayrshire. This will involve meeting on a fortnightly basis for a few hours and sharing activities and time together.

What befrienders do

You will be matched with a young person and provide them with a one to one supportive friendship. You’ll meet them every two weeks for a few hours spending time on shared activities which might include going to the cinema, going for walks, going to the local cafe or to the local activity centre. You might also take them to some group activities run by South Ayrshire Befriending Project. 

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You’ll have your own designated Project Coordinator in the charity whom you’ll speak with at regular intervals to assess how the befriending is going.

What type of person
are we looking for?

You’ll be friendly, a good communicator, and have empathy for young people and the issues they face. You’ll be non judgemental, a positive role model, and prepared to commit to a relationship for at least 6 months.

Training and Support

New volunteers will undertake some 12 hours of training throughout induction programme.  Once matched with a young person your designated Project Coordinator will carry out regular reviews with you to offer you additional support, advice and guidance where necessary. There will also be the opportunity to attend further training sessions and occasional social events. All reasonable expenses incurred through your volunteering will be reimbursed.

This role is considered to be Regulated Work with children as specified in the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) (PVG) Act 2007. Accordingly applicants will be required to become a member of the PVG Scheme, or undergo a PVG Scheme update if already a Scheme member, prior to any formal offer of this role. If you wish further information on the PVG Scheme you can visit the Disclosure Scotland website at www.mygov.scot/organisations/disclosure-scotland/