Carer Befriending Volunteer with Brent Carers Centre

What will I be doing?

• Brent Carers Centre's Unpaid Carers Volunteering Befriending Scheme offers companionship and support to any carer or the person they care for, who are experiencing isolation and loneliness. Volunteer Befrienders will agree a convenient time and frequency with the Carer, usually provided by a weekly phone call, so that the Carer or person being cared for, has a chance to have a chat and a conversation with someone outside of the family. This can be helpful if it is not easy for either to leave the house very often.
• Our Active Chats service combines befriending with encouraging our Carers to engage in gentle physical activity to boost confidence and improve mobility. The volunteer could also accompany our Carer on walks or agreed local short trips, if they are meeting in person.
• Our Volunteers Champions will be be able to encourage our Unpaid Carers to engage in old hobbies or introduce them to new hobbies or skills, that could be of interest and help our Carers to broaden their knowledge and activities.
• We have Unpaid Carers of all ages and our younger Carers aged 14- 25 years of age, would benefit from the encouragement of a Mentor, to mix with their piers, as they often isolate themselves due to their roles as Carers. They would also benefit from being encouraged to develop hobbies and new useful life skills.

What impact will this have?

• Brent Carers Centre would like to engage our Young Volunteer Champions in our Volunteering & Befriending program by promoting the many opportunities they will receive, to build their skills and confidence as well as encouraging a wonderful sense of social responsibility.
• Actively engaging our more Mature Volunteers Champions in our Volunteering & Befriending program will help them make use of their invaluable skills, as well as the wisdom and knowledge they have acquired, over the years. They will also have the benefit of feeling appreciated whilst keeping youthful and active.
• Our Brent Carer Centre Volunteers will be offering their time and expertise, to support thousands of Unpaid Carers in the London Borough of Brent and help them to continue to lead interesting and fulfilling lives, despite their added responsibilities of caring and supporting their loved ones in times of need.

Commitment

• Brent Carers Centre are looking for Volunteers Champions who are willing to offer their time for 1- 4 hours a day, each week or month (depending on their availability) at a regular time slot, to support and engage with our Unpaid Carers, either virtually or in-person.
• We require volunteers to be able to spend 45mins -1hr checking in on one of our registered Unpaid Carers, to see how they are coping and encourage them to take time out for themselves, as this is something they often need to be reminded to do. This can be in person or virtually by phone or online.

What else do I need to know?

• Brent Carers Centre is based in the London Borough of Brent, the most culturally diverse Borough in the whole of the United Kingdom, and home to the world-famous Wembley National Football Stadium. We are a member of the of the Carers Trust launched in 1991 by its Patron HRH Princess Royal. BCC currently supports 7,000+ registered Unpaid Carers within the Borough of Brent and aims to extend that support to over 30,000+ more unregistered Unpaid Carers within the Borough. Brent Carers Centre was voted best Carers Centre in the whole of the United Kingdom, 3 years in a row.
• National Impact:. A healthy supported network of Carers will be a great help to our struggling NHS, Emergency & Support Services. Approximately 1 in 8 people in the UK are unpaid carers (6.5 million) who support family members, friends, or neighbours to live independently in their own home and enhance their lives through the assistance provided. Currently Unpaid Carers in the U.K save the NHS £132 Billion per Year, with their selfless service..

Expenses

• Brent Carers Centre will reimburse our Volunteers for reasonable and agreed out of pocket expenses, which include travel and if relevant a lunch allowance.
  Lunch allowance of up to £4.50 will be paid for any day that includes 4 hours of volunteering.

Background checks

• A DBS check is required

Training

• Our Brent Carers Centre Induction Training will be provided to our Volunteers Champions, to introduce them to the organisation and the work it does with our thousands of registered Unpaid Carers. This will be done either virtually or in our offices.
• Our volunteers will receive training regarding our Health & Safety Policy and our Policy on Client Confidentiality.
• Volunteer Champions will receive details of:. Their role and status as volunteers. Our principles of volunteering. Management & Support available to our volunteers. The general aspects of our volunteering scheme and what to expect.
• Our Volunteer Champions will receive a Volunteer Handbook with all the necessary information for them to carry out their roles safely and responsibly and will have all the guidelines for our volunteers to refer to when needed.