Volunteer Befriending Co-ordinator

**Hours of Work**: 37.5 hours per week, Mon to Fri 09.00 to 17.00 with flexibility

**Project Description**

The project operates across Neath Port Talbot to provide an appropriate level of service which reduces vulnerability and the risk of homelessness. The service will operate in various localities/areas in Neath Port Talbot County Borough. The service provides housing related support within people’s homes or in the community, with the aim of preventing homelessness and increasing independence. The project is funded through the Supporting People Programme Grant and is required to meet the Welsh Government’s National Outcomes Framework. The Framework’s four main aims are:

- Promoting Personal and Community Safety
- Promoting Independence and Control
- Promoting Economic Progress and Financial Control
- Promoting Health and Wellbeing

**Purpose of Role**

To co-ordinate and provide a Volunteer Befriending service that enables and empowers individuals to address their issues and develop personal resilience. The service will not create or increase dependence. It will ‘do with’ rather than ‘do for’. The service will help people to develop resilience and build on the skills developed during support from NPT PAWS.

The role of the Volunteer Befriender will be to support vulnerable individuals aged 16+ years that are currently being supported by the NPT PAWS Floating Support Project, and who are significantly socially isolated with very limited social contact with others and would benefit from the input of a volunteer.

The Volunteer Befriender will:

- Work with individuals and their families in order to deal with their issues, build personal resilience and prevent homelessness.
- Facilitate the individuals to gain the skills needed in order to develop personal resilience.
- Co-ordinate and carry out needs and risk assessments and develop risk management plans and review where appropriate.
- Identifying the goals of individuals.
- Provide information, advice and guidance that enables the individual to make informed decisions.
- Ensuring that individuals have a means of expressing their views and that this expression receives appropriate consideration.
- Actively involving the individual in the service and/or organisation.
- Recognising needs and making referrals to, and liaising with, relevant agencies and individuals, with, or on behalf of, individuals

Our objectives we hope to achieve whilst providing one to one support are:

- To increase their ability to continue to manage their own home and to live independently
- To encourage them to make positive choices and decisions that affects them
- To reduce feelings of social isolation
- To reduce feelings of loneliness
- To increase their ability to take part in purposeful activities out with their own home
- To increase their opportunities to take part in group activities
- To increase their ability to have improved social interactions with others in their community

As a Volunteer Befriender Worker your role will be to help us recruit, place, manage and retain volunteers. You will work with the Assistant Manager and Senior Support Workers to:

- Identify needs in the project
- Develop volunteer roles
- Write role descriptions for advertising

You will take a lead role in the recruitment process and interview prospective volunteers. You will then induct and train new recruits, keep in contact with volunteers to provide support and make sure that they are on track to complete their tasks, and ensure that clients are happy with their volunteer.

As the main point of contact with new volunteers you will ensure that the needs of the project complement the needs and skills of the volunteer.

You will coordinate and supervise volunteers by allocating befrienders to NPT PAWS clients and manage the relationship.

**No Agencies.**

**We do not accept unsolicited agency referrals for this position and do not consider any applicants, to have been introduced to us via agency.**

Follow the link below to view the full job description and person specification. Please refer to this information when completing your CV and Cover Letter; see our **Application Guidance** page for tips on what to include

**Job Description Link**

**Closing date for this vacancy is 14th July 2023 at 09:00am.