Volunteer Befriender Hard of Hearing – Birmingham

Location: Birmingham

Service: Birmingham Community Services  

Time commitment: One hour or more per week, flexible

The Befriending service is getting a revamp! New developments within the service will be introduced over the upcoming months. The service is encouraging volunteer days and activities. BID provide excellent volunteer support for all its volunteers.

Now is the perfect time to join!

What is a Befriender?

The Befriending service needs volunteers to support people with the Deaf community. The aim of a befriender is to support and encourage people. It is important for Befrienders to be kind, patient and understanding. Being Hard of Hearing can often lead to a lack of confidence and can lead to feeling of loneliness. Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community whilst providing friendship to someone who needs it. Many of the service users are elderly people who might want someone to talk to or to support them out in the community.

What’s involved?

Befriending volunteers will be matched with a person in the Deaf community to support people who may lack confidence or experience isolation due to communication barriers.

Volunteers and service users can agree on a mutually suitable time to meet either online or face to face. This is not a caring role. The experience of losing hearing can be scary for some people and can mean they feel isolated from others as they struggle to hear. A befriender’s role is to support and provide companionship to people who are Hard of Hearing. Deafness affects around 1 in 5 people in the UK which is why befrienders are such as important role.

What skills and experience do I need?

Patience and kindness.

Knowledge of assistive technology desirable  (Like how to change hearing aid batteries etc)

Adaptive communication skills

What will I gain from volunteering as a befriender?

Being part of a volunteering team

Opportunities to meet new people and to make a difference to someone’s life.

Training

We will provide full training before you begin your volunteer role. During the training we will cover all areas 

Support

Ongoing support will be provided by our Befriending Assistant to ensure you are confident and supported in your volunteer role. We will support you to develop and flourish in your volunteer role as a Befriender.

Policies and Procedures

At BID services we have various policies and procedures to ensure the safety and quality

Apply now

To apply for this role, please download the application form below and email it to us at volunteer@bid.org.uk or to find out more, please drop us an email or call 0121 246 6100.