Good Practice Guidelines for Setting Up a Befriending Service INDEX Introduction P 3 Project Planning P 4-5 Policies and Procedures P 6 Risk Management P 7 Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups P 8 Insurance P 9 Referral Process P 10 Client Assessment P 11 Sample Client Referral Form P 12 Developing a Volunteer Role Description P 13-14 Recruiting and Selecting Volunteers P 15 Sample Volunteer Application Form P 16-17 Declaration and Consent Form P 18-19 References P 20 Sample Reference Form P 21-22 Interview P 23-24 Volunteer Induction P 25 Volunteer Support and Supervision P 26-27 Matching Process P 28 Boundaries P 29 First Meeting P 30 Endings P 31 Monitoring and Evaluation P 32-33 Useful Contacts P 34-35 Page 2 INTRODUCTION Guidelines for Setting Up a Befriending Service This publication has been produced by Volunteer Now in collaboration with the Belfast Befriending Network (50+). Organisations who have contributed to the development of this publication are: Action MS, Action on Disability, Belfast Central Mission, Leonard Cheshire Disability, May Street Presbyterian Church, NI Chest, Heart and Stroke and South Belfast Male Care. Belfast Health & Social Care Trust funds a number of services for older people in Belfast and supports the work of the Belfast Befriending Network (50+). The publication has been produced as a starter pack for groups thinking of developing a new befriending service. The publication provides good practice guidance around setting up and running a befriending service. The publication also signposts to organisations who can provide further information and guidance around befriending and managing volunteers. Launch of Befriending Network (50+) - November 2011 Frank Johnston, Volunteer Now; Sandra Adair, Volunteer Now; Cllr Niall O’Donnghaile and Sandra Cullen, Belfast Health & Social Care Trust. Page 3 PROJECT PLANNING Good planning is essential before setting out to establish a befriending service and recruit volunteers. Planning should always take into account resources available. The following areas should be considered when planning a befriending service. How do we know the service is needed? To identify the need for befriending, it is useful to carry out some prior research to show that there is a requirement for the service e.g. record all requests made to your organisation for a befriending service, consult with statutory bodies who may make use of the scheme you are planning or hold a public meeting with relevant stakeholders. Are Volunteer Befrienders the right people to provide this service? It is very important from the outset to consider why you are involving volunteers to deliver the service and what the volunteer’s role will be. Are there benefits for the volunteer, e.g. in terms of combating their own loneliness? Consider the tasks and responsibilities of the volunteer and the needs of the people who will receive the service. Who will manage the service and what will it involve? Most befriending schemes are managed by a paid member of staff dedicated to that role and may receive support from other departments including business support, finance, fundraising and policy. Managing a befriending scheme involves a number of time intensive tasks and responsibilities which may include: Project planning Developing policies and procedures Completing funding applications Recruiting and selecting volunteers Managing and motivating volunteers including: induction, training and supervision Page 4 PROJECT PLANNING (cont) Processing referrals Completing client assessments Matching volunteers with clients Monitoring and evaluation of the scheme Maintaining regular contact with clients and volunteers Processing volunteer expense forms Observing health and safety legislation and good practice. Aims: It is important to consider at the outset who the scheme will support (client group and geographical area) and what the scheme will set out to achieve. Objectives: Once the scheme aims have been established it is important to agree upon objectives; the methods by which you will achieve your aims. Objectives should be specific and measurable e.g. recruit and train 20 volunteers within the first year, match 20 volunteers to 20 clients, deliver 400 hours of befriending each month. Outcomes: The impact, changes, benefits, learning and other effects that will occur as a result of the scheme e.g. with older people, they might be about reducing social isolation, with ex-prisoners, they might be about reducing re-offending which will in turn have a wider impact in society. Outcomes may be expected or unexpected and can be positive or negative. Outputs: The activities that the scheme will generate e.g. visits, training, newsletters, outings etc. Organisations need to consider how the objectives, outcomes and outputs will be measured. This will be covered in the Monitoring and Evaluation section of these guidelines on pages 32-33. Page 5 POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Good practice requires organisations to have policies and procedures in place to govern the day-to-day operation of activities. Having policies and procedures in place will help ensure fairness, good practice and to manage risks associated with the scheme. In turn this will benefit and protect volunteers, the organisation and clients. Any organisation involving volunteers in its activities should have a Volunteer Policy in place. A Volunteer Policy should cover the following: Statement of values around the involvement of volunteers. Important procedures and practices in working with volunteers that covers the recruitment and selection of volunteers and management of volunteers including induction, support and supervision. The Volunteer Policy should also refer to other relevant policies and procedures including: Health & Safety Expenses Complaints/grievances Data protection Confidentiality Problem solving Code of conduct/code of behaviour Equal opportunities Inclusion and diversity Lone working Safeguarding vulnerable adults/child protection. For assistance in drawing up a Volunteer Policy or other policies and procedures contact Volunteer Now on 028 9023 2020. Page 6 RISK MANAGEMENT The aim of risk management is to control and minimise risk and its impact as far as possible. While it is never possible to eliminate risk entirely, it can be reduced through good planning and procedures. It is essential to carry out a risk assessment before commencing the scheme to protect clients, volunteers and the organisation. The risk assessment process should involve four key steps: Identify the risks for those involved in befriending and these may include lone working, working with vulnerable groups, abuse from either party, personal injury, travelling at night, stressful circumstances and breach of confidentiality. These are just a few of the potential risks. Evaluate the risks according to the likelihood of the risk occurring and the consequence of the risk e.g. the likelihood of a volunteer abusing a befriending client may be low but the impact of this risk if it did occur would be very high. Manage/control the risk by identifying and implementing measures for reducing the risk. Measures to manage risk may include AccessNI checks, references, good recruitment and selection processes, support and supervision procedures, insurance and policies such as confidentiality and code of conduct. Regularly review the risk assessment. It is important to record all information and regularly review and update the risk assessment. It is good practice to review risk assessments at least once per year and when changes take place within the scheme e.g. new tasks, new volunteers/clients, new venues etc. Page 7 SAFEGUARDING VULNERABLE GROUPS If your befriending scheme involves staff and volunteers working with either vulnerable adults or children you have a responsibility to have policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety of these vulnerable groups. Where legally required under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007, an Enhanced Disclosure should be carried out through AccessNI. For information on standards and guidance for good practice in safeguarding vulnerable adults, please refer to the publication Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults: A Shared Responsibility. For information on standards and practice for the protection of children and young people, please refer to the publications Getting It Right and Our Duty to Care. Both publications are endorsed by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) and are available on the Volunteer Now website publications section at www.volunteernow.co.uk/publications For further information and guidance, please contact the Volunteer Now Safeguarding Team on 028 9023 2020. Page 8 INSURANCE Volunteers involved in your organisation may expose themselves to risks from time to time. Organisations or volunteers can be found legally liable if something goes wrong. Volunteers may risk personal injury or liability arising from the course of their volunteering or loss or damage to their own property. It is in everyone’s best interest to ensure that adequate insurance cover is provided. Your organisation may have a responsibility for damage, loss or injury experienced by volunteers but also for any loss, damage or injury caused by negligent acts of volunteers. If a volunteer acts improperly or in an incompetent way, and the organisation was directing the activity of the volunteer, it could be held liable. No group can afford to operate without adequate insurance and run the