FriendBee Befriender for Disabled Young People

Would you or somebody in your family, friendship or close community network, be interested in becoming a Ruils FriendBee Befriender?

We are looking for new Befrienders to support disabled young people to access social and leisure activities. A rewarding and flexible role in your local community.

FriendBee Befriender Job Description

Job Title:             Befriender

Responsible to:    FriendBee Coordinators

Hours:                  Casual Worker (Zero Hours Contract)

Salary:                  £11.95 per hour (London Living Wage)

Based:                  London Borough of Richmond and/or Royal Borough of Kingston

Introduction

Ruils is a user-led charity based in the London Borough of Richmond that supports children and adults with disabilities and the elderly to live independently, be part of their community and to live life to the full. We provide information, advice, advocacy, befriending and activities to our clients and their families.

FriendBee is a Ruils service that matches disabled young people with a paid Befriender to help them access social and leisure activities. We currently support young people up to the age of 25 that have a Special Education Need or Disability (SEND) that impacts their social life, who also live in the London Borough of Richmond or Royal Borough of Kingston.

Purpose of the Role

FriendBee Befrienders are recruited, trained, vetted and employed by Ruils. The primary role of our Befrienders is to build a relationship with a young person and support them in doing things that they want to do. This can range from doing activities in the home or going out in the community to participate in youth clubs or other organised activities.

In addition to providing social support to the young person, Befrienders also enable parents and other family members to have respite from their caring responsibilities. This could look like a parent going out of the home while the Befriender stays with their child or spending quality time with the young person's siblings.

Befrienders have the flexibility to choose their hours, create their own schedules and work with as many families as they choose. Once the recruitment process is complete, Befrienders will have full access to the FriendBee website, can post their profile and begin the matching process with a family looking for a Befriender.

Key Responsibilities

1. Listen to the needs of the young person and their family and follow agreed guidelines and instructions for the sessions.
2. Support the young person to meet their agreed outcomes for the sessions.
3. Support the young person to engage in new activities and/or engage in activities they already enjoy, with a "new" element.
4. Actively promote the inclusion of the young person into mainstream activities.
5. Help to build the young person's social confidence and develop their social skills through play and activities.
6. Provide a safe environment and constant supervision of the young person in your care.
7. Take reasonable and responsible care of your own health and safety.
8. Maintain confidentiality in relation to the young person and their families.
9. Work according to Ruils' Safeguarding Policies.
10. Adhere to the Ruils Code of Conduct.

Additional Responsibilities (where applicable)

1. Look after siblings of the young person with additional needs during the sessions, where this is requested by the parents and agreed with the FriendBee Service Coordinators.
2. Provide ideas and plans for appropriate activities for the young person to engage in during the session.
3. Provide personal care to the disabled young person and to other children in your care, as agreed with the FriendBee Service Coordinators.

Additional Information

• You will be employed by Ruils as a casual worker on a sessional basis and paid monthly in arrears.
• You can work for more than one family and families can use more than one Befriender.
• Hours will be agreed with the family but you should have a minimum of 3-4 hours a week available to work (daytime or evening).
• Ruils cannot guarantee the number of hours work available to you and are not responsible for changes in days/times/hours you work with a family.
• Your earnings with Ruils may be subject to tax and national insurance depending on what other work you do and it is your responsibility to provide us with accurate information about other work and to inform the tax office where relevant.
• We expect you to treat this role professionally regardless of the amount of work you are offered/take on.