Children's Befriender

• Positive Help

• VO95259

Do you enjoy spending time with children and helping them discover their confidence? As a Befriending Volunteer, you will spend 1:1 time with a child or young person aged between 5 and 18 who is affected by HIV or Hepatitis C and who could use a little extra support.
Many of the children we support have faced or continue to face Adverse Childhood Experiences that have affected their wellbeing, development, and communication. As a Befriending Volunteer, you will build a connection with a child or young person through fun activities such as visiting museums and galleries, taking part in sports, or exploring nature. You will support a child to develop their interests and hobbies and expand their horizons while creating a safe and supportive environment for them to express themselves.
Consistency is important for the children we support. We therefore ask our Befrienders to commit to a minimum of 1 year of volunteering in order to nurture feelings of trust and safety.

Experience required

• Personal qualities: Empathy, patience, reliability, and a caring, non-judgmental attitude.
• Skills: Good listening, timekeeping, and relationship-building abilities.
• Commitment to values: Upholding Service Users’ confidentiality and maintaining boundaries.

Travel details

Our office is located on George Street, Edinburgh. However, befriending sessions can take place all over Edinburgh. This will be in a community location.

Volunteers meet a child in a community location after collecting them from their home (depending on child’s age). The type of travel used can be chosen by the volunteer and will be reimbursed by Positive Help.

Travel expenses

We fully reimburse travel, activity, and other reasonable expenses. We cover all driving expenses, and our mileage rate is 45p per mile. Expenses are paid weekly if submitted by volunteers by Thursday.

• About
• Notes

Support

Training details

We provide comprehensive training and ongoing support to build valuable, transferable skills. Training includes Understanding HIV and Hep C, Stigma, Boundaries, Trauma-Informed Approaches, Safeguarding, and First Aid. We provide ongoing post-session support, guided peer-support, and one-to-one support meetings.

Restrictions

Minimum age: 18

Availability

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

Frequency & commitment

3-4 hours fortnightly for at least 1 year

Volunteers (aged 18-25) taking part in this opportunity are eligible to claim Saltire Awards hours for their activity.
Find out more

This volunteering opportunity is also advertised across Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, and West Lothian.

With a My Volunteer Account you can write private notes on opportunities you are interested in. Sign in or sign up for a My Volunteer Account.