Youth Befriender - West Norfolk & Breckland

This is an amazing opportunity to share your compassionate nature by supporting a young person.

We are looking for volunteers to support our Unity/You Can Team to provide one-to-one support to a young person as part of our aftercare offer. Depending on the needs of the young person, support may be on a regular, ad hoc or one-off basis. 

Supervision and support will be given by The Matthew Project. This is an amazing learning and development opportunity, whilst at the same time helping young people to achieve their potential.   

This could be an ideal opportunity for someone who wants to gain experience in the social care field as the Matthew Project will endeavour to support any student volunteers to meet specific criteria for their course, where possible. 

Specific tasks will be agreed with the young person, their Matthew Project Keyworker and Senior Practitioner /Team Manager.

Tasks may include:

• Making calls or sending texts to the young person, as necessary, to check on their wellbeing. 
• Meeting with the young person in school, college or at a community venue.
• Following up on any needs identified by the young person’s Keyworker (e.g. Providing a safe space to talk, support in completing a form, offering moral support at a meeting where the Keyworker is not required in a professional capacity). 
• Reporting back to the young person’s Keyworker/Senior Practitioner. 
• Supporting the young person to access services. 
• Accompanying the young person to any Matthew Project event.

Volunteers will need to specify, at the application stage, what commitment they can give so that an appropriate Volunteer Befriender role can be allocated, in accordance with a young person’s needs.  If a “match” cannot be made immediately, the Matthew Project will keep the volunteer’s details on file and contact them when a suitable match is made. 

Out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed.