Remote Befriending Vounteer

We are looking for volunteers to become Telephone befrienders to support women across England. 

Every woman we support has experienced sexual or domestic violence. Through befriending, you’ll help create a safe, trauma-informed relationship that improves mental well-being and reduces isolation.

As a volunteer, you’ll commit to around 1 hour per week for six months, meeting your Befriendee via phone or zoom.

Befrienders empower and support women to make their own decisions and improve their mental health and wellbeing so that they can lead more fulfilling lives. 

Visit our website (womankindbristol) for more info and to apply today. 

More about the Role: 

• Upon the completion of training, each volunteer is matched with one woman who has experienced childhood abuse, trauma, sexual violence and/or domestic abuse, and will be experiencing mental ill health and social isolation.
• As a befriender you would be expected to commit 1 hour on a weekly basis and attend group and individual supervision. Many of our volunteers decide they would like to be matched with another woman after the completion of their first match and continue volunteering with us.
• You and your befriendee would start by getting to know each other gradually. Once you have built up your relationship, you would support her emotionally, using active listening skills and providing her with a space to express her feelings and feel heard. You would help her to believe that she can achieve her goals and have safer relationships. Part of your role would be demonstrating what a healthy and boundaried relationship looks like. 

About you: 

• You will be enthusiastic and interested in helping another woman improve her mental health and wellbeing so that she can lead a more fulfilling life. You will be friendly and non-judgemental, have good communication skills and be a reliable and patient listener.
• The befriending role can be challenging and emotionally overwhelming at times. Therefore, we need befrienders who have adequate life experience and feel emotionally robust and resilient enough to take on the role. We welcome volunteers with personal experience of mental health and other relevant issues but will require you to have at least a one-year period of stability and ideally to have received professional help like counselling in your recovery. 

Because of the nature of this role, it is only open to women applicants and is exempt under Schedule 9 Part 1 Equalities Act 2010. 

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and walks of life, especially from groups which are marginalised and underrepresented in our organisation, such as working-class women, trans women and Black and Minoritised women.