Befriending Service

Welcome

The Rosebery Befriending Service is a non-profit organisation offering face-to-face companionship and support to older adults living in Livingston, Bellsquarry, Polbeth, Uphall, Uphall Station, West Calder, East Calder, or Mid Calder

Who are we?

The Rosebery Centre was established in 1985 and is a specialised dementia centre that provides day care and support for older people, carers, and families. We recently received funding to create our befriending service for older adults in Livingston, Bellsquarry, Polbeth, Uphall, Uphall Station, West Calder, East Calder, or Mid Calder.

What do we do?

Over 100,000 older people in Scotland say they feel lonely all or most of the time and up to 200,000 will go half a week or more without a call of visit from anyone.

Our befriending service aims to combat loneliness and reduce social isolation. We want to help integrate beneficiaries back into the community or help them undertake social activities or hobbies they enjoy or once enjoyed or can provide companionship and conversation by simply popping in for a cuppa and a chat.

We will aim to match befrienders and befriendees with shared interests and experiences so that both parties will get the most from our service.

Referral Guidelines

To be eligible for our befriending services, the applicant must meet ALL the following criteria:

1. 1. Applicant must be feeling lonely or isolated.
   2. Applicant must be aged 65 or over.
   3. Applicant must be interested in building a relationship a with someone new and benefit from company and conversation.
   4. We regret that we cannot accept referrals for anyone living in a care home.
   5. If you smoke, you must be willing not to smoke while your befriender is with you.
   6. Applicant with dementia, mental health issues, or cognitive impairment can be referred if they are able to function well day-to-day, build up a relationship with a new person, and benefit from company and conversation.
   7. Applicant must reside in Livingston, Bellsquarry, Polbeth, Uphall, Uphall Station, West Calder, East Calder, or Mid Calder.

You can be referred to our befriending service by a voluntary or statutory agency, apply yourself, or with help from a friend or family member.  In every case, the applicant must give consent to the application.

If we decide that you do not meet the above criteria, we will contact you and/or the person who referred you, normally within two weeks of the submission of your application, to advise of this and the reason for our decision.

If you meet the above criteria, we will aim to contact you within two weeks of the date of your application and arrange a follow-up meeting to discuss the application in more detail. During the current pandemic, this will be done via phone call or email.

To enable us to ensure the safety of our staff and volunteers, it is important that all potential risk factors are detailed in the application. Please provide details of any behaviour issues, substance abuse, physical and mental health conditions or other factors which could present a risk.

    Check out our Facebook page

“Rosebery Befriending Service”

Please contact Megan Wright, our Project Co-Ordinator for more information or to request a referral form at

• Follow link to download the form: ROSEBERY BEFRIENDING SERVICE REFERRAL FORM (.DOCX) or ROSEBERY BEFRIENDING SERVICE REFERRAL FORM (.PDF)
• Not living in our catchment area (Livingston and the surrounding areas)? See https://www.befriending.co.uk/directory/

Times of Commitment

Volunteers can give as much time as they can manage.

The minimum requirement we will ask for is one hour per week.

We ask for a commitment of three months, which will allow a volunteer to build a befriending relationship with a beneficiary. Volunteering can be done anytime during the week from Sunday to Monday, but will be agreed with the coordinator.

We will do everything possible to work around any childcare, work, or prior commitments you may have and aim for the volunteering process so be as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

Volunteer befriender role

Responsible to: The Project Coordinator

Where: To provide 1:1 befriending to an allocated beneficiary within Livingston and the surrounding areas.

Duties & responsibilities:

• • To visit a person with whom you have been matched, building a relationship of friendship and trust.
  • To assist beneficiary with participating in community life and accessing community or leisure activities.
  • To visit beneficiary on times agreed with your co-ordinator.
  • To maintain your position of trust and build a one-to-one relationship and adhere to the appropriate boundaries.
  • To respect the beneficiaries wishes and help them to become more independent.
  • To work within a non-discriminatory boundary.
  • To support staff with information sharing and updates.
  • To fill in any correspondence during and after visits and attend supervision meetings with your project co-ordinator.

Skills, Experience & Knowledge

You should be:

• • Reliable with an interest in making a difference to someone’s life.
  • Genuine, honest, and non-judgemental.
  • Empathetic, with good listening skills.
  • A good communicator who doesn’t impose their own views, values, or opinions.
  • Approachable with a positive attitude.
  • Able to form a positive supportive relationship with others.
  • Patient and friendly.
  • Willing to attend training and supervision, as required.

As this post requires direct contact with vulnerable adults, a PVG check will be carried out by us and we will ask for a character reference to be filled in by someone who has known you for at least 3 years.