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Become a volunteer befriender

Volunteer Befriending in Edinburgh

Volunteer Befriending is a rewarding and valuable way to make a meaningful difference within your community. Ecas operates a Befriending Service for physically disabled adults living in Edinburgh, providing friendship and companionship for socially isolated people.

Ecas is looking for volunteer befrienders who we can match with people based on shared interests. Ecas provides full training and ongoing support. We also cover travel and other costs, so you’re not out of pocket!

Ecas Befrienders usually visit once a week, to help brighten their befriendee’s day and to help them get out and about, if that’s something they would like to do.

Volunteer Befriending is a great way to:

  • Meet others
  • Learn new skills
  • Gain confidence
  • Bring the outside world in to someone who feels isolated

Some recent Befriending stories from Ecas

Ready to get in touch?

Contact us for more information or contact Sam Collins or Rosa Hardt directly.

More about our Befriending Service

Volunteer befriending with Ecas – how it works

Being a befriender is a highly responsible form of volunteering. Once matched, you will visit a physically disabled person and build an ongoing one-to-one supportive relationship with them.

You will be expected to:

  • Commit time to an agreed schedule of visiting with your befriendee
  • Have an understanding of, and a commitment to, the objectives of Ecas
  • Have an understanding of some of the issues affecting people living with physical disabilities
  • Maintain a person-centred approach
  • Attend induction training, ongoing training and regular support and supervision meetings with service staff
  • Maintain boundaries
  • Adhere to Ecas policies and procedures including carrying out site safety assessments of places visited
  • Maintain a respectful, responsible, professional attitude

Personal specification:

  • Able to listen and communicate well with befriendee, Ecas staff and members
  • Able to relate well with client group
  • Reliable and punctual
  • Honest and respectful

How we match our befrienders with befriendees

  • Ecas gets to know you both, finding out about you, your interests, hobbies and so on
  • We introduce you to one another. You both have the chance to decide if you want to see one another
  • We review the arrangement regularly as we want to make sure that both of you want to continue. It’s OK for either of you to ask for a different match at any time.

Want to make a BIG difference to someone’s life, including your own?

What happened when Margaret met Jason?

Jason and Margaret started meeting in May 2016. They enjoyed chatting about anything and everything. Jason looks forward to his weekly visits and feels he has gained confidence by getting to know Margaret in her home. Margaret liked Jason’s visits as ‘he brings the outside world in’.

“Jason and Margaret started meeting in May 2016. They enjoyed chatting about anything and everything. Jason looks forward to his weekly visits and feels he has gained confidence by getting to know Margaret in her home. Margaret liked Jason’s visits as ‘he brings the outside world in’.”

Ecas Befriending Service staff