DERBYSHIRE BEFRIENDING CHAMPIONS NEWSLETTER

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1 Derbyshire Befriending Champions Newsletter Issue 1, December 2016 DERBYSHIRE BEFRIENDING CHAMPIONS NEWSLETTER Welcome Welcome to the first edition of the Derbyshire Befriending Champions Newsletter Hello! I ve managed to get the opportunity to meet a few of you and also spoken to a few others as well. I hope to meet/speak with you all at some point over the next year. To one and all can I take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! What s the point of being a Befriending Champion? Many of you come into contact with people for whom you are their main or only contact. Often they won t have family or friends that they see or speak to on a regular basis. Age UK reports that in the UK, 1 million older people go a month or more without seeing or speaking to a friend, family member or neighbour - for 60,000 older people in the Midlands loneliness is a daily reality. Other statistics (taken from the Campaign to End Loneliness website) also highlight the problem: Two fifths of older people (about 3.9 million) say the television is their main company; 63% of adults aged 52 or over who have been widowed, and 51% of the same group who are separated or divorced, report feeling lonely some of the time or often; 59% of adults aged over 52 who report poor health say they feel lonely some of the time or often, compared to 21% who say they are in excellent health. We all know that this problem isn t going away. While there are some fantastic services out there to tackle this issue, many people won t know about or be accessing these services. This is where you as a Befriending Champion can make a very big difference to people s lives. And this is why Befriending Champions are so important. Twelve months for us to make a difference The current funding for the Befriending Champions project will finish at the end of December This means that we have 12 months (or 52 weeks or 365 days or 8,760 hours or 525,600 minutes) to do something about it! There are currently 68 of you active in your communities. I m working to get this number to over 100 by the end of I also want to get all Befriending Champions to have supported at least 10 people reach in that time so that we can have signposted or referred at least 1,000 people to services that can make a real difference to their lives. Are you up for the challenge? Richard Inside this issue Welcome... 1 Hello!... 1 What s the point of being a Befriending Champion?... 1 Twelve months for us to make a difference... 1 Befriending Champions training and microgrant funding sessions get going... 2 What makes a good Befriending Champion?... 3 Befriending Champions Record Sheet... 3 What is the Befriending Champions Microgrant Fund?... 4 Spreading the word about Befriending Champions Training and the Microgrant. 5 Future training opportunities... 6 Derbyshire Trusted Befriending Network... 6 Contact us... 6 If you have anything that you would like included in future editions of the Newsletter, then please contact Richard at champions@sdcvs.org.uk 1

2 Befriending Champions training and microgrant funding sessions get going The first six Befriending Champions training and microgrant funding sessions of 2016 have been delivered. 27 people have become new Befriending Champions, with 20 people attending for the microgrant session (plus another four that took information away) and 14 attending the Dementia Friends Information Session. The sessions took place in Swadlincote, Chesterfield, Whaley Bridge, Bolsover, Ripley and Long Eaton. Each session covered the following: Dementia Friends Information Session learning about dementia and how to help create dementia friendly communities Befriending Champions training session finding out what it is to be a Befriending Champion, the skills needed and how to carry out the role Microgrant funding information/workshop session support to develop project ideas that reduce isolation and loneliness in Derbyshire, how to apply for the microgrant, and help to access other sources of local funding. More sessions are planned for the New Year, with the following confirmed so far: Tuesday 24 th January 2017 in Chesterfield (working with Links Chesterfield CVS) Wednesday 25 th January 2017 in Swadlincote (working with South Derbyshire CVS) Tuesday 31 st January 2017 in Ashbourne (working with Derbyshire Dales CVS) and Wednesday 8 th February 2017 in Whaley Bridge (working with High Peak CVS). More sessions will take place towards the end of February, in areas not yet covered such as Glossop, New Mills and Buxton, and we will be heading back to Erewash, Amber Valley and Bolsover in March Don t forget, the sessions are for anyone active in their local area, whether they are an employee or a volunteer, who wants to help tackle isolation and loneliness in Derbyshire. The sessions are subsidised by Derbyshire Trusted Befriending Network and offered FREE of charge, although there may be a charge for a late cancellation. Places are limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. The first session starts at 9.30am prompt (registration and refreshments from 9.15am) and the final session finishes by 3.15pm. Lunch is provided! If you want to attend as a refresher session or know of anyone that you feel would make a good Befriending Champion then please contact me or pass on my details Richard Murrell, Befriending Champion Co-ordinator, on or champions@sdcvs.org.uk. 2 Befriending a voluntary, mutually beneficial and purposeful relationship in which an individual gives time to support another to enable them to make changes in their life. Champion a person who vigorously supports or defends a person or cause.

3 What makes a good Befriending Champion? Befriending Champions play a key role as the eyes and ears of the local community helping to identify lonely or isolated people and then supporting/signposting them to sources of longer-term assistance, such as befriending services. But what skills do you need? Awareness and understanding: understanding that just because someone is isolated doesn t mean they are lonely and someone can be lonely even though they are not isolated. Awareness of whether someone is lonely or isolated and of what they say/don t say or their appearance or what others may say Communication: active listening, facial expressions, eye contact, body language, appropriate language Caring nature/compassion/honesty/non-judgemental: sensitivity, person-centred approach, genuine desire to help people, being honest, being realistic/managing expectations, not judging on the basis of one's personal standards or opinions Confidentiality/knowledge of safeguarding: making sure that you keep personal details confidential but reporting where abuse/harm is suspected Boundary setting: initial support role is to signpost/refer on to others rather than being a befriender. Usually in public place but be aware of own safety Font of all knowledge: local befriending schemes, local groups, local services, Community Directory, Derbyshire Trusted Befriending Network, Befriending Champion Co-ordinator Reporting: who has been helped?, how have they been helped?, what difference did it make? Commitment and enthusiasm: actively supporting people, capturing and reporting support given, helping lonely and isolated people across Derbyshire! Befriending Champions Record Sheet To make sure that we can capture the good work that Befriending Champions are doing, we have developed a Befriending Champions Record Sheet. This enables Befriending Champions to record who has been helped and how they have been helped. This information includes: Date: this might be a specific date when the support was given, or might be over a few days/weeks About the person: anything the person tells you about themselves and the nature of their enquiry Action: what help you gave for example the organisation you referred them to Any follow-up support or feedback: whether the person went on to get any additional support/ services or just came back to you to say thanks! A Record might look like this: Date About the person Anything the person tells you about themselves and the nature of their enquiry Action What help you gave Any follow-up support or feedback Time spent (approx.) year old Chinese woman called into her local Pharmacy to pick up her prescription. Recently bereaved and is not getting out much her husband used to do all the driving. Said she is struggling on her own. Put in touch with local social car coordinator and local befriending service. Talked about Cruse - rang and made an appointment. Gave leaflet about lunch club and suggested that she join. Came back next day to thank me and to say that she had joined the lunch club. 30 mins. 3

4 What is the Befriending Champions Microgrant Fund? Befriending Champions microgrants are for projects or activities anywhere in Derbyshire (excluding Derby City) that help people to be less lonely and isolated. Projects/activities might include, for example, setting up or developing a good neighbour initiative, a social group, befriending or other activities that bring adults of any age together to reduce social isolation. Successful applicants will be expected to attend (or have attended) the half-day Befriending Champions training session. Grants of up to 500 are available. What kind of things can a microgrant pay for? Any costs directly involved in making a project or activity happen, including: Equipment; Activity costs; Hiring a venue; and Volunteer out of pocket expenses. It is unlikely to fund: One-off events or outings (unless it can be demonstrated that the activity will make a real difference, e.g. training for members that will have a long term benefit); or Ongoing cost of salaries/other running costs not directly related to a project or activity. The aim of the microgrant funding is to tackle loneliness and isolation. Applicants will need to detail how their project or activity meets two or more of the following the criteria: Reaching out to people in the local community who are lonely or isolated; Supporting people in the local community who are lonely or isolated; Improving the quality of life of lonely or isolated people in Derbyshire. What happens once we ve received an application? Groups/organisations can apply at any time until the end of Once we receive an application we will contact the applicant within one week to let them know that we ve received it. Applications will be assessed within one month and we will contact applicants to tell them the result. If successful, we will agree with the applicant how and when the grant will be paid, and any conditions of the grant - for example, how often they will be expected to report back to us on progress, and what evidence we will need. For more information on the microgrant please contact Richard Murrell, Befriending Champion Co-ordinator based at South Derbyshire CVS on or champions@sdcvs.org.uk. 4

5 Spreading the word about Befriending Champions Training and the Microgrant As part of efforts to let people know about the project the Befriending Champion Co-ordinator, Richard Murrell, has: Presented at Chesterfield BME Planning Group: raising awareness of the Befriending Champions training and the microgrant fund. It was identified that there is the potential to deliver bespoke training for BME group members in the New Year; Presented at Derbyshire Older Peoples Advisory Group: raising awareness of the Befriending Champions training and the microgrant fund. It was identified that there is the potential to deliver bespoke training to 50+ Forums across the County; Met with Derbyshire County Council Health Development Workers: investigating opportunities to deliver Befriending Champions and microgrant training at the locality level. Richard attended the Barrow Hill Time 4 U café (see below). It was identified that it would be beneficial for Richard to present to all 10 Health Development Workers at a future network meeting in the New Year.; Attended Cultural Diversity Day at County Hall: stalls promoting Derbyshire County Council services (e.g. Trusted Trader, Citizens Panel, Fostering, etc.) to BME communities in Derbyshire. Contact was made with the Chinese Big Society and the Filipino community; and Promoted the Befriending Champions training and the microgrant fund at South Derbyshire s Community Forum: raising awareness of the Befriending Champions training and the microgrant fund. This was an excellent opportunity to let local groups know about the microgrant and how it could be used in conjunction with other sources of local funding available will see more promotional activity through existing channels such as CVSs, Volunteer Centres and community voluntary groups, the County Council, Local Councils, Parish Councils, Faith Groups, Libraries, etc. (not an exhaustive list!), as well as exploring other opportunities through local groups, such as the 50+ Forums and other themed groups. Out and about in Barrow Hill Richard attended the Barrow Hill Time 4 U café event in October, promoting the Befriending Champions training and talking to people about the microgrant fund to tackle isolation and loneliness. To encourage attendees to talk about this important issue, they were asked to make a pledge to say what they would do to tackle loneliness and isolation. Pledges included: asking someone if they would like to attend a local group Knocking on the door and have a cuppa and a chat Checking on the neighbours Just saying hello. Attendees making their pledge to tackle isolation and loneliness in the Barrow Hill area. 5

6 Future Training Opportunities We have already been offering the Dementia Friends Information Sessions as part of the Befriending Champions Training package. This session raises awareness of what it s like to live with dementia and then turns that understanding into action - anyone of any age can be a Dementia Friend. If you or a member of your team would like to become a Dementia Friend then register for one of the planned Befriending Champions Training sessions (see page 2) or contact Richard on or champions@sdcvs.org.uk to find out more. We are also looking to offer other training in order to help Befriending Champions develop knowledge/skills to become even better Befriending Champions! As well as the Volunteer Passport, which includes modules on Keeping yourself and others safe, First Aid, Person-Centred Approach, Health and Safety and Equality, diversity & inclusion, there may be other training that could be useful for this role, such as Mental Health awareness, Stroke awareness, etc. For more information about being a Dementia Friend, or if you are interested in other training then please contact Richard Murrell, Befriending Champion Co-ordinator based at South Derbyshire CVS on or champions@sdcvs.org.uk. Derbyshire Trusted Befriending Network Don t forget that the Befriending Champions programme is part of the wider Derbyshire Trusted Befriending Network, which: aims to ensure that every adult who needs befriending support has fair and equal access to it and also to ensure that those who use befriending services can be confident that the service they receive is safe and well run. For more information about the Network please us (see details below). CONTACT US Rich Murrell - Befriending Champion Coordinator Vicki Jones - Befriending Network Coordinator South Derbyshire CVS Grove Street Swadlincote DE11 9DD Tel: Befriending Champions champions@sdcvs.org.uk Trusted Befriending Network befriending@sdcvs.org.uk Website: 6