Resources for Autism is a dynamic and practical organisation providing services for Autistic children, young people and adults and for their families and carers. Volunteers are an integral part of our service delivery and the support they provide through our Reach Out mentoring and befriending service makes an invaluable positive impact on the lives of the people they support.
Reach Out Befriender Role: To support an Autistic child, teenager or young adult. Helping them to gain confidence, new skills, reduce isolation and become more engaged with their community. The volunteer will carry out volunteering from the family home and activities will depend on the age and the needs of the person. If appropriate for the person being supported, then opportunities for integration of virtual support are possible.
Key focus of the support is:
1.To form a positive relationship with the young person and their family, and help support communication and social interaction
2. Support engagement of positive activities that are relevant to the age of the person.
3. Provide additional support on practical issues e.g. accessing local amenities, developing new skills, using public transport, transitions, planning and gaining new experiences.
Induction training is 4 x 2.25 hours zoom training sessions on Autism Awareness, Communication strategies, practical approaches and safeguarding. Ongoing training and support, opportunities for further development and references are also provided to all our volunteers.
This is a very rewarding role and a great opportunity to make a real positive difference.
As well as supporting our service users and their families, you will be learning and developing new skills and meeting people from diverse backgrounds.
Time commitment
times are flexible depending on the availability of the young person and the volunteer.