What is BuDDies?
BuDDies is a befriending scheme for disabled people in England who are feeling lonely or stressed at home. BuDDies is available to all disabled people in England who want friendly conversation with someone who understands. It is a free service, and can continue for as long as it is wanted.
Who are the BuDDies?
BuDDies are the BuDS volunteers who befriend and support isolated and lonely disabled people. This is a really rewarding role which can be done flexibly, and in your own time. No particular skills or experience are needed, just a friendly, caring, and non-judgemental approach and a willingness to be a “buddy” to someone who needs a friend.
We very much welcome disabled people as BuDDies. No-one understands a disabled person like another disabled person! BuDS is a large community of mostly disabled people, and we will work with you in ways that make it possible for you to be fully included. See the FAQs below for more.
What do BuDDies do?
There are two parts to being a BuDDy:
- You are in regular contact with a lonely or isolated disabled person who has asked BuDS to find them a BuDDy
- You are a BuDS volunteer who is supported in their role as part of the professional BuDDies team
Being a BuDDy
As a BuDDy, you are most likely to be making regular telephone calls to a lonely disabled person. However, some people will prefer to communicate in other ways. If this applies, BuDS will provide full training and the technology/software necessary. Other ways that could be used include video calls or a messaging platform like Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Facebook Messenger, etc. Some disabled people will want to use specialist disability communications such as BSL (British Sign Language), Makaton, or Talking Mats, so if you have experience or skills in this area, that will be very useful.
When you contact the disabled person you are supporting, your privacy and confidentiality will always be protected. Your personal details (surname, phone number, address, etc) will not be divulged to the person you are buddying. If you are contacting them online, you will use a BuDS account rather than your personal account.
BuDDies is about friendly social conversation between two people. It is not a mental health, therapy, or counselling service, although the person you are buddying may of course choose to talk about their mental health or disability. BuDDies is a safe space where people can talk about whatever they like, with a friendly, confidential, and understanding person. Typically, people are looking for companionship, support through difficult times, help building relationships, improved wellbeing, and someone to share positive news with.
Part of the team
All BuDDies are BuDS volunteers, and part of the wider BuDS community. Although they take individual responsibility for their contact with the person they are buddying, they work as part of a highly supportive team. There is a BuDDies project officer who will be in regular contact and available for any questions or queries. In addition, BuDDies will be in touch with the BuDS support manager, who is there to support and advise on any welfare or safeguarding issues.
You will never be on your own as a BuDDy. You will be able to contact the project officer or support manager at any time about anything about which you may need more information or help. For example, if you are concerned about the person you are buddying, you don’t quite know how to respond to them, or your circumstances change, you will be able to quickly and easily get the answers and help you need.
If you are joining BuDDies to get professional or vocational skills and experience, we will support you all the way. We will talk about your training or skills needs, help you with an individual learning plan, and make sure that we can help you achieve your professional or vocational goals. This includes being able to give a work or academic/vocational reference.
Becoming a BuDDy
We always welcome new BuDDies. The first step is to express an interest by completing the simple form below.
What happens next?
We will be in touch to arrange a friendly informal chat by Microsoft Teams or phone. This is not an interview, but a chance for us to talk to you about being a BuDDy and what it involves, and for you to ask questions.
After this chat, if you decide to become a BuDDy, you will be fully safeguarded before you can join the BuDDies team. Check the FAQs below for more details.
Once safeguarded, you will be inducted into the BuDDies team. You will receive a BuDS email address and IT login, and you will be trained in using the specialist software that BuDDies use to keep records of their conversations. You will also receive mandatory safeguarding training. Check the FAQs below for more details of all the training we can provide.
After training, you will be linked up with a person to BuDDy. We will do our best to match you with a person with whom you will have a good relationship and something in common, and has similar expectations around time to you. Check the FAQs below for more information about how we match you, and other questions about buddying you may have.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click on the question to show the answer.
When people request a BuDDy, we ask them to tell BuDS about how they would like to be buddied. We have a good idea of how many times and how long they would like to be in contact, their background and personal circumstances, and what they would like to talk about. We use this information to match people to their BuDDies.
If you have particular preferences about the sort of person you would like to buddy, you can tell us as part of the induction process. If you have particular disability communication skills, for example you are a BSL or Makaton user, or can use picture exchange cards, and wish to use these in buddying, we will obviously match you with an appropriate disabled person.
Matching is not a perfect process, and sometimes BuDDies and the person they are hoping to buddy do not get on. In these cases, we normally try again with a new match.
We ask that you commit to a minimum of two hours per week as a BuDDy. Most of this time will be spent in contact with the person you are buddying, and some of it will be spent keeping records and talking to people in BuDS.
If you and the person you are buddying would like to be in contact for longer each week, that would be a matter to be agreed between you. You will never be expected to offer more time than you wish, and if necessary a staff member will speak to the person you are buddying.
You can tell us if you would like to do more than 2 hours a week at any time, and we will see what can be arranged.
You will work with a minimum of one disabled person. If you have the time, and wish to work with more than one person, we can certainly see if this is possible. You will never be asked to take on more than one person if you do not want to.
We very much welcome disabled people as BuDDies. No-one understands a disabled person like another disabled person!
BuDS is a large community of mostly disabled people, and we will work with you in ways that make it possible for you to be fully included. As part of your induction, you will have the opportunity to talk to us about how you like to work, the hours you prefer, any barriers you face, and how we can best support and help you.
BuDDies usually use their own IT equipment and phone. BuDS does not have funding to provide BuDDies with equipment. If you cannot carry out your BuDDies role with the equipment or phone you already have, we will try to loan you the equipment you need. This will only be able to be used for BuDDies purposes.
When using your own phone to contact the person you are buddying, we will expect you to withhold your number. We will help you to do this if you don’t know how to. If you still pay individually for your phone calls, you can reclaim the cost of the BuDDy calls.
BuDS will provide you with a BuDS email address, and sign-in details for our Office 365 network and the CharityLog system used by BuDDies. These will work on any phone, laptop, computer, or tablet. You will be able to download any software you need to use BuDS systems. We provide technical support and help using our systems as part of the induction process.
If you do not have any device which can connect to Office 365 and/or CharityLog, we will try to loan you a laptop or tablet. This will only be able to be used for BuDDies purposes.
Generally, BuDDies do not incur costs by being a BuDDy. If, exceptionally, you did incur necessary expenses, then these can be reclaimed. If you think you may incur costs, you should discuss them with BuDS staff before you do.
BuDS takes the safety and security of all its volunteers and staff extremely seriously. We conduct regular risk assessments, and have safety plans in place.
Being a BuDDy is a very low risk activity. People putting themselves forward for a BuDDy are pre-vetted by BuDS, and anyone who may present an unacceptable risk is not accepted. BuDDies never meet the person they are buddying face to face, and your identity and personal contact details are always protected. If a situation arose during a conversation which made you feel unsafe or uneasy, we expect you to end the call and report this to BuDS staff straightaway.
It is extremely unlikely that being a BuDDy would ever result in your safety or security being at risk. However, BuDS has a safeguarding officer available 24/7 who you would be able to contact should it be necessary. Security and safety is also covered in your induction training.
These are the formalities which apply to all BuDDies:
- Complete the BuDDy volunteer application form
- Sign the BuDS volunteer agreement, and the BuDDies agreement
- Provide two satisfactory references, either work, character, or personal
- Consent to an enhanced DBS check
- Take part in a safeguarding risk assessment if necessary (for example, if your DBS check is not clear)
- Complete the mandatory training
It can take between 6 and 10 weeks to complete the above formalities of becoming a BuDDy. However, we will be with you throughout the process, and providing all the support and help you need.
Safeguarding is extremely important to BuDS. Our community includes, and we work with, a huge diversity of people, many of whom are potentially vulnerable. For this reason, we have strong safeguarding practices in place which will apply to BuDDies as they do to all other BuDS volunteers and staff.
All BuDS volunteers and staff, including BuDDies, undergo safeguarding on joining the charity. This includes an enhanced DBS check for both adults and children workforces, taking up references, and mandatory safeguarding training.
The buddying process has been designed with safeguarding and welfare in mind. BuDDies are able at any time to reach out to BuDS staff with safeguarding or welfare queries about the person they are buddying. Just as importantly, BuDS staff will be checking in with BuDDies to make sure they are ok and have no safeguarding or welfare concerns of their own.
As a professional safeguarded befriending scheme, BuDDies uses modern encrypted software to keep records, and BuDDies will be required to use only this system. The BuDS MS Teams system is also secure for general communications. Both systems are fully monitored, and responsible staff will have access to activity logs and client records for safeguarding purposes.
We understand that sometimes relationships between the BuDDy and the person being buddied can be difficult. Sometimes people just don’t hit it off together, and sometimes after a while the relationship cools or becomes difficult. We do not expect everything to go right every time.
It’s important to remember that you will never be alone in your buddying experience. You will have the opportunity to check in with BuDS staff as often as you wish. If any issues arise, you will be able to discuss these straightaway in a friendly and understanding way. Together, we will find a solution to any issues that arise. This could be a conversation with the person you are buddying facilitated by a member of staff, or we may decide that a change of BuDDies is best.
BuDS has a zero tolerance approach to abuse or unacceptable behaviour. If a person being buddied cannot behave responsibly and decently towards their BuDDy, they may be removed from the scheme. However, in practice, this is extremely rare.
We completely understand that peoples’ circumstances change, and that they may need to change or end their volunteering. We ask that you give us as much notice as possible of any change that you would like to make to your volunteering, so that we can make arrangements with the person you are buddying.
If you think your circumstances are going to change, please tell the BuDDies project officer or BuDS support manager as soon as possible. We will be understanding and friendly, and help you to make the changes you need, including how to best tell the person you are buddying.
If you are temporarily unable to meet the person you are buddying, for example because you are ill or running late, you can either tell the person you are buddying directly or let BuDS know and we can do it on your behalf.
Literally anything (within reason)! Some people want to talk to their BuDDy about personal things such as their health, relationships, or life issues. Others want to make conversation about the weather, TV programmes, books, shared interests, etc. The first few sessions with the person you are buddying will be spent exploring the sorts of things you would both like to talk about.
BuDS has a lot of experience with befriending, and you will be able to talk to BuDS staff and other volunteers to get their ideas and help.
After you have completed safeguarding, as part of your induction process, we will support you to undertake the following training:
- Introduction to BuDS
- BuDDy volunteer induction
- Safeguarding level 1 and 2 certifications
- Data protection and GDPR
- CharityLog system training (used to keep records)
There is no charge for this training, and it is all carried out online in your own time. If it is formal training recognised with a certificate, we will make sure you get the certificate.
BuDDies does not involve any face to face contact, and we would not allow this to take place for safeguarding reasons. BuDDies is a telephone or online support service only.
It is possible that we may be able to offer face to face buddying in the future. If this happens, you will be consulted and have the choice as to whether or not this is something you would want to do.