Tullamore Social Services Ltd (TSS)

is the sponsoring Group for this new Contact Service.  

 

Tullamore Social Services Ltd is a non-profit making registered charity established by a Voluntary Group in 1990 and

incorporated as a company in 2001.

The organisation is headed by a Board of Directors and has a full time Co­ Ordinator/Project Manager who will be responsible for the implementation and management of the Contact Service. Day-to-day operations will be conducted by six part-time Contact Service Befrienders.

The Befriending team are an addition to existing staff within the organisation and have a dedicated brief to run this service.

Additional office space has been secured to facilitate the Contact Service. This was necessary in order to ensure the confidentially required by the Service.

The Project Manager has vast experience in project development and staff management. The services of an outside organisational development consultant have also been engaged to ensure that TSS has the capacity to meet the objective of the Contact Service
 
 

Aims and Objectives of the Organisation

To develop, deliver and oversee a professional, quality, friendly confidential support for Older People and to address the needs of the disadvantaged and marginalised in the community by developing the role of the Voluntary Sector in the community.

 

 

Activities of the Organisation

To provide support for Older People by providing Security Equipment and reducing exclusion by providing a contact service for those most vulnerable.

To provide key support and assistance to local Voluntary Groups through an established Community Employment Scheme addressing the needs of the disadvantaged and marginalised.

To develop an awareness of the role of the Voluntary sector in the community by providing valuable work experience and training, particularly to the long term unemployed, and realise and explore the opportunities for employment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONTACT SERVICE TELEPHONE BEFRIENDING

We all know what it's like to feel lonely, but did you know that around 1million older people regularly go an entire month without speaking to anyone? One of the ways to try to beat loneliness in later life is through OUR TELEPHONE BEFRIENDING SERVICE.

 

Research has shown that support and social interaction are vital for social inclusion and that isolation is a very common problem for older people. A lot of older people are often cut off from family and friends.

 

To tackle the problem of loneliness among older people we have developed A Telephone Befriending Service. Befriending is a relationship between a Befriender and a Befriendee which operates within a structural framework.

 

Here, we explain how befriending works:

This Befriending Contact service offers one-to-one support to older people and to all adults who may feel vulnerable or alone.

The service works by assigning each older person a befriender, who provides friendly conversation on a regular basis over a long period of time.
This consists of a regular daily or weekly phone call. The relationship is structured so that each befriender makes the call at a regular pre-agreed time.

 

The service aims to reduce social isolation felt by those in our community who are vulnerable and drifting into isolation and loneliness.
Our objective is to support those people who are not in active aging and are missing out on already established supports.
It is ideal for older people who live alone with little contact from family or friends.
This amazing service helps prevent feelings of loneliness and isolation by providing regular phone calls.

 

A Phone Call from a friend

Befrienders are recruited to make regular phone calls. By developing friendships over the phone the service aims to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation and improve quality of life and wellbeing. Just like a true friend, our callers will take time to listen and share life's ups and downs, chat about current affairs, listen to client's news or just discuss the weather.
As the friendship develops, life looks more interesting again. People are helped to reengage with the local community - for example by being put in touch with local events or services.
Our Befrienders learn valuable new skills, make new friends and get as much out of the experience as the older people and communities they help.

 

Phoning Friends main features

• A regular phone call, at least once a fortnight at a suitable time

• Client and Befriender will be carefully matched, though they won't meet face to face as this is a telephone befriending service.

• With permission, Befrienders can talk to the service Co-Ordinator to help clients access other services or support, if required

•  All our Befrienders are carefully recruited and undergo thorough checks and references

• The Service Co-ordinator will call clients four times a year to check things are going well

• Clients will be looked after with kindness and compassion