On 23rd March 2020 the UK went into national lockdown as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic. Sandwell Advocacy immediately joined SCVO and Sandwell MBC in discussions about how we could support the residents of Sandwell through this time. In April 2020 Sandwell Advocacy agreed to deliver Sandwell Together, a telephone befriending service and took the lead in managing this project.
Although the Covid 19 pandemic is now over Sandwell Advocacy decided to continue the Sandwell Together service with the aim of supporting lonely, isolated and vulnerable residents in Sandwell. Sandwell Together is now an integral part of Sandwell Advocacy and still very much needed by Sandwell residents.
Current figures:
- 38 beneficiaries receive regular, usually weekly calls
- 30 volunteers engaged
- Approximately 988 hours of calls made in the last year
- Of the 38 Sandwell residents currently receiving calls 13 were referred in 2024, 9 were referred in 2023 and the remaining 15 were referred from 2020 to 2022 i.e. a substantial number of our users have been receiving support from the very early days of the service
- 377 Sandwell residents have been supported in total to date
Sandwell Advocacy carries out regular evaluations of the Sandwell Together Service. We commissioned an independent external evaluation which included feedback from both beneficiaries and volunteers. The first beneficiary spoken to advised that they had been feeling very down and the befriender had really cheered them up. The second beneficiary felt that they had tremendous rapport with their telephone befriender. They felt that they had been matched well, sharing much common ground and outlook. Most importantly the befriender was a good listener and encouraged rather than pushed when talking. When volunteers were asked, they reported that whilst telephone befriending might seem like a small intervention, it made a huge difference to people’s lives. It was also felt that there was a significant degree of reciprocity in the befriending service and that both beneficiaries and volunteers benefitted in so many ways.
More recent internal evaluations have yielded very positive results. All but one of the 15 beneficiaries spoken to reported that the calls as going “very well”.
A sample of comments from our users from these evaluations are as follows:
- “the calls are great as they help with my social isolation and I enjoy them very much. I feel I’ve made a friend”
- “I’m very isolated and the calls make a real difference. I feel I have found a friend more than just a service”
- “I really enjoy the calls and feel that the person who calls me is a friend. I have many health issues and the calls help me to forget my problems and cope easier with life”
- “I really feel that a friendship has developed over the years from the initial calls, it’s a real lifeline”
- “I have a speech impediment and the calls make a real difference as I am very socially isolated. I feel very comfortable with my befriender and really enjoy the calls”
- “the calls have been a Godsend and have helped through the darkest period and now has become a friendly voice at the end of the phone”
- “I enjoy the weekly call where discuss what’s going on in the world – it’s nice to have a regular call from a mate”
- “my befriender is a lovely lady and really makes a difference to my day to day life”
If you would like to volunteer with us or feel either you or someone you know would benefit from Sandwell Together telephone befriending then please contact us on Sandwell Together – Sandwell Advocacy