Your first port of call is to check the frequently asked questions (FAQ) section of our website.  If you can't find the answer you are looking for please speak to your group coordinator. 

If you are a group coordinator and cannot find the answer to your question on our FAQ section of the website please get in touch with the Re-engage support team using knowledge@reengage.org.uk or use the feedback form in the regular emails you recieve throughout the month. 

If you are a call companion and you are going to be unable to volunteer at your usual time for any reason, please let your group coordinator know and try to give them as much notice as possible so that they have time to make alternative arrangements.

If you are a group coordinator of a call companion group and you have a holiday planned, please use your monthly feedback form to let the support team know about this in advance.

If you are a group coordinator of a call companion group and you are unwell in a way that is affecting your ability to carry out your voluntary role, please contact us on knowledge@reengage.org.uk or 0207 240 0630.

You play a vital role in helping us to deliver our mission and achieve our goals. We value your contributions and aim to empower you by ensuring you are trained and well informed so you can fulfil your role effectively and confidently. We have a range of training resources, information, and guidelines available on our website that you can access anytime and on any device.

Re-engage is a charity that supports some of the most vulnerable people in society and who may be subject to abuse and neglect. We believe that our people - staff and volunteers - have an individual and organisational responsibility for safeguarding the older people we work with, as well as each other as volunteers and members of staff. Our introduction to safeguarding training is developed to raise awareness of safeguarding within our charity and to help you as volunteers to recognise safeguarding concerns and report them to the appropriate person.

As a volunteer, from time to time you may handle other people’s data. For example, when you are filling in forms or jotting down someone’s contact details, such as their address or name. It’s important that, as a team, we all have data protection front of mind when handling personal data so that everyone involved with Re-engage has the protection they are entitled to.

The GDPR training is available for our volunteers to help ensure Re-engage operates safely, complies to regulations, and is a trusted organisation for the people who support us and use our services.

We don't provide qualifications for volunteering with Re-engage. However, many external courses will enable you to use your volunteering hours towards your qualification. In Scotland, your volunteering hours can go towards the Saltire Awards (this is for young people up to the age of 25).

We're really sorry to hear that. We understand that at times calls with older people can be very emotional so please feel free to contact your group coordinator to talk things through.  You may also in your group have contact with other Re-engage volunteers so it may be helpful to reach out to them to chat over how you are feeling after your call.

For more information on support and difficult conversations please check out the section in our volunteer handbook on addressing difficulties.

For help and support through bereavement, please visit the Cruse Bereavement Care website. As well as chat services, they have resources for those who have experienced a loss, and for supporting people who are recently bereaved.

If you feel an older person is in need of specialised support in dealing with their grief, you can pass along the details of Cruse or another bereavement service, so that they can make contact themselves. We would encourage you to speak with your group coordinator to make them aware of the issues you, or the older person you support, are facing.

We completely understand that circumstances can change and that sometimes this can affect your ability to continue volunteering. If you need to stop volunteering with us for any reason, please just let your group coordinator know (or if you're a group coordinator, let the support team know).

Please let your group coordinator know in the first instance. They will then be able to pass your new contact details to the Re-engage support team.

Re-engage can provide you with a generic reference which confirms that you volunteer with us, the name of your voluntary role and the date you started volunteering. We will usually only do this for volunteers who have been with us for 6 months or longer. If you would like a reference, please email: knowledge@reengage.org.uk

We are able to pay volunteer expenses to group coordinators of tea party groups. This is in order to help cover the costs of running and administering a Re-engage tea party group, for example recruiting older guests and new volunteers, postage, and phone calls.

Please note: we don’t pay travel expenses for group coordinators to attend the tea parties.

Please check the Department for Work and Pensions website for advice.

Re-engage record when we receive your DBS/PVG certificate. We do not keep the original DBS/PVG certificate; this is destroyed in line with our DBS and PVG code of conduct. If you need a copy of your DBS/PVG or any of the details recorded on this, please click here for DBS and here for PVG.