The time taken to match can vary and it will depend on finding a suitable match for you.

Once a match is made, you will join a call companion group and we will give you more information about your match. You can find more information in the volunteer handbook.

This is to ensure the safety and boundaries of both the older people and the call companions.

The older person has an initial call with us when we provide them with guidance as to the nature of the calls. It's very unlikely that they will ask for advice during the calls that they have with you (as the vast majority of conversations that you will have will just be a general chat) but should they do so, please make clear that you're unable to provide advice.

If you think it's something that is of importance, make a note of the question and tell the older person that someone will get back to them. Please then pass the question on to us.

All call companion calls are made through a telephone platform, when you join the call companions service we’ll give you the telephone platform phone number so you can add it to your call blocker.

No. You will make your call companion calls through a telephone platform. When you dial the number you will be automatically connected to the older person who you’ve been matched with. The older person will see the telephone platform’s phone number, not yours.

From time to time an older person may miss their pre-arranged call. In most cases, there is a simple explanation for this, from forgetting all about it to being distracted by an unexpected appointment or visitor. However, we understand it can be a worry when they don't pick up the phone as arranged.

This is what you should do.

Call companions should make three calls five minutes apart:

1. In the first call, leave a message informing the older person that you have called and that you’ll call back in five minutes (if you are able to leave a message).
2. In the second call, leave a message informing the older person that you have called and that you’ll call back in five minutes (if able to leave a message).
3. In the third call, leave a message asking them to call Re-engage on 0800 716 543 and then contact the Re-engage team by emailing knowledge@reengage.org.uk (office hours 9am-5pm Monday to Friday) to let them know what has happened.

One of the Re-engage team will try to contact the older person the following day and will keep the call companion updated if we have been able to speak to the older person. If we are still unable to reach the older person, we will ask the call companion to try them again the following week and to update us on their progress.

If the older person misses their call the following week, then both the call companion and Re-engage should follow the above process again. Should attempts to contact the older person still be unsuccessful for a second week, the call companion should contact the Re-engage team again by emailing knowledge@reengage.org.uk (office hours 9am-5pm Monday to Friday).

The Re-engage team will then attempt to get in touch with the individual and use any additional contact information held to gain an update.

Although we do appreciate the sentiment, unfortunately, there are several reasons why Re-engage cannot give this to you. When we ask our older people for their personal details, we must be honest about the reasons why we are asking, and what it is that we are going to do with them. To be able to share an older person’s address with their call companion we would need to first ask the older person for their permission. Not all call companions have the time or the money to send cards, letters, or gifts to their older person, so many of our older people who would give their permission to receive something, might not receive anything at all. This may leave some of our older people feeling disappointed or rejected.

Re-engage is an inclusive charity which offers a variety of volunteering opportunities. Our volunteering roles attract a wide range of people from all types of backgrounds. Many of our call companions volunteer with us because they can do so for very little, or no cost. If we add sending cards, letters, and gifts to the call companion role, we risk excluding people from volunteering, which will mean that we will be able to offer fewer call companion calls to the older people who need them the most.

Re-engage has a small staff team who must balance the needs of thousands of volunteers and older people. Although it would be wonderful to be able to offer a bespoke service where we could pass letters, cards and gifts between individual volunteers and older people, unfortunately we would not be able to do this without pulling our team away from their focus of matching older people into our services.

When we look for a call companion for an older person, we check to make sure that they live at least 60 miles away from each other. We do this for safeguarding reasons. Our call companions service is a free telephone befriending service and those who sign up to it do so knowing that they will be receiving or making regular friendship calls. Over time it is normal for friendships to develop, and when this happens it can become difficult to say no. By ensuring that our volunteers and older people are at least 60 miles away from each other, we can prevent our older people and volunteers from asking for, and offering more, from each other than they agreed to when they joined the call companions service.

In general, there is no requirement to keep notes about your calls. Just keep a note of when you spoke to the older person and for how long. If you hear anything from the older person that is a safety concern or of any risk to wellbeing please refer to our frequently asked question: "I have concerns about an older person. What should I do?".

Although we don't ask you to take notes, we'd love you to note down any particularly interesting or heart-warming things you discuss and share them with us. We love to hear from our volunteers with stories and quotes.

Some of them will be used (anonymously) to help with promoting the service to more older people and volunteers. You can send them to comms@reengage.org.uk

You might find it helpful to take a look at your volunteer handbook and a quick guide to becoming a successful call companion for any hints and tips that may help. If your older person is still not engaging in the calls, please contact the Re-engage team by emailing knowledge@reengage.org.uk (office hours 9am-5pm Monday to Friday).

Please contact the Re-engage team by emailing knowledge@reengage.org.uk (office hours 9am-5pm Monday to Friday). They can help you to explore possible solutions, including finding a different match if necessary.

To make your call companion call dial 0300 373 0960 and you’ll be connected to the older person you’ve been matched with.

If you’re a call companion to more than one older person when you dial 0300 373 0960, you’ll hear a message that says, “You have multiple matches. To call [name] press 1. To call [name] press 2”. Once you’ve pressed the number on your telephone keypad you’ll be connected to that older person.

If your older person misses their call or tries to ring the phone number back, they’ll hear a message that says “You were called today by your call companion. If you missed the call, you do not need to do anything they’ll call you back soon.”

If an emergency happens during your call companion call press *** on your telephone keypad.

You’ll hear a message that says “You have requested the emergency contact details for your call companion. Are you sure you wish to hear these details? Press 1 for yes and 2 for no.”

If you press 1, you’ll hear a recorded message with your older person’s contact details which you must then pass to the emergency services by calling 999.

Re-engage will be notified immediately if you press *** and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible within working hours.