Management and Leadership in Befriending Projects

Starts Wednesday 21st January 2026
Multi-Day Event

£355.00

E-learning and Zoom

“The best thing about this course was the reflection pieces and the opportunity to discuss these reflections with peers. I really appreciated our coach adapting to our needs each week for every session. The online platform allowed me to study when I needed to – and when I could. Work is always busy, so being able to do ten minutes here and there allowed perfect flexibility for me”

Purpose of the course

This course is tailored for staff involved in befriending projects, offering practical support and skill development for ongoing professional growth. It’s ideal for those looking to take on more responsibility or step into a leadership role. Participants receive dedicated 1:1 coaching from Befriending Networks staff, helping to apply course content directly to their workplace and align personal and professional goals.

Assessments are spaced throughout the course to fit around work commitments, with individual written feedback and ongoing support via email. Interactive webinars provide discussions, peer learning, peer engagement, and insights from other befriending projects. All students have full access to course materials, best practice guidance, and continuous support throughout.

The course content

Participants will access our learning platform to complete their independent learning across the five weeks. The core elements of the e-learning of Management and Leadership in Befriending Projects are:

Defining a Manager and a Leader
Responsibilities of operations
Monitoring and Managing Others’ Performance
Inducting a new team member
Inducting volunteers into your project
Motivating your team
Good Practice in Delegation
Conflict management
Calculating the capacity of your befriending service
Setting boundaries as a manager
Reducing stress in the workplace
Developing a time-management procedure for your befriending service
What is the cost of a team meeting
Reflecting on our management style
Creating a positive workplace culture
Providing inclusive support, without bias or discrimination
Risk management – its purpose in your project
Developing an understanding of charity funds
Identifying the appropriate charity governance code for your service
Contingency planning and project development

The discussion topics during the weekly live sessions are selected by participants, ensuring each course run is tailored to the unique needs of the cohort. Your course coach will also schedule a one-on-one meeting with you to make sure the course aligns with your goals. This is your chance to request specific topics, explore relevant management theories, or find solutions to common challenges you may be facing as a team leader. Previously requested topics have included:

Staff development and empowerment
Workplace culture
Neuordiversity and capability
Impact measurement
Staff and befriender appraisals
Conflict with the board
Project design and development

Duration and Time Commitment

Five-Week Course
One-hour commitment before the course begins to complete a pre-course interview and survey to ensure content is tailored to your needs
Two hours a week for live sessions with class peers (10hours in total)
Dedicated time across five weeks to complete independent e-learning (Average completion time of previous students is 11hours)

Support and Resources

Over five weeks, participants will complete self-directed e-learning and attend live online sessions as part of the Management and Leadership in Befriending Projects course. The e-learning can be accessed at any time to fit around your schedule. In addition, there are five mandatory weekly webinars, each lasting 2 hours, for a total of 10 hours of live online learning. To receive a certificate of completion, participants must complete all e-learning modules and attend all live sessions.

Each participant will also receive 1:1 coaching from our Learning and Development Manager, Victoria. This begins with an individual introductory meeting to explore your goals and motivations for joining the course. The coaching is tailored to your needs and may include personalised materials, research, and support to help you apply your learning to your specific befriending context.

From our training platform, learners will access course theory, example documents and guidance materials that can be downloaded. At the end of the e-learning course, participants will have the opportunity to download a booklet containing the full course content.

The live sessions are unique for each cohort, focusing on the requested topics by participants. For this reason, with the bespoke element, this course never runs the same twice.

Dates and Times

The course dates and times are:

30-minute 1:1 introductory session with the course coach (flexible to participants’ schedule)
Session One: Wednesday 21st January 10:00 – 12:00
Session Two: Wednesday 28th January 10:00 – 12:00
Session Three: Wednesday 4th February 10:00 – 12:00
Session Four: Wednesday 11th February 10:00 – 12:00
Session Five: Wednesday 18th February 10:00 – 12:00

Accessibility: All Zoom events have live closed captions available. Please notify our Learning and Development Manager, victoria@befriending.co.uk, if you have accessibility requirements to help us be inclusive of your needs.

This event is facilitated by

Victoria

Learning & Development Manager

Cancellation Policy

Please check your diary before committing to any dates. We understand that your circumstances may require a change of training dates. If you need to cancel or defer your order:

Up to 48 hours before the course begins: your order will be refunded, subject to a £15 administration fee. Alternatively, you can defer your order to the next occurrence of the same course.
Within 48 hours of the course beginning, including non-attendance: your order is non-refundable and cannot be deferred.

Please note that all courses operate with a minimum number of delegates. If this number is not obtained, we reserve the right to cancel or reschedule the event date. Your event facilitator will contact you to discuss options. In such cases where we cannot fulfil your order, a full refund will be given. You can contact the facilitator of your event, or victoria@befriending.co.uk to discuss your booking.

6 tickets available

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