Read more about a new trial initiative to give call companions peace of mind and an improved experience. 

From 26 August 2024, our telephone system is being upgraded as we test a new piece of software to support our call companions. It will work by identifying safeguarding concerns instantly so we can act faster. Your calls are private, and we respect that. We don’t listen to any of your calls – even when you’ve raised a concern via our incident and concern form – without alerting both you and the older person you’re matched with and providing a genuine reason why we believe we need to listen to your call.

We’re grateful to every volunteer call companion who raises a safeguarding concern, and we understand this can be daunting. It can also be challenging to spot and report issues, especially if this is the first time you’ve experienced or listened to an older person living with loneliness or isolation.

This new technology will support you and the older person by scanning your call, looking for specific key words or phrases which it automatically flags to us.

The next step is for Re-engage to contact you to check if everything’s okay and make sure you’re receiving the level of support you need. 

The incident and concern form is still vital for reporting and responding to safeguarding concerns, and we recommend you record any concerns – no matter how small - via the form so our dedicated team, who are trained to deal with safeguarding issues, can investigate this on your behalf.

This trial period will last two months, and we’ll use data we collect along with qualitative feedback from volunteers to find out how you have found the experience and to see if it improves the way we support older people and volunteers with safeguarding concerns.

If you have any questions or concerns, as always, our service delivery team is here to help you. Simply contact knowledge@reengage.org.uk and we’ll be in touch.