Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs

 

What does befriending achieve?

Sometimes people can feel alone even when they are in regular contact with others, and many people who experience mental ill health never speak to anyone outside of their mental health circle of contacts. Befriending provides safe, reliable, 1-1 friendly social contact which brings companionship, interest and fun, adding social normality to a person's life.

Befriending involves services which:

• Work with ‘vulnerable’ and/or ‘isolated’ people

• Provide companionship - the aim is to do things with people, not for them

• Have a strong emphasis on the idea that the primary intervention is the relationship - the relationship may be used to achieve goals, but achieving the goals is not the primary aim - contrast this with mentoring where the focus is the issue at hand and the imparting of knowledge.

In befriending, the relationship is how you tackle vulnerability and isolation, whatever the cause. Our volunteers work primarily in a befriending role (i.e. not as carers / personal assistants / shoppers / DIY helpers etc).

There are separate arrangements which can be made where such services are required. Contact info@befriend.org.uk for further details.

What types of befriending are available?

Mental Health Services

  • Face to Face Befriending - Befriendee and volunteer meet together regularly (usually weekly) to take part in an ordinary social activity that they both enjoy. This can be anything from walking, swimming, having a coffee, visiting the cinema, visiting museums and galleries, shopping, visiting the hair salon, and much more. Please note that face-to-face befriending has been suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We now only offer telephone befriending.

  • Distance Befriending - Befriendee and volunteer have regular contact by telephone, letter or e-mail. This type of befriending means that both can live a great distance apart from each other but still sustain a valuable friendship.

Dementia Services

  • Telephone Befriending - Volunteer and befriendee with memory difficulties or dementia have regular weekly contact by telephone. This type of befriending supports a person with dementia to remain socially engaged and increases feelings of value, independence and a sense of belonging.

  • Carer Befriending - Carer and volunteer have regular contact by phone, letter or email. For Carers the befriending provides crucial 'Me Time' where they can socialise and communicate solely for themselves and not the person they care for. At the moment we have a limited number of volunteers to provide this service.

Note that during the COVID-19 pandemic and until face-to-face befriending is safe again, we are focusing our offering on telephone and distance befriending.

How much does it cost?

The service is FREE and no charges are made at all. There are NO hidden extras.

Who is eligible for a volunteer befriender?

Our supported 1-1 friendships are successful for adults who

  • Live in in the Greater Glasgow, Highlands, or Argyll and Bute regions

  • Have mental ill health or dementia or care for someone with dementia

  • Are lonely or isolated.

  • Lack opportunity or confidence for social contact.

How can I refer myself or someone else for a service?

Call us on 0141 465 6998 (Monday - Friday, 10 Am - 4 PM) or email us at info@befriend.org.uk.

Referrals can also be made through the Community Mental Health Teams, Memory Clinics, Social Workers, Support Workers, GPs, Voluntary sector agencies, other professional workers or friends and family if preferred.

Is befriending safe? What about confidentiality?

Befriending with us is very safe for all parties concerned. We take confidentiality very seriously. Our volunteers are all trained, have references taken up and have an enhanced PVG (police check) done.

All friendships are supported regularly on an on-going basis by our coordinators. Volunteers have regular monthly supervision with their coordinator and more detailed reviews at least twice a year. Befriendees also take part in 6 monthly reviews to ensure the friendship is going well.

All friendships work within the agreed boundaries recommended by The No1 Befriending Agency and both volunteers and befriendees sign a simple agreement so everyone knows where they stand and what is expected.

For those involved in a distance befriending relationship there are additional safeguards. Emails are sent through a secure area of our website, with Friends and Volunteers having their own username and password, so no personal email addresses are exchanged. All letters are sent to our office and forwarded on to the appropriate person (unopened) so no physical addresses are exchanged, either.

What industry standards do you adhere to?

The No1 Befriending Agency abides by Quality in Befriending [QiB] standards. These are standards for befriending services developed by Befriending Networks (BNs), it is closely aligned with the BNs Good Practice in

Befriending guide and the SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority) credit-rated Vital Skills in Befriending training courses.

We also abide by service level standards set by National Care Standards and Scottish Social Service Council.