Common Questions

You can either click on each question below to jump to the answer, or simply scroll down the page, reading the questions and relevant answers.

What is befriending?

What types of befriending are available?

How much does it cost to have a volunteer Befriender?

Who can have a volunteer Befriender?

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

Is Befrienders Highland taken seriously by health and social service providers?
 

What is befriending?   (back to question list)

befriending is a supported friendship between two people: a trained volunteer and a friend - someone who has experienced mental ill health, is isolated (socially or geographically), feels lonely or has difficulty making friends or social contacts for whatever reason.

People can be isolated or feel alone for all sorts of reasons such as the nature of a person's mental ill health or living in rural isolation or not having the confidence or opportunity to meet people and find new friendships. Sometimes people can feel alone even when they are in regular contact with others and many people who experience mental ill health often never speak to anyone else outside of their mental health circle of contacts. befriending provides safe, reliable, 1-1 friendly social contact which brings companionship, interest and fun and adds social normality to a person's life.

What types of befriending are available?   (back to question list)

Face to Face befriending - Friend and volunteer meet together regularly (usually weekly) to take part in an ordinary social activity that both enjoy. This can be anything from walking, swimming, having a coffee, visiting the cinema, visiting museums and galleries, shopping...and much more.

Distance befriending – Friend and volunteer have regular contact by telephone, letter or e-mail (but do not usually meet together). This type of befriending means that Volunteer and Friend can live a great distance apart from each other but still sustain a valuable friendship.

How much does it cost to have a volunteer Befriender?   (back to question list)

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

Who can have a volunteer Befriender?   (back to question list)

Anyone who is 18yrs +, lives in the Highland Council Region, has experienced mental ill health and is lonely or isolated is eligible for our befriending service. Our supported 1-1 friendships are successful for any person who finds it difficult to meet people or who is socially and/or geographically isolated. If you or someone you know is in this situation then they may benefit from being matched with a Volunteer Befriender.

How can I refer myself or someone else for a service?   (back to question list)

• Check out the information on Referring For a Service page
• Call or email us (see our 'contact us' page) or;
• Fill in the form on the 'contact us' page and we will be in touch.

Referrals can also be made through the Community Mental Health Teams or CPNs, Social Workers, Support Workers, GPs , 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 Disclosure Scotland (police check) done.

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

All friendships work within the agreed boundaries set down by Befrienders Highland and both Volunteers and Friends 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 addresses are exchanged.

Is Befrienders Highland taken seriously by health and social service providers?   (back to question list)

Yes, our service is viewed as highly valuable and effective by professional providers across the Highlands. Befrienders Highland has a service level agreement with Highland Council to provide our Face to Face service for people with mental ill health in Inverness and Nairn.

Befrienders Highland also has excellent relationships with mental health teams, the NHS, GP's and other professional service provider groups, all of whom we meet with and speak to regularly.

We are also members of a number of LIG groups (Local Implementation Groups) across the Highlands. These are area groups made up of representatives from a wide range of NHS, Council, Voluntary Service providers, Service users and carers. The aims of each group is to:

• work together to discuss relevant issues surrounding mental health services;
• develop better partnership working between all service providers, service users and carers;
• find ways to improve services to better meet the needs of people who use mental health services in the Highlands

Befrienders Highland is also a member of the Cross Party Group for Mental Health – a Scottish Executive group.