Young People's Befriending Project

A Befriender is thoughtfully matched to a young person and they meet once a fortnight and choose what they would like to do together. This can be anything from swimming to cycling, to crafting or comic book writing, to baking or BBQing, to rock painting or climbing. Time and time again, we see our matches making a real and lasting difference to the young person’s life.

We provide support to all of our matches. They are monitored regularly to allow everyone involved to talk about how it is working. We also bring all Befrienders, children and young people together as a group couple of times a year. These sessions are a great way for everyone to meet one another and to take part in a fun activity.

Become a Befriender:

Our Befrienders come from all walks of life and are caring and thoughtful people who are invested in building an intentional and trusting relationship with their young person. We are always looking for more volunteers to join our team.

For just a couple of hours a fortnight you could make a huge difference to the life of a young person.

Befrienders must be over 18 and we will provide you with training and ongoing support. Get in touch with us using the form at the bottom on the page to find out more.

Making a referral

If you are working with a vulnerable or isolated young person or a child going through a difficult time who could use some 1-1 support from a trained volunteer Befriender you can refer them to us. They must:

Be aged between 5 and 18
Live in Orkney
Be experiencing circumstances that are having a detrimental affect on their life and their ability to reach their full potential.

Our volunteer Befrienders offer support and encouragement by introducing new activities to build the young person’s confidence and self-esteem. They are unable to offer personal care in regard to toileting and medication etc.

Children and young people need to be referred to us. This is done by an agency like education, social work, health professional or by another charity organisation. You must also have the child or young person's and their parent, guardian's or carer's consent to make the referral.

To refer a child or young person, download and return our form.

Get in touch with us if you are a young person or parent or carer of a young person and would like more information about how to make a referral. Fill out the form at the bottom of this page or call 01856 872897 option 2 and we can talk you through the process.

Murray and Finn's Story

Finn* was becoming increasingly isolated from his peers. He was struggling to attend school and was spending most of his time indoors on his games console.

Find out more

Martha and Rosa's Story

Rosa* has quite a complex disability so we knew that she would need a special Befriender that could support her and enable her to join in safely with activities in the community.

Find out more

Lucy and Florence's Story

Florence* recently transitioned to secondary school but was becoming more and more isolated from her peers.

Find out more

FAQs

- What do matches do together?
  Each match is tailor-made and unique. This means that you choose the activities that you would like to do together from their shared interests. So that could be badminton, football, zumba, swimming, knitting, programming, visits to cafes, the cinema, the beach, anything really. If we can check it to make sure it’s safe, then you can probably do it.
- How do you choose Befrienders?
  People from all walks of life volunteer as Befrienders. Just like our young people, they have different personalities, experiences and skills as well as a variety of interests. We are very thorough in our selection of our Befrienders and some characteristics are essential - all need to be friendly, reliable, consistent and motivated to help and support their child or young person. They also need to be understanding, approachable and kind.
- How long does a match last for?
  All matches last for at least 6 months (this is the minimum requirement that we ask from Befrienders), but most continue beyond this point, with some continuing to meet for years. The duration of the match is generally determined by the need of the child or young person and the availability of the Befriender.
- Is there a financial cost to me?
  No, the project covers all the costs of the befriending. This includes things like:
  - travel expenses for befrienders and the child or young person
  - tickets for activities like the cinema
  - expenses for things like food or equipment hire
  No Befriender, child or young person should ever be out of pocket.
- How do you support each match?
  Each match is reviewed after the first 6 weeks, and then again, every 6 months. At each of these stages we meet with the child or young person, their parent/carer, and the Befriender to gather their views. We also offer an open door policy, so everyone involved can get in touch with concerns or feedback at any time. It’s our job is to look after each match and help them have fun together.
- Is the match confidential? Will you share information about me with other people?
  Yes and no. We take confidentiality very seriously and are careful with what information we share with other people. However, this confidentiality has limits, and if a Befriender or co-ordinator is concerned about the safety and welfare of a child or young person (or Befriender), then we will share this information with people that they think are the best able to help. We also send stats and data to our funders and our management board, but this anonymous so doesn’t include names or anything.
- Do all the matches ever meet as a group?
  Yes! We love to all get together, so we have at least 4 – 6 sessions a year when we all meet and take part in a group activity and meal together.
- Can I bring a friend along to the sessions with my Befriender?
  No, I’m afraid not. All our befriending happens in the matched pairs as it’s the friendship between the child or young person and the Befriender that we’re trying to build. At our group events though everyone mixes and makes new friends, so that’s great.
- What if I don’t want to have a Befriender anymore?
  That’s totally ok. We check in with you regularly and are always looking for feedback on how the match is going or how we can make it better. If there is anthing that isn't working for anyone involved in the match, they get in touch with us at any time - we’re here to help!
- What are you looking for in a Befriender?
  People from all walks of life volunteer as Befrienders. Just like our young people, they have different personalities, experiences and skills as well as a variety of interests. We are very thorough in our selection of our Befrienders and some characteristics are essential - all need to be friendly, reliable, consistent and motivated to help and support their child or young person. They also need to be understanding, approachable and kind. To apply to become a Befriender please complete our Application Form.
- What do matches do together?
  Each match is tailor-made and unique. This means that they choose the activities that they would like to do together from their shared interests. So that could be badminton, football, zumba, swimming, knitting, programming, visits to cafes, the cinema, the beach, anything really. If we can check it to make sure it’s safe, then you can probably do it.
- What support do you offer to the Befriending Team?
  Our main role is to help each individual match be the best that it can be. This means that we are ready and waiting to offer any support we can to Befrienders. We also organise group events for Befrienders to get together, share how they’ve been getting on with their child or young person, and make friends with the other volunteers. Befriending isn’t just a one to one activity, it’s a team activity too. When you join the Young People’s Befriending Project, you join a team.
- Do all the matches ever meet together as a group?
  Yes! We love to all get together, so we have at least 4 – 6 sessions a year when we all meet (Befrienders, children, and young people) and take part in a group activity and meal together. These range from bubble football, meals together, games sessions, trips to Fernvalley and lot's more!
- What training do you offer to volunteers?
  All volunteer Befrienders are welcomed onto the team once we have done our checks, 2 satisfactory references have been recieved and our training course has been completed in full.
  Our foundation course consists of two full days of training covering a wide range of topics from confidentiality, to support and supervision, to listening and communication skills. If the child or young person has additional needs, we source and provide additional training to help a Befriender offer the best support.
- How is each match reviewed and monitored?
  Each match is reviewed after the first 6 weeks, and then again, every 6 months. At each of these stages we meet with the child or young person, their parent/carer, and the Befriender to gather their views. We also offer an open door policy, so everyone involved can get in touch with concerns or feedback at any time.
- How long does a match last for?
  All matches last for at least 6 months (this is the minimum requirement that we ask from Befrienders), but most continue beyond this point, with some continuing to meet for years. The duration of the match is generally determined by the need of the child or young person and the availability of the Befriender.
- Is there a financial cost to Befrienders?
  No, the service covers all the costs of the befriending. This includes things like:
  - travel expenses for befrienders and the child or young person
  - tickets for activities like the cinema
  - expenses for things like food or equipment hire
  No Befriender, child or young person should ever be out of pocket.
- Is the match confidential?
  Yes and no. We take confidentiality very seriously and are careful with what information is shared with other people. However, this confidentiality has limits, and if a Befriender or co-ordinator is concerned about the safety and welfare of a child or young person (or Befriender), then we will share this information with the appropriate authorities. Anonymous data is also shared with our funders and our management board.
- What are the referral criteria?
  Our referral criteria are relatively broad and encompasses children and young people:
  - living in Orkney who are vulnerable or isolated
  - going through difficult times
  - between the ages of 5 and 18
  We want to be able to support as many children and young people who are struggling as possible. Befriending isn’t the right fit for everyone though. We will discuss the child or young person’s needs and abilities more thoroughly with the referrer after they have contacted us.
  To make a referral, please complete a Referral Form.
- How does the waiting list operate, and how long is a child or young person likely to wait to be matched?
  The success of a match rests largely on how well each child or young person is matched. This means that our waiting list can’t operate on a first come first served basis. Need is of course taken into account, alongside compatibility, geographical location, interests, likes and dislikes, Befriender availability etc. Some children and young people are matched within a couple of months of being referred, while others may wait for multiple months, possibly even years.
- How does the service vet volunteers and prepare them for their role?
  All volunteer Befrienders are welcomed onto the team once we have done our checks, 2 satisfactory references have been recieved and our training course has been completed in full.
  Our foundation course consists of two full days of training covering a wide range of topics from confidentiality, to support and supervision, to listening and communication skills.
- How is each match reviewed and monitored?
  Each match is reviewed after the first 6 weeks, and then again, every 6 months. At each of these stages we meet with the child or young person, their parent/carer, and the Befriender to gather their views. We also offer an open door policy, so everyone involved can get in touch with their concerns or feedback at any time.
- What do matches generally do together?
  Each match is tailor-made and unique. This means that they choose the activities that they would like to do together from their shared interests. So that could be badminton, football, zumba, swimming, knitting, programming, visits to cafes, the cinema, the beach, anything really. If we can check it to make sure it’s safe, then you can probably do it.
- How long on average will a child or young person wait for a Befriender?
  Waiting times can vary quite signifcantly. This is because of the complexity of matching the child or young person to the right Befiriender and the way our waiting list works. Some can be paired up within a couple of months from the referral, while others may wait considerably longer, into years rather than months. It’s possible that some children or young people on our waiting list may never be matched – there are always more children and young people waiting than Befrienders available. We do everything we can to make the waiting times as short as possible.

Become a Befriender:

Making a referral

FAQs

Contact the Young People’s Befriending Project