Shropshire Mind Befriending Scheme

The Befriending Scheme is run from our office at Observer House. We work with clients throughout Shropshire (with the exception of Telford and Wrekin). Referrals are usually received from GPs, Social Workers, Community Mental Health Teams, Learning Disability Teams and other professionals. Self-referrals are also accepted.(see Befriending Referrals)

Aims and Objectives

The Befriending Scheme offers support, either face to face or over the telephone, for people who have experienced or are experiencing mental distress.

It aims to help bridge the gap between illness and full independence by supporting and encouraging clients to return to or maintain independent living.

Our befrienders help clients work on areas that are difficult, whilst also encouraging them to try new things and make choices that are appropriate for them.

This support takes place over the telephone or in the community wherever clients feel most comfortable; in a café, in the park or meeting for a cup of tea in their own home.

Who are our befrienders?

Our befrienders are volunteers. They are men and women of varying ages, usually between 18 and early 60’s, who give up their time to help others.

They are members of the general public and do not act as professional social workers, counsellors, psychologists or psycho therapists.

Most of them have either experienced some kind of mental distress themselves or have cared for someone who has.

They have all undergone initial in house training with Shropshire Mind and take part in ongoing training and development.

They have all had an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check and are fully supervised and supported by the Befriending Co-ordinator and other volunteers and staff at Shropshire MIND.

All befrienders are bound by Shropshire Mind's Confidentiality Policy.

Setting up a partnership

The following is the procedure for setting up face to face partnerships, similar arrangements apply for telephone partnerships.

Once a referral has been received the Befriending Co-ordinator normally contacts the client within 2 weeks, either by telephone or by letter to arrange an initial assessment meeting.

The meeting may be at the client’s house or wherever is mutually agreed. If posssible the CMHT worker or Care Co-ordinator will also be present. The meeting will last approximately one hour and will enable the Befriending Co-ordinator to get to know the client and his/her needs a little better. Questions will be asked which will help to determine if the scheme is appropriate for the client. The client will then be asked to sign the assessment form to show that they agree with the information recorded about them at meeting.

The Befriending Co-ordinator will then try to match the client with a suitable volunteer. The client will then be contacted and an iIntroduction meeting arranged with the client, the befriender and the Co-ordinator. The meeting will last about an hour and will take place wherever the client feels comforttable. At that meeting agreed targets for the partnership will be set (if appropriate) and the date of the first formal review will be agreed. The client (befriendee) and the volunteer (befriender) will also agree the date, time and venue of their first “solo” meeting and will talk about what they would like to do. They will meet thereafter on their own and will work in partnership toward achieving the targets that have been agreed.

Monitoring and Reviews

The Befriending Co-ordinator will keep in close contact with both parties and will telephone or arrange to see both parties every six or eight weeks to discuss how things are progressing. The befriendee and befriender can also contact the Co-ordinator whenever they need to. A Formal Review Meeting will take place every three months and will include the CMHT worker or Care Co-ordinator. Partnership Review Forms will be completed at the Formal Reviews and new targets may be set together with action points on how to improve the relationship.

Feedback to the CMHT / referring agency

Whatever a client chooses to disclose to a Shropshire Mind volunteer or member of staff will normally be treated in strict confidence within Shropshire Mind and will not be reported back to the CMHT or other outside agency other than in the most exceptional circumstances. Letters may be written to the CMHT or referring agency informing them of the dates of the initial assessment meeting, introduction meeting and formal review meetings. Informal comments about the progress of a partnership may also be passed on but no confidences will be broken.

Duration of Partnership and Frequency of Meetings

Every partnership is different and there are no hard and fast rules about how often befriendees and befrienders should meet and for how long. Such details are worked out between the befriendee, befriender and Co-ordinator and often depend on many factors such as; what kind of support the client needs, how much time the volunteer can give, distance to travel, likely activities etc. Some partnerships meet once a week for about an hour to have a cup of tea and a chat. Others meet fortnightly for an afternoon’s outing. Everything is tailored to suit the individuals involved. Some partnerships can last three months or less. Some have lasted for as long as two years but all will be continually reviewed.

Ending a Partnership

When either of the parties involved decides that they do not wish to continue with the partnership, the Support Worker will meet with them to complete an exit form. This will help us to ascertain how successful the partnership has been and to improve any aspects so that the service can be better in the future. If the befriender needs to leave the scheme for any reason and the befriendee would still like some support, the Co-ordinator will try to find a new befriender.

Befriendee’s Comments

• “The main advantage of the scheme is the encouragement and support that it gives.” “It’s a chance to get out!”
• “My befriender is understanding and trustworthy.”
• “It’s someone to confide in and connect with.”
• “I look forward to the visits!”
• “The partnership helps me maintain existing interests and offers me the chance to develop new ones!”
• One befriendee mentioned that she had learned to talk about her feelings, thoughts and ideas for the first time in her life. Another mentioned that if she visited a place with her befriender she then felt able to go again with her own family.