Befriending service
The Befriending Service is provided by Neath Port Talbot Council. Our volunteer Befrienders are there to form successful, trusting partnerships with people who are very lonely and have very little, or no meaningful social contact with other people.
A Befriender can provide some companionship or help you feel more confident about forming your own relationships in the future.
Meeting your Befriender
When you first meet your Befriender, the coordinator will be there to introduce you to each other. You and your Befriender will discuss a suitable arrangement for you both to meet and what you would like to do together. After this meeting, the coordinator will keep in contact with you to make sure your befriending partnership is going well.
All of our volunteer befrienders are trained, have a DBS check and provide two references. We only select volunteers who are suitable for the role.
Using the Befriending Service
First, you need to contact us by phone or email, where we will request some information from you, along with your reasons for wanting to use the service.
If the service is right for you, the coordinator will find you a suitable volunteer and introduce you as soon as possible.
Who the Service is for
The service is there for anyone:
- over the age of 25
- living in Neath Port Talbot andÂ
- is significantly affected by loneliness and has very little or no contact with others
How long it lasts
Normally a befriending partnership would last for up to 6 months.
The hope will be to leave you in a more positive place, with new links to your community and more options for support should you need it. Before your last meeting, the coordinator and volunteer Befriender will meet with you to prepare you for the end of the befriending partnership.