Befriending: Aims of the session

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Befriending Aims of the session

• Provide an insight into setting up a befriending
  service
• Offer some transferable strategies for developing
  a befriending service in a variety of settings

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Learning outcomes

• Have some knowledge of the origins and literature
  related to befriending
• Debate and discuss the challenges of setting up
  befriending
• Identify the training requirements of potential
  befrienders
• Recognise the risks and benefits associated with
  befriending
• Apply the principles of service provision to own
  client group

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Literature

• Lots of befriending projects around.
• Scottish befriending network
• BBBSA
• Nothing specific to CF in Scotland.

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Background

• Butterfly Trust Scottish Charity supporting
  people affected by CF
• People living with CF
• Families and carers

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• Close collaboration with Local Hospitals
• Identification of need initiated by CFCNSs
• Funding From Lloyds/HBOS to set up pilot, 18/12
• QMU asked to evaluate- research Grant from QNIS.

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SCENARIO

• Imagine that you are setting up this project.
• In groups try and answer the following questions

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Group 1

• What are the clients needs/issues?

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Group 2

• Who are the befrienders?

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Group 3

• What are the essential elements of recruitment?

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Group 4

• What are the befrienders training needs?

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Group Discussion

• How would you apply these principles to your own
  setting?
• What are the commonalities?
• What are the differences?
• Resources
• Ethics

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Evaluation of a community befriending programme
(Cool Friends) for young people with CF

• Kath MacDonald, Alison Goulbourne
• Queen Margaret University Edinburgh

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Methods

• 11 interviews children/parents
• Focus groups Befrienders
• 1 1 interviews key others play therapists,
  education personnel.
• Children/parents interviewed 3/12 into project
  then a year later.

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Sample

• 6 family dyads (child and 1 parent) interviewed
  at stage 1
• 4 young people, 2 parents interviewed again 1
  year later
• 3 befrienders
• 4 key personnel

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Case Study 1

• Gary aged 8 CF keeps well, real live wire.
• Lives with mum, dad and brother.
• Lots of sibling rivalry between Gary and John
• Mum finds it all very hard work, constantly
  stepping in to peace keep between the boys

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Case study 2

• George aged 16
• Just left school
• Lives with mum and dad, 7 brothers and sisters
  and menagerie of pets.
• Focussed on keeping fit keeping up with peers
• Lacks self confidence/social skills

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Case study 3

• Amanda aged 15
• Lives with mum and brother
• Quiet and withdrawn
• Health deteriorating CFRDM
• Struggling emotionally

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Results

• 2 in same befriending relationship at 18 months
• 2 on a second befriender
• 1 declined after 1st befriender didnt work out
• 1 had 3 befrienders
• Duration of befriending 2-18/12

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Results

• Befriending seen as a good thing by all parties
  involved.
• Outcomes for children
• Fun
• Sense of purpose
• Broadening Horizons
• Helped to answer big questions
• Relief of boredom when in hospital
• Increased self esteem

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Parents Outcomes

• Few hours peace!
• Helped share emotional burden
• Parents happy if their child was happy

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Befrienders

• Felt they were offering young people some time
  out
• Broadening Horizons
• Mentorship role
• Sharing emotional burden
• Sometimes felt at sea Language of CF/Children
  and parents as experts
• Long term relationships wanted to push boundaries
  further.

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Case study 1

• Its great, he took me to his laboratory, I got
  to make smoke!
• Peace, 2 hours of peace! (mum)
• You can introduce them to things they might not
  otherwise be exposed to- broadening their
  horizons (befriender)

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Case study 2

• My dad always says I come back much happier
  after Ive been with my befriender
• I know he can talk to his befriender about
  things (dad)
• I would like to take it further, I would like
  him to meet my family

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Case study 3

• Me? put my feet up, cup of tea, black white
  movie, thatll do me!(mum)

• I can ask her things and shell always try to
  find an answer
• Normally she just lies in bed but when its a day
  with the befriender shes up out of that bed
  showered, and ready to go(mum)

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Issues

• Multiple Befrienders- I thought it was me
• Exit strategies not clear
• Widening social networks
• Support and training
• Befriending commitment 1 year minimum
• Boundaries
• Referrals slow, matching takes time.
• Behind target for numbers replacing old
  befrienders rather than setting up new dyads.

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COOL FRIENDS

• Implementation

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Future

• Widen geographic area
• Extend to adults and siblings
• Continue to support befriender training needs
• Networking with other befriending agencies.
• Tighten up exit strategies, referral matching
  process.

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Acknowledgements

• Butterfly Trust
• Research steering group
• RHSC
• Co-researcher Alison Goulbourne
• QNIS (funder)

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And finally

• Full report available _at_ http//www.butterflytrust.
  org.uk/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/qnisrep
  ortjuly2007.pdf