Our befriending service seeks to match volunteer befrienders with adults living with a disability in Edinburgh who could benefit from some extra company. We know how common social isolation and loneliness can be and want to help by providing the chance to have a chat and some fun! Our befrienders will usually visit once per week, share interests with you, and help you get out and about if that’s something you would like to do.
How it works
- Ecas matches you up with a volunteer befriender
- Volunteers are from all walks of life and are of all ages
- They include people who are retired, students, non-disabled and disabled
- We check to make sure that all volunteers are suitable (through references and enhanced disclosure checks)
- We train and supervise volunteers before and after we match them with you
What befrienders do
- Get to know you, have a chat and provide some fun
- Visit you regularly (usually once a week)
- Keep you company
- Share interests, such as playing games
- Help you get out and about (for example for a cup of tea in a café, to a gallery or to the cinema)
Reliable befrienders
All of our befrienders are trained in:
- Disability awareness
- Boundaries
- Confidentiality
- Communication techniques
- Safety
- Wheelchair handling (if necessary)
Befrienders don’t provide any kind of personal care. They don’t give medication.
How we match a befriender with you
- Ecas gets to know you and the befriender to find out about both of you: your interests and hobbies and so on
- We introduce you to one another: you both have the chance to decide if you want to see one another
- We review the arrangement regularly as we want to make sure that both of you want to continue
It’s OK for either of you to ask for a different match at any time.
Find out more
Contact us to find out more about having your own befriender.
Speak to Sam Collins or Gary Smith if you’d like this service.
What happened when Sam met Robert?
Sam and Robert met for over a year and enjoyed a shared love of history. ‘We cover a lot of subjects, it wanders a lot, leading to the next thing,’ said Robert. ‘It’s a very chilled experience,’ said Sam. ‘There’s always a cup of tea waiting for me. I say ‘hi’ to the cats and we get chatting.’
Gallery
