Referrals
Do you know someone who is lonely, bereaved or isolated who could benefit from Befriended?
We are an organisation that is passionate about making a difference to the lonely and isolated older people living in Mid-Sussex
We value each and every person and so anyone who is referred to Befriended will be treated as an individual and will be assessed as such. We welcome referrals from both professional agencies as well as personal links whether they are a neighbour, a friend, a family member or someone else who takes the time to notice a need. You may wish to refer someone for one-to-one befriending, bereavement support or one of our other activities.
Please note we are only able to accept referrals for residents of Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath and surrounding villages because this is the area served by our activities and volunteers. Also, please be aware that we are not able to provide transport to our activities.
Referrals for one-to-one Befriending
Befriended will firstly assess if the person referred meets the criteria for our befriending scheme. Sometimes people are referred who do not need what we offer or are looking for something different so we then signpost them to other services.
The criteria for one-to-one Befriending are:
Over 65 years old
Limited or no family or friends who visit regularly
Lonely and spend a lot of time alone
Able to form a friendship and maintain a conversation
Living in Mid Sussex
The process of referral can take anything up to 8-10 weeks, depending on the outcome of the assessment and the availability of the right volunteer.
Once we have received a referral, we will get in touch directly with the individual and arrange a time to conduct a home visit and a risk assessment. At this point, we will collect some more information from the individual about their likes and dislikes, their hobbies, what they like to read or watch. This information all feeds into our ‘Match made in Heaven’. A risk assessment is carried out to ensure that both our clients and our volunteers are kept safe.
We will then begin the matching process where we aim to create a ‘Match made in Heaven’, this will take the preferences of both client and volunteer as well as hopefully matching them with someone who has similar interests or hobbies so that they instantly have something in common that they can chat about.
Once we’ve created our ‘Match made in Heaven’, we’ll arrange a time for the client and volunteer to meet and be introduced to one another. After this, it’s over to one of our wonderful volunteers to meet regularly with their matched client and hopefully create a lasting friendship.
Befriended provides ongoing support for both the volunteer and the client by being in touch regularly with both and addressing any issues or changes in circumstances that may arise. Also in order to monitor and evaluate the difference befriended is making we ask the volunteer to complete an update form each month.
The process
Referrals for bereavement support
Referrals for our bereavement support can be made directly through our website.
We welcome referrals from both professional agencies and personal connections — whether that’s a neighbour, friend, family member, or anyone you know who may be in need of support.
If you or someone you know could benefit from attending, please let them know about our service or contact us for more information.
Start a referral
If you would like to refer someone to Befriended please use the link to our Referral Form. If you’re unsure about whether Befriended is the best route for this person, please feel free to give us a call on 0300 772 7703 for an initial chat.
