Befriending

Friendship, company and connection.

Ecas befriending offers friendship and companionship for isolated, physically disabled adults (over 18) living in Edinburgh.

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, able-bodied 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:

Sam Collins
Befriending Manager
Email: sam@ecas.scot
Tel: 0131 475 2344

Gary Smith
Befriending Assistant
Email: gary@ecas.scot