RUILS FriendBee SEND Befriending
Organisation/service details
Organisation details
Description of activity
FriendBee is a SEND Befriending Service delivered by Ruils that matches young people with a paid befriender or buddy to help them access social and leisure activities. We currently support young people up to the age of 25 that have a Special Education Need or Disability (SEND) that impacts their social life, who also live in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames or Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.
Our Befrienders are recruited, trained, vetted and employed by Ruils to make finding the right support easier for families. Our service is designed to make long-term and sustainable matches between families and Befrienders. While we help coordinate matches and manage the employment of Befrienders, parents work directly with Befrienders to establish a schedule for sessions.
For more detailed information about our service and available positions, visit our website.
Organisation contact details
Address and accessibility
Address details
Building name
Address 2
Town
Postcode
Availability
Availability details
When is the activity or service available
How to access the service/activity
Description of eligibility or referral criteria and pathways (if applicable)
How it works
1. Download and fill out our Family Registration Form and submit it via email to Hallie or Sue. You can find more information about registration and the service here on the RUILS website (link above).
2. Arrange a home visit. This is a time for us to get to know your family and how we can help. We typically meet with the family without the young person present so that we can speak openly about their needs.
3. We will create a profile about your family and share it with our registered Befrienders. Once a Befriender indicates an interest in working with you, we will pass along their contact details and you can set up an initial meeting.
4. Once you, your young person, and the befriender have met and everyone is happy to move forward, we allow you to make the arrangements directly with the Befriender.
5. The Befriender will have you sign a time sheet each month and will submit it to Ruils. You will receive an invoice with the amount owed.
Does a parent / carer need to stay on premises during activity
Is there a cost for this service or activity
Please provide further details
Befrienders are employed by Ruils, but the hourly rate for Befrienders is the London Living Wage and this cost is covered by the family.