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Our Befriending Service is currently closed while we seek additional funding to continue supporting our community. Thank you for your understanding.

Request a Befriender

Thank you for getting in touch with Community Connections Befriending service!

To request this service you must be a Lewisham resident aged 18 or over. Priority is given to those who have no other sources of companionship. We will do our best to match you with a suitable Befriender as soon as possible. The service is completely reliant on volunteers so please be patient with our team as we try to match you.

Before filling out the form below please make sure you have read and meet the following criteria:

Befriending Referral Criteria (2025)

  • Please complete all sections of the referral form, otherwise we may be unable to accept your referral
  • We regretfully cannot accept referrals from those with complex cognitive or mental health support needs, or those with a Dementia diagnoses. If this applies to you, the following link may be helpful: Dementia services in Lewisham
  • You need to be able to form a mutually rewarding and boundaried relationship with a volunteer, and you must be able to make and keep appointments
  • We are a volunteer-led service so there is likely to be a wait before we can allocate a suitable befriender for you. We aim to get in touch with accepted referrals within 6 weeks.

You must:

  • Be aged 18+
  • Be a resident of the Borough of Lewisham
  • Have expectations and needs that are within our service’s scope and capacity
  • Be able to answer the phone independently and hold a conversation over the phone
  • Not have a diagnosis of Dementia or complex mental health support needs.

A Befriender Can...

  • Call or meet you weekly to provide a friendly chat and a listening ear
  • Motivate you to be more active or work towards achieving a goal
  • Support you to get more involved with your community eg. through providing information and giving encouragement

A Befriender Cannot...

  • Visit you at home
  • Contact your GP, Social Worker, or anyone else on your behalf (they will always want to support you to represent yourself and can signpost to other services to help you do that if needed)
  • Give you medical or financial advice
  • Provide personal care, cleaning, or shopping services
  • Give you their personal number to call outside of agreed times
  • Provide counselling or advocacy
  • Handle money for you - You should never make any payment to your befriender for their service, give them access to your bank accounts, or have any sort of financial transaction with them
I declare that I have read the criteria at the top of this form and am referring myself or a person who meets all criteria. This includes not having a dementia diagnosis.
i.e Community Connections Lewisham, leaflets, community event
Please follow this link to refer to Community Connections Lewisham - https://communityconnectionslewisham.org/make-a-referral/ - Please note: if you plan to, or have already referred to CCL for social prescribing, we may not accept this application, as social prescribing should be sought in the first instance when appropriate. Befriending can be accessed later via their pathway if needed.

About you, the befriendee

Please select one from the dropdown list above
Please select from the dropdown list above
If you are making this referral on behalf of someone else, please ask this question directly to the person you are referring, and record their response in their own words. Answers such as 'ask the client' will not be accepted.
If you are making this referral on behalf of someone else, please ask this question directly to the person you are referring, and record their response in their own words. Answers such as 'ask the client' will not be accepted.
If you are making this referral on behalf of someone else, please ask this question directly to the person you are referring, and record their response in their own words. Answers such as 'ask the client' will not be accepted.
If you are making this referral on behalf of someone else, please ask this question directly to the person you are referring, and record their response in their own words. Answers such as 'ask the client' will not be accepted.
In order to help you, we need to store information about you. The law says that we must get your consent to do this. Everything you tell us will be treated confidentially and your data will be subject to the Data Protection Act 2018. Records will be kept securely for 6 years and then securely destroyed. For more information please visit our website at http://www.communityconnectionslewisham.org
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