Befriending Networks Report August 2021 – March 2022 £170k grant to deliver a Befriending Fund

Wed 29 Jun 2022

Befriending Services have been a crucial part of the third sector response to Covid-19 but funding and limited resources remained key challenges in meeting the needs of the many referrals they have received and some of the people they support.  This fund built upon our knowledge and experience gained from management of the Befriending element of the Winter Support Fund and continued to support our ability to get funds to trusted and experienced befriending projects and gather direct feedback of the impact of befriending for the following specific client groups

·       Young people 16 – 24 yrs.

·       Women

·       Carers

·       People living with dementia

 

A total of 19 applications were received with 16 awards being granted. Total funds distributed were £162,800 with awards from £5,000 to £15,000 (the remainder of the grant was used to cover our costs of administering the fund and gathering evaluation data for this report on behalf the Scottish Government). The average award was £10,175. Applications were received from 8 NHS Board areas covering 13 local authorities, no applications were received from Ayrshire, Dumfries & Galloway, Orkney, Scottish Borders, Shetland or Western Isles. All identified client groups were covered by the 16 projects; 2 supporting Young people (16 – 24 yrs.), 7 supporting women, 3 carers projects and 6 supporting people living with dementia.

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