Our service
What we do
FriendBee is a SEND Befriending Service that matches children and young people with a paid Befriender 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), who also live in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames or Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.
Befrienders are employed by Ruils, but families must be able to pay for their time at an hourly rate of £13.15 plus holiday.
What we don't do
While our service can help provide additional supports for young people, like personal care and transportation, FriendBee is not a child-minding, babysitting, academic tutor or chauffeur service. The primary role of our Befrienders is to build a relationship with a young person and support them in doing things that they want to do.
About our Befrienders
FriendBee Befrienders are recruited, trained, vetted and employed by Ruils to make finding the right support easier for families. We require that our Befrienders:
- Are over 18 years old
- Live, work or study in Richmond or Kingston Boroughs
- Have experience working with children/ young people
- Have the right to work in the UK
- Commit to at least 1 year
Our Befrienders go through a robust recruitment process, DBS and reference checks, and safeguarding and on-boarding training before they are able to work with families. They also have regular supervision sessions with FriendBee coordinators and ongoing training/professional development opportunities.
How it works
"My son has become more confident with his Befriender and is enjoying his passion of travelling. Come whatever the weather, his Befriender will always turn up ready to go where he has chosen. Fantastic!"
Richmond Family"My son has enjoyed building a relationship with our Befriender who has been kind, fun and flexible in approach. It has increased his confidence talking to someone outside family and school, sharing his passions such as Lego and Minecraft, watching a movie, walking to the park and buying an ice cream. Ruils provides valuable support and respite for us, including the occasional night out."
Cathy E. FriendBee Parent