Have you heard about Building Connections?
Date: 31 May 2024
Building Connections is a new service offered by the NSPCC to support children and young people experiencing loneliness.
Building Connections is completely free to schools and other organisations.
Building Connections is an Early Intervention strategy designed to empower children and young people to build confidence, develop resilience and improve coping strategies around loneliness or social isolation.
Children and Young People work 1:1 with a trained befriender via a secure online text messaging platform for one hour per week over 11 sessions. Together with their befriender, they work through a seven step programme of support.
Types of issues Building Connections can help with:
- Transitional periods – such as moving to a new school or area.
- Emotional health – including stress, lower self-esteem, social anxiety, low mood or social isolation.
- Friendship issues and bullying – struggling to make or maintain friends or experiencing bullying or cyberbullying.
- Sense of otherness – experiencing a sense of ‘otherness’ due to how peers have reacted to their sexual or gender identity, race, religion or other protected characteristics.
This list isn’t exhaustive and each referral is reviewed individually.
The Service is available for any children and young people up to the age of 19 who are experiencing loneliness. It’s available from 8am – 8pm, Monday to Friday, depending on the CYP’s availability. They can choose to have their sessions at home or school on the same day and at the same time every week.
More information can be found by visiting: NSPCC Building Connections
Click HERE to watch a short video about Building Connections.
Kevin Lynch is the South West Building Connections Befriending Coordinator who can be contacted at kevin.lynch@nspcc.org.uk. He is available to discuss Building Connections and support you to make a referral to the Service.
