Carelink Befriending Services

Carelink Befriending provides a volunteer visitor to people who feel isolated and / or lonely in the Keighley area including: Haworth, Oxenhope, Silsden, Steeton, Eastburn, Oakworth, Riddlesden and Sandbeds.. Visits are face-to-face or people may wish to receive telephone calls instead. Volunteers visit people in their own homes on a regular basis, usually weekly for about an hour. Telephone calls are 20 -30 minutes each week. 

The service is free thanks to funding from the Lottery Reaching Communities Fund.

People can be referred to the service by health and social care professionals, other services, family or people can refer themselves. Carelink staff match them up with a trained and vetted volunteer or member of staff for a weekly chat. 

Visits or telephone calls are Monday to Friday, 9 - 4.30pm to enable staff support. There is no time limit to how long the service will continue and this may be for weeks, months or longer, according to need.

Once someone has been referred to Carelink a member of staff will get in touch and arrange a visit to discuss the service. At this visit, staff will go through what the service is and can provide, and if the person wants to go ahead, their details will be taken. Everyone goes on to a waiting list until a suitable volunteer becomes available. Staff arrange an introduction and accompany the volunteer for this first meeting. Volunteers and their Befriendees then arrange their weekly visits between themselves, and volunteers keep in touch with staff about their visits. Staff are available to provide support for the Befriending arrangement for as long as it continues.