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Our Family Befriending Project matches young refugees (aged 16-25) with volunteer families who offer to share a weekly or fortnightly meal with them on a regular basis. The young refugees who benefit from this project have all come to the UK alone without their families and the majority are care leavers. They benefit from being welcomed into a family environment and feel better supported and less isolated. The host family does not intend to replace a young person’s birth family, but will go some way to meeting some of the emotional needs families usually fulfil, helping young people to feel that they are cared about.
How we support you
Befriending a vulnerable young person can be a big commitment and we are on hand to support you every step of the way. We will match you based on a number of factors including family size, age and gender of children, location, preferences and hobbies. The Refugee and Migrant Support Practitioner will accompany the young person on their first visit and support the match on an ongoing basis.
We welcome families of all shapes and sizes from single people to large extended families. If you would like to find out more please get in touch (joy@birchnetwork.org).
If you are someone who is in touch with a young person who you feel would benefit from our Family Befriending project, please complete the Birch YOUNG PERSON Referral Form 2018.
Referrals:
If you are working with a young asylum seeker or refugee between the ages of 16-25 who would benefit from the support of the Family Befriending Project. Please check with Joy before filling out the referral form. Birch YOUNG PERSON Referral Form 2018.
If you are a young person who would like to be matched with a family and would like to find out more, please email joy@birchnetwork.org or call 07709645097.