Women over the age of 60 make up the largest group of people using the service, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter

97 befriending volunteers have conducted 534 home visits since Waltham Forest Council’s befriending service launched in April last year.

Waltham Forest women make up the majority of people accessing the council-run ‘befriending’ service, data shows.

The Lifeline service, launched last April, is available for everyone aged over 18.

‘Befriending’ volunteers visit residents who may feel isolated or lonely at their homes and the service runs coffee mornings on weekdays in libraries across the borough.

Women comprise 61% of the user base and the largest overall cohort is adults older than 60, who comprise a total of 71% of clients, according to a report published by the council this week.

The most prominent ethnicity is white British at 49%. Black or black British residents make up 17% of service users, followed by 12% from Asian or Asian British backgrounds.

The council says it launched the new online service after deciding on a model “capable of meeting increasing demand linked to social isolation, mental health needs, and an ageing population while also improving value for money”.

Users are paired with volunteers who share similar interests and “culturally appropriate backgrounds,” the council says.

Core training undertaken by the befrienders includes safeguarding as well as on specialist courses related to dementia, mental health awareness, and data protection.

“This equips them to work appropriately and sensitively with a wide range of service users,” the council says.

“Genuine relationships” have formed between volunteers and service users, according to the report.

However, the council drew criticism last year for pulling funding for Age UK Waltham Forest (AUKWF)’s service aimed at isolated and housebound older people.

AUKWF argued the new service “excluded almost all our current older people because they don’t use the internet or smartphones and can’t leave their homes”.

The average age of a person who used the service was 82, according to the charity.

Find out more about the befriending service here

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