Does anyone use the NAS Befriender scheme?

[5inthebed]

I am thinkig of applying to this for DS2 (after having the form since July last year) and wondered if it worth doing? I would love for someone to help me with DS2 when we are out and about, or even take him to a park so I can spend some time with DS1, and this sounds just the thing.

We did and it was disastrous! BUt the person who runs it down here is useless. Worth trying but don't hope for too much!

In what way? Was the befriender just not knowledgable to your DC needs, or did they not turn up when arranged?

Just about everything.
Filled in the forms. Had the phone call from the organiser. She had found a great person for us, matched us completely, didn't want to go swimming (fine) but was looking forward to taking ds1 to coffee shops (bells should have started ringing then), yes this girl was perfect and just couldn't wait to get to know a high functioning child with autism.

At which point I stopped her and pointed out that ds1 is not high functioning. She flustered a bit and said was I sure? I said yes I was quite sure and that he was non verbal, to which she relied 'oh but he communicates doesn't he?'

Sometime around now I lost the will to live but agreed to meet with the befriender. A time was arranged and she was going to bring the befriender. She turned up over an hour late- luckily (or not) she had done the same to a friend so I was warned. The befriender was mortified.

The befriender was OK. Nice enough girl. Doing it for her CV, which is fine, but I couldn't leave her with ds1 at all - not for a second - because she just wasn't switched on or interested enough. So it just ended up being more work for me.

Sounds like a bit of a nightmare then. I understand that the befrienders are only volunteers, but surely they must give them some sort of training to be able to understand someone with ASD/AS, especially as we are writing things down on the application form.

i was thinking of looking into the nas scheme too, but waiting first to hear about mencap as weve been referred for befriending through them, have you looked into them doing anything similar? sorry i know im no help though!

No-one seemed to have read my application form and the training was very basic.

Mencap would probably be better for us, but we don't have a local group.

ours isnt very local but thy cover this area, have you checked saintlydamemrsturnip?? sorry you probably have already though

I wasn't aware Mencap done befriending. DH got the info from a group he took DS2 to once, so I only have the info I have on paper. I might give them a call some point this week to enquire further.

i didnt think mencap did but social services here insist they do and i was still unsure so phoned to ask and the useless sw was right about at least that - shes useless otherwise!!

we have one and she's lovely, final yearteaching student

trns up as te clock strikes 2, absolutely ideal

only is that she leaves soon.

we waitd 2 years for the right eprson, mind

from my experience having worked in a similar amtching role pre SN, it all comes down to the matching abilities of the coordinator and the assessments they make during recruitment- homewstart is similar and you get the same breadth of experiencs (albeit temopered by longevity of practice)