Befrienders
Verbal update by Cathi Bertin
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Minutes:
The group gave consideration to a presentation by Cathi Berton, the Project Director of Befrienders, which is a registered charity, whose principal aim was to provide a befriender service to children across Argyll and Bute. Ms Berton advised that the referral based service was run by herself and two part time staff and a number of volunteers from across the area. She also advised that the Management Committee was entirely volunteers. Ms Berton advised that referrals have grown by 28% from the previous year with their complexity also increasing. She outlined the broad spectrum of clients and reiterated that they were not only from deprived backgrounds. Mr Berton gave an example of a young man who originally came to them at the age of 9, and now at the age of 21 has received awards for being the Scottish and UK Apprentice of the Year. She advised that he credits his success in part to the relationships he formed thanks to the Befrienders scheme.
The Chair thanked Ms Berton for the information provided, and requested that the Senior Committee Assistant circulate the presentation to the wider Area Community Planning Group by email.
Decision:
The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Community Planning Group agreed to note the contents of the update.
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