Profile and Role of FRIEND Facilitator

The FRIEND Facilitator is a person, professional or volunteer, who values friendship and recognises it as a strategy to combat loneliness and overcome social exclusion that may arise in later life. Although the FRIEND programme originates from the Dutch FEP who was delivered by clinical professionals, the ambition of FRIEND is that it can be implemented by many other persons, regardless of qualifications. Despite this, it would be beneficial to have experience in social intervention, with knowledge of ageing related issues and good communication skills. They need a good level of empathy and compassion, relating to the experiences and challenges of older adults and be able to provide encouragement and emotional support if needed.

The essential skills of a Facilitator (Figure 2), as concluded from the 15 focus groups with professionals from Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, Spain and Poland, are:

Given that the competencies of professionals and volunteers may differ significantly, it is crucial to ensure the careful selection of facilitators. This is essential to guarantee that the FRIEND programme is implemented by individuals who possess the appropriate profile and skills for the role. Several strategies are recommended to guide the selection process:

• Background and Experience: Facilitators can be selected based on relevant professional or personal experience, particularly in areas involving interpersonal communication, group facilitation, or conflict management.
• Application or Registration Forms: These forms can be used to gather background information and assess whether candidates align with the requirements of the facilitator role.
• Nomination by the Promoting Organization: Organizations responsible for delivering the FRIEND Programme may identify and recommend professionals who demonstrate the necessary competencies and mindset.
• Trial Experience: During training, potential facilitators should ideally experience the FRIEND activities firsthand. This allows them to evaluate their own comfort level and aptitude for the methodology.

To enhance the involvement of volunteers as FRIEND facilitators, additional strategies may be applied:

• Presenting the Project to Volunteer Groups: Introducing the FRIEND Programme to existing volunteer groups can help identify individuals with interest and motivation to take on facilitation roles.
• Profile Analysis of Volunteer Databases: Those responsible for managing volunteer pools can conduct a profile match to identify candidates suited to the facilitator role. For that, volunteers may be required to undergo an assessment and an interview with a psychologist before being integrated into the volunteer database.
• Inclusion of Older Volunteers in Leadership Roles: Encouraging older adults to act as facilitators may enhance peer engagement and increase the programme’s relevance and relatability. This peer-led dynamic has the potential to strengthen group cohesion and foster greater trust.

It is further recommended that all FRIEND sessions conducted with older participants include two facilitators. Ideally, this pair should consist of one professional and one volunteer. This combination not only balances expertise and relatability but also contributes to creating a supportive, well-managed, and inclusive environment for the group.

In terms of responsibilities, the FRIEND facilitator must have a thorough understanding of the programme’s materials, the structure and content of the different sessions, and the specific objectives and outcomes the FRIEND programme aims to achieve.

For this reason, it is valued that facilitators complete the Train the Trainers in a more immersive approach. Besides the resources to help facilitators to familiarize with the key concepts and content of the programme (which can be transformed into readable materials), an immersive and interactive session allows them to personally experience the activities and group dynamics. By participating as a learner before taking on the role of facilitator, individuals will be better equipped to confidently and effectively guide sessions, respond to participants’ needs, and adapt the methodology appropriately to different contexts. The FRIEND Facilitator needs to acknowledge that his/her position is not to offer a social and merely informal encounter, but a learning process to develop social skills.

The facilitators’ role is to guide and support the group in working collaboratively and effectively, without becoming the central figure. Their aim is to create a safe and inclusive environment where all participants feel encouraged to contribute. Facilitators help maintain focus, manage group dynamics, promote shared leadership, and ensure discussions stay on track. They engage as equals, not as authority figures, and offer support through questions, clarifications, and occasional interventions when conflicts arise. They also ensure that group activities are documented. Overall, the facilitator empowers the group to progress independently while ensuring a respectful, safe and productive atmosphere (Rahman, 1994).

In practical terms, the FRIEND Facilitator is the person who plans the sessions, organise the material, delivers the activities and contributes to the evaluation. Depending on the resources available and the partnerships formed, the FRIEND Facilitator may be a ‘one-person-does-it-all’ or there may collaborations offered by other entities, such as an external evaluator.

An adequate Facilitator of the FRIEND programme recognizes and respects diversity in ageing, embracing all kinds of experiences. A FRIEND Facilitator assumes that older adults participating are experts in relationships due to their “lifetime of experience”. In addition, the FRIEND Facilitator believes in the potential of longevity and the contribution of adults as they grow older, he/she defends self-determination and empowerment as a long-term goal (Stevens, 2001). This assumption will benefit the way the Facilitator behaves towards participants and how patient he/she will be on the time needed to foster new relationships and friends.