An example of responsive service best practice is an Employee Assistance Programme delivered by an employer in Belfast. Focus on…Employee Assistance Programme“It was useful that it was there. I needed Aim: Employers reaching out to employees in to talk about it with someone outside of looking out for their mental and physical health. my friends. I just wanted to talk. There were all these questions in my mind, Summary: Providing eight free counselling services feelings of guilt and whether I could have as part of their overall benefits package, which can done anything diferently. I needed to talk be accessed by any employee at any time and to someone.” operating a 24 hour helpline 365 days a year. (Bereaved, Male, Belfast, 18-34) Restorative support Once loneliness becomes a barrier itself, people Once disconnected, individuals are often trying need help to rebuild confidence and then forge to reconnect again, but might need restorative new connections. For individuals with more support to achieve this. severe need, this kind of support might involve intensive, personalised support – for example, Many participants noted that when they realised home visits with professional support staff, loneliness had ‘set in’, they needed support in or volunteers with training in handling difficult the form of opportunities to build confidence and emotive conversations. Support in taking and forge new connections. In particular, the small, ‘first steps’ towards addressing their idea of bonding over shared interests and taking circumstances was seen as well-placed for up activities that offered new, positive identities, people at this stage. widely appealed. “The fact that they would visit your home Many best practice services and support allowed would remove the hurdles of going out participants to rally around fun hobbies and and facing the world for those who aren't informal connections (making things, eating, feeling up for it.” travelling) or volunteering. These approaches (Bereaved, Male, Belfast, 18-34) helped forge new connections whilst also building Once initial confidence and trust had been positive identities. Both participants and experts established, both public participants and experts also stressed the need for tailoring of support, agreed that the aim of these kinds of services and and considering the relevance of activities to the support should be to begin to foster independent individual the services are looking to support.connections and self-reliance. For example, “I think doing an activity that people will more one-on-one support could eventually turn enjoy will help them to open up with each to identifying local activities or clubs that the other and help people to bond and make individual might enjoy, supporting initial ‘entry’ new connections.” into the community and problem-solving together, (Young new mum, Female, Belfast, 18-24)and, over time, be replaced by these established Other participants, particularly those experiencing social supports. chronic loneliness thought they would need more intensive support initially to ‘break the bubble’. What kind of support do people want and how do they want support delivered? 40