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Befrienders I
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2. Three levels of service
• Playground Befrienders
• Listening friends
.
• Peer mediators

3. Playground Befrienders
• Work on a rota
• Wear high visibility jackets in the playground
• Stop playing and listen if a child approaches them
for help
• Help the child think about how they want to
resolve the problem
• Keep an eye on the Buddy Bench and make sure
children who are sitting there are listened to
• Ensures an adult is aware of issues arising
• Seeks urgent support from an adult if someone
has been hurt

4. Listening Friends
• Work on a rota during Golden Time to listen to
children who want to talk about a problem
• Are trained to listen well and to ask open
questions to encourage others to talk
• Support children to think about how they would
like to solve their own problems
• Encourage children to feel safe to involve adults
• Ensure the responsible adults knows about any
issues raised
• Immediately refer any problems where a child is
being hurt to the responsible adults

5. Peer mediators
• Are trained to understand conflict
• Help children to listen to each other in a calm
way so that they can hear what the problem
sounds and feels like from a different
perspective
• Support children to work through a problem
solving process within which they work out the
solution collaboratively
• Do not take sides and do not solve the problem
for the children
• Ensure adults are aware of the problems and
immediately refer issues of concern to the adults

6. Conflict
Conflict is an inescapable and essential part
of life, diversity and change.
Successful conflict resolution is a problem-
solving exercise, which involves achieving win-
win outcomes.
Disagreements happen – it’s important to
teach children how to deal with them in a
constructive way.

7. Ending conflict is all about
restoring good relationships
you want to make peace, you
“If
don't talk to your friends. You talk
to your enemies.”
Mother Teresa

8. Peer Mediation is
• Children talk face to face in a safe and supportive
discussion led by trained peer mediators.
• The process is organized, structured, and systematic
and aimed at producing positive actions and outcomes.
• Peer Mediation does not take the place of normal
consequences when inappropriate behavior has
occurred
• A structured process in which a neutral third party
assists voluntary participants in resolving their
conflicts.

9. Peer Mediation is
• Peer mediators will learn skills that will help defuse
conflict between fellow pupils by:
 helping pupils engaged in conflict to hear one
another,
 look for shared interests,
 develop an effective agreement, and
 help that agreement be implemented.
• There is always an adult nearby when peer mediation
takes place.

10. Befrienders is NOT about:
Deciding who’s ‘wrong’ or ‘right’.
Allocating blame.
Giving advice.

11. What situation can be
Befriended?
Arguments Conflict with peers
Teasing Verbal exchanges
Name-calling Misunderstandings
Rumours Horseplay

12. Which situations should be referred
to adults immediately?
 Issues that involve sensitive information
 Issues that involve the police
 When the dispute involves an adult
 When one or both parties have a history
with bullying or violence
 Racist Issues

13. Befrienders helps pupils to
Define a problem from their point of view
Identify and express their feelings and needs
Hear the feelings and needs of the other
person
Acknowledge each others viewpoint
Create solutions
Agree a course of action
Evaluate progress

14. What are the benefits of
Befrienders for the school?
1. Befrienders helps to further promote a
positive classroom environment and school
culture.
2. Gives teachers even more time to teach, and
pupils time to learn.
3. Helps to ensure problems are not left
unresolved.

15. What are the benefits for the
Befrienders?
1. Befrienders practice listening and
communication skills
2. Befrienders learn to work effectively
in a team
3. Befrienders develop more empathy
and compassion and learn to listen to
things from different perspectives

16. Befriender Training
Interpersonal relationships
active listening skills,
facilitating discussions,
step by step process
Collaborative style
explore alternatives, identify issues
think about consequences and how they will affect
the relationship

17. Signposts in Peer Mediation
This is the process of peer mediation:
•Peer mediators introduce themselves, set the ground rules and
make the promise; everyone is treated with respect, everyone
gets a chance to be heard fairly.
•They listen to each in turn and invite them to share with each
other how they felt about each other.
•They will then invite people to find a solution or way forward
and fix an agreement.