NSPCC Building Connections Service

Building Connections is an online service for young people up to the age of 19, empowering them to find a way through loneliness.

It is delivered via a secure text messaging platform.

Young people work through the online Building Connections programme over 11 weeks, with the support of a trained befriender.

For details of the service Building Connections | Support service for young people | NSPCC Learning 

Types of issues Building Connections can help with

• Transitional periods – such as moving to a new school or area.
• Emotional health – including stress, lower self-esteem, social anxiety, low mood or social isolation.
• Friendship issues and bullying – struggling to make or maintain friends or experiencing bullying or cyberbullying.
• Sense of otherness – experiencing a sense of ‘otherness’ due to how peers have reacted to their sexual or gender identity, race, religion or other protected characteristics.

This list isn’t exhaustive and each referral is reviewed individually.

Building Connections gives young people tools that can help them build their confidence and better equip them to manage loneliness.

How to access the service

Building Connections is an online service. Young people will need an internet connection and an email address.

They should also have access to a quiet and private space to attend sessions with their befriender. 

If you know a young person who would benefit from this service, you can make a referral.