Community Engagement Workers

The Fund has six Community Engagement Workers based in the East and South East of England – Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Hampshire, and West Sussex.

Social isolation and loneliness can affect anyone, and it is linked to a range of damaging health impacts including heart disease, strokes and Alzheimer's disease.

Social isolation and loneliness can be experienced at any stage in life, but we recognise that there are certain times in one's life when the risk can be increased; bereavement, living alone or moving to a new area, poor health or reduced mobility, disability, and caring responsibilities.

Our 2015 research into the needs of the RAF Family indicates that at least 170,000 members of the RAF Family could be living alone or experiencing isolation issues.

Our Community Engagement Workers programme sits alongside our telephone friendship groups and group wellbeing breaks as some of the ways we are tackling this issue.

The Community Engagement Workers assist individuals to re-connect into meaningful and regular sociable activities to help reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation. This can involve providing practical support to overcome whatever barriers an individual faces to being better connected into their local community.

This could include financial support from the Fund to put in place transport solutions or cover the cost of respite carers, through to accompanying someone on their first visit to a social group to boost confidence.

If you would like to self-refer into the programme you can do so by calling 0300 102 1919. Alternatively, professionals or caseworkers can use the request our help form to refer someone in need of our assistance.