Free
Sign UpDo you want to help make your community more dementia-resilient?
Connected Lives Dementia and Social Connection training will empower you to plan and deliver dementia-friendly events and services in your community.
The course blends research, case studies and practical advice with lots of opportunities for discussion and peer learning. This training session is free so book now to avoid disappointment
You will benefit from Connected Lives training if you are based in Scotland and any of the following apply:
Your free Connected Lives training session includes:
3.5 hours of online learning with an experienced facilitator
Access to dementia training resources, including the Connected Lives Good Practice Guide
Certificate of completion
You can also access the Connected Lives e-learning for volunteers and carers, which will be released later in the year.
The Connected Lives course blends research, case studies and practical advice with lots of opportunities for discussion and peer learning. The course structure below gives a snapshot of what you’ll take away from the course.
Deepen your understanding of dementia and the importance of social connection for people living with dementia.
In this section, you will:
Develop and deliver inclusive events, activities and services that are accessible for people living with dementia.
In this section, you will:
Support your volunteers to build and sustain relationships with people living with dementia
In this section, you will:
Identify your next steps to offering a dementia-friendly service for your community
In this section, you will:

Our Learning and Development Manager, Victoria, has been working at Befriending Networks since 2018. She is responsible for designing and delivering our full training programme and e-learning courses. Since 2021, she has been running the Dementia and Befriending Good Practice course to help organisations offer practical, confident, and compassionate support when working alongside people living with dementia.
Previously working within primary schools, secondary education and university settings, Victoria uses her understanding of education and adult learning to create training resources that are inclusive to learning styles and targeted at reducing barriers to learning.
Having worked with those in the care system, prison system and secure units within hospitals, Victoria is competent in discussing mental health and wellbeing, trauma-informed practice and safeguarding procedures.
As a graduate of media, Victoria applies her understanding of communication to build resources that are comprehensive, efficient and engaging. As a recent graduate of MSc Social Innovation, Victoria facilitates with a passion for the power of volunteers and community-led positive change in society.
No, the training session will not be recorded and a recording will not be sent out after the session.
We want to ensure that the training is inclusive and suitable for all. When booking, please inform us of any accessibility requirements that you have so we can provide the support you need.
BSL interpreters are available on request, dependent on interpreter availability. Please book as early as possible to allow us time to arrange this.
To help us ensure we gather accurate attendee information and evaluation data, you can only book one ticket per order. Please submit your bookings separately.
While you’ll get the most out of the event if you can stay until the end, we understand that you may have caring or other commitments that prevent this. The final module of the day is primarily signposting to other resources, which will be sent out post-event, so you can leave before this module if needed.
As places are very limited, please email us on info@befriending.co.uk if you can no longer attend so we can free up a place for someone else.
Our online sessions will be open to attendees based outside Scotland, though Scotland-based organisations and practitioners will be prioritised.
Yes, this training will be relevant to anyone who supports people living with dementia.
Connected Lives is a brand new course with a wider scope than our Dementia and Befriending course. Please refer to the What You’ll Learn section for more details about the content of the course to see if it will be relevant for you.
We will be running in-person training sessions in 20 locations across Scotland, as well as 4 online. Visit our Connected Lives training page for details of other sessions.
Connected Lives is a Befriending Networks project funded by the Scottish Government’s Dementia Resilient Communities Fund.

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