The meaning and value of services that are put in place to enable befriending is the subject of this interesting paper. McGowan et al. report on initiatives in Brighton, England that are designed to support people living with Asperger Syndrome. Terms, including mentoring and befriending, are analyzed and placed in both historical and commonly used contexts, in a short but informative literature review.

The application of participatory action research (PAR) to “frame” the research associated with the service development is welcome, as it fosters knowledge exchange between policy and practice makers. The most interesting section analyzes the term “social mentoring,” which was introduced several years ago by the paper’s authors. In this section, common ground is discussed, and several useful pointers are provided to help organizations develop social mentoring services.