This study set out to establish, implement and evaluate a programme of supported socialisation with people experiencing persistent mental health difficulties living in the community. A prospective RCT study, based on the CONSORT principles (Schulz, et al., 2010), was conducted. A community based trial design was employed within the Dublin Mid-Leinster region from 2007 to September 2011. Service users diagnosed with enduring mental illness and attending one of five mental health services were invited to participate. The intention was to promote a ‘friendship’ between volunteer and participant comparable to ordinary social friendships and existing outside of the usual constraints of the mental health care system. To ascertain the effectiveness of the intervention a number of outcomes were measured including: social functioning, self-esteem, loneliness, depression and social network type. Data on all outcome variables was collected at three time points: baseline (within two weeks of intervention commencement), mid-point (4-months following commencement) and endpoint (10 months following commencement). The results of this study clearly demonstrate that being supported to socialise resulted in improvements in social functioning, reduction in social and family loneliness, extended social networks, increased self esteem and a reduction in illness related symptom of depression