Children and young people who are “Looked After”, often experience a lot of disruption in their lives. An Independent Visitor is a volunteer who is a consistent figure in the child, or young persons life.  Building a positive relationship with them, by being friendly, reliable and providing a listening ear. 

Children are referred to the scheme for a variety of reasons, which may include low self esteem and confidence.  Some have a need to develop their social and life skills, others may just need a little encouragement to try new activities away from their homes.

In the matching process, the wishes of of the child, or young person and volunteer are given careful consideration.  This takes into account, interests, experience and also the wishes of the individual and the volunteer.

Here's a video produced by Barnardo's to give you an insight into what the role is:

As part of your role, you will gain a wealth of experience and further insight into the looked after children system, by attending meetings, supporting the Childs care plan and liaising with others.

To gain further insight into the types of support our volunteers give, please read our volunteer stories below: Chloe, Kyle, Marie. 

"My volunteering has also helped me build my confidence and I feel happy that I can help to fill his life with positive experiences"

For more details, please contact Involve: [email protected]

Please visit: National Independent Visitor Network for more information.