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Could you befriend and support a young person in care?
The ERYC Voices That Influence Service is recruiting Independent Visitor (IV) Volunteers to visit and befriend a young person in care, usually once a month.
The aim of the role is to be a positive adult role model and provide 1-2-1 time and space for a young person to talk, feel listened to, valued, and have some fun. IVs are matched with a care experienced child or young person to befriend them and act as a positive role-model; build trusting, positive relationships.
There are plenty of ways to raise healthy, resilient children but there are no short-cuts. IVs provide care and consistency to looked after children who would benefit from extra support in a safe and successful way that is centered around the child. We should be reaching many more children – and with raised awareness, we could be.
Children and young people in care have often experienced trauma and a lack of consistent adult relationships. The IV will endeavour to become and remain a stable adult in the child’s life who doesn’t change when placements or social workers change and will always remain child focused. IVs take an interest into the lives, hopes and concerns of a child or young person, and they are there to listen and most of all have fun doing all kinds of activities together. Children and young people often say having an IV makes a big difference to their lives, improving their confidence and helping them to feel valued, alongside this they also get to make lots of happy memories with their IV.
The IV offer to children and young people in the East Riding of Yorkshire will ensure that we are meeting our statutory requirement to children and young people in care and that provision is in line with the National Standards for the Provision of Independent Visitor produced by the National Independent Visitors Network.
The overall aim of the Independent Visitor offer is to provide children and young people in care with the opportunity to have a positive, one to one relationship with a trusted adult is who completely independent of the care system.
Want to know more about becoming an IV?
If you think being an IV could be for you, then please contact Rights4u@eastriding.gov.ukmailto:Rights4u@eastriding.gov.uk or the Coordinator Mark Morton at mark.morton@eastriding.gov.uk for more information
"The role of an Independent Visitor is so rewarding. Having the chance to meet and get to know a young person, who for whatever reason, just needs someone outside of their family network to engage with, really allowed me to understand what challenges our young people face in this modern age.
Spending time and being able to chat and support them helped me see the world through their eyes.
I got to know many young people and they have all left a lasting impression with me.
If you have a few hours per week to spare, please consider undertaking this role; it really is worth it!"
Kerri Harold, Smile Foundation
