Has anyone been an independent visitor?

[holtol]

I'm considering taking up some form of volunteer role for a few hours per month.

I don't have any specific skill like gardening or baking, but I am a caring person and I heard about people that are independent visitors to give time to children looked after who is there for them and not because they are paid to provide a service.

Has anyone done this before that can provide some insight?

Do you see them in their care environment or go for a walk? It's hard to do things without spending money so did you use your own funds?

How much time on average say per week did you give and was the visit with the same person or someone different each time?

Would you recommend it?

I hadn’t heard of this before, it sounds like a wonderful idea. Not the ideal time for me with young DC of my own but will share it with people I know who may be interested.

Thank you for this thread OP and for those who have contributed their experiences of being an IV

my own dcs are teen/young adults now so my family is moving towards a position where I could consider this.
I also work as a mental health nurse, often with teenagers 16+
In my job obviously I have a very specific, time limited, boundaried role.

However I would love to consider being an IV and making more of a difference. Many years ago I had the privilege of working with a lad who had been in care. He had an excellent social worker who went above and beyond and he had a ‘mentor’ - sounded similar to an IV. The impact those adults had had on his life was inspiring and literally life changing, it improved his prospects, his outlook and his mental health. He recognised this himself which was so lovely and I was able to (hopefully) make a difference with his mental health to help him along his journey.

I do similar via ymca charity called y girls where do weekly mentoring visits £10/wk budget

Hi Kate / just wondered if you're matched with someone now? If so how did the matching process work and what had the first visit been like if you've had it?

A very good friend of mine did this and said it was so rewarding. Sometimes she went out for walks, but most often she spent time doing arts and crafts with her little girl. My friend was incredibly creative and she shared this interest with her girl. I think she did it a few times a month. I'm afraid I don't know many more details though. A really lovely thing to do that will have a lasting impact on a young person. I'd never heard of it until she did it.

This is so interesting!
I am a teacher, about to retire but very active and sporty and my own children are now in their 20s (with no immediate prospect ofGC😁) so will look into this.

I used to be an independent visitor and got a lot out of it. I did it through Action for Children. As the co-ordinator said at times you are the only adult who reliably turns up for them and who isn't paid to be.

I had 2 young people. The first was 14 when I met her and was finding life very tough. It was difficult at times maintaining proper boundaries as well as her trust. She left care at 16 and we didn't stay in touch as she was upset with me for sharing information with her social worker (which I had told her I would do). She was planning to move in with a complete stranger, a young man in his 30s who had an issue with the bedroom tax and could apparently claim child benefit for her.

The second I am still in touch with. She is in her mid 20s now. Again, leaving care (when my role officially ended) was tricky. She was provided with a HA flat and went from living in a care home with a responsible adult present 24/7 to living all by herself. Having her own place as a teenager made her very attractive to some truly awful boys/men and she was so desperate to be loved. She is now more settled with a job and lovely boyfriend and more of a family friend (she has met my kids).

Both of them really taught me a lot. We had a lot of fun and I hope that I have helped.

@dimples76
thank you for this post which I found useful - in a year or two both of my dds will be grown up and I feel ready to think about this role.

It's such a valuable thing to do, I work with a looked after teen and she appreciates her independent visitor so much.

My foster son had an independent visitor until he was 18. He enjoyed going out with him once a month. They mostly went to bowling (where FS thrashed him every time) 🤣 then got something to eat at Burger King/KFC ect. Occasionally they'd go to the cinema instead of bowling then food. They used to spend about 3 hours together each month. FS is actually still keeping in touch with IV after he is 18 because they both enjoy meeting up together. He had him for about 4 years.

This sounds like something I’d like to do in the future. How amazing! Never heard of an independent visitor before. I have zero experience of care, social services etc - I hope you get some training or a mentor of your own??

I'm a IV with nyas - I got training and have a lead contact who is able to mentor me as needed. We also have a network of IVs so we can share information

Hello, just saw your post. I've been doing this since 2023 - happy to share my experience, which has been so positive.

This has been around for ages.
I did the training years ago and was accepted.
When it came to matching they could never find me anybody.
In the end it was weird it fizzled out. Nobody came up.
They wasted their own resources.

Looking back I'm glad in a way because I didn't really think about what happened if you got attached to the person?
Do you ever see them again when the matching up ends?
What if they accuse you of anything.
Just things to think about?
Hope the replies been useful , it's just a different take on things.

What happens if you get attached to the person...

Isn't that kind of the point? To be a positive attachment? I recently had a lovely time catching up with one of "my" kids old independent visitors 10years on... "Kid" is 26 and it was his wedding, his IV from when he was 15 and I were both invited and were so proud of him ❤️

If they accuse you of anything... Same as if anyone accuses anyone of anything, really, but it's not common- these are kids, same as any other kids.

It's a shame that you weren't matched with a young person. Our local council is crying out for people to be matched with children.

My local council scheme actually supports the young person and independent visitors until the young person is 25 and after then you can keep in touch if you'd like to. It doesn't need to end as such.

I posted on this thread near the start.
it’s been on my mind - to the extent that I’ve applied, been accepted and had my dbs check done.
next step is training and for me to put together my ‘all about me’ booklet

Thank you to the op and others who shared encouraging and inspiring words.

Ah that's so lovely to hear. When do you think you may have your first visit?

My application and training went ahead and I have been matched with someone. It has been very slow to get the visits going as my person is quite introverted but this is for them, so we just do what they want and hopefully they feel they're getting something out of it.

OP, thank you so much for starting this thread. Thanks to all who have posted. I've been wondering about something like this for years - have just taken the first steps by emailing NYAS.
What a wonderful scheme!

It's so great to hear about people being matched.

@holtol the young person I see was also quite introverted to start with and very hesitant to give an opinion on anything but now they're confidant to say what they'd like to do during each visit.

To anyone else who is interested, you can go via your local council or charities like Action for Children.

Coram are actually recruiting independent visitors at the moment.

Expenses will almost certainly be paid as it is a voluntary role.

I also saw this thread and it it prompted me to volunteer. Met with my young person last week for the first time!

@holtol
as soon as I do my booklet and online mandatory training I can be matched - in a few weeks I hope
theres a waiting list of children and insufficient volunteers

for anyone considering it it’s a commitment of roughly once per month - 4 hours approximately
can be after school or at a weekend depending on age and situation of the child.
if you are debating it I’d strongly encourage you to look into it the need is not being met

different locations have different agencies overseeing the iv
in my area it’s the charity Barnardos

It's lovely to see people being matched! My last young person just aged out of the system so I have a new one - they were on the waiting list for two years, given a shortage of independent visitors and that they were outside an urban area which means someone has to travel. I'm really enjoying it - it's very rewarding!

As someone said above, the point is that you are attached! You can give them your number when they age out of the system. In talking to others, some stay in touch, some don't.

adding to @BadSkiingMum post re expenses
they all vary a bit from what I read
in my area it’s £20 and it can’t be rolled over - any left goes back into the charity
I’m fairly sure petrol can be claimed separately too.