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?

Very interesting and thanks for all the information.

Would you need to be able to drive, would you say?

What's kinds of things do you do with the YP?
Do you pick them up or meet them?

If you go say to a football match who pays?

I also love that on the report sheet I complete after every visit it is only a short form and it reminds me that I shouldn’t document lots of details of the conversations I have with the YP (unless there is safeguarding issue or emergency). There is respect that the IV and YP are entitled to conversation that isn’t repeated to others - a bit like a friend but in this case a friend who is vetted and trained.

@looksgood- re the driving, you’d need to check with the organisation in your area. I need to drive as the YP isn’t local to me. Perhaps if you lived in an area with good public transport and access to different venues such as cinemas etc, driving wouldn’t be essential?

@Sunshineandrainbow
you will have a budget for activities mine is £20 total per outing (travel expenses paid on top of this)
football match may be out of budget.
things like swimming, cinema, pizza are within budget for me.
My YP is happy to have some food and we might do other free or low cost stuff e.g. park with outdoor equipment
When we plan a cinema trip I’d take some supermarket snacks otherwise the popcorn etc would break the budget.

What an amazing thing to do. I'd love to do this in the future once my own DC have grown up.

@Sunshineandrainbow in my area you pick up and return the child from where they are living e.g. foster carer.

@SqishySqashmas- file it in the back of your mind like I did

Thanks - or I could get public transport to a larger city where a yp might be based maybe. Certainly food for thought

Thanks. Will have to assess the situation as will be 67 by then.

I previously posted as run4it2. I spend about 2.5 hours with my current kid. There are ivs in my area who are in their 70s. You pick a slot that works for you both, so it can be flexible. I'm still enjoying it, my kid has learning difficulties but has started to progress loads over the last couple of months which is great to see.

In our area they age out at 18 (or if in school when they finish the final term) but in some cases they can stay on until 19. Most ivs exchange numbers with their yp when they finish. Some don't have any contact, but others do. There's no funding at that point, but you can just catch up for a coffee or something . Hope that helps!

Me too! Also a Homestart volunteer! Currently looking into Independent visitor roles. I only work part time, so feel ready to take on something else

Any recommendations on the best organisations to approach? Is there a set one for each area? If so, any idea how I’d find that out?

NYAS is the organisation that supports Independent Visiting and Advocacy work throughout the UK. They provide lots of useful info about the role of an IV. https://www.nyas.net/get-support/young-people/independent-visitor-service/
if you want to know which organisation operates in your area, you can google Independent Visiting in my area and you should get results that way. The main ones are Barnardo’s, Reconstruct, NYAS and Action for Children. There are others too though.
Each local authority commissions their own organisations so it is area specific.

https://coramvoice.org.uk/help-us/being-an-independent-visitor/

Coram Voice also

It’s Coram in my area too - used to be Barnardos. If you contact the ‘wrong’ one they are usually able to redirect you - it might take a couple of tries. Well worth it in the end.

Good grief - it's been a year and I haven't heard back. Thank you for bumping the thread, I've emailed NYAS again.

Where did you apply? I support young people in residential care and they have had independent visitors from Coram and NYAS, could you try them?

Have just read your later comment & now know that it was NYAS you approached. I’m not sure if Coram’s Voice are still in existence. NYAS might have taken them over.

There is also mentoring, as a pp mentioned. It’s a similar role and might only be for children in residential care (rather than with foster carers). Mentors stay in touch with their mentee after the age of 18, so are a lynchpin when they leave residential care at age 18. Only one of our current residents has a Mentor. It’s taken a couple of years, but they are getting on well now and her Mentor has just taken her out for her 16th birthday - to somewhere other than McDonald’s- which is a huge achievement! They usually go bowling, as this is the young person’s preference. Like the IV, it’s a once a month commitment, for a few hours at a time.

@cheapskatemumand others
Coram voice definitely still operating here is a screenshot of the areas they cover

That’s useful to know, thank you for posting @Nomorecoconutboosts. The last IV we had started off with Coram’s Voice, then went to NYAS. That was in Norfolk, which is on your list. He must have had his reasons. He retired, sadly, so I can’t ask him.

@cheapskatemum I think it is more to do with which organisation the local authority chooses - or if they provide the service themselves. (Unless an IV applies to a new area possibly?)
I started off with Barnardos then there was a transfer (including the IVs and paid staff) to the new organisation

People who've done this, do you think it can work if the adult is quite reserved? Once I get to know someone I'm fine, but I can imagine awkward silences and general awkwardness with a YP until we find some common ground, though I'd try my best to fake it til I make it.

I don't care about it being rewarding for me but I don't want a kid who might already have low self esteem to feel like "their" person isn't interested in them.

I did this, although I don’t anymore, I’m still in contact with my young person (who is now 20). It’s a great thing to do, I really enjoyed it and felt like I was doing something worthwhile. Had good support from the team but the budget is tiny and hasn’t increased since I started. Very tricky to find fun things for a teenager to do, on such a limited budget. I’d usually spend my own money and just claim back what was allowed.

Yes, I do. See the poster above who tried to think of exciting things to do, then realised that their young person just wanted to spend time with them.