CHILDREN’S CHARITY APPEALS FOR PUBLIC SUPPORT TO BEFRIEND CHILDREN IN CARE

Leading children’s charity Barnardo’s is appealing to people to come forward to help support young people in care on the Isle of Wight.

The charity is looking to recruit Independent Visitors (IVs) – these are members of the public who give a commitment to befriend young people up to 21 who are in care or are care leavers across the Island.

Children who are in care can have lots of changes in their lives. This might include where and who they live with, different social workers and sometimes changes in schools. IVs are specially trained to provide emotional support and friendship and are independent of the care system. They remain a constant with a young person, seeing them regularly and sharing experiences. They give a commitment to work with the service for a minimum of a year once they are trained and expenses are reimbursed.

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Rachel McKernan, Assistant Director of Children’s Services at Barnardo’s said:

“Independent Visitors are so important for a young person in care as they are spending time with adults who are not paid to be with them – something most young people don’t even think about. It can make a huge difference to a young person knowing that a regular adult is giving their time for free, simply because they want to, and that they are an adult friend who remains a constant.

“The Independent Visitors themselves also get so much from the arrangement and it gives them a change from their daily routine and they may do activities which they haven’t done before or for a long time. These can be anything from going to the park and having an ice cream or visiting the cinema or going rock climbing. The activities are very much focussed on the age and interests of the young person.”

If you are interested and would like to find out more, contact Jess Fareham, Independent Visitor Coordinator on 07525800575 for an informal chat and an application pack.

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