Volunteering Opportunities with Barnardos - Southend Advocacy and Independent Visitor Service

About

he Independent Visitor's (IVs) Service matches volunteers with Looked After Children and Young People. IVs provide support by visiting and befriending Young People who have little or no contact with their birth families aged 0 - 18 years old. IVs act as long-term befrienders, being matched for up to 2 years with their Young Person. An Independent Visitor is a volunteer who befriends, advises and assists a child or young person who is being looked-after by their local authority. They become be a consistent presence over a long period and can become a valuable source of support. We recruit and train the volunteers before matching them with a child or young person in their local area who shares similar interests. We then provide ongoing support to help the relationship grow.