If you live anywhere in Harrow or near by, we would like to hear from you. We need volunteers who will visit a young person living in care once a month. Training given. CERTA accreditation available.
We are looking for adult (18 +) volunteers who will visit a child or young person in foster care or living in a residential children's home. Volunteer independent visitors are there to 'assist, befriend and advise' and be a person in their lives who is separate from social services, and who spend time with the young person because they choose to.
We’re delivering the Independent Visitor Service across Harrow. We match each volunteer independent visitor with a child or young person who needs extra support and encouragement, sometimes because they have little or no contact with their own families.
The volunteer is there as someone ‘independent’ in the young person’s life, distinct from the professionals paid to support them. They might take the young person to the cinema or to the park, encourage them to try a new sport or hobby, support them at meetings or simply be there to talk to. It makes a real difference to a young person to know they have someone who is on their side, who has chosen to be there for them.
All of our volunteers are fully trained and supported and are asked to meet with their young person once a month for a couple of hours.
We normally ask for a minimum commitment for 18 months to make a useful contribution to a young person's life. There are opportunities throughout the week to volunteer on this project but, it is predominantly at the weekends.
About Sova
Our mission is to support people to develop the skills and confidence to take control of their lives and develop their full potential.
We are passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of people who have a broad range of often complex needs that prevent them from engaging fully in their communities.
We enable people to identify and build on their existing strengths and to use these to develop new skills and pursue new opportunities. Our aim is to let people who are isolated or excluded know that we understand the issues and challenges they face, and that we will support them to shape their future.
We work in partnership with commissioners and other service providers to develop effective responses to our service users’ challenges that engage them in an exciting journey towards a better, stronger future.
Our passionate staff team and national network of committed volunteers deliver a range of services including:
Supporting mental health, emotional wellbeing, risk taking behaviours and family relationships;
Advocacy, befriending and mentoring for children, young people and families ;
Rehabilitation and mentoring packages for juvenile and adult offenders, addressing dependency, mental health, housing and employment needs;
Supporting those furthest away from the labour market back into work, education or training
Housing and tenancy support to reduce likelihood of homelessness and reduce anti-social behaviour;
Working in partnership with Local Authorities to deliver statutory public services including Appropriate Adult provision and Independent Visitors for looked after children.
We are interested in any adult who is able to visit their young person on a regular basis once month. We match volunteers with young people based on personality and similar interests. We do not operate on a first come first served basis, we take the time to match with the hope that the relationship will be sustainable for the forseeable future.
Volunteers visit at times that suit them and the young person they are matched with. Volunteers engage in a variety of ways and activities in the local area within a budget. For example: swimming, ice-skating, out for tea etc. It all depends on what the young person enjoys doing. You may be there simply to listen to them and be there to talk to.
We're looking for people who are passionate about making a positive difference to a young person living in care. You may be the only person in their life who is not paid to look after them. They may not have regular contact with their birth family and sometimes an 'independent visitor' (or iv for short!) could be the only person who is a 'constant' in their lives.
Practical Considerations
All volunteers must complete the Certa accredited training before becoming a volunteer and must supply references and a DBS check. Independent Visitors receive ongoing support and guidance from Sova project staff and supervisions are completed on a regular basis.
Out of pocket expenses are reimbursed.
We do our best to match you with a suitable young person and most will be based across Barnet and Harrow, so would be worth considering how far you would be willing to travel to visit your young person.
You would be required to input brief details of your visit onto a computer system - but essentially your conversations are confidential (unless there is a safeguarding issue).
Training takes place at Kings Cross - Travel expenses reimbursed.