Independent Visitors Scheme in Haringey

An Independent Visitors (IV) Scheme has been available for children and young people looked after by Haringey social services for a number of years.

Action for Children recruits volunteer independent visitors in accordance with the 1989 Children Act (paragraph 17, schedule 2). This is a statutory service for children and young people, looked after by the local authority, who have infrequent or no contact with their birth families.

Independent visitors are aged 18 or over and have volunteered to spend some time every month with a child or young person to befriend, support and encourage them. All volunteers undergo thorough vetting, police checks, assessment and training and receive ongoing supervision and support.

The amount of contact between IVs and young people is flexible but most meet up every couple of weeks, with phone calls, e-mails, texts, and so on, in between. Usually the IV will organise an outing (e.g. to the cinema, park, zoo) or activity (e.g. swimming, cooking, photography), can help with school work or come to review meetings if asked by the young person.

Meetings and outings between IVs and young people usually take place at weekends and sometimes during early evenings (for example, after school or college).

Following a recent recruitment drive, there is now a pool of volunteers available to be matched with young people in the borough and the scheme welcomes new referrals.

For more information about the service or to make a referral, please contact us on 020 7254 9408, or email LondonIV@actionforchildren.org.uk

|

Your feedback on this webpage

Was this information useful?

Yes No

Additional comments How can we improve this page? (please leave your contact details if you would like a reply).

If you want to give comments on the service itself please visit our Contact page.

|