Provides volunteers to support children and young people who are in residential care or foster homes

The Independent Visitor project provides volunteers to support children and young people who are in residential care or foster homes, or who for other reasons are considered to be in need of this valuable support.

Support for these children and young people includes visiting, advising and befriending them, where the child or young person may have little contact with members of their own family.  Independent visitors provide a support which is independent of all other areas of a child or young person's care.  They may often be one of very few (if any) people who are not paid in some way to be in their lives.

Volunteers are matched to a child or young person on a suitability and needs basis, once introductions have been made the volunteer will visit on a regular basis usually collecting the child or young person from their home and then proceeding out into the community for the visit to take place.  The activity that takes place during the visit is a tool to building a healthy relationship; types of activities include a walk in the park, ten pin bowling, going for pizza, or help with homework etc. 

The Independent Visitor Project is part of Barnardo's 'Young People' Milton Keynes, an established Barnardo's service which is located in Central Milton Keynes.

With the only criteria for eligibility being that the children and young people on the project are looked after young people, they come to us with any or no additional needs, therefore we have young people taking part in the project who have multiple learning and physical disabilities, mental health needs, autistic spectrum disorders, and a number of other diagnoses.  We also have some young mothers who are benefiting from the project.

We have children as young as seven years old and young people are referred up to 18 years old.  Many teenagers enjoy taking part in the project.  All children and young people are referred to us from the social care team, social workers and personal advisors.