Volunteering

We need volunteers.

Are you an adult interested in volunteering to support a child or young person in care...?

Together for Children cares for over 380 children and young people aged 8-18. A small proportion of these have little or no contact with adults outside those that care for them or who support them at school and that is where you can help; by volunteering as an Independent Volunteer.

Together for Children has a statutory responsibility to provide an Independent Visitor for these children.  Independent Visitors are adult volunteers, from all walks of life, whose role is to establish long-term supportive relationships with the child or young person, giving them the opportunity to develop their interests, learn new skills and build their self-esteem. Typically, this will involve meeting up once a month and doing something the child or young person enjoys, for example, going to the cinema, visiting a museum, going for a bike ride, having a chat over a hot chocolate, or playing a game of football.

Together for Children have commissioned Nepacs, a third sector organisation, to deliver the Independent Visitor Service.  For Sunderland alone, they have a waiting list of children and young people seeking an Independent Visitor; waiting for new volunteers before they can be matched to someone, someone like you.

Please visit the Nepacs website where you can find out more about the role, selection, training, support and DBS requirements. Here you can also watch a short video on the difference you can make as an Independent Visitor.  You can also contact Nepacs direct at volunteering@nepacs.co.uk .