What we do
Cornwall Advocacy and Independent Visitor Service has two separate parts to the service.
An advocate empowers children and young people by giving them a voice, so their wishes and feelings are heard and considered when decisions are being made about their lives. Advocacy is available to all vulnerable children and young people aged 6-18 (up to 25 for a disabled child or young person), where they are involved in the child protection process, are children in care, asylum seeking children or disabled. This is not an exhaustive list.
An Independent Visitor develops a long term relationship with a child or young person in care, sharing fun and motivational experiences together. They are separate and independent from the Local Authority and will support children and young people from the ages of 6-18 (up to 25 for disabled child or young person). They will be matched with a child or young person and arrange to meet up with them - activities could include going to the cinema, the park, going for walks, a bike ride or coffee. Sometimes our Independent Visitors can be the one stable adult in a child or young persons life while other relationships can come or go.
If you are passionate about transforming the lives of children and young people and want to make a real difference in your local community, we'd love to hear from you and explain our volunteering opportunities.
We can help with
- We provide one-to-one support for children and young people looked-after by their local authority. We also help other young people in need of support, such as those on a child protection plan. Our mental health advocacy services work with children and young people receiving or wanting mental health support. Children and young people have a right to be heard and involved in decisions about them, so we support them by explaining their wishes and arguing their case. We also provide activities and training for families and professionals.
- Find out more about Advocacy and participation (children in care)
- Search for Advocacy and participation (children in care) services
- 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.
- Search for Independent visitors services