What we do
1. Advocacy to children who are Looked After by Coventry or Warwickshire LA, and also children who are Children in Need or homeless 16 and 17 year olds. We support children's participation at Looked After Reviews, Family Group Conferencing and Child Protection Conferences and other key decision making forums, including formal complaints to the LA. Our aim is to ensure that the voice of the child is heard by those responsible for making decisions around their care. We accept referrals over the 'phone or online from anyone who has the child's consent to do so, or directly from the young person themselves.
2. We provide volunteer befrienders, known as Independent Visitors, to children who are Looked After by Coventry or Warwickshire LA's, generally in foster care or residential homes. We accept referrals by email or 'phone for all Looked After Children for whom their social worker feels it would be in their best interest and the child agrees with the referral and wants an Independent Visitor.
We welcome enquiries from members of the public interested in becoming Independent Visitors. All training and supervision is provided, and we cover the monthly expenses of contact with the child that you are matched with. We ask for a minimum of 2 years commitment to ensure consistency for the child.
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