Barnardo’s Scotland is on the lookout for willing people to become mentors to support children across Ayrshire. The leading children’s charity has revealed that by committing to just one hour a week, a volunteer mentor could make a profoundly positive impact on the life of a child.
Diane Morgan, Intandem Co-ordinator at Barnardo’s Scotland, said: “What is Intandem? Intandem is Scotland’s national mentoring programme which supports children and young people aged eight to 14 who are looked after at home or in kinship care across Ayrshire.
“We’re looking for mentors who are reliable, good at listening, fun, patient, supportive and kind. An ideal candidate would be someone who is understanding and who would build a good rapport with their young person.
“Children and young people become involved with the care system when parents struggle to navigate tough times. This could be chronic illness, mental health problems or a death in the family – all things that can make it harder to give children the best care and support.
“We all need supportive, caring relationships to thrive. Relationships help us to develop good mental health, take up opportunities to do well at school and at work. A consistent, caring mentoring relationship helps children and young people to develop positive wellbeing and resilience, giving them the foundation they need to build strong relationships in the future and overcome trauma experienced in the past.”
The Barnardo’s mentoring service works by matching the young person with a fully trained, Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) checked volunteer. Together, they will spend around one to two hours a week or fortnight doing fun activities in the community. Activities the children and young people have enjoyed include bowling, the cinema, swimming, ice skating, cooking, arts and crafts and badminton.
Mentors receive ongoing support, regular supervision and access to in-house training, with mentoring providing great work experience. Diane Morgan adds: “You will be making a huge difference to a young person’s life by helping them to build their confidence and self-esteem. You will also be supporting your young person with any difficulties that they may be facing. In addition to this, you will be building a foundation of trust with your young person so that they can have another responsible adult to confide in.”
One of the recent recruits on to the mentoring service is Barbara Neil, who lives in Kilmarnock. Barbara, 44, said: “I really wanted to become a mentor because I enjoy spending time with and supporting young people. I understand the importance of a young person having a positive role model and a safe space where they can be themselves and just have fun.”
“When I was young, I spent a number of years in a residential setting and did not have a befriender or someone to confide in other than the house staff. In hindsight, having someone who was not a paid professional might have made a real positive difference to me growing up.”
A parent of one of the young people who embraced the mentoring process said: “Having a mentor for my son has been a blessing for us as a family, but more so for ‘Keith*’ and the relationship he has made with his mentor. Keith has felt really positive and happy when going with ‘Rhona*’ and loves when it comes to his time for seeing him.
“Keith likes to go to all these new places and get different experiences, and that his mentor involves himself in all the activities. Keith has a bond with Rhona that I’m forever grateful for, and we, as a family, are so grateful for having these opportunities and the support in place for us all.”
If you would like to find out more about becoming a mentor for Barnardo’s, please contact Diane Morgan, Intandem Co-ordinator at Barnardo’s Scotland, on telephone 07596 570 464, or at [email protected]. Diane said: “We are committed to the pledges made in the Independent Care Review and to #KeepThePromise. We place young people’s voices at the heart of all we do. Our Young Persons Forum ‘InVoice’ provides a platform for young people to speak on the issues that affect them.”
Intandem is funded by The Scottish Government and The Robertson Trust, and is managed by Inspiring Scotland. Intandem works alongside 11 partner charities to train and match volunteer mentors with children and young people. This community-based approach also strengthens local communities by providing training and opportunities for volunteers to be part of young people’s lives and healthy development.
In the past year, Barnardo’s Scotland has provided essential support to more than 11,500 children, young people, parents and carers in Scotland through more than 150 specialised community-based services and partnerships across the country.
The charity works to ensure that every child has the best possible start in life. Over the course of the financial year 2023-24, more than 16,000 people volunteered for Barnardo’s across the UK – a total of 1.7 million hours of their time. To donate, volunteer or fundraise, please visit: www.barnardos.org.uk/get-involved/raise-money.