Help us ensure happy summers for children
THE start of the school holidays is traditionally when children get to enjoy activities and days out with friends and family. Whether it’s going to the seaside or playing football in a park, we believe every child deserves to feel happy and safe this summer and all year round.
However, at Barnardo’s we know from our direct experience of supporting children growing up in care that many are prone to feeling cut off and isolated, with around a fifth (19 per cent) saying they feel lonely always or often.
Since 2014, Barnardo’s has been proud to host the National Independent Visitor Network (NIVN).
This network of befriending services work together to ensure more children can access their legal right to a trained befriender, known as an Independent Visitor or IV. Independent Visitors are separate from children’s social care services, and can act as positive role models building trusting, stable relationships with children and young people over time.
But very few children in care receive this support – a recent Freedom of Information request made by NIVN to all local authorities in England and Wales reveals just over three per cent of all children in care in England are matched with an Independent Visitor, with the figure dropping to one per cent in Wales.
That’s why Barnardo’s supports the National Independent Visitor Network’s “Right Friend” campaign, which calls for at least 10 per cent of children in care to be matched with an Independent Visitor by the end of this year.
To make this a reality, we need to do more to encourage members of the public to step forward and become Independent Visitors. High-quality Independent Visitor services also require investment so these services can spend time finding, training and matching volunteers with children to help build relationships that last. Volunteering as an Independent Visitor means you can help change a childhood for the better. No formal qualifications are required – just a genuine commitment to helping care-experienced children over a minimum 12-month basis. If you are over 18 and are interested, we’d love to hear from you.
To find out more, visit ivnetwork. org.uk
Hugh Sherriffe Director Barnardo’s central region
Despite a salary of over £84,000, he is claimed by The Taxpayers’ Alliance to be “Britain’s Most Expensive MP” as his expenses totalled £280,936 for one year. And his wife, Caroline Henry, enjoys a salary of over £64,000 plus expenses in her role as Notts Police and Crime Commissioner.
And Caroline does not have to
fork out for petrol for six months as she is banned from driving for that period.
Eddie Walsh Long Eaton