Andy, independent visitor

Independent visitors befriend and support children and young people who are in care and don't have much contact with their families. Andy has been matched with Barry, who he supports and meets up with twice a month.

Why volunteer as an independent visitor?

'I was looking to do some kind of volunteer work. I did various investigations into what was out there, and felt that the independent visitor scheme was a really worthy cause to engage with children who haven't had the best start in life.'

How did you get started?

'The training and recruitment was very informal and relaxed. It involved group work, and it was good to interact with others who were interested. It also gave an insight into what it's like to be a child in the care system. Finding out how many children are in care, and how many need an independent visitor and can't get one was a bit of an eye opener.

'For the matching process you give the young person a folder about yourself, your family background, pets, kids, a bit about yourself and what you like doing, and you try to tailor it to the right level so it matches up with activities they'd like to do as well. '

What exactly do you do?

'I try to tailor activities to things he enjoys doing, give himexperiences that he's never had before, to discover if he likes something or not. You both experience it together, and it forms a bonding process together.

'We did things like going on a climbing wall, go-karting, went to the York Dungeon, and stuff like that. Some of these kids have never been swimming, and never sat in a restaurant before.

'The matching process helps to make sure you have a natural rapport with the young person, but over time they open up and talk about their family, reasons for being taken into care, what's been happening in the placement and how they feel about it, and what they want to do in the future.'

What are the benefits?

'Some of these kids have had really awful childhoods, and you have the opportunity to turn their life around and put their trust back in human nature. They need male role models, someone they can look up to. I think I get ten times more out of it than Barry gets! I know I'm helping him to put his trust back in people.

'Some people think that it's strange for a young man to want to volunteer with children, people might joke "you must be a paedophile" but it's just ridiculous really, there's no reason why men should not be involved in children's care. It's not weird - it's fun! Boys also want to play boys games, and men really enjoy those things too, football, sports, go-karting, they're all really fun. Cars, sports, football, motorbikes - Barry loves all that stuff.

'Because you're independent, and they know that you're not being paid to look after them, that you actually want to do it, they react to you really well, and you can genuinely make a connection with them.

'It doesn't take up a great deal of your time, one in every two Saturdays, but it's the difference you're making! You could be the only constant person in their life, and it's an amazing feeling to be able to benefit somebody who's been disadvantaged.'

Could you do what Andy does?

If so, search for volunteer roles or phone 0300 123 2112.